What does raw coffee bean meaning have to do with cold brew?
Ice drip, cold brew, and iced coffee are not the same thing, though the labels get used interchangeably. Broadly, any black coffee extracted with cold water counts as cold brew, whether it is immersion or drip. Narrowly, the term usually points to cold steep, where grounds soak in room-temperature water in the refrigerator for several hours before filtering.
The word brewed links back to alcohol, where it meant steeping and fermentation, which explains why rested cold coffee can taste faintly fermented. Ice drip coffee traces its equipment line from Dutch sailors to Japanese makers, and Starbucks marketing spread the translated term cold brew. Soaking grounds overnight in the fridge remains the low-failure home method with the widest bean choice.
Cold brew coffee has gained huge popularity in recent years, but the terms ice drip, cold brew, and cold-brewed coffee are often confused. This article starts from the conceptual origins, sorting out the broad and narrow definitions of cold brew coffee, tracing the development of ice drip coffee from Dutch sailors to Japanese equipment brands, and explaining the origin of the term "cold-brewed." It also shares Front Street's bean selection approach and specific parameters for making cold brew coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts clarify the classifications and find a low-temperature extraction method that suits their taste.
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Front Street believes that the charm of cold-brewed coffee lies entirely in the word "brewed." This word was originally related to alcohol, referring to brewing and fermentation. As for coffee's low-temperature extraction process, whether ice drip or cold steep, after completion it must be sealed in a container and left to rest and mature. After waiting several hours or even a day or two, the soluble flavor compounds further meld with the water, slowly developing a fermented charm similar to fine liquor.
The familiar term "cold brew coffee" is actually a direct translation of "Cold brew coffee," and Starbucks' marketing made this term widely known. If we broaden its definition, any black coffee extracted with cold water can be categorized under the broad umbrella of "cold brew coffee." In other words, immersion, drip, or infusion—as long as it involves low-temperature cold water contacting coffee grounds to produce a liquid, it theoretically counts as cold brew coffee.
Since Chinese has long had the term "cold-brewed tea," in everyday contexts, when people say "cold brew coffee," they mostly refer specifically to the method of soaking in cold water for an extended period—that is, cold steep coffee. The common practice is to soak coffee grounds in room-temperature water, place it in the refrigerator for several hours, and then filter out the grounds.
Cold steep coffee is a typical immersion-style extraction. It's easy and convenient to make, the range of coffee beans to choose from is wide, and the failure rate is low. Therefore, it is both a staple at coffee shops and a popular option for home brewing.
Another common low-temperature extraction follows the drip route, letting a continuously melting ice-water mixture drip through coffee grounds one drop at a time for extended extraction—this is ice drip. In many English textbooks, ice drip is not called "Ice Drip Coffee" but written as Dutch Coffee, often translated into Chinese as "Dutch coffee."
It is said that around the 17th century, Dutch sailors tried soaking coffee grounds in cold water during long ocean voyages and discovered that the resulting coffee was not bitter and was convenient for long-term storage and transport. Later, the Dutch brought this cold beverage method to Japan during the Edo period through trade, where it became quite popular with locals, hence the name Dutch Coffee.
Whether this story is true or not is hard to tell, but one thing is certain: the cool multi-layered drip devices seen in coffee shops today were invented by the Japanese, and ice drip coffee also first became popular in Japan.
Hana Fusa
Later, well-known Japanese equipment brands such as HARIO, KINTO, and Kalita successively launched the cold brew bottles and ice drip pots we are familiar with today, spreading this type of low-temperature extracted black coffee widely in Japan. After the rise of the third wave coffee movement, this visually striking equipment made its way to Europe, where Westerners called it Kyoto Coffee.
Compared to cold brew and ice drip, the term "cold-brewed" appears very rarely in domestic coffee shops. Front Street could not find a clear origin either, and explanations vary from shop to shop. We can regard cold-brewed coffee as an elegant translation of "Cold Brew," essentially equivalent in meaning to cold brew coffee.
How to make cold brew coffee?
When Front Street makes this type of low-temperature extracted coffee, we prioritize beans with floral and fruity flavors. For those who enjoy floral notes, we recommend Front Street Huakui Coffee, Front Street Red Cherry Coffee, and Front Street Fruit Ding Ding Coffee; if you prefer prominent juicy notes, you can choose fruit-forward beans like Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee, Front Street Cherry Tomato Coffee, and Front Street Mozart Coffee. All of the above can be ordered from Front Street's Tmall flagship store or Front Street's Taobao store.
The Mozart cold brew preparation parameters are as follows:
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
