What Is Cold Brew Coffee and How Long Does It Last?

Cold brew coffee is made by soaking ground coffee in room-temperature water for about 12 hours, then filtering out the grounds. The result is more concentrated and less bitter than hot brewing, and smoother on the palate. Because fermentation notes grow over time, the flavor shifts day by day, so it keeps about three to four days.

Washed and specialty-process beans tend to work well, since their sweetness and distinctiveness carry through the long cold extraction. Only small-molecule compounds such as fruit acids and floral aromas dissolve at low temperature. Storing the brew in the fridge slows that change, which is one good way to drink coffee made this way.

Cold Brew Coffee is made by soaking ground coffee in room-temperature water for about 12 hours, then filtering out the grounds to obtain the coffee liquid. Compared with conventional hot brewing, its coffee flavor is more concentrated, less bitter, and smoother on the palate. However, the longer cold brew sits, the more pronounced the fermented notes become, so the taste you get each day will vary. Front Street recommends drinking it within 3 to 4 days. Although it sounds laborious, it is actually quite simple in practice: soak the grounds in cold water, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and filter out the grounds. In addition to explaining the key points of preparation, this article also recommends four Front Street coffee beans suitable for cold brew, along with specific recipes and steps.

Cold Brew Coffee that is, Cold Brew Coffee. Soak ground coffee in room-temperature water, extract by steeping for 12 hours, then filter out the coffee grounds thoroughly—the resulting liquid is cold brew coffee. Compared with regular hot-brewed coffee, its coffee flavor is noticeably richer, less bitter and astringent, and smoother on the palate.

One thing to note: the longer cold brew coffee sits, the more obvious the fermented taste becomes, so the flavor you drink each day will differ somewhat. Front Street suggests it is best to finish it within 3-4 days.

This coffee, which sounds rather time-consuming, is actually much easier to make than you might imagine. You can think of it this way: soak the coffee grounds in cold water — put it in the fridge to steep overnight — filter out the grounds — done. Its principle is similar to iced drip coffee, except that cold brew uses cold water for a long extraction. Because the temperature is low, only small-molecule substances such as fruit acids and floral aromas are dissolved out.

You may ask, "For making cold brew coffee, what other coffee beans are recommended?" I would recommend trying washed or specialty-process beans.

The reason is simple: cold brew made with these beans has greater distinctiveness and better sweetness~

For example:

1. Front Street Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Coffee

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 1850-2100m

Process: Natural

Variety: Heirloom

Flavor: floral, citrus, red berries, medium acidity

2. Front Street Costa Rica Mozart

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Tarrazú

Altitude: 1500-1700m

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Process: Raisin Honey Process

Flavor: osmanthus, raisin, pineapple, berries

3. Front Street Colombia Sidra

Region: Colombia

Farm: Diviso Farm

Altitude: 1700m

Variety: Sidra

Process: Double Anaerobic Natural

Flavor: grape, passion fruit, citrus, apricot, nuts

4. Front Street Panama Butterfly

Region: Boquete, Panama

Variety: 70% Geisha, Caturra, Catuai

Altitude: 1600-1650

Process: Washed

Flavor: white florals, citrus, orange, tea-like

Cold brew coffee is a very easy way to get started. Taking Front Street Butterfly cold brew coffee as an example, use 50 grams of coffee grounds as the base, with the grind size controlled so that 85% passes a No. 20 standard sieve. Put the coffee grounds into a glass bottle, then pour in 400 ml of room-temperature water and 200 g of hard ice cubes (the ice-water mixture totals 600 g), for a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:12. Then use a stirring rod to mix the coffee grounds and water evenly, seal it, and place it in the refrigerator.

After letting it sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, filter out the coffee grounds with filter paper to obtain a clear coffee liquid, then pour it into a clean sealed bottle and continue refrigerating for about 4 hours, after which it is ready to drink.

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