Cold Brew Ratio Explained: 1:8 vs 1:12 (and Which to Use)

Both 1:8 and 1:12 are ready-to-drink cold brew ratios: 1:8 (125 g of coffee per litre of water) brews a strong, full cup you drink straight, while 1:12 (about 83 g per litre) brews a noticeably lighter one. Neither is concentrate — true cold brew concentrate is stronger still, at 1:4 to 1:5, and gets diluted before drinking. Our cold brew ratio calculator turns any of these ratios into exact amounts for your batch size.

The three cold brew strengths, side by side

Remember that the grounds hold onto water — roughly twice their weight — so a litre of water in does not mean a litre of cold brew out. At 1:8, expect to strain out roughly 700–750 ml of finished coffee from a 1-litre batch. Plan the batch around the yield you want, not the water you start with.

1:8 — the strong ready-to-drink

At 1:8 you're using about 50% more coffee per litre than a hot drip brew, which compensates for cold water's slower, gentler extraction. The result is rich and sweet, holds up over a glass full of ice, and stands up to milk. Choose 1:8 if:

• You drink your cold brew black and want it to taste like coffee, not coffee-flavored water
• You serve it over a lot of ice, which dilutes as it melts
• You add milk or cream, which softens the flavor

Most cafés selling ready-to-drink cold brew are brewing somewhere near this strength — it's also roughly where a 1:4 concentrate lands after a 1:1 dilution.

1:12 — the light ready-to-drink

At 1:12 the cup is delicate: thinner body, more tea-like, and easy to drink a lot of without feeling wired or weighed down. It's a legitimate style — some people genuinely prefer it, especially with bright, fruity light roasts — but it sits at the edge: go any leaner and most coffees taste washed out, because cold water simply doesn't extract enough to compensate. Choose 1:12 if:

• You find café cold brew too intense and want something gentler
• You're brewing a delicate light roast whose flavors get buried at stronger ratios
• You drink it without ice, so there's no melt-water dilution to plan for

One honest caution: if a 1:12 batch tastes weak and a little sour, that's under-extraction, not the ratio being "wrong for you." Steep longer (up to 18–24 hours) or grind slightly finer before you blame the coffee amount.

Where does concentrate fit?

Concentrate (1:4–1:5) is a different strategy, not just a stronger version of the same drink. You brew it once, keep it in the fridge for 7–10 days, and dilute each serving about 1:1 with water or milk — which lands the cup you actually drink right back at roughly 1:8–1:10 strength. Pick concentrate if you brew once for the whole week or want to control each glass individually; pick ready-to-drink if you want zero math between the fridge and your glass. The cold brew calculator handles both styles, including the dilution math.

The rest of the recipe (so the ratio can do its job)

• Grind: coarse — like raw sugar. Fine grounds over-extract during the long steep and clog filters.
• Time: 12–16 hours at room temperature or in the fridge is the standard window; concentrate can go 16–24.
• Water: cold or room temperature, filtered if your tap water tastes like anything.
• Storage: strain it, seal it, refrigerate. Ready-to-drink is best within 3–5 days; concentrate holds 7–10.

Beans built for the long steep

Cold brew forgives a lot, but it can't create flavor that isn't there. Fresh, whole-bean coffee — roasted to order, like the coffee from Raven Horse Co — gives you the sweetness cold brew is famous for; stale beans give you flat, woody water at any ratio.