There are many methods for brewing coffee, and cold drip is one of them. Cold drip coffee is also a type of iced coffee, and in summer, iced coffee is a favorite among coffee lovers.
Cold drip coffeenaturally is not brewed with hot water, but with low-temperature water, which is quite different from our usual pour-over coffee. It is relatively much simpler, but takes much more time. If you want to have a cup at a coffee shop,cold drip coffeeyou might need some luck!
In 1699, during the Dutch rule of Indonesia, many coffee trees were planted on the island of Java, and Dutch immigrants on Java invented the cold drip coffee method. At the time, they believed that the stomach discomfort caused by coffee was due to the acidity in coffee, and using ice water reduced the acidity, so they preferred to drink it this way.
Cold drip coffee, sometimes called Dutch Coffee, distilled coffee, or water-drip coffee, also known as Dutch-style drip coffee. Cold drip coffee relies on the compatibility between coffee and water, mainly through condensation and natural osmotic water pressure, taking about 8 hours to extract drop by drop. The characteristic of cold drip coffee is that it uses ice water to extract coffee; low-temperature extraction requires a longer time to dissolve the aromatic substances in the coffee. So, using a dropper similar to a chemistry experiment, ice water drips down drop by drop, slowly soaking and permeating through the coffee grounds. In the common traditional cold drip coffee maker, the dripping speed can be controlled. Cold drip coffee, also called water-drip coffee or ice-brewed coffee, is a way of making coffee drinks. A common cold coffee drip filter consists of 3-4 layers of glass containers mounted on a wooden base.
What is the extraction principle of cold drip coffee?
Pour-over coffee is brewed with specified high-temperature water, time, and coffee-to-water ratio. It is simple and quick. The advantage of high-temperature extraction is that it can quickly extract the flavor substances in coffee, rapidly decomposing the tannic acid in coffee into pyrogallic acid, producing sourness, sweetness, and bitterness—what Front Street often calls the process of releasing coffee flavors. The disadvantage of high-temperature extraction is that it easily leads to the complete release of coffee flavors and then begins to release the taste of the coffee bean's woody fiber, which is what we often call off-flavors, woody notes, and other unpleasant tastes.
Cold drip coffee, on the other hand, is a coffee brewed with time. We know that the taste of coffee brewed at different water temperatures varies, and at low temperatures, the astringent substances in coffee are even less likely to be dissolved. Extracting with ice water for a long time, after extraction is complete, it is placed in the refrigerator to ferment. The slightly fermented cold drip coffee has a faint fermented aroma, and the mouthfeel tends to become fuller. Since it is not extracted at high temperature, relatively fewer impurities in the coffee are extracted. Due to the long production time, the cold drip coffee cannot be drunk immediately after dripping, because the flavor molecules extracted at low temperature are fully released but not well expressed. So after the cold drip coffee extraction is completed, put it in a sealed bottle and let it sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, allowing the carbon dioxide pressure inside the bottle to release the flavor molecules. At this point, tasting it is best.
Cold drip coffee has slightly lower caffeine. For friends affected by caffeine, Front Street suggests choosing cold drip coffee—it's not as hard on the stomach, and the caffeine is relatively lower, while the coffee flavor layers are also very rich!
Making cold drip requires the same as making siphon coffee—a dedicated device, a cold drip pot.
Steps for making cold drip coffee:
1. An ordinary cold drip coffee pot is divided into three basic units: the upper pot, middle pot, and lower pot. The upper pot holds the ice-water mixture, and the middle pot is the coffee powder cup. First, close the water control valve at the bottom of the upper pot, and pour pure cold water or an ice-water mixture into the upper pot.
2. Place the clean lower pot under the middle pot to receive the extracted coffee liquid.
3. Lay a filter paper flat at the bottom of the coffee powder cup, place an appropriate amount of ground coffee in it, gently tap a few times to level the coffee grounds, and then place another filter paper flat on top.
4. Open the water control valve at the bottom of the upper pot and adjust the dripping speed. Generally, we control it at a speed of 40-50 drops per minute, so obtaining 1000 ml of cold drip coffee takes 5 to 8 hours.
5. Wait until the water in the upper pot is used up, then we can remove the lower pot.
6. If you want the cold drip coffee to show its best flavor, you can bottle the extracted cold drip coffee and store it in the refrigerator. From the 3rd to the 7th day, the coffee flavor is at its best, showing complex and elegant flavors like wine fermentation. No wonder it has earned the reputation of "cold drip wine-brewed coffee," and its maximum drinking period can be close to half a month.
Of course, it's not that it can be stored for any length of time. Front Street does not advocate storing cold drip for a week, because there are bacteria in the air or bottle, and it is hard to guarantee the coffee's condition after long storage. The recommended drinking period for cold drip is within 72 hours. If it exceeds 72 hours, don't feel it's a waste—coffee stored that long may not be good for your health.
Below, let's share the cold drip coffee recipes that Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) often makes.
1. Dark berry type:Costa Rica Mozart 60g,MozartThis coffee bean uses anaerobic honey processing and has a very special raisin aroma. Used to make cold drip coffee, it shows very obvious blueberry, black grape, and wine-fermented flavors, with a refreshing mouthfeel and lingering fragrance on the palate.
2. Refreshing and clean type:Kenya Asaliya60g. Asaliya's acidity is very lively, overall like a glass of juice. Used to make cold drip coffee, it carries the fresh fragrance of cherry tomatoes and grapefruit, with a refreshing and light acidity, very suitable for summer drinking.
3. Sweet and delicious type:IndonesiaGolden Mandheling60g. Few shops use dark-roasted coffee to make cold drip coffee. If you haven't tried it, you might think that cold drip made from dark-roasted coffee beans would be very bitter, but that's not the case. Using Front Street's cold drip method and placing it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before adding ice cubes, the Golden Mandheling cold drip coffee shows sweetness, a hint of chocolate bitterness, and is overall very clear, with a rich fermented sensation that feels comfortable.
Adjust the dripping speed, use cold water to slowly drip, extract at a low temperature of 5°C for 8 hours of long dripping, allowing the original coffee taste to be naturally reproduced, which is even more impressive.
Characteristics of cold drip coffee
Advantages of water-drip coffee: not sour or astringent, not hard on the stomach, can be stored for up to a week, especially best on the third day, and lower in caffeine. Because the coffee grounds are 100% soaked and moistened at low temperature, the extracted coffee has a rich, smooth, and full-bodied taste that is impressive; the flavors it presents are certainly outstanding. Especially in summer or when having a cup early the next morning, it instantly refreshes.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing suggestions:
Whether coffee is pour-over, cold drip, orespresso, as long as it's a taste you like, it's good. Front Street believes that any brewing method requires fresh coffee beans. Front Street has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans has a great relationship with coffee flavor. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all within 5 days of roasting. Front Street's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," so every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee. The resting period for coffee is about 4-7 days, so when the customer receives it, it is at its best flavor.
For friends who need ground coffee, Front Street warmly reminds: if the coffee beans are ground in advance, there is no need for further resting, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide inside the package can also make the coffee flavor rounder, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because after contact with air, ground coffee oxidizes relatively quickly, meaning the coffee flavor dissipates faster and the coffee flavor is not as good. Therefore, Front Street recommends buying whole beans, grinding fresh and brewing fresh, so you can better taste the coffee flavor.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
