What's the Difference Between Cold Drip and Cold Brew Coffee? How to Use Coffee Beans for Better Cold Drip Flavor

Many friends who visit FrontStreet Coffee's store to drink cold drip coffee have shared that our cold drip is excellent—full-bodied, aromatic, and rich in flavor. Today, FrontStreet Coffee is sharing the techniques for making delicious cold drip coffee!

Basic Operations of Cold Drip Coffee Making

Cold drip coffee equipment consists of three parts: the upper chamber holds ice water, the middle chamber holds coffee grounds, and the bottom chamber collects the extracted coffee liquid.

The process of making cold drip coffee is quite simple: place ice water in the upper chamber, add coffee grounds to the middle chamber, then control the ice water to drip drop by drop through the coffee grounds, completing the extraction process in about 6 hours. However, there are many details that can affect the quality of the coffee's flavor. FrontStreet Coffee will explain these details step by step below.

Factor 1: Coffee Beans

Coffee beans are the most important factor, as different coffee beans produce distinctly different flavors when used for cold drip. Therefore, selecting suitable coffee beans is crucial for making excellent cold drip coffee.

Generally, light roast coffee beans are preferred for cold drip coffee, as the sweet and sour fruit notes become more refreshing at cold temperatures. Coffee beans with distinctive and special flavors are also excellent for cold drip. Examples include Honduras Sherry coffee beans, Costa Rica's Giant Boulder Blueberry, the Musician Series, Colombia's Rose Valley, and Flower Moon Night.

Factor 2: Grind Size

There are two important considerations for coffee grind size. If the grind is too coarse, the resistance in the coffee bed is low, allowing water to pass through too quickly into the bottom chamber. With cold water's low extraction efficiency, this results in weak, flavorless coffee. If the grind is too fine, the resistance increases, causing water to accumulate and become clogged. Over-extraction then leads to bitter flavors.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a grind size where 80-85% passes through a #20 standard sieve. For a richer flavor, choose 85% pass-through; for a cleaner taste, choose 80% pass-through.

Factor 3: Drip Speed

This is somewhat similar to the pour rate in pour-over coffee. Some prefer 1 drop per second, while others prefer 1 drop every 2 seconds. This directly affects the total extraction time—slower dripping requires more time, while faster dripping requires less time. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a drip rate of 7 drops per 10 seconds, which you can use as a reference.

Pro tip: Before adjusting the cold drip speed, you can pre-wet the coffee grounds in the filter basket. This helps create uniform density in the coffee bed and prevents uneven extraction.

Factor 4: Cold Drip Ratio

The ratio is also very important. The key is to find the balance between concentration and extraction rate. FrontStreet Coffee uses 60g of coffee grounds to extract 600ml of coffee liquid—a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10. Based on FrontStreet Coffee's standard serving size of 200ml per cup, one batch of cold drip coffee yields 3 cups.

Of course, a 1:10 ratio is considered quite concentrated. Typically, cold drip coffee uses a ratio between 1:12 and 1:14.

Factor 5: Serving Method

Freshly made cold drip coffee can be consumed immediately, but FrontStreet Coffee recommends refrigerating it for 12 hours before serving. This allows the cold drip coffee's flavors to develop to their fullest potential.

Since FrontStreet Coffee's 1:10 ratio produces a very concentrated cold drip, we add 40g of ice per 200ml when serving to both dilute and maintain the chilled effect.

Unlike regular hot coffee brewing, cold brew primarily involves mixing coffee grounds with cold water (room temperature water), letting it sit for several hours in a low-temperature environment, and finally filtering out the grounds to obtain cold coffee liquid. With just a bag of coffee, a clean sealed container, water, and a refrigerator, you can achieve cold brew freedom at home.

In fact, compared to the strict parameters of other extraction methods, cold brew is highly compatible. From coffee bean selection to the sealed container used, from the coffee-to-water ratio to grind size and steeping time, it all has a wide adjustable range. In other words, as long as you don't use extremely extreme parameter combinations, you can make delicious cold coffee.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473