How to Make Cold Brew Coffee? Do You Know the Four Major Characteristics of Cold Brew Coffee?

During the hot summer months of July and August, the high temperatures can diminish your appetite, making you crave nothing more than a cool beverage to beat the heat. If you're a coffee lover, did you know that besides adding ice cubes, there's another way to enjoy refreshingly cold coffee? This special brewing method is called "Cold Brew Coffee" or "Cold Drip Coffee." With simple equipment, you can create a refreshing cup right at home!

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Unlike regular coffee brewed with hot water, cold brew coffee is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water at a certain ratio and refrigerating for several hours, then filtering to extract the coffee. Due to its unique brewing process, its taste differs from regular iced coffee made with ice cubes—it's less bitter, more concentrated, and has a slight fermented sensation reminiscent of alcohol.

History of Cold Brew Coffee

Any method of extracting coffee liquid by steeping coffee grounds in cold water is called Dutch Coffee, so both Cold Brew Coffee and Cold Drip Coffee belong to the Dutch Coffee family. This brewing method is said to have been invented in the early 18th century by Dutch merchants trading in Batavia, Indonesia.

Around 1699 AD, coffee was introduced to Batavia, Indonesia through Dutch merchants. Besides wanting to create substantial economic profits by cultivating coffee extensively in the colonies, the Dutch themselves were fascinated by this beverage. Because hot-brewed coffee contains many oils that were difficult for Dutch merchants to preserve during sea voyages, Dutch coffee—made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water—was born! Beyond being able to be stored for long periods, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the coffee tasted completely non-bitter, even sweet, with a distinctive flavor profile.

Dutch coffee spread to Japan through the trade routes of Dutch merchants, where it was greatly loved and gradually evolved into the three-pot cold drip tower. As the third wave of coffee culture emerged from Japan, pour-over coffee and cold drip coffee techniques spread from Japan to various parts of the world, becoming popular in European and American countries. Interestingly, after 300 years, "Dutch coffee" has finally returned to the Netherlands with this wave of coffee culture.

Characteristics of Cold Brew Coffee

1. Sweeter Taste

The principle behind cold brew coffee is extraction through low temperatures over an extended period. Cold extraction makes the coffee sweeter and even imparts a rich, wine-like aroma.

2. Reduced Bitterness

Cold brew coffee has relatively low bitterness because the method of steeping in cold water doesn't involve high-temperature extraction, so many chemical compounds aren't released, significantly reducing the coffee's bitter taste.

3. Longer Shelf Life

Cold brew coffee can be stored in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. The reason is again that the molecular structure hasn't been broken down by hot water, thus extending its shelf life. It even develops different layers of complexity over time.

4. Higher Caffeine Content

Because the water and coffee grounds are in contact for a longer time, the caffeine content is higher than in hot water extraction. Therefore, those sensitive to caffeine should pay extra attention to avoid excessive consumption.

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee Tutorial

For this demonstration, we've selected "FrontStreet Coffee Mozart," a coffee that has been popular among friends recently, as our brewing bean. The cold brew made from it has a very full-bodied juice sensation, with flavor notes of: grapes, berries, red wine, and some purple floral notes similar to lavender. The parameters are as follows:

Coffee amount: 80g
Grind setting: Ek43 at 9刻度, with 85% passing through a #20 sieve, fine sugar-like grind
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10
Steeping time: 12 hours

Remember to prepare a sealable container! After grinding the coffee beans, the first thing to do is to pour the FrontStreet Coffee Mozart grounds into the container!

Then pour in the target amount of water! Because FrontStreet Coffee uses 80g of coffee grounds, we'll pour in 800ml of room temperature water.

After pouring the water, stir it a bit to speed up the wetting of the coffee grounds!

Afterward, you can seal the container and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

When the steeping time is complete, you can take the coffee out, filter out the grounds with filter paper, and enjoy your delicious cold brew coffee! (If it's brewed quite concentrated, remember to dilute it with ice~)

The FrontStreet Coffee Mozart, extracted using the cold brew method, immediately reveals distinct aromas of mature fruits like orange and grape upon tasting. With the addition of ice, it's like drinking a chilled fruit wine—clear and sweet, with a floral aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473