What coffee is like: cold brew explained from steeping to serving

Cold brew coffee is ground coffee steeped in room-temperature water for up to 12 hours, then filtered. The result is a smooth, low-bitterness liquid that counts as the most common type of iced coffee. It needs no pouring skill and no strict water temperature, which is why it appeals to people who find pour-over brewing a hassle.

Low-temperature extraction pulls out fewer bitter compounds while the long soak draws out floral and fruity notes, giving a rounder mouthfeel and easier-to-notice sweetness. The main drawback is time: steeping overnight and drinking the next morning works well. Cold brew is often linked to Starbucks, though the drink was not invented there.

Cold Brew Coffee is also called cold-brewed coffee, ice-brewed coffee, or cold-brewed coffee. It involves putting ground coffee into room-temperature water, steeping and extracting for up to 12 hours, then filtering out the coffee grounds; the resulting coffee liquid is cold brew, and it is also the most common type of iced coffee. Why is cold brew so beloved? It requires no pouring technique and no water-temperature requirements, making it a godsend for people who find pour-over coffee troublesome. This article will comprehensively sort out every aspect of cold brew coffee, from its definition, historical origins, coffee bean selection, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, to storage suggestions, and will include Front Street Coffee's practical method to help you easily make a smooth, rich cup of iced coffee.

What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew coffee is Cold Brew Coffee, also called cold-brewed coffee, ice-brewed coffee, or cold-brewed coffee. Put ground coffee into room-temperature water, steep and extract for 12 hours, then filter out the coffee grounds; the resulting coffee liquid is cold brew coffee, and it is the most common type of iced coffee.

The reason cold brew coffee is so deeply loved by everyone is that making it requires no technique at all, with no pouring method or water-temperature requirements. For people who love drinking coffee but find pour-over coffee troublesome, cold brew coffee is like an angel. One bottle, one portion of ground coffee, one night, and when you get up you can drink a full-bodied, rich iced coffee.

Unlike pour-over coffee, which uses hot water and high-temperature extraction, low-temperature extraction produces far fewer bitter substances. By extending the extraction time and fully saturating the coffee grounds, it is easier to extract small-molecule flavor substances such as floral and fruity notes. Coffee made by immersion extraction is smoother and richer in mouthfeel, with a strong aroma and a sweetness that is easier to perceive.

In Front Street Coffee's view, cold brew is great in every way except that it takes a relatively long time to make, so we suggest steeping it before going to sleep at night, and then the next morning you can enjoy an awesome iced coffee!!

The Origin of Cold Brew Coffee

Many people probably know about cold brew coffee because of Starbucks, but cold brew coffee was not invented by Starbucks. However, Starbucks did indeed popularize cold brew coffee and make more people fall in love with it. It is said that cold brew coffee first appeared and was invented by the Dutch. In the 1600s, because they could not drink hot coffee at sea, sailors could only steep coffee grounds in cold water and found that the taste was actually pretty good. According to Front Street Coffee's understanding, cold brew coffee was very popular in Western countries. Especially by the mid-19th century, cold brew coffee spread around the world, from the UK to Japan and then to the US, with all kinds of cold brew espresso emerging endlessly, and it was especially popular in the military.

By the 1960s, Todd Simpson was traveling in Peru, tasted Peruvian cold brew coffee, and became obsessed with it. Not long afterward, he designed and released the now world-famous Toddy Cold Brewing System. Starbucks uses the Toddy Cold Brewing System and pushed cold brew coffee to the whole world.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee?

As the saying goes, one cannot make bricks without straw. If we want cold brew coffee to taste good, we first have to choose coffee beans that suit us. Here, taking Front Street Coffee's bean list as an example, if you like floral notes and bright fruit acidity, you can choose Front Street Coffee Huakui Coffee, Front Street Coffee Fruit Ding Ding Coffee, and Front Street Coffee Little Tomato Coffee; if you want a sweeter and more delicious fruity flavor, we recommend buying Front Street Coffee Strawberry Candy Coffee and Front Street Coffee Xizhao Coffee; but if none of the above is your thing, and you want a completely non-acidic black coffee, then it is best to choose Front Street Coffee Golden Mandheling Coffee and Front Street Coffee Huilan Coffee.

Front Street Coffee recommends a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:13 for making cold brew coffee. For example: add 40g of coffee to 520g of ice water (do not pour the ice cubes in too~) for extraction.

After adding the ice water, stir thoroughly with a stirring rod/spoon, then put it in the refrigerator to steep for 12-24 hours. After extraction is complete, filter out the coffee grounds with filter paper or a fine mesh strainer, and it is ready to drink.

Note that the coffee grounds used for cold brew steeping must not be ground too fine! It is recommended that the grind size have a passing rate of about 80-85% through a 0.85mm standard sieve. Although low-temperature extraction can reduce the appearance of bitter substances, it is not 100%.

If the grind is too fine, after the sour and sweet substances in the coffee grounds are quickly extracted, the rich-bodied substances will be released. An appropriate amount of rich-bodied substances can enhance the coffee's body, but after steeping for a long time, a woody taste will begin to appear, reducing the overall cleanliness of the coffee.

Moreover, when ground too fine, because there is no movement of hot molecules during the coffee extraction process, the coffee particles are prone to clumping, causing uneven extraction. Therefore, coffee grounds with the coarseness of fine granulated sugar are more suitable for making cold brew coffee.

How Front Street Coffee Makes Cold Brew Coffee 1. 40 grams of coffee grounds with the coarseness of fine granulated sugar, coffee-to-water ratio 1:13; 2. Prepare an oil-free, clean sealed container with a capacity of more than 600 milliliters; 3. After everything is ready, add 520g of ice water and stir evenly so the coffee grounds fully contact the water, then put it in the refrigerator and let it sit sealed for 8-12 hours; 4. When the extraction time is up, take it out, filter out all the coffee grounds in the pot, and then enjoy and store it.

5. Storage time for cold brew coffee: In a sealed state, Front Street Coffee recommends drinking cold brew coffee within 72 hours after filtration is completed.

Many coffee lovers have said that cold brew coffee tastes amazing after being extracted, then left in the refrigerator for 7 days before drinking! Theoretically, the longer cold brew coffee sits, the stronger the coffee's fermented flavor becomes.

But! When this fermented flavor is strong, it will cover up the coffee's flavor. For people who do not like too heavy a fermented taste, Front Street Coffee does not recommend trying it easily! The best time to taste cold brew coffee is 2-3 days after filtering out the coffee grounds. It is worth noting that when drinking it, it is recommended to add an appropriate amount of ice cubes. On one hand, this maintains a low-temperature state; on the other hand, after dilution the coffee's layers are pulled apart and reveal more different flavors. It highlights the fermented flavor, which also becomes stronger after warming up, and the icy texture also makes it taste better.

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