What Are the Flavor Differences Between Various Coffee Brewing Methods? How Do Cold Brew and Cold Drip Coffee Differ?

A Comparative Review of Cold Coffee Brewing Methods

Although hot coffee offers more complexity, with such scorching weather... I'm sorry hot coffee, but I'm still choosing iced!!!

As temperatures continue to rise, many friends have dived headfirst into the embrace of iced coffee. This has naturally sparked curiosity among everyone: with so many varieties of iced coffee, what exactly are the differences in how they taste? So today, FrontStreet Coffee is here to review how the same coffee beans, when prepared using different "cooking" methods, result in different iced coffees!

First, let's introduce the coffee beans used in this article: FrontStreet Coffee's Anaerobic Natural Santa Teresa! These beans come from the Santa Teresa processing plant in the Sidamo region of Ethiopia. Cupping notes reveal flavors of pineapple, citrus, blueberry, mango, and red wine. The reason for choosing them is simple - yesterday's cold drip was made with these same beans, which saves FrontStreet Coffee the step of making cold drip coffee today. Why not?

So now, let's take a look at how FrontStreet Coffee's Santa Teresa performs under different brewing methods!

1. Iced Pour-Over (Drip Extraction)

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over method is a Japanese-style iced pour-over adapted from hot brewing! By replacing part of the hot water used for extraction with ice cubes to achieve a cooling effect, while simultaneously adjusting the grind to be finer to compensate for the reduced extraction efficiency caused by less hot water.

Extraction parameters are as follows:

• Coffee dose: 15g
• Coffee:water:ice ratio: 1:10:6 (15g coffee, 150ml hot water, 90g ice)
• Grind setting: EK43 setting 9, with 85% passing through a #20 sieve
• Brewing temperature: 92°C
• Dripper used: V60
• Brewing method: Three-stage pour

Total extraction time was 1 minute and 35 seconds. The Santa Teresa brewed with ice has lively acidity, with prominent citrus and pineapple flavors, along with subtle mango and red wine notes. It tastes very much like a tropical fruit juice - extremely clean!

2. Iced Americano (Pressurized Extraction)

Since FrontStreet Coffee's Santa Teresa consists of anaerobically processed coffee beans, when FrontStreet Coffee replaced the Sunny Blend in the espresso grinder's hopper with these beans, only a minor adjustment to make the grind finer was needed to extract shots!

Extraction parameters are quite simple:

• Coffee dose: 20g
• Coffee:liquid ratio: 1:2
• Total extraction time: 31 seconds

But since we're making an iced Americano, the process doesn't end here. The iced Americano preparation parameters are:

• SOE: 40ml
• Ice: 100g
• Water: 160ml

After pouring the ingredients into the cup sequentially, we use a spoon or straw to stir and combine them before drinking!

The taste of the iced Americano is equally delightful: bright acidity, with flavor expressions of mango, pineapple, and some citrus notes. The red wine aroma in the aftertaste is quite long-lasting, and with the enhancement of espresso oils, the entire coffee has a richer and more mellow mouthfeel.

3. Cold Drip Coffee (Low-Temperature Drip)

Cold drip coffee is the most time-consuming brewing method in today's review. Through appropriate grinding and the right amount of ice water, prolonged drip extraction is performed, followed by extended refrigerated fermentation. FrontStreet Coffee's extraction parameters are:

• Coffee grounds: 60g
• Ice water: 600ml
• Drip rate: 5 drops per 10 seconds
• Extraction time: 6 hours
• Fermentation time: 8 hours

After preparation, we first prepare 80g of ice, then pour 200ml of the fermented cold drip coffee. The tasting experience is quite different from the previous two: the acidity is soft and rounded, with flavor expressions dominated by the sweet and sour taste of mango and blueberry, rich red wine aroma, and a subtle pineapple sweetness and sourness in the finish. It's a very rich and clean, delicious coffee!

4. Cold Brew Coffee (Low-Temperature Immersion)

Honestly, FrontStreet Coffee's favorite to make is cold brew coffee! After all, it's extremely simple to prepare: grind coffee, add water, refrigerate for immersion, filter, and you're done!

The cold brew coffee extraction parameters are:

• Coffee grounds: 60g
• Coffee:water ratio: 1:10 (60g coffee, 600ml water)
• Steeping time: 8 hours

Before drinking, we add 80g of ice to appropriately dilute the cold brew coffee! Cold brew coffee tastes equally rich! The pineapple and mango acidity is quite gentle, and the red wine aroma is substantial! However, what distinguishes it from cold drip coffee is: due to immersion extraction, although cold brew coffee lacks some clarity, it will be richer than cold drip coffee!

Conclusion

So we can learn that the same coffee beans present completely different characteristics when prepared using different brewing methods! Each has its own unique advantages - there's no good or bad distinction, just different kinds of delicious coffee! So, which type of iced coffee do you prefer?

- END -

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