Recently many friends have asked about cold brew coffee, so Qianjie will take this opportunity to talk about this popular coffee method.

Cold brew coffee is simply different from the usual hot water brewing. It is a coffee liquid extracted by soaking coffee grounds in cold water for a long time or dripping cold water through them. Cold soak and cold drip are the most common forms of cold brew coffee; because cold soak is somewhat similar in process to making alcohol, it is sometimes also called ice brew coffee or cold brew coffee.

However, many places now use cold brew coffee to refer directly to cold soak coffee, distinguishing it from cold drip coffee. This may come from a translation issue: cold brew coffee in English is "Cold Brew Coffee," while cold drip coffee in English is "Cold Drip Coffee" or "Dutch Coffee."

When we normally brew pour-over coffee, we pay close attention to water temperature, because the water temperature directly affects the extraction efficiency of the coffee; the extraction efficiency of cold water is very low, so if you want to get a cup of coffee with a decent concentration, you must extend the extraction time. Therefore, cold brew coffee takes a very long time to make, usually 6-8 hours.

The biggest difference between cold brew coffee and hot coffee is that cold brew coffee has a longer extraction time, so there will be more water-soluble flavor compounds, the taste will be richer, and the mouthfeel will be fuller. Moreover, it is extracted and stored at low temperature throughout, so the shelf life is also longer, generally 3-5 days.

As for what coffee beans are suitable for cold brew? Qianjie recommends using medium-light roast single-origin coffee beans; the resulting cold brew will be refreshing and delicious, very suitable for summer drinking.

Some friends may want to know whether a certain coffee is suitable for making cold brew, or want Qianjie to recommend a few coffee beans for iced drip coffee. In this regard, Qianjie can help everyone clarify the relationship between coffee bean flavor and cold brew coffee, so you should have a clearer idea of what coffee beans you want.

The flavor description on a coffee bean label is the flavor tasted during cupping; that is to say, no matter what extraction method is used, the coffee produced will have the flavor described on the label. Cold brew coffee is a method that can highlight certain characteristics, such as a rich fermented taste.

Therefore, whether used for making pour-over coffee or cold brew coffee, you can choose single-origin coffee beans matching the flavor description on the label according to your own taste; the flavor of the coffee beans themselves does not conflict with the cold brew extraction method.

"If you like a noticeably acidic, refreshing feeling, you can choose some washed-process light-roast coffee beans, such as Qianjie Yirgacheffe, Qianjie Guatemala La Flor, Qianjie Kenya; if you like something with a bit more fruity sweetness, you can choose natural-process or anaerobic light-roast coffee beans, such as Qianjie Huakui, Qianjie Boulder Estate Blueberry, Qianjie Rose Valley; if you like a rich fermented taste and wine aroma, you can choose Qianjie Honduras Sherry, Qianjie Lychee Orchid, Qianjie Costa Rica Baha, Qianjie Mozart, Qianjie Colombia Huayueye..."

So does that mean medium-dark roast coffee cannot be used to make cold brew coffee? Not at all; it is just that most people cannot accept iced bitter coffee, just as no one would voluntarily drink iced Banxia herbal tea, so naturally it is not recommended. Qianjie has also tasted a cold brew coffee made with medium-roast Yunnan beans; after proper storage and refrigeration until the seventh day, its mouthfeel was mellow and the fruity-wine-like fermented sensation was very strong. This shows that coffee that is not acidic can still be used to make cold brew; it is just that making a good-tasting cold brew is very difficult.

Cold brew coffee is also fairly simple to make; once you have a grasp of a few key parameters, you can make a good-tasting iced coffee. Cold brew is divided into immersion-brewed cold brew coffee and drip-style cold drip coffee. Front Street has previously given a detailed explanation of how to make cold drip coffee; friends who are interested can click "here", and this article will not repeat it.

The equipment for making cold brew coffee is also very simple; you only need a 600ml container. "You ask whether a mineral water bottle will do?" "Of course it will, as long as you do not mind that it looks unattractive!" The main parameters that matter for cold brew coffee are coffee grind size, ratio and time. The coffee grind size needed for cold brew coffee is a little finer than pour-over, roughly a coarseness of 85% passing through a No. 20 sieve.

The coffee-to-water ratio is generally 1:12, and it can also be adjusted to your own preference. If calculated using a 600ml container, about 40g of grounds needs 480ml of cold water.

The steeping time is recommended to be controlled between 12-24 hours; the longer the time, the stronger the coffee. You only need to put the coffee grounds and water into the bottle, then gently shake it so that all the coffee grounds are moistened. After that, place it in the refrigerator (5-10 degrees) to chill for 12-24 hours.

Finally it needs to be filtered; use filter paper (cloth) to separate the coffee grounds from the coffee liquid and it is ready to drink. It can also be kept in the refrigerator at low temperature for 4 hours before drinking, which gives a better aroma, so it is recommended to taste it after chilling it for a while longer.

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