What is cold brew coffee and why is it priced higher?

Cold brew is coffee extracted with cold water over a long, low-temperature steep, not hot coffee poured over ice. Because no high-temperature extraction occurs, tannic acid and caffeine release is limited, so the cup tastes milder and sweeter, with less sourness and astringency. The method itself is simple; the cost comes from time and coffee volume.

Cold brew originated in the United States, spread to Japan and Europe through social media, and reached a global audience after Starbucks launched it. The question of where did coffee originate from points to Ethiopia, though cold brewing is a modern American development. Making it at home depends mainly on getting the coffee-to-water ratio right before soaking.

Cold brew coffee has rapidly gained popularity in China in recent years, winning the hearts of many coffee lovers with its icy refreshing taste and mild, balanced flavor. It originated in the United States, spread to Japan and Europe through social media platforms, and became a global sensation after Starbucks officially launched it. Many people are curious: What exactly is the difference between cold brew and regular iced coffee? Why is cold brew coffee more expensive? Can I make it at home? This article will address these five common questions, covering everything from the definition of cold brew and its essential differences from iced coffee, to specific homemade methods, coffee-to-water ratios, and the cold brew performance of Front Street Elda coffee beans.

Cold Brew Coffee, that is, cold brew coffee, became popular in China around last summer. It is icy and refreshing, with a milder and more balanced flavor, and the brewing method is surprisingly simple. Today let's talk about it and see where its charm really lies.

Table of Contents

1. What is Cold Brew Coffee?

2. The difference between cold brew coffee and iced coffee

3. Making cold brew coffee at home

NO.1

What is cold brew coffee?

Cold Brew Coffee originated in the United States and gradually spread to Japan and European countries through social platforms like Instagram. With Starbucks officially launching "Cold Brew Coffee," cold brew coffee finally became popular worldwide.

As the name suggests, cold brew coffee is coffee extracted with cold water, a true "iced coffee" in the fullest sense. Its principle is similar to cold-brewed tea, relying on long, low-temperature extraction to produce a coffee with a milder, more balanced flavor.

NO.2

Cold Brew Coffee vs Iced Coffee

What we usually call iced coffee is actually made by first brewing hot coffee through high-temperature extraction, then rapidly cooling it with ice cubes or ice water. Cold brew coffee, as mentioned above, is a pure "iced coffee" extracted at low temperature over a long period.

Because it does not undergo high-temperature extraction, the release of tannic acid and caffeine from the coffee beans is suppressed, so cold brew coffee tastes milder and sweeter, neither overly sour nor overly astringent.

In addition, the brewing principle of cold brew coffee is very simple. As long as you get the coffee-to-water ratio right and soak it for a long time (over 12 hours), you can get a cup of icy, refreshing coffee, which is why it is so popular among many office workers. Grind and brew at home the night before, put it in the fridge to chill overnight, and the next morning you can drink cold coffee as soon as you wake up.

Moreover, it is said that cold brew coffee can be stored for a longer time without losing its flavor. In short, cold brew coffee is absolutely a blessing for black coffee lovers.

NO.3

Making Cold Brew Coffee at Home

/// Ingredients (450ml)

Coffee beans 40g

Cold water 500ml

★ Coffee-to-water ratio: just a bit higher than your usual pour-over ratio. Once you get the hang of it, you can adjust to your own taste. In the recipe, 40g beans to 500ml water is fairly strong because I add ice cubes when drinking. If you are not adding ice, you can reduce it to 30g:500ml

★ When shooting the recipe, I used light-roast Front Street Elda coffee beans, so the brewed coffee came out lighter in color. I had left these beans sitting unused for a long time because they were really a bit too sour.. But the cold brew method made their sourness much less pronounced.

/// Method

❶ Weigh the coffee beans/grounds　Weigh out the coffee beans and grind them. A finer grind requires a shorter extraction time, while a coarser grind requires a longer extraction time.

❷ Brew with cold water　Fold the filter paper, place it in the teapot strainer, pour in the coffee grounds, then slowly pour the cold water into the pot.

★ There are many brewing methods. You can also use a French press and just press it down. Or simply pour water directly over the coffee grounds and filter before drinking. I just made simple use of the tools I had on hand.

❸ Refrigerate and extract　Put the coffee in the fridge overnight and wait for extraction to complete.

❹ Enjoy!

❺ You can also refer to the milk foam

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