What is Cold Brew Coffee & how do I best prepare it.
Some Summery recipe ideas.
Summer is here, and that calls for ice-cold coffee. There are no limits to creativity, anything goes on ice. But we especially look forward to cold brew. This slow brewed coffee brings out the sweet and juicy notes of the bean without all the bitterness. In this article, we'll give your imagination some ideas of what you can do with Cold Brew, but also show you some tips & tricks on how to get the most out of your Cold Brew.
What is Cold Brew?
Cold Brew Coffee is a coffee preparation method that steeps ground coffee in cold water for a minimum of 12 hours. The slow extraction process results in a smoother, less bitter taste than hot coffee, which is usually prepared by brewing it quickly with hot water. Cold Brew Coffee is usually poured into ice and finished with milk or syrup to taste.
Why are fewer acids formed in Cold Brew Coffee?
Fewer acids are formed in Cold Brew Coffee because the cold water interacts more slowly and gently with the coffee compared to hot water. The cold water dissolves the coffee oils and aromas from the beans more slowly and thus extracts fewer acids and bitter substances from the coffee. Conversely, hot water dissolves coffee acids and bitter substances from the coffee more quickly and aggressively, resulting in a sharper and often more bitter taste.
The slow extraction process of Cold Brew Coffee promotes the formation of coffee components such as chlorogenic acid, which can turn into acids during brewing. However, since fewer acids are extracted in the coffee, there are also fewer acids from chlorogenic acid in the finished Cold Brew Coffee.
Due to its lower acidity, Cold Brew Coffee is often described as softer and sweeter, making it a popular choice for people with sensitive stomachs or those who prefer a smoother coffee taste.
Tips from our lab: 10 hacks to make your cold brew even better.
1. Find a good Arabica coffee bean with characteristics you like in your cup of coffee. We have put together some coffee recommendations in our summer collection. We recommend using washed African filter roasts.
2. Grind the coffee extra coarse
3. Use filtered water or third wave water for optimal coffee extraction.
4. Find the sweet spot in the preparation time. This is around 12-14 hours. This depends on whether you brew the coffee in the fridge or at room temperature. It often takes longer in the fridge because the process is slowed down by the cool temperature.
5. Use a cold brew maker, like the one we have in our accessories collection. They make the process much easier and cleaner, and save you a nerve-racking filtering process after the coffee has brewed through.
6. Chill your cold brew properly after you have made it and remove it after the brewing time.
7. The ultimate tip to make your cold brew even more refreshing is to add a drop (really just a drop!!) of apple cider vinegar to your cold brew. The flavours become much more transparent and it cleans up the texture of the coffee a bit.
8. If you don't have a maker for your cold brew, like the one from Goat Stories or similar, we recommend filtering the cold brew through a V60 or Chemex filter instead of a metal sieve. This is the only way to get the finest coffee crumbs out of the cold brew that would otherwise settle at the bottom.
9. If you make cold-brew concentrate, i.e. let the coffee brew for a long time and use a small ratio, it is practical to portion the cold brew. You can do this easily with an ice cube mould: Pour the finished Cold Brew into the ice cube mould, freeze and use as many cubes as you need.
Which coffee do we recommend for cold brew in the 2023 summer season?
We've put together a collection of the best 19grams filter roasts for Cold Brew coffee. Our personal favourite is the COE award-winning Terrazas del Pisque coffee from El Salvador. Cold Brew has never been juicier and sweeter! Super nice!
And finally, here are some super cool ideas for using Cold Brew:
- Cold Brew on a scoop of vanilla ice cream
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