Ice drip coffee is made by slowly dripping pure ice water, melted into small droplets, evenly onto freshly ground coffee powder to extract the essence, which is then refrigerated for eight hours for natural fermentation. The flavor of ice drip coffee is pure and smooth, with a pleasant balance of acidity and sweetness, and a refreshing taste. It is a popular drink that Front Street Coffee always features every hot summer.

What is the principle behind ice drip?

Before discussing ice drip coffee in detail, Front Street Coffee needs to briefly introduce two common methods of cold water coffee extraction: Cold brew coffee and Cold drip coffee.

Cold brew coffee, also known as cold water immersion coffee, as the name suggests, involves soaking coffee grounds in cold or room-temperature water and placing it in a low-temperature environment such as a refrigerator to extract the coffee liquid. It is relatively convenient, requiring only an airtight container. Ice drip coffee, on the other hand, involves slowly dripping ice water evenly onto coffee grounds for extraction, and after the drip process is complete, it needs to be refrigerated overnight for fermentation before drinking. Since the drip process usually takes 6-8 hours, if you want to drink a specific coffee bean, you need to make a reservation with Front Street Coffee in advance, as they need to start preparation early.

After roasting, coffee beans produce some high-molecular compounds, most of which are bitter. When we usually brew coffee with hot water, it increases the dissolution rate of various high-molecular compounds, resulting in a stronger bitter taste. In the cold extraction process, the water temperature is lower, so after contacting the coffee grounds, the dissolution rate of bitter substances is lower, while other flavor compounds are slowly released, resulting in a sweet taste with less bitterness.

How to make ice drip coffee at home?

Many friends, after becoming fascinated by the taste of ice drip coffee, have bought ice drip equipment to try making it at home, but encountered various questions. Front Street Coffee will first demonstrate how to make ice drip coffee based on store standards and answer these questions.

Currently, there is a dazzling array of coffee equipment on the market, but the ice drip device still has three main parts: the upper pot for ice water (connected to a valve that can adjust the drip rate), the filter cup for coffee grounds, and the lower pot for collecting the dripped coffee liquid. The one you see at Front Street Coffee stores is the Tiamo HG2713, which has an additional ring-shaped glass flow tube. You can choose according to your needs and budget.

The grind size for Front Street Coffee's ice drip coffee is 80-85% passing through a Chinese No. 20 standard sieve, with an EK43s setting of 10 in the store. We all know that if the coffee grounds are too coarse, the coffee flavor will be weak, and if too fine, it can cause clogging and prevent proper drainage, making the coffee bitter. Therefore, choosing the right grind size is very important.

This time, Front Street Coffee uses the refreshing Kenya Asalia coffee beans for production. The extraction rate at low temperatures is lower, so the barista at FrontStreet Coffee recommends a slightly finer grind than pour-over, using a standard sieve passing rate of 85%.

The flow rate is similar to pour-over, but the ice drip flow rate is calculated in drops per second. The slower the flow, the longer the total time required, and it is also prone to over-extraction. Front Street Coffee generally uses 7 drops per 10 seconds for extraction, and each person can adjust the flow rate according to their preference. The coffee-to-water ratio is 1:10. Since Front Street Coffee's ice drip coffee is diluted with ice before drinking, a higher concentration is used. If making at home, you can use a ratio of 1:10 to 1:12 for extraction.

To make ice drip, Front Street Coffee grinds 60g of coffee beans into powder, places a circular filter paper in the powder cup, pours in the coffee grounds, and finally covers with another filter paper, then wets the coffee grounds with water to save drip time and avoid uneven extraction. Fill the upper pot with ice-water mixture, i.e., 1:1 ice to water, to extract a total of 600g of coffee liquid. Finally, pour the dripped coffee liquid into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 12 hours before drinking. Front Street Coffee usually drips during daytime business hours, and by evening, it can be placed in the refrigerator for cold storage; the next day, it can be enjoyed with ice.

Introduction to coffee beans suitable for ice drip

Regarding the choice of coffee beans, Front Street Coffee believes you can choose beans with different processing methods or roast levels according to your preference, provided they are within the optimal flavor period (2 months). The extraction characteristics of ice drip coffee can highlight the winey, fruity fermentation, and fruity aromas in the coffee. If you don't know which coffee beans to choose, you can refer to the several coffees listed by Front Street Coffee.

"Refreshing floral and fruity type — Front Street Coffee Elida Estate Catuai Coffee Beans"

This coffee bean is produced from the famous Elida Estate in Boquete, Panama. The region's soil is fertile black soil, and the coffee beans have a rich fruity aroma. The washed process highlights the coffee's clear pink floral notes, peach-like juiciness, and citrus acidity. The ice drip coffee made by Front Street Coffee with this bean presents a rich layering of peach, sweet orange, and grape.

"Fermented winey type — Front Street Coffee Honduras Sherry Wine Barrel Coffee Beans"

This Honduras Sherry coffee bean is fermented in whiskey barrels, presenting full vanilla, cream, and whiskey aromas. It is a very popular coffee bean on Front Street Coffee's bean list. The Sherry ice drip coffee made from it presents a rich fermented wine aroma, along with honey sweetness.

"Rich fruity tea type — Front Street Coffee Sun-dried Huakui Coffee Beans"

The sun-dried Huakui coffee beans are made from ripe coffee cherries with a pulp sugar content as high as 30%. The fructose ferments under the sun, allowing the inner bean to develop a full fruity sweetness. The ice drip made with this coffee bean has active berry and passion fruit acidity and sweetness, with a noticeable juiciness, and a finish with the refreshing aroma of red tea.

How long can made ice drip coffee be stored in the refrigerator?

The freshly dripped coffee liquid has a relatively weak aroma and a thin mouthfeel, so it needs to be stored in a low-temperature environment sealed for fermentation to make the coffee's flavor substances cleaner, richer, and fuller, enhancing the coffee's aroma, sweet charm, and winey notes. The longer it is stored, the higher the degree of fermentation. However, ice drip stored for more than five days can have a negative effect on the taste, so it is not that the longer, the better. Front Street Coffee recommends drinking it within 5 days of refrigeration for the best experience.

Additionally, when we open the bottle cap, external bacteria can easily invade, causing the coffee to spoil. For the sake of ensuring coffee flavor and health, it should not be consumed. The ice drip coffee produced by Front Street Coffee stores has a shelf life of only three days.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex.

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