Best Cold Brew Coffees in 2023

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

One of the popular cold drink is the Japanese cold brew. Because the grind coffee beans do not have any contact with hot water at all, flavor profile delivered by this method is usually chemical flavor unique from any other method. Contents like volatile oils, acids and caffeine, soluble at higher temperatures are lowly extracted resulting to low acid and caffeine brew. Though people try to brew the coffee at 1 to 1 ratio with water being as intense with this contents as with hot water is not ideal.

Brief history of cold coffee drink

The very first cold coffee was brewed in cold water for like 12 hours or more. This was first experienced in japan. Over the last ten years or more, the cold coffee drink has become very common in the United States. Most people believe that use of hot water is the only way to extract coffee flavors while brewing. Japan has used this method for hundreds of years and has proved to work fine. Today most countries have their own cold coffee brews most of which involve hot water and ice.

Japanese cold coffee (Kyoto -style)

The coffee is named after Kyoto in Japan where it was most popular. This is the most ancient home of the cold brew in the whole world. The coffee is believed to have brewed in the 1600s year though there is no a concise record on this. There is a speculation that the japan locals might have learned about this form of coffee brewing from some traders from Dutch who made coffee this way of being used in their ships.

Around centuries this method (Kyoto-style) has developed to become a very artistic method. On place of brewing the coffee for hours, the method has been converted in to brewing coffee drip wise. In this method a very small mouthed or single water head is allowed to drop via the coffee beans ground and the duration of this process is like that of making toddy though something watching the process is very beautiful. After some while Kyoto elegant towers were utilized in brewing the cold coffee brews.

Cold brew in U.S.

Initially they we preferred toddy cold brew but they have easily adopted the Kyoto style. In the past decade the system has almost become the order of the day with cold brew making. Similar brewing methods to those of Kyoto have become very common in the cafes around the country.

Some of the reason that has triggered this method in the US includes the fact that it is very practical and requires less labor to do it. Another thing is that the method is very simple requiring no experience and thus can bring the primary coffee properties of the coffee in a cold brew unlike when using the toddy especially for the single origin coffee. Coffee making especially for the commercial cafes has become like art and cold brewing the Kyoto style falls better in this category.

Other cold coffee recipes across the world

Indian cold coffee

To make am good Indian cold coffee you need at least one cup of boiling water, there sugar tablespoons, four cream table spoons, crushed ice, six teaspoons powder of instant coffee and four cold milk cups. This is a coffee for four. The recipe ingredients measurements may be adjusted to fit different servings.

To prepare the cold brew sugar and the coffee powder is first dissolved in the boiling water then left to cool down. Milk is the added to the coffee concoction and put in a blender for some seconds. Then the ice and cream is added to the mixture and blended for more seconds until the mixture becomes frothy like. This coffee is served as chilled coffee.

Kenyan homemade iced coffee

Iced coffee is just like a cold coffee cup only that is colder. Bitter flavored or high acidity caffeinated drinks are best served as cold. Below is a simple recipe for homemade Kenyan coffee for about five servings;

A Simple Cold Brew Recipe

You need 5 ounces of grounded coffee, two and a half quarts water, and two table spoons of any spices or a mixture of them, sweeteners and milk of your choice.

Process

In some jag or big vessel mix ground coffee and spices with lukewarm or cold water. Common spices are nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger or the cloves. Stir the mixture and then allow it to settle for about seven or 8 hours. After this strain or filter the coffee using a filter, funnel or a cheese cloth.

Have a glass filled with ice them pour it over your chilled coffee concoction. You can serve it plain with a little floating cream. Also, the coffee can be added condensed or sweetened milk.

Vietnam iced coffee

Due to it bitterness and high levels of caffeine, the Vietnam coffee is usually served as cold coffee. Remember the major crop grown there, like 97 percent is the inferior Robusta coffee. The coffee is usually French roasted and medium ground. The coffee is commonly brewed over the ice with addition of sweetened and condensed milk.

The coffee is normally strong, creamy, sweet, rich and soft finished. The flavor is pleasant, wonderful and bold. Since this coffee is brewed using a French press, coarsely ground coffee are preferred so as not to pass down the filter holes to the coffee.

Common Vietnamese Coffee Recipe

1. Condensed sweetened milk, like two table spoons is put in a beaker.
2. Grounded coffee beans are added in the base of the coffee press little by little together with hot water. The ground coffees are compactly packed and the press tightly screwed.
3. The just off boiling water is put into the coffee press and a lid put on top.
4. The process demands a lot of patience as the coffee brews very slowly and the process can take up to 3 or more minutes for it to be over.
5. You must be patience because the coffee drips really slowly for about three to five minutes for the brewing to complete.
6. The coffee gets more intense with time such that the final drop is more thick and rich in flavor.
7. The final step is to stir the coffee after completion of the brewing.

Making cold coffee the Starbucks-style

Cold brewing is one of the methods for making chilled or iced coffee. A simple method, similar to the Kyoto style is dipping some ground coffee in a container filled with cold water and leaves them to steep overnight in chilled conditions like in the fridge. The product of this is a strong mixture which can be diluted with cold, hot or even milk. The product, if stored in very cool temperature can last for up to 2 weeks without losing flavor. Cold brew is a good method of extracting the best original coffee flavor without altering them.

Quick guide to Starbucks Style Cold Brew

1. Get coarse ground coffee beans. It is better if your do this yourself such that you can ground the coffee into batches size of the raw sugar.
2. Have the grounded coffee put in a vessel full of water. Either way you can add the coffee first then water. Same ratio of coffee to water is preferred.
3. Stir to make sure all the coffee is wet and don’t mind if the coffee floats.
4. Leave the coffee for steep for more than 18 hours may be up to 24 hours. Some people will leave it for just 12 hours.
5. Use a fine mesh fitted with cheesed cloth to strain the coffee mixture.
6. If you want to store put it on a covered jar and store in a fridge for less than 14 days. Otherwise serve your coffee with one cup of ice, half cup cool water and half of cup of your brewed cold coffee. You can add milk, cream or sugar to your liking.

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