How to Use Cold Brew Concentrate for Iced and Hot Coffee
Cold brew concentrate is one of the simplest ways to make iced or hot coffee without brewing a new pot. Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate starts with a 1:1 ratio, giving you a strong coffee concentrate that can be mixed with water or milk and served hot or cold.
If you're looking for the best cold brew coffee concentrate for your routine, the important things to consider are flavor, ingredients, versatility, and how easily you can adjust the finished cup.
Here’s how Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate works, how to find your preferred ratio, and a few different ways to use it.
Shop Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate
What is cold brew concentrate?
Cold brew concentrate is coffee brewed at a higher concentration so it can be diluted with water or milk before drinking.
Unlike traditional iced coffee, which usually begins with hot-brewed coffee that is chilled, cold brew uses a cold brewing process. Making cold brew from scratch generally requires hours of steeping followed by filtering.
Cold brew concentrate gives you a prepared coffee base that's ready to mix.
Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate is made with just two ingredients: filtered water and Costa Rican coffee. There are no additives.
The cup is full and smooth, with low acidity and a gentle, honey-sweet finish.
How do you use coffee concentrate?
Start with our recommended 1:1 ratio:
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1 part Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate
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1 part water or milk
From there, you can adjust the ratio to your taste.
For a stronger coffee, use a little more concentrate. For a lighter cup, add more water or milk. You can serve it over ice, mix it with milk for a latte, or add hot water for a hot cup.
That's one of the benefits of using coffee concentrate. Instead of starting over with a different brew, you can adjust the finished drink to suit your preference.
How to make iced coffee with Cold Brew Concentrate
Using concentrate is the easiest way to make cold brew at home because there's no overnight brewing, measuring coffee grounds, or filtering.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup cold water
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Ice
Fill a glass with ice. Add the Cold Brew Concentrate and cold water, then stir.
If you take your coffee with milk or cream, add a splash to finish. You can also add your favorite sweetener or flavored syrup.
Because melting ice gradually dilutes the drink, you can use slightly more concentrate if you prefer a stronger cup.
How to make an iced cold brew latte
Cold Brew Concentrate can also be mixed directly with milk instead of water.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup milk
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Ice
Fill a glass with ice, add the concentrate and milk, then stir until combined.
Dairy milk, oat milk, almond milk, and other milk alternatives can all be used. The 1:1 ratio is a good starting point, but adding a little more concentrate will give you a stronger coffee flavor.
Can you make hot coffee with Cold Brew Concentrate?
Yes. Cold brew describes how the coffee is brewed, not how it has to be served.
For hot coffee, combine Cold Brew Concentrate with hot water rather than cold water.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup hot water
Heat the water separately, combine it with the concentrate, and stir.
For a hot latte, replace the water with warm or steamed milk. There's no need to boil the concentrate itself.
This makes coffee concentrate particularly versatile if you switch between hot and iced coffee throughout the year.
What should you look for in a coffee concentrate?
There are many coffee concentrate brands and styles available, so it's worth looking beyond convenience when choosing one.
Consider the ingredients, coffee used, recommended dilution ratio, flavor profile, and storage requirements. A good coffee concentrate should retain plenty of coffee flavor after it's mixed with water or milk.
For iced drinks in particular, a strong coffee concentrate can be useful because melting ice introduces additional water into the cup. Starting with concentrate gives you more control over that dilution.
Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate is made with filtered water and Costa Rican coffee, with no additives. Its recommended 1:1 ratio also keeps preparation straightforward while leaving room to adjust the strength.
5 recipes using Cold Brew Concentrate
Once you know your preferred ratio, coffee concentrate can become the starting point for much more than a basic glass of cold brew.
1. Mocha Iced Coffee
Chocolate and coffee are a classic pair, especially with a bolder coffee base.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup milk
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1 to 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
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Ice
Mix the chocolate syrup with the concentrate, add milk, and pour over ice. Adjust the amount of chocolate to taste.
