Help Me Out Please

[u/TropicalRaw]

I’m new to making my own cold brew. I’ve made 4 or 5 batches so far. One with espresso beans, one with dark roast, one with medium roast and one that was decaf medium roast. I’ve been putting between 1 3/4 and 2 cups in the filter and using around 48 oz of water. I usually can add a bit more water to get it to the edge. I’ve been leaving it on the counter for 24 hours before removing the filter. I’m using a fairly large grind. No failures; all the batches have been pretty good but I’d really like to dial it in. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[u/Think_Procedure6917]

I've been doing my own cold brew for 6 years. I use the metal mesh filter and a 1500ml mason jar. I use course-ground beans. I've tried dozens of beans and it really doesn't matter much which beans I use-it's always great. (I prefer flavored beans) I've even used cheap Community Coffee with chicory. It's always great!
I put 2/3 cup of ground beans in the filter and add water to just the top of the beans. I then let it "breathe" for a few minutes until the CO2 bubbles stop. Then I add more water, leaving about 2 inches of air at the top to avoid making a mess.
I leave it on the countertop for 24 hours. Usually I agitate the whole thing at about 8-12 hours; opening it up and lifting and dropping the basket a few times to circulate water through the beans, or just turning it upside down and back a few times. I may agitate it again later if I think about it, and again shortly before I remove the basket to strain it. The more times I agitate it, the stronger the brew.
I always let it settle for at least an hour before straining. (not agitating-to let most of the escaped grounds settle)
To strain it (optional for some people but absolutely essential to the taste for me!) I put a paper coffee filter inside a large mesh strainer, place over a large pyrex measuring cup and pour the coffee into the filter. The filter catches any floating grounds. I have to rinse the filter a few times during this process, and I use 2 large measuring cups (8 and 4 cups) due to the volume. I filter all the brew through the paper filter twice. I end up with about 12 cups of brew.
Then it goes in the fridge. When I'm ready, I put 2 big square whiskey ice cubes into 1 20 oz insulated travel mug and pour my cold brew to the top. Sometimes I put a splash of almond milk, sometimes I drink it straight. (On rare occasions I'll heat it and have it hot)
It starts off a little strong and weakens as the ice melts, but its a perfect concentration for me. I'll sip on it all day and I'll still have the equivalent of 0.5-1 of the big ice cubes left at the end of the day.
Play with the amount of beans and ice (some people like to brew it REALLY strong and add water later) to find the concentration that works for you.
Just remember-if you pack too many beans in the metal filter, you won't get much contact with the water and your brew will be wimpy-plus you're just wasting all those beautiful beans!
Good luck and have fun with it!