What Does Cold Brew Taste Like and How to Make It? Why Does Cold Brew Coffee Taste So Bitter?

Cold brew coffee is a coffee extraction method. Through cold water and long-term low-temperature steeping, the sweet and sour substances in coffee beans can be fully released, while preventing the release of unpleasant bitterness and astringency. This not only increases the richness of the coffee but also maintains the overall cleanliness of the coffee.

Why Cold Brew Coffee Tastes Bitter/Unpleasant

Since coffee beans are seeds, the oil content of seeds is richer than other parts of the plant. Therefore, regardless of the coffee bean variety, the deeper the roast, the more the oils will manifest on the bean surface and in taste.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's brewing experience, light roast coffee beans typically produce a lighter mouthfeel with fruit juice characteristics, more prominent fruit acidity, uplifting floral and fruity aromas, and smell less like the typical impression of coffee; while dark roast coffee beans produce a richer and thicker mouthfeel, deeper aromas, and smell closer to the traditional impression of "coffee flavor."

If your cold brew coffee is very bitter, it might be made with dark roast coffee beans and have a higher concentration. In this case, FrontStreet Coffee recommends adding an appropriate amount of cold water/ice cubes to dilute it.

If you're using light roast coffee beans, the bitterness might be caused by steeping for too long. Generally, cold brew coffee should steep for 8-12 hours. Over-steeping will cause the coffee grounds to release all the delicious flavor compounds first, followed by the slow release of undesirable bitter and astringent compounds. Therefore, after steeping for 12 hours, make sure to filter out all coffee grounds completely before sealing and storing.

The Correct Way to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Due to the extraction characteristics of cold brew, it can highlight the wine-like aromas, fruit fermentation notes, and fruity scents in coffee. Therefore, for cold brew coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-light to medium roast coffee beans with rich fruity flavors, or coffee beans with prominent aromas. For example, "FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart coffee beans, with raisin aromas," "FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Rose Valley coffee beans, with rich mixed berry acidity," and "FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry coffee beans, with whiskey-like aromas."

Whichever coffee beans you choose, the prerequisite is to select freshly roasted ones. Since coffee enters its optimal tasting period after a 4-7 day resting period following roasting, after this period, the coffee aroma will accelerate its volatilization, and the flavor profile will significantly diminish. FrontStreet Coffee ships beans roasted within 5 days to ensure everyone experiences the coffee at its peak flavor, so the coffee beans you receive will have optimal aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee tends to use medium-light roast coffee beans for daily cold brew preparation. You only need a clean, sealable container. Prepare 40 grams of coffee powder, grind it finely (85% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve), pour it into the container, then add 480 milliliters of cold water, stir thoroughly with a wooden stick, and cover with a lid.

Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 12 hours. The coffee liquid after filtering out the coffee grounds can be consumed immediately, or you can bottle the filtered coffee liquid and continue refrigerating for 4 hours for even better flavor and mouthfeel~

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473