The hard way. Maybe it makes sense when traveling?
An easier way, closer to @M_M 's approach:
What I do…
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Get a clean 1 quart Mason jar, or similar size 1 liter jar. Make sure it has a lid that is tight-fitting to seal the jar well when you shake it.
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Put in a maximum of two finger-widths medium-to-coarse grind coffee.
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Fill jar with room temperature dechlorinated water, making sure to leave 2 fingerwidths airgap from top. DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER because it makes the resulting brew taste odd and harsh. If you happen to have calcium-heavy water, consider it a boon because this process favors hard water.
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Screw on lid tightly, shake for… I dunno… 10 seconds? Leave on counter. Shake one or two more times in the next half day.
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After 12 hours have passed, strain. I don’t use a paper filter because it removes a lot of the tasty oils (where all the flavor is, right? fat=flavor!) from the final result. Some people use a French Press. I use a tea strainer with a medium-to-fine mesh:
When I travel, I use an old Republic of Tea strainer, it’s light and I was using it for my teapot anyway:
If you are bothered a lot by sediments and solids at the bottom of your cup/glass/mug, or if you ended up brewing a fine grind and you have a lot of sediment, feel free to use muslin or whatever to strain it. I seldom mind chewing my coffee a bit.
The result should be a rather strong, sweet-without-sugar brew that has very little acid compared to hot-brewed coffee. Happy stomachs! And the flavor profile is really big and rich. I don’t know what cold-brewed Folgers or Cafe Bustelo tastes like, but I usually end up justifying my slightly more costly coffee bean purchases by telling myself that I use less coffee grounds to make a richer stronger coffee.
I am getting old so now I drink my cold brew with ice and milk/half-and-half/etc. I will still drink iced cold brew black if I can cut it with plenty of ice.
NB: Cold brew is hella strong coffee!
Good luck!
