Cold brew coffee is exactly what the title suggets, the coffee is drunk cold rather than hot. But there is more to it than that and it's all in the temperature.
What is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee differs from both hot and iced coffees in one crucial respect, the temperature of the water. Most coffee, including iced coffee, is brewed between 195 and 205 degrees fahrenheit, remember iced coffee is cooled after it is brewed. Cold brews on the other hand use water that is at room temperature.
Extraction
It is a fact that if you use cooler water the extraction process works differently. In a nutshell some of the most flavourful solubles are then left undissolved. But it's also a given that some undesirable compounds are also left undissolved. What you end up with may not be to all tastes but for many there is a sweetness about the end result that they love.
Caffeine Content
To produce a good cold brew can take anywhere from between 2 to 24 hours. One of the main results of this is that cold brew has a lot more caffeine in it than a hot espresso. For that reason we wouldn't advise drinking it neat! It's best drunk with both water or milk. Tastes will vary but we would recommend a ratio of at least 3 parts water or milk to 1 part cold brew.
How to Make Cold Brew at Home
There is specialist equipment you can buy to make cold brew at home but for the moment a large Mason jar will do the job. If you have a French press then that could be useful here. To make at home you will need 2 litres of water and 454g of your favourite coffee-ground very fine. Simply mix the water and coffee together and steep for 12 hours. You will then need to filter out the grounds, this is where a professionsl kit would help but you can still do it without. Then you have cold brew!
This concoction will last from 3-5 days in a sealed container. If this all seems a bit of a chore then you cna always buy cold brew in both cans and bottles. Many of these commercial cold brews are double filtered before being bottled. Some have additional flavours added including caramel and chocolate orange. It may be one for the summer months!
Enjoy!