Cold Brew: The Newest Coffee Trend
Summer is here, and it’s time to trade your steaming cup of coffee for something cooler. Advertisements for cold brew coffee are everywhere from Starbucks to your local grocery store, but do you know what makes cold brew special? Keep reading to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about cold brew coffee.
What is Cold Brew Coffee?
People in Japan have been cold brewing coffee for at least the past 400 years. Some high-end cafés may serve Kyoto-style cold brew coffee by dripping water through coffee grinds drop by drop.
Cold brew coffee is made by steeping ground coffee beans at room temperature for up to 24 hours to form a concentrate. Despite the name cold brew, you can actually drink cold brew coffee hot or cold. Many cafes will serve it both ways.
How is Cold Brew Coffee Different from Ice Coffee?
You might think that cold brew coffee and ice coffee are the same, but they’re actually two very different drinks. Unlike cold brew, which is steeped into a concentrate, ice coffee is brewed like regular coffee and later refrigerated. However, because ice coffee has to be cooled before it’s poured over ice, it loses its freshness.
What Does Cold Brew Taste Like?
According to Jared Olson, the owner of the Saskatoon-based Dusty Plains, “You can taste the subtleties of cold brew coffee better than traditional coffee because the beans don’t come into contact with hot water during brewing.” Cold brew is also less acidic, which means it’s less likely to cause digestive problems than traditionally made coffee. Cold brew coffee is also generally considered sweeter and less bitter.
How Can You Enjoy Cold Brew Coffee?
It’s easy to find cold brew coffee at most cafes, but you can also prepare it at home yourself from a pre-made concentrate.
To make a cold drink, mix the concentrate with roughly a 2:1 ratio of cold water and add ice.
To make it hot, warm the concentrate over a stove and add about the same ratio of boiled water.
If you’re feeling creative you can even try making a cold brew mocktail. If you want to give it a shot, here are five recipes you can try.