As soon as summer arrives, one more word shows up on a lot of people's coffee lists: cold brew.

Compared with hot brewing, cold brew uses low-temperature slow extraction, so the compounds in coffee that tend to bring bitterness are barely drawn out. It goes down smooth, the fruity notes stand out more, and it drinks like a glass of juice with coffee aroma. But whether cold brew tastes good comes down seventy percent to the beans. Pick the right beans and a soak in cold water gives you flavor; pick the wrong ones and no matter how long you steep it, you just get a glass of "cold bitter water."

Two principles for choosing cold brew beans

First, prioritize light roasts and medium-light roasts. Under low-temperature extraction, the floral and fruity aromas of light-roasted beans are preserved most completely, and the sweetness is cleaner, without that mouth-puckering bitterness. The burnt-bitter base of dark-roasted beans cannot be suppressed by low temperature either; it still comes out with a burnt, bitter taste.

Second, prioritize fruity beans. Cold brew amplifies coffee's sweetness and juicy character. Beans with rich fruit aromas and low bitterness come out in a way almost anyone can accept, and even friends who fear bitterness can drink them easily.

These 6 beans from Qianjie are exactly the fruity representatives born for cold brew, from beginner to advanced, and there is always one that suits you.

Qianjie Yirgacheffe Gudingding: the first cup for cold brew beginners

As the first stop for many people stepping into the world of specialty coffee, Yirgacheffe has always been highly popular. Qianjie Yirgacheffe Gudingding carries distinct notes of citrus, berries and florals, along with a sweetness that returns on the finish like green tea.

Many people fear "sour coffee," but in fact the acidity of a quality Yirgacheffe is soft and bright, more like the natural sweet-tartness of fruit than a sharp, biting sourness. After cold brewing, the acidity is further reined in, and it goes down clean and sweet, making it a very easy choice to accept for people just starting to explore specialty coffee.

Qianjie Huakui: the cup of coffee that tastes most like juice

Huakui is one of the standout products in the specialty coffee market in recent years. Its hallmark is extremely prominent tropical fruit aroma - you can smell strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and even lychee.

With obvious sweetness and very low bitterness, it goes down smooth and full of juicy character, which is why many coffee lovers describe it as "the coffee that tastes least like coffee." Used for cold brew, that juicy character stands out especially strongly. For people who normally do not care for the bitterness of traditional coffee, a glass of Qianjie Huakui cold brew can often change their rigid impression of coffee.

Qianjie Colombia Sidra: the champion-grade lot that holds up in both cold brew and ice drip

Qianjie Colombia Sidra comes from Colombia's Finca La Divisa and is a high-quality variety of the same type as competition champions. The growing region sits at an altitude of 1650-1800 m, and this exceptional environment lets the coffee beans accumulate full flavor. It uses a double anaerobic natural process paired with a medium-light roast to preserve its original fruit aromas.

The dry aroma lingers with jasmine and citrus notes, and on the palate you taste a rich, juicy blend of passion fruit, blueberry, grape and apricot. The bright fruit acidity is refreshing and soft, with a faint spice note in the middle and a lasting cocoa sweetness on the finish. Iced pour-over and cold brew best highlight its fresh, smooth grape-juice mouthfeel. One glass and summer is instantly revived.

Qianjie Strawberry Candy Cold Brew Blend: strawberry gummies in a cup

Qianjie Strawberry Candy coffee beans are a popular fruity cold brew blend, relying on the native flavors of Arabica beans from different regions blending with one another to recreate a distinct strawberry gummy sweetness and aroma.

It is very suitable whether for everyday drinking at home or for commercial output in brick-and-mortar coffee shops. Friends who prefer fruity coffee and dread coffee bitterness can buy it without hesitation; for shops wanting to offer a distinctive, differentiated milk coffee, using it as a cold brew base also gives a special flavor. One bag covers multiple drinking methods, making it a very versatile everyday staple coffee bean.

Qianjie Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha: a legendary experience in cold brew

If Huakui is a star in specialty coffee, then Geisha can be called a legend in the world of specialty coffee. Qianjie Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha usually has extremely elegant jasmine florals, along with delicate flavors of citrus, bergamot and black tea.

The overall mouthfeel is clean and transparent, with a long sweetness on the finish and rich layers. Cold brew stretches that cleanliness and those layers even further apart - the refined elegance of the florals is slowly released at low temperature, with a long aftertaste. Although the price is generally higher than ordinary specialty coffee, its unique aromatic expression remains one of the experiences many coffee lovers pursue to this day.

Qianjie Kenya Little Tomato: the "freshly squeezed juice" of cold brew

This bean comes from Kenya's Thika region, grown at an altitude of 1550-1750 m, using the local classic SL28 and SL34 varieties. The beans are plump and round, reaching the AA TOP high-grade standard. For processing it uses Kenya's distinctive 72-hour double washed fermentation to fully bring out the fruit aromas, and Qianjie uses a light roast to preserve the lively acidity and layered fruitiness.

Even in the dry aroma you can smell rich dried cherry tomato and florals, and on the palate there are clear cherry tomato and smoked plum flavors, with a bright, solid acidity as full as freshly squeezed juice. Made into cold brew, it maxes out that "freshly squeezed juice" character.

Cold brew tips: how to brew good flavor at home

• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10 to 1:12 is fairly safe; if you like it strong, go 1:10, if you like it light, go 1:12

• Time: steep sealed in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours; overnight is the easiest

• Filtering: after steeping, filter with filter paper or a strainer; sealed and refrigerated it keeps for 2-3 days

• Advanced ways to drink it: drink it straight over ice, or mix with sparkling water and add a slice of lemon for a more refreshing flavor

This summer, instead of drinking a cup of coffee that is both bitter and scalding, brew yourself a pot of cold brew. For the fruity types, buy Qianjie Strawberry Candy Cold Brew Blend or Qianjie Huakui without hesitation; if you are after a higher flavor experience, go straight for Qianjie Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha, and leave the rest for your taste buds to discover slowly.