Can Espresso Grinds Be Used for Cold Brew? Cold Brew Coffee Maker Water-to-Coffee Ratio, Time, and Methods

The preparation of cold brew coffee can be considered the easiest among all coffee extraction methods, requiring virtually no technical skill—it's a method that every coffee novice can easily use to make delicious iced coffee. Regarding various aspects of cold brew knowledge, FrontStreet Coffee has shared quite a few articles, and has conducted numerous comparative experiments involving various parameters. Recently, however, a friend raised a question to FrontStreet Coffee: Can espresso grounds be used for cold brew?

What Are the Characteristics of Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew coffee tastes great because low-temperature water immersion doesn't easily release undesirable compounds from coffee (such as bitterness and astringency), but can fully extract desirable compounds (such as fruit acids and sweet flavors). Therefore, compared to other high-temperature brewing methods, cold brew coffee is cleaner, with a rounder mouthfeel and fuller flavor profile.

If we were to mention drawbacks of cold brew coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes there are two issues: one is that its preparation time is relatively long, typically requiring 8-12 hours of cold refrigeration immersion. However, FrontStreet Coffee feels that good coffee is worth waiting for~ You can immerse it before going to bed at night, then filter it the next morning to enjoy a cup of energizing cold brew coffee! Another aspect is that if the wrong coffee beans are chosen, cold brew can easily develop negative flavors, making the coffee taste like a cup of Chinese herbal tea. Therefore, in addition to controlling various parameters, selecting coffee beans that suit your personal taste is equally important.

What Coffee Beans Are Recommended for Making Cold Brew?

Cold brew, as the name suggests, is a cold beverage. If we choose dark roasted coffee for preparation, the resulting coffee liquid will likely be both icy and bitter, and without the support of high temperature, the bitterness will persist, making people unwilling to take a second sip after the first. Therefore, when making cold brew at home daily, FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends light to medium-roasted coffee beans with prominent aromas or obvious sweet and sour characteristics. The resulting iced coffee not only has balanced sweetness and acidity but also carries a refreshing, cool juice-like sensation, especially suitable for summer.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's current "Frontsteet Ethiopia Natural Alo Village Coffee Beans" feature light floral aromas, rich berry sweetness and acidity, along with moderate fermentation and black tea-like aftertaste; or the "Frontsteet Panama Butterfly Coffee Beans" with bright citrus acidity, fresh white floral notes, honey sweetness, and green tea-like aftertaste; additionally, there's the "Frontsteet Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans" with whiskey aroma, vanilla cream cake-like sweetness and smoothness, and nut caramel finish, leaving an endless aftertaste.

Cold Brew Water-to-Coffee Ratio and Step-by-Step Instructions

The ratio for making cold brew coffee is 1:10 to 1:12. For example, with 30g of coffee grounds, we typically use 300g of cold water for immersion.

In terms of grind size, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using coffee grounds with the consistency of fine granulated sugar (75% retention rate on China No. 20 standard sieve). If you don't have a grinder at home, you can add a note for cold brew grind when placing your order~ FrontStreet Coffee must emphasize that ground coffee aroma dissipates faster, so if conditions permit, we still recommend grinding fresh and brewing immediately.

To make cold brew coffee, choose a clean, sealable container, then pour in the coffee grounds and appropriate amount of water, stir to ensure full contact between coffee grounds and water, then seal and place in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours of cold brewing.

After the extraction time is complete, take it out and use filtering tools to filter, then pour into another clean, sealable container and refrigerate. After filtering out the grounds, cold brew coffee can typically be stored for about 5 days, during which it should be consumed as soon as possible.

Can Espresso Grounds Be Used for Cold Brew?

Let's get back to the main topic and return to the situation mentioned by our friend at the beginning. The reason this question was raised is that the grind size of the coffee grounds doesn't meet our cold brew extraction requirements. We all know that the grind size for making espresso is typically as fine as flour. Therefore, when using the above ratio for water addition and undergoing long-term immersion, it will more easily release soluble substances compared to regular grind size (fine granulated sugar consistency), ultimately making the coffee become thick, bitter, and even astringent. To avoid over-extraction, we need to make adjustments in both the immersion ratio and time details.

Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses Frontsteet Indonesia Lindong Mandheling as a demonstration. This bean is roasted to a medium-dark degree, with flavor characteristics of caramel, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, herbal notes, and caramel aroma when prepared by pour-over. It's suitable for various brewing methods and has a mouthfeel closer to commercially available espresso grounds. When made into espresso, it also carries rich crema.

To recreate the situation everyone encounters, FrontStreet Coffee used the store's espresso grinder Galileo Q18, adjusted to setting 2.5 suitable for espresso extraction, producing particles as fine and uniform as powdered sugar.

Since the coffee grind size is already fixed, to reduce extraction rate, we must first shorten the water immersion time for the coffee grounds, and second, increase the coffee-to-water ratio, which means changing the coffee concentration to make the flavor lighter. Specific parameters are as follows:

Coffee grounds: 50g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:14
Cold water: 700g
Immersion time: 3 hours
After filtering: refrigerate for another 2 hours

Due to the fine coffee grounds, there's greater resistance to water flow during filtering, so it takes more time. The freshly filtered coffee liquid typically has a slightly powdery taste because flavor compounds are still suspended in the water. We can first seal it and place it in the refrigerator for a short period of cold storage, allowing suspended particles to settle slightly, thereby making the coffee mouthfeel cleaner.

Additionally, considering that espresso grounds tend to be dark roasted with predominantly caramelized aromas, thick mouthfeel, and slightly heavy bitterness, FrontStreet Coffee suggests adding an appropriate amount of ice cubes after filtering before tasting.

Like today's cup of Frontsteet Indonesia Mandheling cold brew with the addition of ice, it has distinct spice notes, predominantly dark chocolate and caramel flavors, along with Pu'er tea-like aftertaste. The mouthfeel is icy and refreshing, very invigorating.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473