Cold Drip vs Cold Brew Coffee: Differences, Flavor Profile, and Brewing Ratio

Cold drip coffee and cold brew coffee are both common methods of making cold coffee, and their refreshing sensation is loved by many people. So what are the flavor differences between cold drip coffee and cold brew coffee? FrontStreet Coffee will compare them below.

The Invention of Cold Drip Coffee

Although cold drip is called Dutch coffee, it doesn't have deep roots in the Netherlands. Instead, it has strong connections to Japan, which is why it's also known as Kyoto coffee. The owner of Kyoto Hanabusa Coffee, while reading a coffee book, learned about the coffee brewing method used by locals in the then-Dutch colony of Indonesia. He became very interested in this method and, with the help of chemistry students from Kyoto University and a medical equipment company, developed cold drip equipment based on the descriptions in the book, attempting to recreate the Indonesian brewing method, thus inventing cold drip coffee. Later, it became popular in Europe and America. Europeans and Americans, unaware of this history, simply called it Kyoto coffee.

Differences in Brewing Methods

First, both of these brewing methods are very time-consuming. Generally, cold drip coffee is made using a cold drip pot, which is a coffee device divided into an upper pot (ice water), middle pot (coffee grounds), and lower pot (coffee liquid). Ice water from the upper pot drips drop by drop into the coffee grounds in the middle pot, slowly extracting coffee liquid that flows into the lower pot. The general brewing time is 6-8 hours.

Cold brew coffee uses a container where ground coffee is placed, then corresponding proportions of cold (ice) water are added, stirred evenly, and sealed. It is stored in a low-temperature environment (refrigerator) for 12-24 hours for cold extraction. Then filter paper is used to filter out the coffee grounds, and what remains is cold brew coffee.

How to Make Cold Drip Coffee

1. FrontStreet Coffee uses a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10 for cold drip, meaning 60 grams of coffee grounds to extract 600 milliliters of coffee liquid.

2. Place a round filter paper at the bottom of the grounds cup, wet it with water to fit the cup wall, add the ground 60g of coffee (coarse sugar size), then level the coffee surface. You can also use the weight of the tamper itself to lightly press the grounds layer to make the surface even.

3. Remember to place a piece of filter paper on the coffee surface. Because the tension of the filter paper allows water to distribute evenly. Without filter paper, long-term water drops would create a hole in the coffee bed.

4. Use ice water for "pre-soaking" - this is actually similar to the blooming process in pour-over coffee, which can improve extraction efficiency and consistency of the final product. If you drip directly with ice water, it may cause uneven moistening of the grounds layer, with some coffee grounds being over-extracted while others don't participate in the extraction at all.

5. Place a 1:1 mixture of ice and water in the water bottle, and adjust the regulator valve to approximately 7 drops every 10 seconds.

6. After brewing is complete, pour the coffee liquid into a sealed glass bottle and place it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight, allowing the coffee flavors to meld together, resulting in better taste and easier drinking.

Caffeine Content in Cold Drip Coffee

Many people believe that cold drip coffee has low caffeine content because the lower the water temperature, the less easily caffeine dissolves (the minimum temperature for caffeine dissolution is above 80°C Celsius). However, the small amount of caffeine extracted by cold water accumulates over the long extraction time and cannot be underestimated. Therefore, some people believe that cold drip coffee has higher caffeine content, and many experimental results have proven this claim. Cold drip coffee's caffeine content varies greatly depending on the coffee beans used by different cafes, the interval between water drops, and the total extraction time. Therefore, for people sensitive to caffeine, it's better to drink decaffeinated coffee rather than cold drip coffee.

How Do We Choose Coffee Beans for Cold Drip?

The first reaction of friends seeing this title might be: just choose a bean and drip it~ That's completely possible. However, if you use only one type of bean to make cold drip, you might not be able to fully experience the aroma, sweetness, or smoothness of that particular bean. Therefore, when making cold drip coffee, it's recommended to use a blend of two coffee beans. The purpose is to make this coffee more prominently display certain flavor characteristics. Below are two blending methods for your reference.

30g Honduras Sherry + 30g Costa Rica Beethoven

Barrel-processed Sherry plus washed Beethoven, with fermented wine aroma and rich fruit acidity carrying honey-like sweetness.

Washed Beethoven has distinct citrus acidity with the fullness of berry juice.

Whiskey barrel-fermented Sherry has obvious whiskey aroma with vanilla cream-like smoothness.

When made into cold drip, you'll experience rich whiskey aroma, distinct citrus acidity and berry juice fullness, and vanilla cream smoothness.

20g Honduras Lychee Orchid + 40g Yirgacheffe Guddi

Barrel-processed Lychee Orchid plus washed Yirgacheffe Guddi, with light brandy aroma, plum-like acidity paired with maple sweetness.

Brandy barrel-processed Lychee Orchid has rich brandy aroma, chocolate aftertaste, and honey finish.

Washed Yirgacheffe Guddi has plum, citrus fruit acidity with oolong-like sweetness and tea-like smooth texture.

When made into cold drip, you'll experience light brandy aroma, rich fruit acidity leading honey sweetness and cream-like smooth texture.

30g Sidamo Guoka + 30g Panama Hartmann

Natural processed Guoka plus red wine processed Hartmann, with rich fermented wine aroma and some fruit acidity, suitable for those with heavier taste preferences~

Natural processed Guoka has relatively high sweetness, with some strawberry-like berry fruit aroma, and flavors of passion fruit, fermented wine aroma, strawberry, and jackfruit when tasted.

Red wine processed Hartmann has some fermented red wine aroma, smooth entry with some tropical fruit, nut, and brown sugar flavors. When made into cold drip, you'll experience relatively strong fermentation notes, higher sweetness, and higher body.

Cold Brew Coffee Brewing Method

FrontStreet Coffee's cold brew method uses 50 grams of coffee grounds, restoring a grounds-to-liquid ratio of 1:10, therefore adding 400 milliliters of cold water and 200 grams of hard ice (total ice-water mixture 600 grams, as the water absorption rate of coffee grounds is twice its own weight). After stirring evenly, seal and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then take out and filter the coffee grounds with filter paper, then use a clean sealed bottle to store the coffee liquid in the refrigerator for 2 hours before drinking.

Flavor Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee used Guoka coffee beans to make both cold drip coffee and cold brew coffee for comparison.

Pouring cold drip coffee and cold brew coffee separately into glasses to observe, the cold drip coffee is clear and transparent, while the cold brew appears hazy with oil residue on the surface.

Cold Drip Flavor: Refreshing, clean taste, rich fermented aroma with some wine notes. Slight berry sweet and sour sensation.

Cold Brew Flavor: Relatively full-bodied taste, more uniform flavors, with very prominent fruit sweetness. Fermentation sensation is not very strong.

Comparing the flavors of these two types of cold coffee, you can clearly feel the difference, especially reflected in the clean and refreshing taste, which is very easy to distinguish.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473