Cold Brew Coffee - Any followers? How do you drink it?

[StillShaving]

I am cold brewing coffee for the first time. I ground what I would typically use to drip brew 20 cups (2.5 pots), and placed the mixture in a glass french press. I will let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and press in the morning. I believe I added too much water to create a really strong concentrate, but hope this will provide a good basis for an iced coffee. Since it is very hot this summer, I want to switch over some of my coffee consumption to iced coffee. Which gives me more motivation to start cold brewing.

But I was curious if other members have experimented with cold brewing and had any experiences or techniques they could share?

Do you had a favorite recipe or way to prepare? Whether that's mixing with hot water to make something close to a normal drip cup; or mixing with cream, sugar, chocolate, etc, to make some sweet concoction; or something else?

 

[StillShaving]

Making Cold Brew Coffee:
Iced Coffee the Cold Brew Way

Keepin’ Cool @ Cuppa Joel

Interesting video showing cold brew in a french press, ice coffee brewing in Chemex, and a interesting looking cold drink called a Cappuccello (iced coffee drink with lemon juice)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Cafe Sua Da)
Article/Recipe 1
Article/Recipe 2

 

[StillShaving]

One can cold brew in any vessel at hand, but if you are looking for some special purpose gear, here are some I discovered. In no particular order:

Hourglass Cold Brew Coffee Maker System

Toddy Cold Brew System

Ronco Coffeetime Coldbrew System

Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewing System

Coolest looking (and most impractical looking) setup must be this
Coffee Snob Cold Drip Coffee Maker

 

[eyeguy]

I really dig that last one, but it seems like folks aren't getting theirs according to the reviews. I think for me though, I'd go with #1 due to no filters to worry about. I'd be afraid of getting one that needs a special filter & then find out that the company went belly up.
I've never been much into hot coffee, but I really enjoy iced coffee drinks this time of year. I think I'm gonna research the Hourglass one some more.

 

[redwing]

1:4

1 cup ground coffee to 4 cups water;
i let it steep 8 hours at room temp


fine mesh strainer
2/3 to 1/ 3 coffee to cream over ice


liquid crack!!!!!!!!!

 

[kg4ghn]

I hate coffee that is not hot and full of sugar.

But I do have to admit that first and last cold coffee makers look awesome!

 

[StillShaving]

Tried my first cold brew this morning. The process itself worked fine, but I had mixed results with the end product. The coffee tasted very smooth and bold but without any brightness. The flavor profile was all low end and no top end.

First tried it black over ice and even though it had a good smooth coffee taste I did not really enjoy it. Later reconstituted it as a regular cup of Joe (americano) and it was better, but found it needed half-n-half creamer to be good to drink, possibly because I made it too strong because of it being so smooth. In the morning I usually drink drip coffee black, so I was surprised to find it needed cream.

My initial impression that this process is better suited to creating a base for flavorful drinks like Frappuccino than a morning cup of coffee. I made this batch from Kenya AA beans that I had just recently roasted so that adds another variable. I am going to try again with a different bean once I have it roasted and fully rested.

 

[Jasonian]

Tried my first cold brew this morning. The process itself worked fine, but I had mixed results with the end product. The coffee tasted very smooth and bold but without any brightness. The flavor profile was all low end and no top end.

This is why I do the hot brew at double strength, diluted to normal strength by brewing over an appropriate weight of pure ice. (the Japanese iced coffee method)

Full flavor profile... but cold.

 

[jwhite]

This is why I do the hot brew at double strength, diluted to normal strength by brewing over an appropriate weight of pure ice. (the Japanese iced coffee method)

Full flavor profile... but cold.

This how I do Iced coffee, and iced tea too for that matter.

 

[StillShaving]

This is why I do the hot brew at double strength, diluted to normal strength by brewing over an appropriate weight of pure ice. (the Japanese iced coffee method)

Full flavor profile... but cold.

I should try that method next, with the same beans from the same roasting to get a side-by-side comparison of the flavor profiles. This morning I made drip coffee with these beans and though it was quite good it was not as full flavored as the Ethiopian I had last week.

I have not totally given up on cold brewing, I plan to try with a brighter bean to see how much that matters. This afternoon I made a "latte" with the second extraction of this cold brew and it was good. So I can see the place for cold brewing, but I don't see myself getting into the habit.

