How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Taste Better? Cold Brew Made with Warm Water Has Incredibly Sweet Flavor!

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"Shouldn't cold brew coffee be steeped in cold water? Can it still be considered cold brew if made with warm water? Won't it be bitter?"

I believe these questions will come to mind after reading the title. In fact, the coffee FrontStreet Coffee is making in this article is still in a cold brew state (steeping in low-temperature environment). However! We're going to make a bold attempt: the initial water used to steep the coffee grounds won't be room temperature water, nor ice water! We'll use 40°C warm water!

What makes low-temperature steeped coffee so charming?

The greatest charm of cold brew coffee, besides being able to better, more cleanly, and more fully showcase the unique qualities of a coffee bean, is convenience! This is also why many people choose to make cold brew coffee.

No brewing techniques are required, nor do you need to prepare a pile of coffee equipment. A clean, sealable container (or a dedicated cold brew coffee maker), add water, stir, put it in the refrigerator, then get a good and refreshing cup of coffee after a night's sleep~

From a professional perspective, compared to most high-temperature extraction methods, long-term low-temperature extraction allows the sour and sweet substances in coffee particles to be more fully released, while the low-temperature environment can also inhibit the release of bitter substances, resulting in coffee liquid with better sweetness and fuller body.

A latest research report on cold brew coffee by the Coffee Science Foundation and the Specialty Coffee Association pointed out that coffee extracted through low-temperature steeping has more floral and fruit aromas than coffee extracted through high-temperature methods, while having less bitterness, acidity, and defect flavors.

This study found four sensory attributes that showed statistically significant changes related to extraction temperature (the changes were consistent across all tested origins and roast levels). Using the same coffee beans, same weight, and same grind, the rate at which various chemical substances in coffee particles dissolve in hot and cold water is different.

During high-temperature extraction, tannic acid breaks down into pyrrole acid, and various fatty acids dissolve faster and more in hot water, bringing bitterness and acidity. However, in low-temperature extraction, as time extends, the types of acidic compounds gradually decrease, so cold brew coffee has much reduced sour and bitter tastes, while also reducing the volatilization of coffee aromas, better locking the fragrance within the coffee.

Why the idea of steeping coffee grounds with warm water?

Then extracting coffee in a low-temperature environment?

Because... many people feel that steeping cold brew coffee for more than ten hours is too long, so they've asked whether there's a quick way to make cold brew coffee. Although there are already coffee machines on the market that can accelerate the release of substances from coffee at low temperatures through pressure, producing good cold brew in 2-3 hours, the price is really quite expensive.

Warm water (that is, water that is neither cold nor too hot) has some heat that increases molecular movement. When the thermal motion of molecules balances with the attraction between solid molecules, the solid molecules will disperse. At the same time, the thermal motion of molecules increases the number of contacts between water molecules and solid molecules (coffee particles), so when the coffee is ground finer, the solid molecules will dissolve faster and more.

The release pattern of coffee substances is: acid-sweet-bitter. 40°C warm water, after being poured into the coffee grounds and stirred evenly, will gradually decrease in temperature. This can both prevent coffee particles from clumping through molecular thermal motion, making subsequent coffee extraction more even;

It can also more quickly extract some sour and sweet substances, reducing the subsequent low-temperature steeping time. The subsequent 3-4 hours of extraction in a low-temperature environment is to allow the sour and sweet substances to be more fully released, while also inhibiting the release of bitter substances.

Steps for making cold brew coffee with warm water:

FrontStreet Coffee uses sun-dried coffee beans from Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project this time. The biggest characteristic of Red Cherry Project coffee beans is: sweetness! The sweetness is truly excellent! Because they are 100% manually harvested fully ripe coffee fruits, then sun-dried as whole fruits, the sugars in the coffee pulp can be further absorbed by the coffee beans.

30g of sun-dried Red Cherry coffee beans ground to medium-fine (73% retention on China #20 sieve), with a coarseness reference shown in the image below.

Then add to a clean, sealable container that can withstand both high and low temperatures. Next, pour in 390g of 40°C warm water (coffee-to-water ratio 1:13, try 1:12 if you want it stronger), then stir for half a minute and steep. (Don't cover with a lid)

When the temperature of the coffee liquid in the container drops to 35°C (FrontStreet Coffee's room temperature during preparation was 26°C, it took 16 minutes to drop to the target temperature), it can be sealed and placed in the refrigerator's cold storage compartment for extraction.

After 4-5 hours, take it out and filter out the coffee grounds with filtering tools, then it's ready to taste. If you feel the concentration is still a bit high, you can add a small amount of ice cubes/cold water for dilution.

How does the taste of warm water + low-temperature extraction turn out?

With the same parameters, using room temperature water + low-temperature extraction for about 12 hours, the flavor表现为: bright citrus acidity, with sweetness and tea-like notes also more prominent, feeling like unsweetened lemon tea. While warm water + low-temperature extraction for 4-5 hours, the flavor表现为: full berry juice sensation, with caramel sweetness very prominent, the aftertaste has the sweet aftertaste of black tea, the sweetness is truly excellent!!!

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