How Long Can Cold Brew Coffee Be Stored Without Losing Its Flavor Characteristics? A Visual Guide to Cold Brew Coffee Making Methods

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee

The distant cicadas are chirping loudly, and their appearance accompanies the rolling heat waves on the curbside. The feeling of summer is unmistakable. In this sweat-dripping summer, besides short shorts, iced coffee is indispensable. Even the cicadas seem to suggest to the scorching humans: go drink iced coffee!

But what about those who want to drink both coffee and alcohol? FrontStreet Coffee recommends using Sherry coffee beans to make cold brew coffee. This way, you can enjoy a wine-flavored iced coffee.

The Origins of Cold Brew Coffee

It is said that the emergence of cold brew coffee is closely related to the Age of Exploration. As early as the 17th century, the Dutch, as one of the maritime hegemons, traveled to Asia for trade. At that time, Japan already had the technology for making and drinking cold brew tea. During the long sea voyages, it was difficult to have sufficient hot water on board, and using open flames was extremely dangerous. Therefore, adopting the Japanese technique of making cold brew tea eliminated the need for both hot water and flames. Thus, cold brew coffee was born. Interestingly, although cold brew coffee was invented by Europeans, it became popular in Japan.

Understanding Cold Brew Coffee

Since the name is cold brew coffee, it means that true cold brew coffee is extracted using water at a lower temperature. The "low temperature" here doesn't refer to high-temperature hot water of 80 or 90 degrees, but rather room temperature or even ice water between 0 to 4 degrees Celsius. Precisely because the water temperature is so low, the exchange of substances between coffee beans and water becomes slower, requiring a longer extraction time.

Many first-time visitors to the FrontStreet Coffee store on hot summer days always ask: Do you have cold brew coffee? However, the cold brew coffees that everyone is familiar with come in two varieties: ice drip coffee and cold brew coffee. Due to different extraction principles, even cold brew coffee made from the same coffee beans will have significant differences in flavor and texture.

Ice Drip Coffee at FrontStreet Coffee

At the FrontStreet Coffee store, you can find both of these coffee preparation methods, but comparatively, ice drip coffee is more popular. Ice drip coffee is a type of drip coffee. In the FrontStreet Coffee store, the equipment for making ice drip coffee is placed next to the espresso machine. This equipment consists of: water container, regulating valve, grounds cup, serpentine tube, and coffee liquid container.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ice Drip Coffee Preparation Steps

1. Place a circular filter paper in the grounds cup and moisten it with water
2. Adjust the filter paper so it fits tightly against the cup wall

3. Pour in 60 grams of coffee grounds
4. Level the coffee grounds and place a circular filter paper on top of the coffee layer

5. Add small amounts of water multiple times to moisten the grounds for "pre-soaking"

6. Fill the water container with ice cubes and appropriate amount of water
7. Adjust the regulating valve to a speed of 7 drops per 10 seconds

8. When 600 grams of coffee liquid has dripped through, transfer the coffee liquid to a sealable glass bottle and place it in the refrigerator for overnight fermentation

Ice Drip Coffee Parameters:

• Coffee amount: 60 grams
• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10
• Water temperature: 0°C - 4°C
• Time: 6-8 hours
• Grind size: 85% pass-through rate on China No. 20 standard sieve

When making ice drip coffee, due to the low water temperature used, the rate of substance exchange between flavor compounds in the coffee beans and water significantly slows down after contact. This results in reduced extraction of some bitter substances from the coffee beans, while the overall extraction time is relatively longer. Additionally, due to gravity, FrontStreet Coffee places a layer of filter paper on top of the coffee grounds to avoid uneven extraction caused by the force of water droplets creating craters in the grounds.

Regular followers of FrontStreet Coffee know that when making single-origin coffee, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. Since everyone's taste preferences differ—some prefer light flavors, others prefer bold tastes—FrontStreet Coffee often uses a 1:10 ratio when making ice drip coffee. When serving the ice drip coffee, two ice cubes are placed in the cup. As the ice cubes slowly melt, the concentration of the ice drip coffee gradually decreases. This approach satisfies both those who prefer bold flavors and those who prefer lighter tastes.

Cold Brew Coffee for Beginners

The equipment and process for making ice drip coffee are relatively complex and somewhat unfriendly for beginners operating at home. So, does this mean beginners can't enjoy cold brew coffee at home? Not necessarily. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using low-temperature immersion to make cold brew coffee, which is what everyone commonly knows as cold brew coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cold Brew Coffee Preparation Steps

Cold Brew Coffee Parameters:

• Coffee amount: 50 grams
• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10
• Water temperature: 0°C - 4°C
• Time: 6-8 hours
• Grind size: 85% pass-through rate on China No. 20 standard sieve

Place the coffee grounds into a sealable glass bottle, pour in room temperature or ice water according to a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, and after thorough mixing, place it in the refrigerator for 12 hours. After the coffee extraction is complete, filter out the coffee grounds and transfer the coffee liquid to a sealable glass container for proper storage.

Storage of Cold Brew Coffee

Due to the long preparation time of cold brew coffee, many people prefer to make it in batches and store it chilled for future use. Some have asked FrontStreet Coffee: How should prepared cold brew coffee be stored, and how long can it last?

FrontStreet Coffee suggests that prepared cold brew coffee should be stored in a sealable container in the refrigerator for low-temperature storage. Some enthusiasts want to store it outside the refrigerator when the weather turns cold. Regarding this, FrontStreet Coffee reminds everyone that unless the indoor temperature can match the refrigerator temperature, don't take the risk.

From the moment cold brew coffee completes extraction and is sealed in the refrigerator, the coffee liquid begins to ferment. As time extends, its fermented flavor becomes richer, but eventually, it will produce a spoiled taste. After the 5th day, the coffee's flavor diminishes, replaced by a strong fermented taste. For safety reasons, FrontStreet Coffee recommends consuming cold brew coffee within 3 days after extraction is complete.

Coffee Bean Recommendations for Cold Brew

FrontStreet Coffee uses Honduras Sherry coffee beans to make ice drip coffee, which features the vanilla and cream flavors characteristic of Sherry coffee, along with distinct fermented wine aromas. Of course, if you prefer sweet and sour cold brew, FrontStreet Coffee recommends Guoding Ding, Frontsteet Strawberry Candy, and Frontsteet Flower Queen—three specialty coffee beans that not only are rich in fruit aromas but also present delicate sweet and sour flavors under low-temperature extraction. If you prefer balanced flavors, FrontStreet Coffee recommends Frontsteet, Diamond Mountain, Frontsteet Kaffa Forest, and Frontsteet Geisha Village Chaka, which offer pleasant sweet, sour, and bitter notes. But if you're someone who only loves rich, dark-roasted coffee, then you should start with Frontsteet Queen's Manor, Frontsteet Bird of Paradise, Frontsteet Golden Mandheling, and Frontsteet Huilan—these single-origin coffees.

Cold brew coffee is simple to make, and in the hot summer, why not enjoy this refreshing beverage!

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473