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With the growing popularity of specialty coffee culture, more and more people have fallen in love with coffee's pure flavors and tastes. Coffee shops also offer black coffee made with various extraction methods, such as Americano, pour-over coffee, cold brew coffee, ice drip coffee, etc., and the prices vary. Ice drip coffee, in particular, always costs quite a bit more than other iced coffees! Is it because the name sounds nicer? Of course not. It is mostly because its production process takes a long time, and it requires constant attention.
What is ice drip coffee? Why is ice drip coffee so expensive?!
Unlike other iced coffees, ice drip coffee is extracted by dripping ice water through coffee. Because it requires drip filtration, making ice drip coffee requires a dedicated ice drip coffee maker, and durable ice drip coffee makers are usually somewhat expensive. Compared with cold brew coffee, which only needs a clean sealed container, ice drip coffee already adds an extra cost because of the equipment (facepalm.jpg). The high price is not only due to the equipment, but even more because of the long production time. Depending on the brewer and the amount, the production time is usually 4-12 hours, and the amount produced each time is not much either, but it is really delicious!!!
What is special about ice drip coffee?
The most alluring thing about ice drip coffee is that, because it uses low-temperature extraction, the astringent substances in coffee are not easily dissolved out. It also uses a drip filtration method, and before the coffee liquid drips out it still passes through a filter mesh/filter paper layer. Therefore, no matter what coffee beans are used, ice drip coffee shows a round, full mouthfeel that is rich without being astringent and mellow without being bitter. It is very suitable for people who like high body but worry about bitterness.
The structure of an ice drip coffee maker
There are currently two types of ice drip coffee makers on the market. One is an ice chamber + coffee powder cup + coffee pot, and the other is an ice chamber + coffee powder cup + spiral tube + coffee pot. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses the latter for its daily ice drip coffee production. For making ice drip coffee at home, you can generally choose the former. The difference between having a spiral tube and not having one is that the spiral tube can further settle out fine particles (powdery texture) from the extracted coffee liquid, making the final coffee taste cleaner.
The ice chamber is the container that holds the ice-water mixture, but it has a small hole to control the dripping speed of the water. Some ice chambers have a valve for adjustment, so everyone can adjust the dripping speed according to their own needs. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests that when making ice drip coffee daily, the water dripping speed should be about 7-8 drops in 10 seconds. During the production process, you must always pay attention to whether the dripping water is blocked by fine impurities in the water, and also watch the melting of the ice cubes and add ice in time to ensure that the dripping water is always ice water.
The coffee powder cup is the container that holds the ground coffee powder. There are two types. One requires an additional circular filter paper at the bottom, and the other has a built-in filter mesh. For the type that needs filter paper, you need to first place a piece of filter paper and wet it with water, then use a tool to make the filter paper fit the dripper before placing another dry circular filter paper to increase support, avoiding the first filter paper being lifted when the coffee powder is poured in, which would cause it to lose its filtering function.
No matter which type it is, after pouring in the coffee powder, try to level the surface of the powder bed as much as possible (do not tamp it), then place a circular filter paper on the surface to distribute the water flow and avoid uneven extraction of the powder bed particles. For grinding ice drip coffee, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends medium-fine grinding for light to medium roast coffee beans (caster sugar size / 75% passing through China No. 20 standard sieve), and medium grinding for medium-dark roast coffee beans (white sugar size / 70% passing through China No. 20 standard sieve).
The coffee pot is where the extracted coffee liquid is stored. Keep the coffee pot part as clean and oil-free as possible, and use it at room temperature.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Ice Drip Coffee Brewing Sharing
1. The water-to-coffee ratio used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) for ice drip is 1:10, that is, 60 grams of coffee powder extracts 600 milliliters of coffee liquid.
2. Place a circular filter paper at the bottom of the powder cup, wet it with water so it sticks to the wall of the cup, add 60g of ground coffee (coarse sugar size), then shake it flat to level the coffee surface. You can also use the weight of the tamper itself to gently press the powder bed and make the surface flat.
3. Remember to place a piece of filter paper on the surface of the coffee powder. This is because the tension of the filter paper allows the water to distribute evenly. Without filter paper, prolonged dripping will create a pit in the powder bed.
4. Use ice water for "pre-infusion." This is actually similar to the blooming process in pour-over, and it can improve extraction efficiency and consistency of the final product. If you drip directly, it may cause uneven wetting of the powder bed, with some coffee powder over-extracted while another portion does not participate in extraction at all.
5. Put a 1:1 ice-water mixture into the water chamber, and adjust the valve to about 7 drops in 10 seconds.
6. After production is complete, pour the coffee liquid into a sealed glass bottle and then put it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight, allowing the coffee flavors to blend together. The taste will be better and easier to drink.
Ice Drip Coffee Bean Recommendations
Because low-temperature extraction makes it relatively difficult to extract mellow substances, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using coffee beans with sweet and sour notes. For example, light-roast coffee beans from Africa and Central and South America: the Ethiopia sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)Hambela Coffee Beans(berry juice profile),Panama Butterfly Geisha Natural Blend Coffee Beans(floral tea profile),Costa Rica Mozart Coffee Beans(dried fruit profile) are all very suitable for making cold brew coffee.
For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the personal WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
