Which Single-Origin Coffee Beans Make the Best Cold Brew? A Detailed Guide to Cold Brew Coffee Making Methods

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Cold brew coffee is taking the world by storm. You may have noticed that in many coffee shops, cold brew coffee is more expensive. Do you want to know why?

In fact, the reason cold brew coffee is more expensive is the time it takes to make it. Typically, brewing some hot coffee takes less than 10 minutes, even including grinding time. On the other hand, cold brewing takes at least three to five hours. Some processes may take up to 24 hours.

Cold brew coffee is not simply coffee with ice cubes or chilled coffee, but rather extracted directly with ice water or directly with melted ice cubes.

Cold brew coffee generally falls into two categories: slow-drip cold brew method and immersion cold brew method.

1. Ice Drip Coffee:

Specific tools and equipment are needed to make slow-drip cold brew coffee.

In the large glass container at the top is some ice. Water from the melting ice cubes falls and passes through the ground coffee, dragging the extracted coffee into the container at the bottom. The entire process takes 3-5 hours.

This time-consuming process also explains why coffee shops typically only have limited amounts of cold brew coffee each day. On weekends or during busy times, if you're not early enough, you might not be able to get any.

Ice drip coffee powder generally requires special equipment to achieve. As shown in the picture, the glass container above is filled with ice cubes, and the water from the melted ice slowly drips into the coffee powder below. After soaking through the coffee powder, it drips out from below. The entire process takes at least 3-5 hours. That's why many coffee shops have limited quantities of cold brew coffee, and during weekends or when there are many people, you might miss out if you go too late.

2. Immersion Cold Brew:

As the name implies, to make cold brew coffee, you simply grind the cold brew coffee beans and steep them in cold water – room temperature water might work, but chilled water is better. Just find an airtight glass container. Place the coffee grounds at the bottom of the container, then pour cold water over the coffee. The recommended coffee-to-water ratio is about 1:8, but you can adjust it flexibly according to your own taste.

Seal the container and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. You can also put it in the refrigerator, but it will need more time to develop that intense flavor and pleasant balance.

When the time is up, filter the coffee grounds from the brewed coffee. Paper or cloth filters will absorb the extracted coffee oils, thus removing the oily taste of the coffee, but you can use a metal filter to preserve the aroma.

After the time is up, take it out and use a filter to remove the coffee grounds. There are many types of filters to choose from, but generally metal filters can retain the extracted coffee oils, so the taste will also have a slightly oily flavor. If you use filter paper or filter cloth, the coffee oils will be absorbed by the filter paper or cloth, and the taste will be slightly different.

Cold Brew Coffee Characteristics:

– Simple operation

– More time (12-18 hours, some say 24 hours in the refrigerator), time-consuming, usually 12-18 hours

– Very concentrated, thorough brewing extraction, rich flavor

Cold Brew Coffee Bean Selection Recommendations

These are all determined by personal preference, and there are no strict requirements for specific beans, as long as you like them. However, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using some sun-processed or honey-processed beans, as the cold brew coffee made this way will have higher sweetness and be more popular.

FrontStreet Coffee uses [Hartman] and [Flower Queen] to create a cold brew coffee with rich fermentation aroma.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473