Cold brew coffee, also called cold water extraction or cold pressing, is a type of coffee prepared by the process of steeping coffee grounds in water at cool temperatures for an extended period. Coarse-ground beans are soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours.

Slow-drip cold brew refers to a process in which water is dripped through coffee grounds at room temperature over the course of many hours. It has been called “Kyoto-style”, or in East Asia “Dutch coffee”.

Ground coffee beans in cold-brewed coffee never come into contact with heated water.

The process of leaching flavor from the beans produces a chemical profile different from conventional brewing methods. Coffee beans contain a number of compounds that are more soluble at higher temperatures, such as caffeine, oils and fatty acids. However, brewing at a lower temperature for 24 hours results in higher caffeine content when brewed in equal volume compared to 6 minutes at 98 °C (208 °F).

The acidity of cold and hot brew coffee is similar but cold brew coffee has a lower titratable acid concentration. Both pH and titratable acidity influence taste.

Nitro cold brew was first offered at third wave coffee shops in the early 2010s, but the exact origin is disputed. It may have originated in 2013 at the craft coffee houses Cuvee Coffee in Austin, Texas, and Stumptown in Portland, Oregon. The draft coffee at the Queens Kickshaw in New York in 2011 may be a predecessor.