Last updated: June 17, 2026

Elaichi Cold Brew Coffee: Make a Whole Week in Your 2.2L Cold Brew Maker (3 Strengths)

You can make a week of coffee in one go. One 2.2 litre batch. One night in the fridge. Six cool, ready glasses waiting for you.

This is elaichi cold brew. It is smooth coffee with green cardamom. No machine. No heat. No daily mess. You brew it once. Then you pour all week.

Below are three strengths. Strong, medium, and light. Pick one. Each makes about six glasses of 300 ml. Each one is built for your 2.2L jug. We give exact grams, exact pods, and exact time. So your cup tastes the same every day.

Why elaichi and cold brew go so well

Hot coffee pulls out sharp, bitter acids fast. Cold water does not. It works slowly. So cold brew tastes round and easy. Elaichi takes it further. Its warm, sweet smell softens the bitter edge, so each glass tastes smooth and rounded, not sharp. Many people find it less acidic than hot coffee from the same beans.

Elaichi adds the magic. It is in our chai. It is in our sweets. It is in South Indian filter coffee. If you love that spice in a hot cup, see our cardamom coffee (elaichi coffee) recipe too. Its scent makes coffee feel warm even when the drink is cold. The two were made for each other.

Here are three quick facts from the research:

• Cold brew that you drink straight (no dilution) sits between a 1:10 and 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio by weight. For the full breakdown, see our cold brew ratio, time and method guide.
• Cold brew keeps its best flavour for 3 to 5 days, and stays safe up to about 7 days in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge.
• Cardamom is strong. Even a few pods can flavour a whole pot. So dose it with care.

The 3 strengths (pick your batch)

All three use 2.2 litres of cold water (about 2200 g). All three steep in the fridge.

When to pick each one

A — Strong (1:10). Pick this if you love bold coffee. Pick it if you always add milk or ice. The strong base still tastes like coffee even after you cut it. The elaichi comes through loud and clear.

B — Medium (1:12). This is your daily driver. It is the most balanced of the three. Good body, clear elaichi, smooth finish. It works black over ice. It works with milk and jaggery too.

C — Light (1:15). Pick this for hot afternoons. Pick it if you drink more than one glass a day. Pick it if you are careful with caffeine. The coffee is gentle and the cardamom sits softly in the back.

How to make it, step by step

1. Weigh and grind. Weigh your coffee for the batch you chose (220 g, 184 g, or 147 g). Grind it coarse. Aim for the look of coarse sand or coarse breadcrumbs. A fine grind makes the brew muddy and bitter.
2. Crush the elaichi. Press the pods with the flat of a knife. Just crack them open. Do not crush them to powder. This lets the seeds give their scent slowly.
3. Load the infuser. Put the grounds and crushed pods into the full-length mesh infuser of your jug. The mesh runs the full height. So the grounds stay spread out and soak evenly from top to bottom.
4. Add cold water. Pour cold, filtered water up to the 2.2L mark. Use the markings on the jug. Pour slowly over the grounds so they all get wet.
5. Stir gently. Give it a slow stir with a long spoon. Break up any dry pockets. Dry grounds will not brew.
6. Cap and chill. Put on the airtight lid. Place the whole jug in the fridge. Steep for your chosen time: 14–16 hours for strong, about 14 for medium, 12–14 for light.
7. Lift and store. Take out the infuser. Let it drip back into the jug for a few minutes. The grounds soak up about 400 ml, so you get roughly six glasses, not the full 2.2L. For a cleaner cup, pour the brew through a paper filter into a clean bottle.

That is it. No heat. No watching the clock. The fridge does the work while you sleep.

Elaichi dosing and timing

Cardamom is powerful. A little goes a long way. The pod counts above give a clear, warm flavour without taking over the coffee. Start there. Then change up or down next time to suit your taste.

Two ways to add it

Co-brew (the easy way). Put the crushed pods in with the coffee at the start. They steep together for the full 12–16 hours. This blends the flavour deep into the coffee. It is the simplest method. Use the pod counts in the table.

Infuse after (the control way). Brew plain coffee first. Then add crushed pods to the finished brew in the fridge. Let them sit 8–12 hours. Taste at 8 hours. When you like it, take the pods out. This lets you stop at the exact flavour you want. It also lets you keep part of the batch plain.