2. Maple Iced Latte
Maple syrup blends easily into cold coffee and adds sweetness without requiring a flavored coffee syrup.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup milk
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1 tablespoon maple syrup
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Ice
Stir the maple syrup into the concentrate, add milk, and pour over ice.
3. Vanilla Cold Brew
For a classic flavored cold brew, add vanilla and a little milk or cream.
You'll need:
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1/2 cup Cold Brew Concentrate
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1/2 cup water
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Vanilla syrup to taste
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Splash of milk or cream
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Ice
Combine the concentrate and water over ice. Add vanilla syrup and finish with milk or cream.
4. Cold Brew Smoothie
Coffee concentrate can also add coffee flavor to a smoothie without requiring you to brew and cool coffee first.
Blend Cold Brew Concentrate with milk, a frozen banana, ice, and a spoonful of your favorite nut butter. Adjust the amount of concentrate depending on how pronounced you want the coffee flavor.
5. Cold Brew Affogato
Cold Brew Concentrate also works as a simple addition to dessert.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a small glass or bowl, then drizzle a small amount of Cold Brew Concentrate over the top. The concentrated coffee adds a rich contrast to the sweetness of the ice cream.
How strong should coffee concentrate be?
Coffee concentrates can have different recommended dilution ratios, so always check the product instructions first.
For Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate, we recommend starting with one part concentrate to one part water or milk.
Think of that 1:1 ratio as your starting point.
If you like strong coffee, increase the proportion of concentrate. If you prefer something lighter, add more water or milk. When making iced coffee, you can also make the initial mixture slightly stronger to account for melting ice.
What is the best coffee concentrate for iced coffee?
The best iced coffee concentrate depends on how you like your coffee, but there are a few things worth considering.
Look for a concentrate with enough coffee flavor to stand up to water, milk, and melting ice. A simple ingredient list and an adjustable dilution ratio also give you more control over the finished drink.
Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate uses a 1:1 starting ratio, which can be adjusted from there. Serve it black over ice, combine it with milk for an iced latte, or use a little more concentrate for a stronger cup.
What is the difference between cold brew concentrate and ready-to-drink cold brew?
The main difference is dilution.
Ready-to-drink cold brew is generally prepared at drinking strength and can be poured directly from the container.
Cold brew concentrate is intentionally stronger and designed to be mixed with water or milk before drinking.
That extra concentration gives you more flexibility. The same bottle can make black cold brew, iced lattes, flavored coffee drinks, or hot coffee simply by changing what you add to it.
Is coffee concentrate the same as iced coffee?
Not quite.
Iced coffee typically refers to coffee served cold over ice. It can be made using traditionally brewed hot coffee that has been chilled.
Cold brew concentrate refers to the brewing method and strength of the coffee. Because it is concentrated, it's designed to be diluted before serving.
Both can ultimately become an iced coffee, but the preparation is different.
How many servings are in a bottle?
Each 32 oz bottle of Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate makes up to 64 oz of Cold Brew when prepared at the recommended 1:1 ratio.
Because you control the final ratio, the exact number of drinks will depend on how much concentrate you use in each serving.
Does Cold Brew Concentrate need to be refrigerated?
Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate is shelf stable until opened.
Once the bottle is opened, refrigerate it and follow the storage instructions on the package.
Keeping an opened bottle chilled also means the concentrate is already cold when you're ready to make an iced coffee.
Is cold brew concentrate only for cold coffee?
No. Despite the name, cold brew refers to how the coffee is brewed.
You can combine Cold Brew Concentrate with cold water and ice, milk for an iced latte, hot water for hot coffee, or steamed milk for a hot latte.
That makes concentrate useful year-round, rather than only during iced coffee season.
Cold Brew Made Your Way
Black or creamy. Hot or iced. Straightforward or mixed with chocolate, vanilla, or maple.
Horn & Hardart Cold Brew Concentrate gives you one coffee base and plenty of ways to use it.
For a classic cup, start with one part concentrate and one part water or milk. Adjust from there to find the strength you like.
And when cold brew is what you're after, there's no overnight brewing or complicated prep. Pour, mix, add ice, and enjoy.