 

[Mycon]

I've been wondering about cold brew for awhile. I just snagged a nice blend from a local roaster and I'll try one of these methods tonight.

 

[brianw]

Me... Double strength hot brew over ice.....yum

 

[huntmol]

I love cold brew coffee!

I make it by just putting coarse grounds into a glass pitcher I have and filling it with water.

The next day I pour it into my Chemex and I've got perfect, super easy cold brew coffee!

I fill a tall glass full with ice and half full with milk, and then pour the cold brew over it.

My girlfriend still swears it's the best coffee she's ever tasted

 

[Mycon]

So I used the method of
1/3 cup coarse grounds to 1 1/2 cups water
Let it sit overnight
Add 1 cup of water in the morning and press

The straight brew was nice and smooth, but I poured it over ice and added some cinnamon bun Coffee Mate. I will never buy an iced coffee again. This stuff is superior to anything I have bought. And using nothing but milk and sugar will cut out any nasty additives.

 

[Mycon]

Tried my first cold brew this morning. The process itself worked fine, but I had mixed results with the end product. The coffee tasted very smooth and bold but without any brightness. The flavor profile was all low end and no top end.

First tried it black over ice and even though it had a good smooth coffee taste I did not really enjoy it. Later reconstituted it as a regular cup of Joe (americano) and it was better, but found it needed half-n-half creamer to be good to drink, possibly because I made it too strong because of it being so smooth. In the morning I usually drink drip coffee black, so I was surprised to find it needed cream.

My initial impression that this process is better suited to creating a base for flavorful drinks like Frappuccino than a morning cup of coffee. I made this batch from Kenya AA beans that I had just recently roasted so that adds another variable. I am going to try again with a different bean once I have it roasted and fully rested.

This may indeed be the case. This time of year I always like a nice, sweet iced coffee to get me going in the morning.

Something else I was considering though, is that using a blend of beans may increase the flavor profile of the iced brew. Using the 4 bean mix that I got, the only note that was missing was the harsh acidity. Other than that it was nice and complex.

 

[huntmol]

The straight brew was nice and smooth, but I poured it over ice and added some cinnamon bun Coffee Mate. I will never buy an iced coffee again. This stuff is superior to anything I have bought. And using nothing but milk and sugar will cut out any nasty additives.

+1!!!

The first time I tried homemade real iced coffee my mind was blown. With just 1/4 of a teaspoon of sugar and some milk & ice, it was more flavorful and smoother than any fancy $5 coffee shop cup that I've ever had.

My initial impression that this process is better suited to creating a base for flavorful drinks like Frappuccino than a morning cup of coffee.

I would disagree with this. It's essentially coffee concentrate, so you can't drink it straight, but simply mix it with 1/3 or 1/2 milk and a pinch of sugar and you've got a delicious morning beverage on those hot summer days.

 

[StillShaving]

To follow up on my initial post. I refilled the pot and let it sit 24 hours in the refrigerator and did a second press of the same beans the next morning and the coffee was just as good the second time around. I did not try a third time, but I expect it would work, though surely at some point it must get weaker.

After that experiment, I took the same exact beans from the same roast and made a cold brew using the Japanese method. I used an Areopress over a cup of ice and the brew was more flavorful. Even though I liked it better, my reaction was to look for some cream or sugar to complement it.

I have yet to try a lighter roast to see how that compares. But I expect that would make a better cold brew that a dark roast.

 

[StillShaving]

Something else I was considering though, is that using a blend of beans may increase the flavor profile of the iced brew. Using the 4 bean mix that I got, the only note that was missing was the harsh acidity. Other than that it was nice and complex.

I think you are right, that some good blends could be put together especially for iced coffee. A few weeks ago I roasted one bean that was so bright that I thought I did something wrong, but then mixed it with another bean and improved the flavor of each when hot drip brewing. Only problem is that I am not exactly sure what bean it was or how I roasted it, but I want to find it again.

 

[OldSaw]

I have to give this a try. This could be the answer to brewing in my truck.

 

[sol92258]

This is the method I've used the past couple of summers with good success, though I'll be checking out some of the methods mentioned above