Which coffee beans for hand brew suit cold brew iced coffee?

Cold brew works with many coffee beans, but medium-light roasts tend to perform well. The drink is less transparent than cold drip, with a thin layer of oil on the surface and a heavier, more balanced mouthfeel. Fresh, well-rested beans from a recent roast give clearer sweetness and aroma. Flavor type guides the choice: washed light roasts for a clean, juicy cup, or fruit-forward beans for more depth.

Using Front Street Coffee's method, start with 50 grams of grounds, grind at about 85% passing a No. 20 sieve, and combine with 400 milliliters of room-temperature water plus 200 grams of ice, a 1:12 ratio. Stir, seal, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, then filter. Refrigerate the liquid about four more hours and drink within five days. Processing style, such as anaerobic natural or honey, shifts the flavor.

As temperatures rise, iced coffee becomes a favorite for many, and cold brew, with its simple operation and suitability for home preparation, has become a popular summer choice. However, does cold brew coffee have special requirements for coffee beans? Which single-origin beans can produce good flavor? This article starts with Front Street Coffee's cold brew method, detailing key steps such as coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and steeping time, and recommends coffee beans suitable for cold brew by flavor type—from refreshing, juicy washed light roasts, to fruity and winey anaerobic natural and honey processed beans, to balanced and rich nutty notes, helping you find the cold brew solution that best suits your taste.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee As the weather gets hotter, more and more people are starting to try making iced coffee at home. Among them, cold brew has become the first choice for many households due to its low barrier to entry and simple equipment. So, for making cold brew coffee, do you have to specially pick a certain type of coffee bean? How to Make Cold Brew Coffee The cold brew method is actually quite easy to handle. Taking Front Street Coffee's recipe as an example, use 50 grams of coffee grounds as the base, with the grind size controlled at about 85% passing rate through a No. 20 standard sieve. Put the coffee grounds into a glass bottle, pour in 400 milliliters of room-temperature water, then add 200 grams of hard ice cubes, totaling 600 grams of ice-water mixture, making the coffee-to-water ratio 1:12. Use a stirring rod to mix the coffee grounds and water thoroughly, seal, and place in the refrigerator.

After letting it sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, filter out the coffee grounds with filter paper to obtain a clear coffee liquid. Pour the coffee liquid into a clean sealed bottle and continue refrigerating for about 4 hours before drinking. For food safety reasons, Front Street recommends drinking the prepared cold brew within 5 days. So, what coffee beans are recommended for cold brew coffee? The liquid of cold brew coffee is not as transparent as cold drip; a thin layer of oil floats on the surface, and the mouthfeel is heavier and more balanced. It is recommended to choose medium-light roasted coffee beans, which can better present the refreshing and clean characteristics of cold brew. If you want a refreshing, juicy feel, you can choose light-roasted washed coffee, and we recommend Front Street washed Yirgacheffe (floral, citrus), Front Street Kenya Little Tomato (snow pear, smoked plum);

If you want a stronger fruity and winey aroma, you can use coffee processed by anaerobic natural or honey processing, and we recommend Front Street Colombia Pink Bourbon (passion fruit, grape), Front Street Big Belly (berries, apricot), Front Street Strawberry Candy (rose, dried fruit);

If you don't like coffee with acidity and only prefer a balanced, rich 'coffee flavor', you can purchase Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise (nuts, toast).

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.