What is Cold Brew Coffee? Cold Brew Coffee Making Process Steps vs Iced Americano?

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Summer arrives so quickly, catching us off guard. Among the numerous summer iced coffees, the emergence of cold brew/cold drip coffee has made iced Americanos feel "threatened" (haha, just kidding~).

Compared to iced Americanos, cold brew/cold drip coffee is particularly beloved by young consumers. FrontStreet Coffee believes this is due to the clean and full-bodied taste of cold brew coffee, making it perfect for direct consumption or crafting various specialty coffee drinks. It allows you to appreciate the unique flavors of the coffee beans while playing a balanced yet distinctive role in specialty coffee creations.

The Difference Between Cold Brew Coffee and Iced Americano

Cold brew coffee is a coffee liquid extracted in a low-temperature environment. Without the molecular movement of heat in the water, some heavy molecular substances/thick-bodied materials are less likely to be released into the water, making it difficult to develop bitter tastes. Meanwhile, light molecular substances/acidity and sweetness compounds can be fully released through extended soaking in low temperatures.

Therefore, the advantage of cold brew coffee lies in its clean and full-bodied profile. Light to medium roast coffee beans can perform exceptionally well, and the preparation is also very simple! However, the drawback is that it requires 8-12 hours of steeping to extract delicious coffee.

Iced Americano is a coffee liquid extracted under pressure, high temperature, and rapid flow through extremely fine ground coffee, then diluted with water. The thick-bodied substances in the coffee grounds are quickly extracted, and with a small extraction ratio, the taste becomes very rich and intense, which is why it's called espresso.

The name "Americano" comes from American soldiers in Italy who found espresso too strong for their taste, so they added different amounts of water according to their preference, thus creating the Americano. Its advantage is speed and the ability to adjust concentration by adding water according to personal taste; however, the drawback is that if the espresso isn't properly extracted, the coffee can develop burnt and bitter flavors.

Cold Brew Coffee Preparation Steps

In this article, FrontStreet Coffee uses their own roasted "Flor de Mayo Coffee Bean" from the Boquete region of Panama for demonstration. This coffee bean consists of 70% Geisha + 30% Caturra/Catuai coffee beans. Because they are grown in the same region, it's also considered a single-origin coffee bean~

Coffee Amount: 40 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:13

Water Temperature: 0°C - 4°C

Time: 8-12 hours

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind / 75% retention rate through China #20 standard sieve

FrontStreet Coffee grinds the coffee beans to the size of granulated sugar and places them in a clean, sealable container. Then, they add room temperature water to ensure full contact with the coffee grounds. The mixture is placed in the refrigerator to steep for 8-12 hours, after which a high-density filter mesh or filter paper is used to filter out the coffee grounds.

The filtered cold brew coffee can be enjoyed directly or mixed with other ingredients of your choice. The Flor de Mayo cold brew coffee presents a full-bodied and rich texture with a prominent green tea aftertaste~ bright citrus-like acidity, freshness of white flowers, and honey-like sweetness.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473