What Coffee Beans Does Starbucks Use for Cold Brew Coffee? How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Specialties?

Cold brew coffee is becoming increasingly popular. We are all so busy that we barely have time to grab a cup of coffee, which makes cold brew the fastest route to a good cup. Its fermented aroma and refreshing quality are instantly comforting, and even in autumn and winter people still think of the taste. You only need a few minutes to prepare the ingredients, then leave them in the refrigerator, and you can drink it the next day. Best of all, any leftovers can be sealed and refrigerated for later. Note that the longer cold brew sits, the stronger its fermented taste becomes, so each day's cup tastes a little different. FrontStreet Coffee recommends finishing it within 3-4 days.

What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew is exactly what it sounds like. Grind coffee beans, add cold water in proportion using the right equipment, then refrigerate for generally 12 hours; if you want more body, you can extend it to 24-48 hours. After that, filter out the grounds, and the liquid you have is cold brew coffee.

Low temperature and long extraction are the two hallmarks of cold brew. Compared with hot-extracted coffee, its flavor and body are noticeably richer, with less bitterness and a smoother mouthfeel. This coffee, which sounds labor-intensive, is actually much simpler to make than you might imagine: soak the grounds in cold water, let them steep in the refrigerator overnight, filter, and you are done. To put it more poetically, "You are not just drinking a cup of coffee, but a long period of waiting."

Characteristics of Cold Brew Coffee

Because cold brew is made at low temperature, the long contact between water and grounds extracts only small-molecule flavor compounds, dissolving fruit acids and floral aromas. Larger molecules, such as smoky and roasted flavors, are difficult to extract. As a result, cold brew has lower acidity and bitterness, which is why it is so widely loved.

Which Coffee Beans to Use for Cold Brew?

FrontStreet Coffee recommends trying natural, washed, or specially processed beans. The reason is simple: the cold brew comes out more recognizable and sweeter.

African beans are known for intense floral aromas and captivating fruit acidity, lively and pleasant, though their body is often quite thin. Flavor-balanced American beans, like coffee from Panama and Costa Rica, have distinct floral and fruity aromas and superior acidity without losing body. Honey-processed beans in particular carry a more intense fermented aroma.

Tips:

The long extraction time of cold brew creates distinct layers and a noticeable aftertaste;

It compensates for the thinness of African beans while also suppressing their sharp acidity at low temperatures.

FrontStreet Coffee: Yirgacheffe Guoddingding Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 1850-2100m

Processing: Washed

Grade: G1

Variety: Heirloom

Flavor: white floral notes, citrus, red plum, medium acidity

FrontStreet Coffee: Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans

Country: Honduras

Region: Marcala

Estate: Moca Estate

Altitude: 1500-1700m

Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas

Processing: refined washed whiskey sherry-barrel fermentation

Flavor: vanilla, whiskey aroma, honeydew melon, dark chocolate aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee: Honduras Lychee Lan Coffee Beans

Region: Marcala

Estate: Moca Estate

Altitude: 1500-1700m

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Processing: refined washed and brandy-barrel processing

Flavor: creamy texture, brandy fermented wine aroma, dark chocolate

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Floral Butterfly Coffee Beans

Region: Panama Boquete

Variety: 70% Geisha, Caturra, Catuai

Altitude: 1600-1650m

Processing: natural processing

Flavor: classic Geisha flavor, citrus, tea-like sensation

You Can Also Try These Creative Approaches

Add Sparkling Water

FrontStreet Coffee has tried making cold brew with soda water and found the concentration tends to be higher. Before the jar goes into the refrigerator, the soda bubbles make the grounds float on top; after 13 hours, when it is taken out, the grounds have sunk to the bottom. During the soak the grounds move upward, making it easier for compounds to extract.

FrontStreet Coffee's soda-water cold brew Yirgacheffe has a richer berry aroma. Look at the liquid and there are no bubbles, but you can feel them colliding in your mouth as you drink.

Add Milk

Light roast beans are usually chosen for floral and fruity aromas and a sweet-sour taste, so they are mostly drunk pure. Dark roast beans have a heavier body, so this more intense cold brew can be mixed with milk for a fragrant, smooth texture. Different dairy products, however, produce different textures.

They fall into two categories: fresh milk and creamer made from fresh cream. Because fresh milk contains more water, the texture is lighter and thinner; creamer made from fresh cream has less water, so the overall texture is richer and thicker. When FrontStreet Coffee makes cold brew and adds milk without sugar, it becomes a cold brew latte, naturally sweet with a pleasant aftertaste.

Add Alcohol

FrontStreet Coffee thinks a little Irish whiskey or brandy would create another special flavor. You can add any type of alcohol, but Irish whiskey is grain-based, unlike most Scotch whiskeys, which are primarily barley-based. If you want a non-alcoholic coffee with a wine-like flavor, try FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry, which uses whiskey-barrel fermentation and has rich whiskey, cream, and vanilla flavors, especially suited to customers who want wine-flavored coffee.

Conclusion

This experiment making cold brew with room-temperature water produced surprisingly good results. And when it comes to choosing beans, as always, go with your own preferences.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For cold brew, FrontStreet Coffee recommends its Sun-Dried Huakui from Ethiopia, a naturally processed bean whose tropical-fruit character, strawberry, passion fruit, and jackfruit, becomes even more vivid over a long cold soak. If you prefer a wine-like profile, FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry, fermented in whiskey barrels, brings vanilla, whiskey, and dark chocolate to a cold brew latte.