Which is better tasting, ice drip coffee or cold brew coffee?

Baristas at Front Street Coffee are often asked this question, and at such times they first reply, "Both taste great." But in fact, the two coffees have completely different mouthfeels—it depends on whether you want a refreshing taste or a smooth taste. This time, Front Street Coffee will explain how the two coffees differ.

 
First, let's understand what low-temperature extraction is.
The pour-over coffee we commonly see is a high-temperature extraction process. High-temperature extraction causes the tannic acid in coffee to quickly break down into pyrogallic acid, producing sourness, sweetness, and bitterness—this is what Front Street Coffee often calls the process of releasing coffee flavors. Extracting coffee with water that is too hot can easily cause the coffee flavors to be fully released, and then it begins to release the taste of the coffee bean's woody fiber, which is what we often call off-flavors, woody notes, and other unpleasant tastes.

Cold brew and ice drip coffee, on the other hand, are low-temperature extraction processes. Low-temperature extraction involves water coming into contact with coffee grounds for a long time at low temperatures. Only flavor substances with smaller molecules, such as floral and fruity aromas, are extracted, while flavor substances with larger molecules, such as smoky and roasted notes, are difficult to extract. Therefore, cold brew/ice drip coffee allows you to taste more of the coffee bean's own flavors, with a smooth mouthfeel, distinct layers, and a clear sweet aftertaste.

 
The differences between the two coffees in flavor expression and mouthfeel
[Cold Brew Coffee] (Mouthfeel characteristics: full-bodied, smooth)
This is an extraction method. Cold brew coffee has an ancient history. It involves first mixing coffee with cold water, placing it in the refrigerator, and letting it steep for at least 8 hours. Then the coffee liquid is filtered and separated from the coffee grounds (whether by French press, flannel filter paper, or any other method—as long as the coffee liquid is separated). After that, you can enjoy it freely. Because of the long low-temperature steeping, this coffee has higher body and can also be stored for a long time, which is why it is deeply loved by many coffee enthusiasts.
 

[Ice Drip Coffee] (Mouthfeel characteristics: clean, refreshing)
Ice drip coffee is extracted throughout the entire process and over a long period at temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, which makes its caffeine content relatively low. The reason a truly fine cup of ice drip coffee is of superior quality is that suitable coffee beans are selected and slowly dripped at a low, constant temperature, extracting a coffee that is clear and translucent, with a refreshing, fragrant, and mellow taste, balanced and smooth, and a sweet aftertaste, fully expressing the essence of the coffee's flavors.
 

How to make ice drip coffee & cold brew coffee? This time, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses the recently launched Ethiopian sun-dried Huakui coffee beans to make both coffees for comparison.
 

 

Region: Hambela, Ethiopia
Altitude: 1900-2200m
Processing method: Sun-dried
Variety: Local heirloom
 

Front Street Cold Brew Coffee making method
1. Pour the coffee grounds into a clean container, then add water in a suitable ratio according to personal preference. (If you want to drink the coffee liquid directly after extraction, you can use a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:12. If you want to add other ingredients to the extracted coffee liquid, such as sparkling water, ice water, soda water, milk, etc., you can use a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:5/1:6.)

*Grinding tip: The coffee grounds can be coarser than what you would normally use for pour-over coffee, because fine grounds easily cause over-extraction, extracting some unpleasant flavors (burnt bitterness, astringency).
 

2. Place it in the refrigerator to extract for 8-12 hours, allowing the coffee grounds to fully contact the cold water.
3. After extraction is complete, filter out the coffee liquid using a filter cloth or filter paper.
4. Pour it into your favorite container and enjoy~
 
Front Street Ice Drip Coffee making method
1. The water-to-coffee ratio used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) for ice drip is 1:10, meaning 60 grams of coffee grounds extract 600 milliliters of coffee liquid. If your small home ice drip pot doesn't have that much capacity, remember to use less coffee grounds proportionally~
2. Place a round filter paper at the bottom of the powder cup, wet it with water so it sticks to the wall of the cup, add the 60g of ground coffee (a grind size similar to pour-over coffee is fine~), then shake it flat to level the coffee surface. You can also use the weight of a tamper to gently press the coffee layer so the surface is level.

3. Remember to place a piece of filter paper on top of the coffee surface. This is because the tension of the filter paper allows water to distribute evenly. Without the filter paper, prolonged dripping would create a pit in the coffee bed.
 

4. Use ice water to "pre-infuse" all the coffee grounds. You don't need too much water—just make sure all the coffee grounds are moistened. This is actually similar to the blooming process in pour-over, and it can improve extraction efficiency and consistency of the final product. If you drip directly without pre-infusing, it may cause uneven wetting of the coffee layer, with some coffee grounds being over-extracted while other parts don't participate in the extraction at all.

5. Add a 1:1 ice-water mixture to the water container, and adjust the valve to about 7 drops every 10 seconds.

6. After making it, pour the coffee liquid into a sealed glass bottle and place it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight, allowing the coffee flavors to meld together, making the taste better and easier to drink.

Flavor descriptions of the two iced coffees made with Front Street sun-dried Huakui:

Cold Brew Coffee: Floral aromas, rich and full-bodied berry juice character with the sweet-tartness of berry fruits, a noticeable fermented note, a smooth mouthfeel, and a honey-like finish.
 

Ice Drip Coffee: Faint floral aromas, berry-like acidity, a light fermented note, a refreshing and clean mouthfeel, with a finish of nectarine and mango.

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