Cold brew coffee, thanks to its low-temperature slow extraction process, releases only floral and fruity aromas and caramel sweetness, with almost no bitterness, making the choice of coffee beans especially crucial. This article starts with the extraction principles of cold brew, answers what kind of coffee grounds to use for making cold brew, and highlights five medium-light roasted single-origin beans with floral and fruity notes suitable for cold brew—from Front Street Washed Fruit Ding Ding to Butterfly. It lists the flavor profiles under two methods: cold brew/ice drip and Japanese iced coffee. At the end, it also includes Front Street Coffee's purchasing and roasting/shipping instructions for coffee enthusiasts to buy as needed.

Unlike coffee brewed with hot water, cold brew coffee, also known as cold water brew, involves soaking coffee grounds in room-temperature or ice water for an extended period, typically lasting six to eighteen hours, until the soluble flavor compounds are extracted, and then filtering out the coffee grounds.

This process sounds quite time-consuming, but in practice, it's much easier than imagined. You can simply remember it in four steps: put coffee grounds into cold water—place in the refrigerator to soak overnight—filter out the coffee grounds—done. Its principle is similar to ice drip coffee, with the difference being that cold brew relies on long extraction with cold water, and the low-temperature environment only dissolves small-molecule substances like fruit acids and floral notes, as well as caramel-like aromas formed during roasting.

So the question is: which coffee beans are worth recommending for making cold brew coffee?

If you can't quite accept bitterness, I suggest choosing light to medium roast beans, preferably specialty single-origin ones with floral and fruity notes in their flavor description. This way, the cold brew extracted has a lighter aroma, a rounder mouthfeel, and almost imperceptible bitterness. Below are five of the most worthwhile floral-type cold brew coffee beans:

1. Floral citrus acidity—Front Street Washed Fruit Ding Ding

Cold brew/ice drip flavor: jasmine, berries, citrus, tea-like, yellow lemon

Japanese iced coffee flavor: white floral, citrus, pomelo, sweet orange, green tea

2. Tropical fruit aroma—Front Street Sun-Dried Huakui

Cold brew/ice drip flavor: dried strawberry, guava, citrus, tropical fruits

Japanese iced coffee flavor: light floral, creamy strawberry, mango, guava, slight fermentation

3. Refreshing juice-like—Front Street Kenya·Cherry Tomato Coffee

Cold brew/ice drip flavor: berries, black plum, smoked plum, round mouthfeel

Iced Americano/Japanese iced coffee flavor: cherry tomato, sour plum drink, sugarcane, bright sweet-tart

4. Rich and sweet type—Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee

Cold brew/ice drip flavor: ripe strawberry, raisin, orange, fruit wine, mellow taste

Iced Americano/Japanese iced coffee flavor: blueberry, strawberry gummy, rose, honey

5. Light floral tea type—Front Street Butterfly Coffee

Cold brew/ice drip flavor: citrus, orange, nuts, black tea aftertaste, smooth mouthfeel

Iced Americano/Japanese iced coffee flavor: lemon, berries, light floral, tea-like

The above coffee beans can all be ordered from Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store. All Front Street coffee beans are freshly roasted within five days and support shipping within twenty-four hours, striving to ensure that everyone receives the beans still in their optimal flavor period.

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