What Is Cold Brew Coffee and How Is It Extracted?

Cold brew coffee is extracted by soaking medium-ground coffee in water at room temperature or below, then sealing it and refrigerating for 8 to 12 hours before filtering out the grounds. Because cold water molecules have less kinetic energy, extraction takes longer, and the finished brew usually holds more total dissolved solids than espresso or pour-over.

That longer soak means cold brew contains more caffeine and a higher concentration, so many people dilute it with water or milk. It is not the same as iced coffee, which is brewed hot and then cooled. The higher price against iced Americano comes from time: an espresso shot takes only 25-30 seconds, while cold brew needs hours.

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Iced Americano andcold brew coffeecan be said to be the two best-selling items in coffee shops during summer, but their prices differ greatly—cold brew coffee usually costs twice as much as an iced Americano! Both are iced coffee, so why is cold brew so expensive? In this article, let's follow Front Street Coffee to learn about this crowd favorite.

What iscold brew coffee?

Unlike most Americano brewing methods, cold brew coffee is extracted by cold soaking with water at room temperature or below. Front Street Coffee usually adds medium-ground coffee powder (granulated sugar coarseness / 75% passing through China No. 20 standard sieve) to cold water, then seals it and places it in the refrigerator to soak at low temperature for 8–12 hours, then filters out the grounds.

The longer extraction time iscold brew coffee's characteristic. Because there is no movement of hot molecules, the process of extracting substances takes longer than at higher temperatures. This is because water molecules have less kinetic energy at lower temperatures. To solve this problem, cold brew coffee requires a long soaking time.

Due to the longer brewing time,cold brew coffeeusually contains more total dissolved solids (TDS) than espresso-based drinks (such as Americano) or filtered coffee (such as pour-over coffee). This means cold brew coffee will contain more caffeine and a higher concentration than coffee beverages made by other extraction methods. Therefore, many friends dilute it with water or milk when tasting cold brew coffee. 

One more thing to note: cold brew coffee is different from iced coffee. In some coffee shops, the two terms can be used interchangeably, but the two beverages are made differently. Generally speaking, iced coffee is brewed with hot water, then quickly cooled

Whyis cold brew coffeemore expensive than iced Americano?

One reason is the cost of time. Iced Americano is made by extracting espresso and then adding an appropriate amount of water to dilute it. Making espresso involves grinding coffee beans into very fine particles, then forcing hot water at around 94°C through the coffee bed at 9-10 bar of pressure, which takes only 25-30 seconds.

Another reason is the cost of the coffee beans used. Most shops use blend beans for espresso-based drinks to ensure longer product consistency. Blends leverage the characteristics of beans from different origins, complementing each other to create a balanced, full-bodied flavor that performs well under pressure extraction.

Cold brew coffee, on the other hand, is made to highlight the distinctive flavors of a single origin, so single-origin beans are usually used. Compared to blends, single-origin coffee costs more, and when you factor in portion size and time, cold brew in coffee shops tends to be priced higher than Americano.

Recommended coffee beans for cold brew

Cold brew coffee brings out the original flavors of the beans, so Front Street Coffee recommends using freshly roasted single-origin coffee beans. You can place orders at the Front Street Coffee flagship store, and all coffee beans are shipped within 5 days of roasting.

If you want a cold brew with a fruity, sweet-and-tart taste, you can try "Front Street Flower Queen Coffee Beans," with flavor notes of citrus, berries, red florals, and black tea;

If you want a mellow acidity with a slight fruity fermentation note, you can try "Front Street Mozart Coffee Beans," with flavor notes of raisins, osmanthus, honey, and nuts;

If you want no acidity at all and a rich mouthfeel, you can try "Front Street Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Beans," with flavor notes of roasted peanuts, creamy smoothness, dark chocolate, and cane sugar.

If you want a balanced taste with sweet floral and fruity notes, you can try "Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee Beans," with flavor notes of roses, candied fruit, strawberry gummies, and nuts.

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