Steeping
What is steeping in coffee?
Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew. The steep time is how long the coffee and water stay in contact. Longer steeps extract more; hot brews usually steep for 2–5 minutes and cold brew for 12 hours or more.
Steeping is the heart of immersion brewing. Typical times: about 4 minutes in a French press, and 12–18 hours for cold brew, because cold water extracts far more slowly. Grind size and steep time work together: the coarser the grind, the longer it can steep before tasting bitter.