What Beans to Use for Cold Drip Coffee - Cold Drip Coffee Methods and Flavor Profile

What is Cold Drip Coffee?

Cold drip coffee, simply put, is a method of extracting coffee using "low temperature" and "slow dripping."

Generally, brewing coffee uses hot water to quickly extract and dissolve flavor molecules from coffee cells. However, cold drip coffee replaces temperature with time, using ice water below 5 degrees Celsius to drip through coffee grounds, slowly extracting the coffee's flavors and then gradually dripping out the final extraction liquid.

Brewing a cup of coffee can take a very short time—for example, Espresso only needs 25 seconds, siphon brewing requires 1 minute of stirring, and pour-over coffee takes 3 minutes. However, cold drip coffee often requires a long waiting process of several hours, typically around 8 to 12 hours, adjusted according to personal taste and coffee bean variety.

Extracting Rich Aromas with Time

Using cold water for extended extraction prevents the excessive bitterness that occurs when hot water brewing is not properly controlled in terms of temperature and time. Instead, it only dissolves desirable flavor molecules like fruity and woody notes, making the process somewhat similar to winemaking. Therefore, cold drip coffee's taste and aroma are also somewhat wine-like, with a richer and smoother mouthfeel that is neither bitter nor astringent. Good cold drip coffee can even have a subtle fragrance reminiscent of whiskey and a rich aftertaste.

In addition to its heavy aroma and smooth texture, long shelf life is another reason why cold drip coffee is popular. Generally, hot-brewed coffee has an extremely short freshness period—its flavor begins to deteriorate after more than 45 minutes. However, because cold drip coffee hasn't undergone a heating process, it can be refrigerated for up to two weeks after extraction without worrying about the bitterness that occurs when hot coffee cools down.

With the Third-Wave Coffee movement, cold drip coffee has gradually gained recognition worldwide. Regardless of the weather, taking a cup of aromatic cold drip coffee in a comfortable corner is definitely a delightful experience.

What Coffee Beans are Best for Making Cold Drip Coffee?

Both light roast or dark roast coffee beans can be used to make cold drip coffee. In terms of flavor, dark roast coffee beans produce a rich and full-bodied coffee taste.

Light roast beans, on the other hand, exhibit very gentle acidity and refreshing flavors.

If you want to enjoy a sweeter and smoother coffee, you can seal the completed cold drip coffee and let it refrigerate for 2-3 days, allowing the coffee to ferment slightly, which will enhance its smooth and rich texture.

Let me introduce FrontStreet Coffee's commonly used cold drip coffee recipe: 30 grams of red wine-processed Hartman + 30 grams of natural-processed Fancy. The ratio of coffee to water to ice is 1:5:5, with a brewing time of about 8 hours. After dripping, refrigerate it overnight. When drinking, add ice cubes according to personal taste. It has a rich fermented wine aroma with a slight fruit acidity.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473