On a hot summer day, a glass of iced coffee is simply refreshing, but now that autumn has arrived, will iced coffee still be so popular? Front Street tells everyone: absolutely! Because although the weather has entered autumn, the temperature is still there, and the taste of iced coffee is still there. Friends who love this flavor still love it just as always.

Of course, at first many friends may not know that coffee can also be brewed with cold water, because what we usually drink is high-temperature extracted coffee, which means grinding roasted coffee beans into coffee powder of a specific coarseness and then using water to extract the flavor from the coffee. High-temperature extraction causes the tannic acid in coffee to break down into pyrogallic acid, producing bitterness and sourness.

But Front Street tells everyone: coffee brewed with cold water has a unique flavor! And it is very popular! Why? Because cold brew coffee is low-temperature extracted. During low-temperature extraction, water and coffee grounds are in contact for a long time, and only smaller-molecule flavor substances, such as floral and fruity aromas, are extracted, while larger-molecule flavor substances such as smoky and roasted notes are difficult to extract. Therefore, cold brew coffee allows you to taste more of the coffee beans' own flavor, with a smooth mouthfeel, obvious layers, and a clear sweet aftertaste.

Front Street takes everyone to learn about cold brew coffee: cold brew coffee only began to gradually become popular in the United States in recent years, and so everyone learned that coffee does not necessarily have to be drunk hot. Soaking or dripping with cold water can also extract delicious coffee. As for Europe, it may take a while longer before they begin to fall in love with this new coffee force. Cold brew coffee is also called cold water brewed coffee. In the entire extraction process, only ice water and coffee grounds are involved, making the final product purer. Therefore, cold brew coffee itself can fully reflect the subtle flavor characteristics of coffee. Because the acidity of the coffee is mild, the taste is sweet, the mouthfeel is bright, the flavor is soft, and it has a faint fruity aroma. At Front Street Coffee, cold brew coffee is very popular among friends. Sitting in the coffee shop, stop your hurried pace for a moment and enjoy the deliciousness of coffee!

There are two main reasons for the rise of cold brew coffee. One part is that younger generations prefer milder-flavored coffee and have lower acceptance of traditional espresso; on the other hand, milder coffee also fits better with concepts of health and wellness, while cold brew coffee has lower acidity and bitterness and comes with mild sweetness, which means cold brew coffee does not need additional sugar or dairy products for flavoring.

Cold Brew Coffee

How did cold brew coffee come about? Front Street has learned that the Dutch were the first to come up with the cold brew method, and it was later passed on to Japan. At that time, the Dutch would transport coffee back to Europe from their colony Indonesia, and because there was no hot water on the ship, they invented the method of cold brewing coffee. Interestingly, people at the time believed that cold coffee was milder and did not hurt the stomach, but they did not know that this was because hot water extracts more acidic substances from coffee, while cold brewed coffee is comparatively less acidic.

Making coffee with ice water or cold water can be traced back to Japan at the earliest. It is generally called "Kyoto-style coffee." The method of extracting coffee with cold water was very popular in Kyoto at the time, hence the name. As early as the 17th century, Japanese people had already begun using cold water together with different cold brew methods to make coffee. They would use filtration or drip methods. This extraction method and technique have been passed down and evolved to this day, giving rise to the trendiest, boutique-designedIce-drip Coffeepitcher.

When we talk about cold brew coffee, what water temperature is actually more suitable for extraction? Front Street tells everyone: cold brew coffee is made with water at room temperature or lower. The water temperature is usually below room temperature, around 20-22°C. Because the water temperature is lower, the coffee-making process is very long, usually requiring 12-48 hours. Cold brew can extract only some small-molecule substances, such as floral and fruity flavor substances, while large-molecule smoky and roasted flavor substances are not easily extracted, and the sourness is also greatly reduced. However, the most fatal drawback of this extraction method is that its capacity is weaker, requiring longer contact time between water and coffee grounds.

What is the difference between ice-drip coffee and cold brew coffee?

Actually, in theory, ice-drip coffee also belongs to the category of cold brew coffee. Ice-drip is extracted drop by drop. Ice-drip coffee is also known as Dutch coffee or Kyoto-style coffee. Making ice-drip coffee also uses cold water or ice water, but unlike cold brew coffee's "soaking coffee in water," ice-drip uses water that slowly permeates through the coffee grounds. In terms of production time, ice-drip takes only about 5 hours, roughly half that of cold brew. When American barista champion Laila said in an exclusive interview that compared with Cold Brew, Front Street believes that Ice-drip coffee has a more aromatic, more delicate, and more subtle taste.

Which tastes better, cold brew coffee or ice-drip coffee?

At Front Street Coffee, whether it is cold brew coffee or ice-drip coffee, selected specialty coffee beans are ground and then brewed.

[Cold Brew Coffee]It requires coffee grounds and ice water to be combined and soaked throughout the entire process. After extraction is completed, the coffee grounds packet is removed, or the coffee grounds are filtered out. Because of the full-process combination, the extraction of coffee can be considered relatively full and rich. Throughout the entire process, only cold water comes into contact with the coffee grounds, the variables are relatively few, and the taste is relatively more stable, so this is also the cold brew method generally used by coffee chains.

[Ice-drip Coffee]Although the same ice water conditions are used, it is more like an "IV drip" for coffee on a cafe counter, with a vintage clock dripping ice water into the coffee grounds and slowly soaking through. The biggest differences from cold brew are: on the one hand, the contact time between each drop of water and the coffee powder is relatively shorter than in cold brew; second, during the ice-drip process, coffee comes into fuller contact with air, and the mild oxidation process will bring some uncontrollable factors to the coffee.

Therefore, the flavors of the beginning, middle, and end stages of ice-drip coffee extraction are completely different. The coffee extracted in this way tastes bright and fresh, with considerable layering. Although making ice-drip coffee usually takes only 5-8 hours, you can put the finished coffee into a refrigerator compartment free of odors and let it stabilize and develop overnight, and it will have an unexpected aroma.

As for people asking which tastes better, cold brew coffee or ice-drip coffee, Front Street actually thinks: both are delicious. Cold brew coffee is richer, while ice-drip coffee is brighter and more layered. Everyone's taste is different, so it depends on what you like!

Front Street Coffee Brewing Suggestions

Of course, for coffee brewing, Front Street suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing, so that you can experience the rich flavors of coffee to the greatest extent. The coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee are all within 5 days of roasting, because Front Street knows deeply that the freshness of coffee beans has a great impact on flavor. Front Street's roasting principle is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when they get it. The bean resting period for coffee is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

Front Street Coffee knows deeply that the freshness of coffee beans has a great impact on flavor. Front Street's roasting principle is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when they get it. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee are all within 5 days of roasting. The bean resting period for coffee is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

Front Street Coffee has more than fifty kinds of coffee beans from different countries and different regions. Whether you want to try making cold brew coffee, ice-drip coffee, or Americano, or directly brew single-origin coffee, we can satisfy everyone's requirements! Everyone is welcome to come to Front Street Coffee to explore the mysteries of coffee together!

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