Cold Brew for Hot Summers

Natasha Bourlin Contributing Author

When temperatures hit the high double- or even triple-digits, a steaming hot cup of coffee may not sound so appealing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in your daily coffee ritual.

Just change it up a bit for the season.

Cold brew is the ideal solution for coffee lovers in need of their fix during the scorching summer months. You can pour coffee brewed in the general fashion, using hot water, over ice, but that is not cold brew — it’s simply iced coffee. So, let’s geek out a bit over these semantics.

What is Cold Brew?

Generally, when coffee is brewed, the solubles – aka oils, acids and aromatics – contained in each bean are extracted by water reaching 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold brewing is an entirely different process resulting in distinctive flavor profiles.

During this process, a coffee concentrate is slowly produced over the course of 15-22 hours. But, as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait…

Heat is not used during any portion. Eliminating heat from the process also does away with the intoxicating aromas wafting from the cup, but the resulting flavors in cold brew will tantalize your tastebuds, ending any nose envy.

Using an increased amount of coarse coffee grounds plus cold or room temperature water, naturally occurring solubles and caffeine are slowly extracted, creating a sweeter, non-acidic nectar that you can dilute to taste.

As “Science and Food”, an online resource by the UCLA Division of Life Sciences and Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, states in a blog entitled “Coffee Brewing Chemistry: Hot Brew vs. Cold Brew”, “Oxidation and degradation will still occur in cold brew methods, but this happens much more slowly; bitterness and acidity are just about absent in cold brew coffee, especially if it is kept cold. Though, cold brew doesn’t merely taste like hot brew without the bitterness.

“Fans of the cold brew method have emphasized that cold brews contain a completely different flavor profile that can’t be found with hot brews. Going back to the idea of solubility, not all flavor compounds of coffee solubles are equally soluble. A good majority of the coffee solubles are still able to leach out of the grounds, even in colder water. The compounds that don’t dissolve are the ones often attributed to unfavorable flavors [4]: these stay in the grounds that are subsequently tossed away. Consequently, cold brews take on a much sweeter, floral profile.”

The increased amount of coffee grounds used in cold brewing also means higher caffeine levels, but that’s also where dilution is helpful. And there are many methods to do this, which we’ll discuss shortly.

What a Difference a Day Makes

When it comes to cooling off coffee, shock equals chalk.

Meaning, if you simply pour hot coffee over ice, it shocks the liquid, making it too acidic and results in a chalky mouthfeel. Cold brewing extracts the coffee acids differently. Usually, acids come forward as coffee cools, but cold brewing mutes the acidity and remains constant because it’s already cool.

If you prefer iced coffee over the often interminable-feeling method of cold brewing, at least let it cool to room temperature before pouring over ice. This lessens the shock value for the coffee.

But remember, patience will be rewarded when taking the time to cold brew.

What to do to Cold Brew

To make your own cold brew, you can purchase one of the many systems available – check out this “Spruce Eats” article on the best they found this year – or you can do it yourself relatively easily. Results don’t differ much based on the method, so use what works best for you.

Most coffees work well as cold brew. A dark roast tends to produce deep, rich character. An Ethiopian turns out bright and lemony, and, as Owner/Roaster of Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Tim Curry says, “Screams Saturday morning in July on the porch sipping your cold brew.”

To do it yourself:

1. Get a half-gallon mason jar or equivalent vessel.
2. Grind 10.67 ounces by weight (2/3 of a pound) of coffee coarsely ground.
3. Add 6 cups of room temperature water. Gently press any dry grounds with the back of a spoon to get them wet. Avoid stirring.
4. Steep for 15-22 hours.
5. Filtering is a two-part process, once the appropriate time passes:
a. Pour the concoction through some fine mesh into a container that will hold the liquid.
b. Then, pour it all through a CoffeeSock or muslin cloth to remove the fine sediment.

For a smaller amount, use this recipe:
1. Add 1/3 (5.3 oz) pound coarsely ground coffee to the 34 ounce French press.
2. Gently pour 3 cups of room-temperature water over the ground coffee
3. After steeping for 15-22 hours gently press the filter to the grounds and pour through a CoffeeSock or muslin cloth to filter out fine sediment.

Since the cool, delicious liquid is stronger using this technique, you need to reduce the concentration by diluting it.

While you can certainly use still water to do so, create some tasty and attention-grabbing concoctions using flavored La Croix sparkling waters, (coconut is a favorite) Pellegrino sparkling water, milk, even lemonade or ginger ale. The basic ratio of mixers to cold brew should be 1/1 to 2/1. Have some fun and find your favorite taste.

Here are some ideas to experiment with this summer…or anytime.
Remember, taste is very personal so feel free to modify proportions to your taste.

Cold Brew Buzz
• Make a honey syrup by reducing equal parts honey and still water in a warm pot.
• Add a dash of lemon zest.
• Mix two ounces of cold brew concentrate with one ounce honey syrup and 3-4 ounces still water or San Pellegrino.
• Add some milk or cream if you want

Coffee Palmer
Mix one-part cold brew with 1&1/2 parts San Pellegrino, then double the volume with lemonade over ice. (A wonderfully refreshing caffeinated pick-me-up.) A citrusy cold brew works best for this such as our Ethiopia, Yrgacheffe.

Gingery Cold Brew
• Mix two parts ginger ale with one part cold brew.

As the weather warms up, get acquainted with cold brewing, and call or pop into the roastery and ask Tim for advice on which coffees will go best for the recipes you want to try. For more details on cold brew, also check out our blog “Warming Up to Cold Brew”.