Do not over-steep the cardamom

Here is the warning. The pod husks are bitter. If cardamom sits in the brew too long, it can turn the taste bitter and a bit medicinal. Keep total cardamom contact under 12 to 18 hours. If you co-brew, pull the pods out with the grounds at the end. If you infuse after, do not leave the pods in for days.

Serving it the Indian way

Milk

Cold brew loves milk. For ratios and the best milks to use, read cold brew with milk. A nice glass is 200 ml cold brew and 100 ml cold milk over ice. For a richer drink, use equal parts, 150 ml each. The strong batch holds its coffee taste best when you add a lot of milk.

Jaggery syrup

Make a small bottle ahead. Dissolve 100 g grated jaggery in 100 ml warm water. Stir till smooth. Cool it. Keep it in the fridge. Add 10–20 ml per glass. That is about one to two spoons of jaggery per glass. It melts in clean, with no lumps.

Meter-coffee froth

Want that filter-coffee foam? Pour the cold brew and milk back and forth between two cups, from a height. The air whips up a light froth. It feels like classic filter coffee, but cool and elaichi-scented.

Ice

Three or four cubes per glass is fine. The strong and medium brews can take ice without going weak. If you drink it straight from the fridge with no ice, the medium or light batch feels best.

How long it keeps, and how to keep it safe

This is the most important rule for a weekly batch: store it black. Plain cold brew keeps for days. But the moment you mix milk into the jug, the clock speeds up. Dairy in the batch goes off quickly. So keep the batch pure coffee. Add milk, jaggery, and ice only in your glass, one cup at a time.

• Days 1–5: Best flavour. Bright, smooth, full of aroma.
• Up to day 7: Still safe if kept cold and clean, but flavour fades.

Use a clean glass or steel bottle. Keep the fridge at or below about 4–5 °C. Use clean utensils. If you ever smell something off, or see anything growing, throw it out. This matters more in hot Indian weather.

Caffeine and honest notes

Caffeine by strength, per 300 ml glass:

• Strong (1:10): about 150–180 mg.
• Medium (1:12): about 120–150 mg.
• Light (1:15): about 100–120 mg.

Most healthy adults are fine up to about 300–400 mg a day. One glass keeps you well inside that. But two or three glasses of the strong batch can add up fast. If you are sensitive to caffeine, pregnant, or have heart concerns, pick the light batch and keep it to one glass.

And one honest note on acid. Cold brew is gentler than hot coffee. But it is not zero acid. If you have a sensitive stomach or reflux, go light, use a medium or dark roast, and see how you feel. This is not magic. Drink what works for you.

Brew a full week in one jug

FAQ

How many glasses does one 2.2L batch make?

About six glasses of 300 ml, drunk straight. The grounds soak up roughly 400 ml of water, so you do not get the full 2.2 litres back. If you add ice or milk to each glass, you can stretch it to about seven.

Should I brew on the counter or in the fridge?

In the fridge. You are keeping this brew for a week, so cold steeping is safer and tastes cleaner. Brew the whole jug at 4–6 °C for 12–16 hours.

Can I add milk to the whole batch to save time?

No. Milk in the jug spoils fast. Store the batch black. Add cold milk to each glass when you pour it. The black coffee keeps for days, but a milky batch lasts only a day or two.

Why did my cold brew taste bitter?

The cardamom likely sat in the brew too long. The pod husks turn bitter after a while. Keep cardamom contact under 12 to 18 hours, then take the pods out.

What grind size should I use?

Coarse. Aim for coarse sand or coarse breadcrumbs. A fine grind makes a muddy, bitter cup and clogs the filter. If your brew tastes thin and hollow, grind a touch finer next time.

Co-brew the elaichi or add it after?

Both work. Co-brewing is easier and blends the flavour deep. Adding it after gives you more control, since you can taste and stop. Use the after method if you want part of the batch left plain.

Is cold brew less acidic than hot coffee?

Usually yes. Cold water pulls out fewer acids than hot water, so the cup feels smoother. But it is not acid-free. If you have a sensitive stomach, go light and pick a darker roast.

How much caffeine is in one glass?

Roughly 120 to 180 mg per 300 ml, by strength. Light is near 100–120 mg, medium near 120–150 mg, strong near 150–180 mg. One glass a day suits most adults.

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