What Coffee Beans to Use for Drip Coffee? Is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Cold Brew Delicious? Flavor Description

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Cold drip coffee and iced coffee are fundamentally different, and the coffee beans used for cold drip coffee are also different from those used for regular iced coffee.

Often, some coffee enthusiasts confuse cold drip (or cold brew) coffee with iced coffee made by adding ice cubes to hot coffee, so we would like to introduce the differences and fundamental distinctions between them.

What is Cold Drip Coffee?

Cold drip coffee refers to coffee beverages extracted through long-term low-temperature immersion with water below 5°C.

What is Iced Coffee?

Iced coffee or cold coffee refers to cold coffee drinks made by quickly extracting with hot water, then adding ice cubes or rapidly cooling down.

Key Differences in Extraction Methods and Time

There are significant differences between the two in terms of extraction methods and time:

1. Hot Coffee Extraction

First, it uses hot water above 80°C or 85°C; second, it must be extracted quickly. This is because slow extraction would cause over-extraction, resulting in off-flavors. The main substance causing these off-flavors is tannic acid. After boiling, tannic acid decomposes into pyrogallic acid, which easily dissolves and decomposes in hot water. It's the main culprit for excessive bitterness in coffee, and we generally carefully avoid extracting too much tannic acid and caffeine.

2. Cold Drip Coffee Extraction

Cold drip coffee, however, must be extracted using temperatures below 5°C, even approaching freezing point. This way, various components in coffee are difficult to extract in ice water, so we must adopt fine grinding and slow extraction methods. The specific method involves letting coffee grounds soak in ice water for extended periods, extracting at a very slow drip speed, generally requiring 8-12 hours. Its greatest advantage is that the tannic acid we dislike most almost never decomposes in low-temperature ice water. Although caffeine decomposes slightly in ice water, all other main components of coffee remain present.

Fundamental Differences

The fundamental differences between hot coffee and cold drip coffee lie in the extraction temperature and the amount of components in coffee, not in whether the final drink is cold or hot. Hot coffee can be served cold after adding ice, and cold drip coffee can also be served hot after warming.

How to Identify Cold Drip Coffee vs. Iced Coffee

There are two methods:

1. Aroma Identification

True cold drip coffee undergoes at least dozens of hours of full dripping and fermentation. Immediately after opening, it has an indescribable exotic aroma that hot coffee absolutely lacks. This aroma cannot be replicated by any other method and is unforgettable. So when you doubt whether it's real cold drip coffee, you can ask the barista to bring the unsweetened, unadulterated cold drip coffee for you to smell first.

2. Taste and Sensation

Cold drip coffee has no astringency and minimal caffeine content. It tastes very clean and refreshing, and even drinking several cups won't cause palpitations or insomnia. However, hot coffee with ice only lowers the temperature, but the caffeine and tannic acid content don't decrease, resulting in significant differences in taste and post-drink sensation.

The Origin of Cold Drip Coffee

In the 17th century, Indonesia's Java Island was once a Dutch colony. It's said that the coffee extraction method used here was introduced by Dutch merchants, hence the name Dutch Coffee. This type of coffee uses ice water for long-term dripping, thus also called "water drip coffee."

Cold drip coffee is characterized by being dripped with ice water at room temperature for 8-12 hours. Although the aroma isn't strong, it emits a unique fragrance that cannot be achieved with hot water extraction. The greatest advantage of this coffee is its purity—no excess off-flavors, yet it fully expresses all components contained within the coffee.

Cold Drip Coffee Extraction Methods

There are two methods for extracting cold drip coffee. One is the traditional method still used in many parts of Indonesia today—dripping coffee in a lead bucket. The other is using all-in-one machines for dripping (which is the cold drip pot we often see in coffee shops). Cold drip coffee equipment using dripping principles resembles laboratory tools, featuring good functionality and impressive appearance.

Cold Drip Coffee Bean Selection

[FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Lion King] (Natural, Light Roast) -- Strong fruity notes, rich and intense fruit flavors like cantaloupe, strawberry, peach, and ripe berries. Silky smooth texture, clean and balanced taste, with a lasting, lively, and varied sweet aftertaste.

[FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe] (Washed, Medium Roast) -- Lemon peel, black tea, dried longan, floral notes

[FrontStreet Coffee Kenya AA Gatugi] (Washed, Medium Roast) -- Floral notes, green tea sensation, lemon and kumquat acidity, blackcurrant, cranberry flavors when sipped

[FrontStreet Coffee Panama Jupiter Geisha 30%] (Washed, Medium Roast) -- Clean and clear body, white grape and caramel aromas followed by honey notes. Fascinating high mountain tea aroma, high sweetness, low acidity, rounded mouthfeel.

[FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Natural Yirgacheffe] (Natural, Medium Roast) -- Light fermented wine aroma, jujube dates, sweet citrus notes, dark berries, lychee, starfruit, peach, nectarine, longan red date fragrance, honey sweetness, cocoa finish with hints of spice. Full body with persistent aftertaste.

Cold Drip Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted single-origin cold drip coffee beans offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for the needs of cold drip enthusiasts. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 RMB. Calculating at 200ml per cup with a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, one package can make 11 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only 8-9 RMB. Compared to cafe prices that often run dozens of RMB per cup, this represents exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, offering both famous and lesser-known beans, plus online service. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473