Is Cold Brew Coffee Better Made with Single-Origin or Blend Beans? What Coffee Beans Are Suitable for Cold Brew?

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Editor, Editor: Should Cold Brew Coffee Use Single-Origin or Blended Beans?

What coffee beans are suitable for cold brew?

Every year around this time, many friends consult FrontStreet Coffee about which coffee beans are suitable for cold brew (steeping or iced drip). When not engaged in cupping quality control, FrontStreet Coffee's editor is quite casual about drinking coffee—any coffee will do. I'm not particularly particular about distinguishing coffee varieties, origins, roasts, grinds, or extraction methods, so I haven't seriously considered which coffee beans are best suited for cold brew.

However, the fans in our WeChat group are quite particular about this matter. Even though FrontStreet Coffee believes all coffee is suitable for cold brew, they still request that we select several varieties from our current selection as representatives that best embody cold brew characteristics.

Cold Brew Coffee vs. Iced Coffee

The most common question we encounter about cold brew coffee is: "What's the difference between 'cold brew coffee' and 'coffee with ice'?" On the surface, the difference is simply this: cold brew is extracted with cold water, while iced coffee is extracted with high temperature and then ice is added.

How Water Temperature Affects Coffee Flavor

So what differences does water temperature create in coffee flavor? As our physics teacher once explained:

(1) Different water temperatures lead to different dissolution points for various substances. Coffee extraction is essentially the process of dissolving substances from the coffee grounds into water, turning water into coffee liquid. Generally, the solubility of solid solutes increases with water temperature, but the solubility of most gases does the opposite.

(2) The higher the temperature, the faster molecular diffusion occurs. This is why high-temperature coffee extraction takes just minutes, while cold brew coffee requires you to endure a long waiting period. Fast extraction means some substances don't have enough time to be extracted before the process ends. In contrast, cold brew more patiently allows all aromatic substances in the coffee grounds to slowly release.

In summary, FrontStreet Coffee understands that cold brew coffee and high-temperature extracted coffee contain different coffee components. So which substances are actually different? Interested friends can search online, but personally, I feel that online information is for viewing purposes only, as it's quite possibly randomly written. Strictly distinguishing all substances is difficult, and who would actually do this? Focusing on the differences in coffee taste is sufficient.

Coffee Beans Suitable for Cold Brew?

Currently, there is no particularly authoritative statement on which coffee beans are best for cold brew. FrontStreet Coffee's suggestions are:

(1) Regardless of origin, always use as freshly roasted coffee beans as possible. Because freshly roasted beans contain large amounts of aromatic gases inside, and gases have higher solubility in cold water. Therefore, coffee made with freshly roasted beans will be more aromatic than high-temperature extracted coffee.

(2) We don't recommend using dark roasted coffee beans. Aromatically, dark roasted beans have basically lost their fruity fragrance. In terms of taste, dark roasted beans have bitterness with little sweet aftertaste. Dark roasted beans are more suitable for espresso.

Conclusion

Whether cold brew coffee uses single-origin or blended beans doesn't really matter. After all, cold brew coffee is just a method of making coffee itself, with extremely low requirements for coffee beans. As long as you think it tastes good, it doesn't matter if it's single-origin or blended. In other words, if it doesn't taste good, what's the use of whether it's single-origin or blended?

As for which coffee beans are suitable for cold brew, FrontStreet Coffee has previously recommended light to medium roast sun-dried or honey-processed beans multiple times, because these beans carry subtle fermentation notes, red wine aromas, or fruit fermentation fragrances that are particularly charming. However, after later trying cold brew with dark-roasted Blue Mountain and Mandheling, I found myself newly charmed by the rich aftertaste and honey-like thick, sweet mouthfeel of dark-roasted coffee beans after cold brewing. In conclusion: Try them all! You won't be disappointed!

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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