What Coffee Beans are Used for Cold Drip Coffee? What is the Taste and Flavor Profile of Cold Drip Coffee? Is Cold Drip Bitter?

Introduction

Recently, a customer visiting our shop asked, "What coffee beans can be used for cold drip coffee?" For this type of question, you'll find the answer in this issue of our Barista Training Series!

How FrontStreet Coffee Makes Cold Drip Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee uses the Tiamo HG2713 cold drip stand, a relatively large cold drip coffee maker. It includes an upper water chamber, a glass coffee powder cup, a serpentine tube, and a lower coffee bottle. Some cold drip makers have an integrated design or omit the serpentine tube, but this doesn't affect the cold drip process, so you can choose according to your preferences.

FrontStreet Coffee uses this model of cold drip stand, with the coffee powder cup holding 60g of coffee grounds to extract 600ml of coffee liquid, giving a grounds-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. For grind size, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a setting slightly finer than pour-over coffee. Measured with an 850μm sieve, the sieving rate is around 85%. The ice-water mixture is used at a ratio of 1:1, with the throttle valve controlling the flow rate to 7 drops per 10 seconds. The entire extraction process takes approximately 6-8 hours. After extraction is complete, it is refrigerated for 12 hours before serving.

Cold drip coffee made this way tends to be quite concentrated. When serving, FrontStreet Coffee adds ice cubes for chilling and dilution. This helps maintain quality for a longer period when tasting.

What Coffee Beans Does FrontStreet Coffee Use for Cold Drip Coffee?

Theoretically, any single-origin coffee beans used for pour-over can be used to make cold drip coffee. Below, FrontStreet Coffee shares some of our frequently used cold drip recipes.

1. Deep Berry Type

60g of FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart. This coffee bean uses anaerobic honey processing, giving it a very distinctive raisin aroma. When used for cold drip, it shows very clear blueberry, black grape, and wine-like fermented flavors, with a refreshing taste and a lingering aroma.

2. Refreshing and Clean Type

60g of FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Assalia. The acidity of FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Assalia is very lively, overall like a glass of fruit juice. When used for cold drip, it carries the fresh fragrance of cherry tomatoes and grapefruit, with a refreshing, light acidity that's perfect for summer drinking.

3. Sweet and Delicious Type

60g of FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Golden Mandheling. Few shops use dark-roasted coffee for cold drip. Those who haven't tried it might think cold drip made from dark-roasted beans would be very bitter, but that's actually not the case. Using FrontStreet Coffee's cold drip method, and after refrigerating for 24 hours before adding ice cubes, FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling cold drip shows sweetness with a hint of chocolate bitterness, overall clarity, and a rich fermented aroma that feels comforting.

4. FrontStreet Coffee Classic Cold Drip

30g of FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry + 30g of FrontStreet Coffee's Beethoven. This is FrontStreet Coffee's own cold drip recipe and a favorite among many customers. During preparation, FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry coffee beans and FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Beethoven coffee beans are mixed in proportion before grinding. Made into cold drip, it shows rich whiskey aroma, an intermingling of refreshing citrus fruits and full vanilla cream, leaving an endless aftertaste.

Due to limited space, FrontStreet Coffee has only shared 4 of its most popular cold drip recipes. For other coffee beans, everyone can also try using beans that suit their own taste to make cold drip coffee. You might discover unexpected surprises!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If those cold drip recipes inspired you, FrontStreet Coffee's own lineup covers each style. For the deep, berry-driven profile, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart is anaerobic honey processed, with raisin aromas and pronounced blueberry, black grape, and wine-like fermented flavors over ice.

For the clean, juicy style, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Small Tomato brings cherry tomato, grapefruit, and plum acidity that stays light and refreshing. And for a sweet, full-bodied cold drip, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is medium-dark roasted, showing dark chocolate, cocoa, and toasted bread notes that turn sweet and clear after 24 hours in the refrigerator. Any of the three will make a memorable cold drip.