Cold Brew for beginners
What is Cold Brew?
Cold Brew Coffee can be a great refreshing summer drink or be a sweet, dark drink that feels comforting in the wintertime. It’s one of the most ordered drinks year-round, and it’s for good reason as its versatility & easy brewing method allow it to be tailored to your liking.
Cold Brew Coffee is brewed with room temperature or cold water for 12-24 hours for a slow extraction making a concentrate. Compared to coffee brewed out of a drip machine, cold brew prioritizes time over temperature lending itself to have less acidity, enhanced smoothness, and generally less bitterness. Generally, after you brew your concentrate, you will cut each cup with a 1:1 ratio of coffee to water or milk.
How do I know if Cold Brew Coffee is for me?
This question is a hard one to answer because the flavor of the coffee is strongly related to the region, process, roasting profile, and how long the coffee is brewed. A good rule of thumb would be to use a coffee that you already like, so you can see how it compares to the way you normally drink coffee. However, don’t be afraid to venture out, one of the best Cold Brew I’ve had tasted like a sweet, iced raspberry tea.
Is Nitro Cold Brew Better than Regular Cold Brew?
Better isn’t really a word that I would use to describe the difference between nitro cold brew and regular cold brew. By putting Cold Brew on tap, and infusing it with tiny nitrogen bubbles, Nitro Cold Brew has a creamy mouthfeel without requiring milk or creamer.
Tips for making the best cold brew
It’s totally possible to make a bad batch of cold brew by over steeping, choosing the wrong grind size, or picking a coffee that doesn’t match the flavor profile you are looking for. However, there are plenty of things that you can do to make sure that you make the best cold brew for yourself.
Try making your cold brew with a lighter roasted coffee
As simple as it is, this can make a big difference in how your cold brew tastes. Using a light-to-medium roast coffee will allow you to taste more nuances derived from the coffee cherry.
How to Cold Brew Concentrate At Home?
Making Cold Brew at home is actually super easy and doesn’t require you to stand over it while you wait for it to brew like some pour-over methods. Plus, making a concentrate will allow you to have a cold brew for roughly a week! Running out of cold brew faster than you thought? Double the ingredients to make a larger batch.
Ingredients:
128g coarse ground coffee - approximately 1 cup
8 cups of water (1.9L)
Equipment:
1/2 gal Pitcher
Strainer
Cheesecloth
Spoon
Jar for storing finished Concentrate
Instructions:
Weight out Your Coffee
Weigh out 128g of coffee, approximately 1 cup, using a scale.
Grind your coffee
Grind your coffee with a coarse grind setting. If you use a grind setting similar to what you would use for drip coffee or a pour-over, you will end up having a coffee that tastes bitter due to being over-extracted.
Pour the coffee into your pitcher, add water, and stir
Pour your coffee grounds into the pitcher. Then add the water making sure to fully saturate the coffee. Grab a spoon and stir the coffee grounds around gently to make sure that water gets in contact with all of the ground coffee.
Let the coffee steep!
Put the lid on the container, then set a timer for 12-16 hours. The longer you let it sit, the more acidic and strong the coffee will taste. The time varies depending on your personal preference, the flavor profile of the coffee that you pick, and the roast profile of the coffee.
Strain the concentrate into a new container
Use the cheesecloth to strain your cold brew concentrate into your storage container. If your cold brew has a lot of coffee grounds or fines, try using a coarser grind setting on your grinder. Or, if you bought your coffee preground, double strain the coffee to get a cleaner cup.
Dilute the concentrate when you make a drink
Instead of diluting the concentrate as soon as you make it, dilute the concentrate per drink. This will save space in your fridge and will help make the shelf life of the coffee last longer. Fill your cup with half concentrate and half water or milk, then you are ready to go.