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On a hot summer day, if the handsome guys and pretty girls reading this don't have a cold drink in hand, how can they justify themselves? And as coffee lovers, that cold drink must of course be coffee. Here, Front Street has a question: did you know that cold brew coffee can be divided into cold brew immersion style and ice drip style? And those who frequently visit Front Street stores would easily know that the cold brew coffee served at Front Street stores is generally only the ice drip style.
 
Iced coffee made from coffee liquid extracted with high-temperature hot water and then cooled with ice cubes may taste bland or bitter if the coffee-to-water ratio is inaccurate. Conversely, coffee extracted with low-temperature water tastes milder and sweeter, not too sour, and not too astringent.
 

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio when making cold brew coffee, taking into account that everyone has different taste preferences. When drinking, an appropriate amount of ice cubes is added to the cup — firstly to keep it cold, and secondly, as the ice cubes melt, the coffee's concentration gradually decreases, thereby satisfying those who prefer different concentrations.
 

Cold Brew Immersion Coffee
 
Cold brew immersion coffee is the cold brew coffee that Starbucks vigorously promoted back in the day, and its meaning is not hard to understand from the name. Cold brew immersion coffee is coffee liquid extracted by soaking coffee grounds in cold water. It has a soft mouthfeel, bright acidity, and unobtrusive bitterness. When different types of coffee beans are used and different parameters are applied, the cold brew immersion coffee produced will also present distinctive flavor profiles. The method for making cold brew immersion coffee is also very simple, and the tools required are not as complicated as those for ice drip. It can be said to have many advantages.

 
[Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Method for Making Cold Brew Immersion Coffee]
 
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses 50 grams of coffee grounds as the baseline. For the grind size selection, although the extraction water temperature is much lower than that of pour-over coffee, it is ultimately a long immersion extraction, so a grind size slightly coarser than pour-over coffee is chosen. When sifted with a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve, the passing rate is 65%. Place the coffee grounds into a glass jar, then pour 500 grams of water into the jar, with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10. Then use a stirring rod to stir the coffee grounds and water evenly, seal it, and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
 

After refrigerating for 12 to 24 hours, use filter paper to filter out the coffee grounds, thereby obtaining a clean coffee extract. Then pour the filtered coffee liquid into a clean glass bottle and refrigerate for about 4 hours before drinking.
 

Previously, the baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) used the Sidamo Candlelight bean to try different extraction times and compare the flavor and mouthfeel. It was found that the longer the coffee grounds soaked in water, the stronger the flavor of the coffee extract and the more intense the concentration, making the sour, sweet, and bitter sensations more pronounced; the shorter the extraction time, the softer the flavor and the thinner the concentration.
 

Realistically speaking, although low-temperature extraction does not easily extract the off-flavors and bitterness from coffee beans, the extraction time is ultimately longer, and moreover, cold brew immersion coffee is an immersion style. The baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggest adjusting the grind size coarser. Cold brew immersion coffee is not necessarily better the longer it is extracted. Whether it tastes good or not is a very subjective matter — some prefer it light, some prefer it strong. This varies from person to person. If you like it rich with a strong fermented feel, you can adjust the coffee-to-water ratio and extend the extraction time according to your preference.
 
Ice Drip Coffee
 
It is said that ice drip coffee was invented by the Dutch, but it was the Japanese and Koreans who really mastered it. It even has a history of several hundred years in Japan. Many well-known ice drip devices also come from Japan and Korea, and every local coffee shop in Korea even sells ice drip coffee. Its English expressions include "Kyoto Coffee" and "Japanese-style slow-drip."

 
[Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Method for Making Ice Drip Coffee]
 
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses 60 grams of coffee grounds as the baseline. For the grind size selection, since the temperature of the water contacting the coffee grounds is much lower than that of ordinary pour-over coffee, the grind size used has a passing rate of 85% with a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve. The entire extraction takes 6 to 8 hours, and the coffee-to-water ratio is 1:10, the same as cold brew immersion coffee.
 

① First, place a circular filter paper at the bottom of the coffee powder cup, wet it with water to make it adhere to the cup wall.
 
② Pour the ground coffee into the powder cup, level the surface, and gently press the coffee bed with a heavy object to make the surface flat.
 
③ Lay a piece of filter paper on top of the coffee grounds layer to prevent the long dripping from creating a pit in the coffee bed and causing uneven extraction.

 
④ Use ice water to evenly moisten the entire coffee grounds layer, achieving an effect similar to the blooming in pour-over coffee, improving extraction efficiency and consistency of the final product.
 
⑤ Fill the water container with a 1:1 ice-water mixture, and adjust the drip rate of the flow control valve to 7 drops per 10 seconds.
 
⑥ Pour the finished coffee liquid into a coffee bottle, seal it, and refrigerate it, allowing the extract to undergo fermentation and blending.
 
So, what coffee beans are suitable for making cold brew coffee? On this summer day when everything feels too heavy to eat, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s Kenya Asaliya coffee beans to make cold brew coffee. The coffee made from these Kenyan beans is refreshing, clean, and has a light acidity.
 

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Kenya · Little Tomato Coffee Beans

Country: Kenya
Region: Thika Region
Altitude: 1550-1750m
Variety: SL28, SL34
Processing Method: K72 Washed

 
The reason Front Street's Little Tomato coffee beans can have a bright and clean acidity is not only because of its light roast level, but also because of Kenya's local red soil rich in phosphoric acid, the K72 processing method, and the coffee bean varieties.
 
The K72 processing method, also known as the Kenyan-style 72-hour fermentation washed processing method. The process involves peeling the ripe fresh coffee cherries picked on the same day, fermenting them in a fermentation tank for 24 hours, then washing them with clean river water, then fermenting for another 24 hours, repeating this 3 times to achieve a 72-hour strong fermentation effect.

 
The coffee bean varieties produced in Kenya are mostlySL28andSL34.SL28andSL34are both varieties selected after multiple rounds of cultivation.SL28belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, carrying the bright attributes and rich acidity of the original Bourbon.SL34Its lineage is closer to the Typica genes, and its acidity isSL28more moderate.

Flavor Description
 
The acidity of Front Street's Little Tomato cold brew iced coffee is very lively, like a glass of juice overall. When used to make ice drip coffee, it carries the fresh fragrance of cherry tomatoes and grapefruit, with a refreshing and light acidity when drunk. The overall feel is very refreshing and clean, making it very suitable for summer drinking.

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