Cold Brew Grind Size: What’s the Best Coarse Setting?

Quick answer: For cold brew, start at a medium-coarse grind—think raw sugar or coarse sand. It slows extraction enough to stay smooth, but still gives you a full-bodied cup without tasting watery. If you’re searching for cold brew grind size (or what grind size for cold brew / what size grind for cold brew), this is your baseline.

Cold brew usually steeps for 12–24 hours, which means grind size matters more than most people think. Multiple brew guides recommend staying in the coarse to medium-coarse zone, and grind charts place cold brew around 800+ microns. Put simply: the longer you steep, the more you’re rewarding consistency and restraint. Start coarse, adjust in small steps, and you’ll get a clean, sweet cup that filters fast.

Cold brew gets its signature smoothness from time, not heat—so grind size is basically your “steering wheel.” Too fine and the brew can turn muddy or bitter. Too coarse and you’ll get a thin, flat cup that tastes like iced brown water. The sweet spot is a medium-coarse coffee grind size for cold brew that extracts evenly over a long steep while staying easy to filter and clean up.

The best cold brew grind size (and why it works)

If you remember one setting, make it this: medium-coarse is the safest cold brew default. It’s strong enough to taste rich, but coarse enough to keep bitterness and sludge under control. For most people, the best grind size for cold brew coffee is medium-coarse—and yes, that’s also what many mean when they ask what grind is best for cold brew.

Because cold brew steeps for hours, smaller particles can extract “extra” fast and push your cup into harsh territory. That’s why many roasters point you toward a medium-coarse baseline, like this medium-coarse grind scale.

Cold brew also comes in two common styles: ready-to-drink (pour over ice) and concentrate (dilute later). Ready-to-drink usually lives right at medium-coarse. Concentrate can tolerate a hair finer for extra strength—but staying “filter-friendly” matters more than squeezing out every last drop of flavor. If you’re comparing the best coffee grind for cold brew, consistency matters more than chasing a “perfect” number.

What “medium-coarse” should look and feel like

The best way to nail grind size without obsessing over numbers: use your eyes and your fingertips. Medium-coarse feels gritty, not powdery—like raw sugar mixed with a bit of coarse sand. You should see distinct pieces, not a dusty layer that coats your fingers.

So, how coarse to grind coffee for cold brew? Aim for chunky, even particles that feel like grit—not powder. That sweet spot is your cold brew coarseness: coarse enough to filter cleanly, but not so chunky that the brew tastes thin.

If you like a numeric sanity check, cold brew often lands roughly around the 800–1400 micron neighborhood depending on the grinder and labeling. Treat that as a reference point (not a rule) and compare it against an 800–1400 micron guide—then let taste and filtering speed decide the final tweak.

One more quick visual: if your cold brew grinds look like flour with a few chunks mixed in, you’re too fine. If they look like little pebbles with lots of empty space between, you’re probably too coarse.

Dial it in fast with the cold brew “extraction triangle”

Cold brew is forgiving—as long as you don’t change everything at once. Grind size, steep time, and ratio work together, so pick one to adjust and keep the others stable.

Here’s a simple way to use the triangle: brew a baseline batch (like 1:8 for 12 hours). If it’s too bitter, go one step coarser before you shorten time. If it’s too weak, go one step finer before you add more coffee. Those tiny moves are easier to repeat—and they teach you what your grinder “means.”

And if you’re fridge-steeping, remember it’s slower. Keep the grind the same and give it a little more time rather than jumping immediately to a finer setting.

Adjust grind size based on taste (no guesswork)

This is where cold brew gets easy: you don’t need perfection—you need repeatability. Start at medium-coarse, taste it black, then adjust in one notch at a time so you can actually tell what changed. If you’re wondering what grind to use for cold brew, that’s your answer 95% of the time.

People also ask “cold brew coarse or fine?” Go coarse by default. Can you make cold brew with fine ground coffee? Yes—but it’s more likely to taste harsh, feel dusty, and filter slowly. If you must use it, shorten steep time and strain through paper to catch fines (and expect some extra sediment).

One common cold brew mistake is grinding too fine and accidentally extracting harsh notes (especially if you agitate late in the steep). If your batch tastes “burnt” or leaves sludge, the fastest fix is usually to go coarser and filter more gently—exactly what avoid grinding too fine guidance warns about.

Match your grind to your setup (bag, French press, or cold brew maker)

Your filter method matters more than people think. With a mesh-only filter (like many cold brew pitchers), too-fine grounds slip through and make the cup gritty. With paper filters, you can go slightly finer—but you’ll still want to stay out of “drip” territory.

If you’re asking what grind setting for cold brew, start medium-coarse and move your cold brew grind setting one step at a time. On a burr grinder, that’s usually “French press range.” On a blade grinder, it’s more like “pulse until chunky and stop before it turns dusty.” If you’re new to this, think of it as how to grind coffee for cold brew: chase consistency first, then tweak strength with tiny changes. (That’s also how to grind beans for cold brew without turning your cup into silt.)

As a rule of thumb: mesh-only systems do best a touch coarser; paper filters tolerate a touch finer; and French press cold brew wants a true French press grind so the plunger doesn’t stall. ESPRO notes similar “coarse-to-medium” ranges depending on brewer type in this cold brew grind ranges overview.

Using pre-ground? Choose something labeled coarse (or “French press”). If you’re deciding what kind of coffee grounds for cold brew, that’s the simplest choice for a clean cup. These coffee grounds for cold brew will usually taste smoother and filter faster than medium-drip grinds, which can make cold brew coffee grounds taste muddy.

For most home setups, the best coffee grounds for cold brew are evenly ground coarse beans—consistent particles give you sweetness without grit. In other words, the best ground for cold brew is the one that’s consistent, not necessarily the one that’s “the strongest.” (That’s why the best coffee grinds for cold brew are usually burr-ground.)

Common problems (and the exact fix)

Cold brew failures are usually “one-variable” problems. The trick is to make a single change, then re-taste. Use one notch on your grinder at a time (or about a 5–10% change if you think in microns).

A simple brew-and-adjust worksheet (printable)

If you want “set it and forget it” consistency, run two batches with a notebook mindset. This worksheet keeps the variables simple, and the notes column is where the real improvement shows up. Track your grind size (sometimes mistyped as cold brew ground size) so you can repeat the winner.