What's the Difference Between Cold Drip and Cold Brew Coffee? Starbucks Cold Drip Coffee Brewing Method

As demand for iced coffee increases, cold drip and cold brew are currently the best methods for preserving the flavor of iced coffee. So what are the differences between the two?

When home cold drip brewers weren't as common as they are today, if you wanted a refreshing iced coffee, you could choose to buy "cold drip coffee" from a coffee shop. Now there are many affordable home cold drip brewers on the market, making it increasingly cheaper for everyone to make cold drip coffee while also being able to DIY it yourself.

However, in recent years, there has been a "cold brew coffee" trend. Starting from the concept of cold brew tea, coffee grounds are steeped in an ideal ratio of room temperature water, the container is sealed and then placed in the refrigerator. After about 6 to 12 hours, take it out of the refrigerator and filter the coffee liquid through a sieve (or coffee filter paper), and you'll have a delicious cup of iced coffee. Super simple, right! Plus, you can freely control the ratio and amount of coffee liquid you want. However, note that because cold brew is extracted by steeping in water for a long time, the caffeine content will also be higher!

Flavor Differences Between Cold Brew and Cold Drip

Although cold brew coffee is convenient, are there flavor differences compared to cold drip coffee?

If the extraction time is longer, more aroma will be lost. Assuming cold drip and cold brew have the same extraction time and water-to-coffee ratio, theoretically cold brew will have a slightly higher extraction rate than cold drip. This is because cold brew starts with room temperature water, and even when refrigerated, the temperature won't drop to 0 degrees. In contrast, cold drip uses ice water dripping onto coffee grounds, maintaining a temperature around 0 degrees, resulting in a lower extraction rate.

In terms of flavor, the different extraction rates between cold brew and cold drip make cold drip coffee more acidic than cold brew coffee. For example, when using FrontStreet Coffee's Little Tomato to make both types of coffee, cold brew has tomato and dark plum acidity with a refreshing sucrose sweetness, while cold drip coffee shows uplifting mulberry, black plum, and dark plum juice notes, with much higher acidity than the former.

Visually, because fine coffee particles leak from the cold brew bag, cold brew will appear more turbid, while cold drip uses filter paper from the start, resulting in a clearer color. If friends are concerned about this situation with cold brew, you can use a fine sieve or filter paper to filter the brewed coffee for a cleaner taste.

Compared to hot coffee, because cold brew coffee has a much lower extraction rate, bitterness and other undesirable flavors are less likely to be extracted. This is also why some people prefer cold brew coffee!

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