Cold Drip Coffee | Iced Coffee | Pour-Over Cold Brew | Cold Brew Coffee Methods

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Common iced coffees we encounter include ice drip, Japanese iced coffee, cold brew, and iced extraction. They appear quite similar, so what are the differences?

Ice Drip Coffee

Origin: The invention of ice drip coffee was initially to extend the shelf life of coffee by extracting it with ice water. Ice drip coffee refers to using room temperature or below room temperature ice water to drip-filter coffee over a long period, typically 6-8 hours.

Many people ask us what beans are better for making ice drip?

As everyone knows, it's recommended to use single-origin beans for making ice drip coffee. This effectively removes bitterness and tannic acid, resulting in a rich, smooth taste that's not acidic or harsh on the stomach. Sometimes we also use two or more single-origin beans to make ice drip. Compared to cold brew coffee, ice drip coffee has more aroma and a more delicate, subtle flavor. First, you need an ice drip pot, which you can buy on Taobao, with HARIO and TIAMO being popular choices for home use at around 200 yuan.

Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew coffee is steeped overnight for up to 12 hours. Compared to regular hot-brewed coffee, it has a distinctly stronger coffee flavor with less bitterness - a perfect combination. This coffee, which sounds quite labor-intensive, is actually much simpler to make than imagined. Simply put, steep coffee grounds in cold water overnight in the refrigerator, then filter to complete.

The principle is actually quite similar to ice drip coffee. Cold brew coffee uses cold water for long-term extraction, dissolving only small molecules like fruit acids and floral aromas. The taste is more aromatic and smooth, presenting the best original flavor of coffee.

Today, we mainly introduce pour-over iced extraction coffee (hot water extraction, quickly cooled with ice cubes). Besides this method, we will also introduce another pour-over iced coffee method next.

02 | Pour-Over Iced Extraction Coffee Method

We know that the lower the temperature, the slower the coffee extraction rate. To achieve ideal extraction, more time is needed. However, if the time is too long, the undesirable components of coffee are more easily extracted. Under normal circumstances, we use ice water for a long time with this relatively extreme but stable method to get a cup of iced coffee. If we want to extract an ideal cup of coffee with ice water in a short time, how should we do it?

• Extend the bloom time and water amount
• Use manual stirring
• Grind relatively finer
• Try to lengthen the extraction time

The specific method will be explained in the following experiment.

03 | Comparison Experiment: Pour-Over Iced Coffee vs. Pour-Over Iced Extraction Coffee

Experiment Group 1 (Hot Water Brew + Ice Cubes):

Brewing parameter settings:

Experimental coffee beans: Costa Rica Red Wine Natural Process (5th day after roasting)

Brewing method: Pour-over

Grind size: 4A(BG)

V60, 18g powder, water temperature 91°C, water-to-powder ratio close to 1:14 (serving pot filled with 100g ice cubes)

50g water for bloom, bloom time 40s (with stirring during)

Then add water to 152ml, shake well after brewing until ice cubes completely melt (total water 100+50+102=252g).

Flavor description:

Entry has obvious wine aroma, caramel sweetness turning to berry flavor, good cooling sensation, with aftertaste.

Sweetness: ☆☆☆

Acidity: ☆

Bitterness: ☆

Body: ☆☆☆

Cooling sensation: ☆☆☆

Experiment Group 2 (Ice Water Brew + Ice Cubes):

Brewing parameter settings:

Experimental coffee beans: Costa Rica Sweet Orange Estate (5th day after roasting)

Brewing method: Pour-over

Grind size: 4A(BG)

V60, 18g powder, water temperature 91°C, water-to-powder ratio close to 1:14

50g water for bloom, bloom time 40s (with stirring during)

Add 252ml of 2°C water, stirring continuously during, shake well after brewing (total water 50+202=252g).

Flavor description:

Medium-high body, good clarity, flavor similar to fresh young grass, but single-layered, temperature neither warm nor cold.

Sweetness: ☆☆

Acidity: ☆

Bitterness: ☆

Body: ☆☆☆

Cooling sensation: ☆

Comparison Conclusion:

In this experiment, pour-over iced coffee showed more complete flavor performance than pour-over iced extraction coffee. The cooling sensation of pour-over iced extraction coffee was not as good as pour-over iced coffee.

04 | Conclusion

For beginners making pour-over iced coffee, we recommend experiment method one: simple, direct, and easy to get started.

Although the results of this experiment showed that pour-over iced coffee performed better than pour-over iced extraction coffee, this doesn't mean the iced extraction method is unfeasible. It still has certain flavor characteristics. Compared to iced coffee, it might require finer grinding than regular pour-over or higher bloom water temperature. The only unresolvable issue is that coffee extracted with ice water at the end still needs to be refrigerated or have two more ice cubes added before drinking to save lives during the hot summer days~

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473