Where Does the Wine-like Flavor of Cold Drip Coffee Come From? What's the Grind Size, Ratio, and Parameters for Making Cold Brew Coffee? What is Low-Temperature Aging?

Clean, Mellow, and Smooth: The Second Impression of Ice Drip Coffee

"Clean, mellow, and smooth"—this is what people experience as their second impression when tasting ice drip coffee. Why the second impression? Because typically, people are first stunned by its rich, persistent fermented wine-like aroma, only then noticing its exceptional mouthfeel.

Some friends who encounter ice drip coffee at FrontStreet Coffee's store often ask: "Does your ice drip coffee contain alcohol? Or do the coffee beans themselves have a wine-like flavor? Why is the wine aroma so strong?"

Hehe, ice drip coffee contains no alcohol! To understand where the wine-like aroma comes from, let FrontStreet Coffee explain!

The Unique Extraction Method of Ice Drip Coffee

The preparation method of ice drip coffee differs from conventional coffee extraction. FrontStreet Coffee often mentions that most coffee extractions require hot water to quickly extract aromatic compounds! However, ice drip coffee is one of the few exceptions.

Ice drip is a method of making cold brew coffee. Cold brew means extracting coffee using cold ice water. Because the extraction efficiency of ice water is very low, we need more time to extract the aromatic compounds from the coffee. For example, cold brew coffee requires steeping coffee grounds in cold water for about 8 hours before it can be filtered and consumed! The production cycle of ice drip coffee is even longer, and we can understand its extraction method directly from its name: "ice drip" means extracting coffee drop by drop using ice water.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ice Drip Process

Take FrontStreet Coffee's ice drip method as an example: we use 60g of coffee grounds and extract at a 1:10 coffee-to-liquid ratio, meaning we extract 600ml of coffee liquid from 60g of grounds (this produces a relatively concentrated coffee). The ice water drip rate is 7 drops every 10 seconds, and to extract 600ml of coffee liquid, it takes approximately 5-6 hours.

During this time, we must constantly monitor whether the ice water drip rate remains stable. Because as ice water continuously seeps out, the water pressure changes, which in turn affects the drip rate. Therefore, we must periodically check for deviations in the drip rate and make timely adjustments. It might sound faster than cold brew coffee, but it's not actually complete when the dripping finishes—it needs to be refrigerated for a period before it's considered ready for consumption! This brings us to the question: "Why can't ice drip coffee be consumed immediately after preparation?"

The Importance of Cold Maturation

The answer is actually quite simple—you'll know once you try it~ Freshly extracted ice drip coffee doesn't immediately have abundant flavor. Instead, it tastes rather bland, thin, and even slightly astringent, giving the impression of under-extraction! However, after resting overnight, it develops a full juice-like quality, becoming clean and smooth with a rich fermented wine aroma. So don't underestimate the step of refrigerating the coffee! The reason we place the coffee in the refrigerator is to allow it to mature in a low-temperature environment.

FrontStreet Coffee's science tidbit: "Low-temperature maturation" refers to the process of placing food in a relatively low-temperature environment to undergo fermentation through microorganisms. However, in low-temperature environments, microbial activity slows down, so we need more time for fermentation to occur. When we take the coffee out the next day, it has already gained rich fruit flavors and wine-like aromas through microbial fermentation. The wine aroma we experience when drinking ice drip coffee comes from this process.

Safety and Storage Considerations

However, microbial fermentation is often an uncontrolled process. Carelessness in sealing can lead to bacterial contamination and spoilage. Therefore, before placing ice drip coffee in the refrigerator for maturation, we first pour it into a sealed glass bottle. This both slows down the fermentation process and inhibits bacterial growth. (Anaerobic fermentation treatment follows the same principle~)

Typically, ice drip coffee only needs 8 hours to complete maturation. The drinking experience is exactly as we described at the beginning: clean, smooth, mellow, with rich fruit flavors and fermented wine aroma! Moreover, if we extend its resting time to 12 hours, the fruit flavors and wine aroma will merge into an even more stunning fruit wine flavor!! (That's why FrontStreet Coffee always lets it rest overnight!) Here, FrontStreet Coffee wants to gently mention that although low temperature and sealing reduce the risk of ice drip coffee spoilage, there's still a certain risk of spoilage if left for too long. Especially when repeatedly opening and closing the container, it's more likely to encourage bacterial growth and lead to spoilage. Therefore, for safety reasons, FrontStreet Coffee recommends consuming ice drip coffee within five days of preparation to ensure it's safe for your health~

FrontStreet Coffee

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FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473