Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

Before you start

Vanilla sweet cream is a simple mix of heavy cream, milk and vanilla syrup that floats on cold brew and slowly marbles into it. It is richer than milk, lighter than straight cream, and sweet enough that the coffee underneath can stay unsweetened. Cold brew is the right base because it is smooth and low in acidity, so it does not clash with the dairy.

This recipe makes the cold brew concentrate from scratch. Coarse coffee steeps in cold water for 12 to 18 hours, then gets strained and diluted. The sweet cream takes two minutes. Keep the proportions of cream to milk at about two to one: more milk and it sinks straight to the bottom, more cream and it turns heavy.

Ingredients

• Cold brew concentrate125 g (about 1½ cups) whole-bean coffee, coarsely ground — medium or dark roast
• 625 ml (about 2½ cups) cold filtered water
• Vanilla sweet cream120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream
• 60 ml (¼ cup) whole or 2% milk
• 30 ml (1 oz) vanilla syrup — or 2 tbsp simple syrup plus ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Per 4 drinksabout 500 ml (2 cups) cold water — to dilute the concentrate
• 4 cups (about 600 g) ice cubes

Method

1. Grind the coffee coarse, about the texture of raw sugar. Fine grounds over-extract during a long steep and make the brew muddy and bitter.
2. Put the grounds in the jar and pour over the cold water. Stir until every bit of coffee is wet, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours. Sixteen hours is a good middle ground.
3. Strain the concentrate through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the bulk of the grounds, then strain again through a paper filter or cheesecloth. Do not press on the grounds; that pushes fine sludge through. Because the grounds hold on to roughly twice their weight in water, expect about 375 ml of concentrate.
4. Make the sweet cream: combine the heavy cream, milk and vanilla syrup in a small jar. Shake for about 10 seconds or stir until smooth. It should be pourable, not whipped.
5. For each drink, fill a tall glass with ice, add about 90 ml (3 oz) of concentrate and about 120 ml (4 oz) of cold water. Taste, and adjust the ratio closer to 1:1 for a stronger drink.
6. Pour 45 to 60 ml (1½ to 2 oz) of sweet cream slowly over the back of a spoon onto the coffee. It will sit on top and drift down in clouds. Serve unstirred and let the drinker mix it.

Tips for success

• Weigh the coffee and water. A 1:5 ratio by weight makes a concentrate that dilutes roughly one to one; a weaker steep cannot be fixed later.
• For a thicker, foamier float, froth the sweet cream for 5 to 10 seconds with a handheld frother before pouring.
• Use a medium or dark roast with chocolate and nutty notes. Bright, fruity light roasts can taste thin under cream.

Substitutions

Heavy cream

Half-and-half alone makes a thinner sweet cream that sinks faster. Use 180 ml half-and-half and skip the milk.

Vanilla syrup

A vanilla bean steeped in 1:1 simple syrup gives a deeper flavor with dark specks. Maple syrup works and adds its own character.

Dairy

For a plant-based version, use full-fat coconut cream thinned with oat milk. It floats well but tastes noticeably of coconut.

Variations

Cinnamon sweet cream

Add ¼ tsp ground cinnamon to the sweet cream and shake well.

Sweet cream cold foam

Froth the sweet cream with a frother for 20 to 30 seconds until thick and spoon it on as a foam cap.

Troubleshooting

The cold brew tastes bitter or woody

The grind was too fine or the steep ran well past 18 hours. Go coarser and stop at 16 hours. See the cold brew bitterness guide for more causes.

The concentrate is cloudy with sludge

Fines slipped through the strainer. Filter it a second time through a paper filter and avoid squeezing the grounds.

The sweet cream sinks right away

There is too much milk in the mix, or it was poured fast. Keep about two parts cream to one part milk and pour slowly over a spoon.

Storage

Refrigerate cold brew concentrate in a sealed jar and use it within about 7 to 10 days, as flavor fades. Keep the sweet cream sealed in the fridge and use it within 3 to 4 days or by the cream's date, whichever is sooner. Do not leave dairy drinks out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Cold brew concentrate is strong, and caffeine content varies with the beans and steep. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults; adjust dilution if you are sensitive.