Cold Brew Coffee Guide
Cold Brew Coffee has become more and more popular in the United States over the last ten years. Initially, Cold Brew Coffee seemed to be a speciality drink that people could only find at a coffee shop. This idea about Cold Brew Coffee being a specialty drink combined with the surcharge that comes with Cold Brew Coffees, led some people to believe that Cold Brew Coffee must be difficult to make. But, in reality, Cold Brew Coffee is similar to the regular drip coffee that millions of Americans make in their own homes every day. The differences between hot and cold brew coffee are found in the temperature at which they are brewed, the time it takes to make, and the concentration of the drink.
Cold Brew vs. Drip Coffee
Regular drip coffee is made when hot water is run through ground coffee beans, while Cold Brew Coffee is made using cold water. The difference in processes comes with the time it takes to make the coffee. Traditional hot brewed drip coffee can be ready in a matter of minutes. But, Cold Brew Coffee is a completely different story. Cold Brew Coffee takes anywhere from 12 to 18 hours. Despite the time commitment, there are a few benefits Cold Brew has over drip. The benefits of choosing Cold Brewed Coffee over hot brewed coffee all stem from what is left at the end of a brew:- More rich, in terms of flavor
- Contains higher levels of caffeine
- Less acidic
- Delicious
How Do You Make Cold Brew Coffee?
Here’s how it works: Making Cold Brew Coffee is a lot simpler than most coffee shops would like to let you know. All you need to make Cold Brew Coffee at home is:- Cold Brew Bag (acts as filtration system that holds your coffee beans),
- Amora Coarse Ground Coffee beans
- 1 Quart container
- Filtered water.
Step 1: Fill Bag to Top
Fill one Cold Brew bag with coarsely ground Amora coffee beans.- The bag must be filled to the top, but do not over pack the bag. The desired result is a full bag, not a jam packed bag. You do not want to tightly pack the bag because there must be room for the cold water to move through the grounds. The desired happy medium would be, filling the the Cold Brew Coffee Bag to the top, without tightly packing the grounds.
- Completely filling the bag will raise the coffee to water ratio, thus, increasing the amount of caffeine in the concentrate.
Step 2: Add Bag & Water
Take your filled bag place it in your 1 Quart container, then pour room temperature or cold filtered water.- Once the bag is placed in the water, make sure that the bag of coffee grounds is completely submerged in the water before leaving it to brew.
- It is important to fully submerge the bag because so that all of the coarsely ground Amora Coffee Beans are in contact with the water.
- Maximizing the contact between the water and the beans allows for the strongest concentrate of Cold Brew Coffee to be made.
Step 3: Let Sit & Brew
Once the bag is fully submerged, it is time to let the coffee brew. Cold Brew Coffee does require more patience than traditional drip coffee, or at least a little more planning.- After you fully submerge your bag, let it sit and soak in water for 12-18 hours.
- The longer you brew the coffee, the richer the concentrate. However, if you brew for longer than 18 hours you run the risk of extracting bitter flavors from the coffee grounds.
- Settling in the 12-18 hour range will allow for a rich concentrate without extracting bitter flavors.
Step 4: Taste & Enjoy
Once you have finished steps 1 through 3 it is time to try your Cold Brew Coffee concentrate. It is important to remember that what is left is in fact a concentrate. It is common for individuals to dilute this concentrate with other liquids, to make their Cold Brew Coffee more enjoyable. This fourth, and final, step is one that may require trial and error. As the dilution process varies based on preferences.-
It is common to dilute the concentrate with:
- Water
- Milk (Or any desired milk alternatives)
Cold Brew Coffee Questions
Why is it so expensive?
Cold Brew Coffee is typically more expensive because it is more concentrated and it takes much longer to make than hot brewed coffee or iced coffee. Hot Brewed Coffee is made in minutes by filtering hot water through finely ground coffee beans. Although time efficient, hot brewed coffee is more diluted than cold brew coffee. Hot brewed coffee is more of a filtration process where as Cold Brew Coffee is more of a fusion between the coffee beans and water. Then you have Iced Coffee, which is simply hot coffee served over ice (often times causing the ice to melt, leaving you with an even more diluted drink). Whereas Cold Brew Coffee, is coarsely ground coffee beans that soak in cold filtered water for 12-18 hours. This provides the Coffee drinker with the most concentrated and least acidic version of coffee possible. The increased price comes from the time it takes to brew and the quality of coffee that you are getting.What is the difference between Iced Coffee and Cold Brew Coffee?
It is a common misconception that iced coffee and Cold Brew Coffee are the same. However, they are very different.Iced Coffee
-
Hot brewed coffee served on ice
- Can be watered down by melted ice
- Less concentrated
- Less caffeine
- More acidic
Cold Brew Coffee:
-
Cold Brewed
- Doesn’t melt ice as quickly when served on ice
- Less watered down
- More concentrated
- More caffeine
- Less acidic