What is the java coffee origin story behind cold brew?

Cold brew coffee traces back to the Netherlands, which colonized Indonesia and transplanted coffee trees there. In 1699, Dutch sailors on long sea voyages could not brew hot coffee aboard and found coffee's acidity unpleasant, so they tried extracting with ice water. Ice water dissolves fewer acidic fats, cutting sourness and slowing oxidation, so the coffee kept longer. The drink was brewed on the island of Java.

Low temperature also changes the cup. Aroma release is limited during cold filtration, so the aroma stays in the liquid and emerges as the coffee warms in the mouth. In today's coffee industry, cold brew is a summer staple, with typical extraction times of 6 to 8 hours followed by refrigeration and resting before serving.

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In the coffee industry, iced coffee is extremely popular, especially in the hot summer, when its popularity is simply like fans surrounding their idol. Now, speaking of iced coffee, besides the simple-to-make pour-over iced coffee, there is also cold brew coffee that requires patience and time to extract carefully. The principle behind making cold brew coffee is very simple: use ice cubes and water, mix them in proportion, then control the dripping rate of the ice water to carry out low-temperature extraction of coffee. Usually the extraction time is 6 to 8 hours, and it also needs refrigeration and fermentation, so the whole process requires a certain amount of patience. Therefore, a good cup of cold brew coffee is worth waiting for. So have you ever thought about the origin of cold brew coffee? Next, Front Street will tell the story of cold brew coffee, as well as the choice of coffee beans and the production method.

History of Cold Brew Coffee

The story of cold brew coffee begins in the Netherlands. Back then, the Netherlands was the colonizer of Indonesia. Besides transplanting coffee trees in Indonesia and promoting coffee cultivation there, the Dutch also invented this kind of cold brew coffee.

In 1699, because the Dutch often went on sea voyages, they could not frequently make hot coffee on board, and coffee was not easy to preserve. They also believed that the sourness of coffee made them feel unwell. Under these circumstances, they began to look for ways to reduce the sourness in coffee. Hot water is the reason coffee sourness is extracted, so they tried using ice water to extract coffee, hoping to reduce the sourness in coffee. Because ice water does not easily dissolve the acidic fats in coffee, it can effectively reduce the extraction of coffee sourness, and the oxidation degree of coffee slows down, allowing it to be preserved for a long time. This kind of coffee brewed with cold water was invented on the island of Java in Indonesia.

Cold-water brewed coffee has another advantage: during the drip filtration process, low temperature is not conducive to the release of aroma, so it does not give off an obvious aroma like hot-water brewing does. In this way, the aroma in the coffee can be preserved in the liquid, and when we taste the coffee, the temperature in the mouth and the chemical reaction with proteins will release the aroma in the coffee. The English translation of cold brew coffee is "Dutch Cold Water Coffee," and "Dutch" in the English translation is a general term for the Dutch people.

　　Coffee Bean Selection

　　As for the choice of raw materials for cold brew coffee, it needs to be determined according to personal requirements for coffee taste. If you want floral and fruity aromas with a light and clean mouthfeel, you can choose washed-process coffee, such as Front Street Butterfly, Front Street Gutingding, and Front Street Kafa Forest; if you want nutty and chocolate flavors with a mellow and smooth mouthfeel, you can choose medium-dark roasted coffee, such as Front Street Colombia Huila, Front Street Bird of Paradise, and Front Street Queen's Estate, etc.;

There are also the fermented-process coffee beans that have been popular in recent years, such as Front Street Sherry Wine Barrel and Front Street Xizhua. This kind of coffee has a rich fermented wine aroma. If you like this flavor, you can choose it. It is best to ask clearly about your personal needs when buying in the store, so as to avoid buying beans you do not like. Then let me recommend several coffees with different tastes for your reference!

　　Floral and fruity aroma, bright acidity, light and clean mouthfeel- Front Street Yirgacheffe washed process, Front Street Kenya Little Tomato, Front Street Panama Geisha (all light roast)

　　Nuts, chocolate, mellow mouthfeel- Front Street Brazil Cerrado, Front Street Colombia Huila (both medium-dark roast)

　　Balanced acidity and sweetness, light fermented aroma, fruity aroma- Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu, Front Street Strawberry Candy, Front Street Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry (all medium-light roast)

　　Rich wine aroma, special flavor- Front Street Honduras Rum Barrel Sherry, Front Street Colombia Rose Valley, Front Street Big Belly Button, etc.

　　Extraction Principle

The working principle of cold brew coffee is to use the characteristics of slow extraction with ice water. Ice cubes mixed with filtered water will slowly melt at room temperature. By controlling the dripping speed and number of drips of the resulting ice water, the ice water slowly drips through the coffee grounds. Through long soaking, the flavor substances in the coffee grounds are dissolved and brought out. This is why cold brew coffee takes 8-12 hours to make.

　　Equipment Combination

　　1. Water container: a container used to hold ice cubes and water

　　2. Adjustment valve: used to adjust the dripping speed of the ice water

　　3. Coffee grounds container: a container used to hold coffee grounds

　　4. Liquid container: a container used to hold the brewed coffee liquid

　　5. Coffee stand: the placement position for different containers

　　Next comes the production. Taking Front Street's [Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain] as an example, let's make a pot of delicious cold brew coffee.

　　Front Street Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain

　　Region: Boquete

　　Altitude: 1500-1600 meters

　　Variety: Geisha

　　Process: Washed

　　Production Parameters

　　Coffee dose: 60g, coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10, water-to-ice ratio 1:1, total coffee liquid volume: 600ml, grind size: slightly finer than caster sugar

　　Production Method

　　First place a piece of filter paper at the bottom of the coffee grounds container, moisten it with water, then use a stirring rod to press it down so it fits more closely. Then put freshly ground Front StreetDiamond Mountaincoffee grounds into the coffee grounds container, shake it to level the grounds surface, then place another piece of filter paper on top of the grounds surface and put it into the stand. Put the proportional ice cubes and water into the water container and stir to combine. Adjust the adjustment valve so that the water flow first quickly moistens all the coffee grounds, similar to a blooming process. After everything is fully moistened, adjust the adjustment valve again so that the drip rate is controlled at 5-7 drips per 10 seconds, then wait for the coffee liquid to finish dripping. After the coffee liquid has finished dripping, put it into a sealed bottle and place it in the refrigerator to ferment for 2 days before drinking.

　　Flavor:Floral aroma, berry fruit aroma, low acidity, delicate and light mouthfeel, clean with no off-flavors, smooth

Generally speaking, for considerations of flavor experience and health and safety, whether it is cold brew or cold extraction, as long as it is an extraction method carried out in a low-temperature environment, Front Street recommends that everyone finish drinking it within 5 days (counting from the production date).

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