What Is Cold Brew Coffee and What Are the Benefits?
The coffee industry is constantly developing new ways to make coffee and compliment the natural flavors of the coffee bean. With new improvements come unique benefits to tasting the already rich craft beverage. Cold brew is one of the new coffee crazes sweeping the industry. But what makes cold brew different from the iced coffee you’d find at a local coffee shop?
Javy Coffee has the answers and fun facts about cold brew that can benefit you!
Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee
One of the first questions asked about cold brew is how it is different from regular iced coffee. Iced coffee is made from regular brewed drip coffee made with hot water, which is typically poured over ice after it has been brewed. To put it plainly, iced coffee is your quick, regular cup of Joe that is cooled as it is poured over ice once it reaches room temperature.
Cold brew, on the other hand, never touches heat. It is a slow brew that uses more coffee per ounce of water, making it stronger in flavor and caffeine content. Cold brew also takes a lot longer to prepare; it has an eight to twenty-four-hour steeping time. Despite the longer prep time, cold brew is worth the wait since it has full-bodied flavor notes in every cup.
So, if you want a rich, flavorful, and smooth cup of coffee that is guaranteed to be cold, cold brew is the drink for you!
What Is the Ideal Cold Brew Ratio?
Something fun about coffee is the amount of science that coincides with every sip. For rich and flavorful tasting coffee, certain ratios are used to perfect each cup and recipe.
Cold brew is best made with a 1:5 ratio of coffee to cold water. For example, if you wanted a gallon of cold brew, you may want to measure out 250g of ground coffee beans to one gallon of water.
There are special calculators you can use. Remember that the golden ratio of one to five will get you close enough to the smooth balance of coffee to water you need to have a rich flavorful cup of cold brew.
If you are patient, cold brew is a simple yet tasty way to get your morning caffeine kick without too much effort or any fancy equipment!
If you’re looking for a way to make less cold brew but enjoy more drinks, try making cold brew concentrate. To make this espresso-like type of coffee, you’ll follow the same brewing process while using less water. After some dilution, the coffee tastes just right.
What Equipment Do You Need for a Big Batch of Cold Brew?
To make your own cold brew, the equipment necessary is rather simple and easy to acquire — no need to be a professional barista to make the best coffee ever.
Coffee
The kind of coffee used for cold brew can be very subjective to each person’s specific taste preferences. Coffee-lovers have plenty of different ways of enjoying cold brew, and there’s no wrong option.
Most cold brews are made with medium to dark roasts of coffee, typically sourced from Central or South America due to the more chocolatey and sweeter notes in the beans from those specific regions. While you can find coffee from these origins at your local grocery store, we recommend ordering coffee beans specifically made for cold brew.
The coffee will need to be ground on a coarse level (due to the fact it is a slow brew), and then placed in a filter.
Cold Brew Filter
For the next step to your cold brew making process, you will need to place your coarsely ground coffee into a filter. No special filter is necessary, but large, wide-mouthed, paper filters with a drawstring top are the easiest and most recommended filter type.
With the drawstring top, the bag is less likely to leak out grinds, so you don’t have to worry about double filtering. That means there are no grinds in your finished product!
Container and Water
The last two steps to making your cold brew will be putting the filter with the grounds into the container. Then pour water over the filter and fill the container.
The type of container you choose does not have to be specifically glass or plastic. It can be any reusable container. So, pick your favorite mason jar or an old glass pitcher, fill it with water, and you’re all set!
Brew Time
Last but not least, time is needed to make your own batch of cold brew. The time range is from eight to 24 hours to let your coffee steep.
Why is there such a difference in time? Batch size, amount of coffee, as well as time that you need it by are all factors that can change the steeping time before you can enjoy your own brew.
What Are Other Ways To Make Cold Brew?
Want to skip the hassle of finding your own coffee, the right type of filter, and waiting the perfect amount of time before you can enjoy your coffee?
Cold brew comes in concentrate form as well! With all the same richness of flavor, you can skip the hassle and wait time. Pour your own fresh cup of cold brew from concentrate, and you’re ready to take on your day! Specifically made for those who want one cup at a time, coffee concentrates have all the same flavor and benefits as the typical cold brew without the time, mess, and excess supply.
Easily transported, quick to make, convenient, and rich in flavor, here at Javy, we offer a great coffee concentrate option for those who want the rich and smooth taste of cold brew coffee without the long brew time. There’s no leftover mess to take away time from your already busy day! Just add water, milk, your flavor of choice, along with the concentrate, and you are ready to go!
More Than Just a Cup of Coffee
Read on to see how cold brew can benefit you!
Hot or Cold?
Many people wonder whether coffee is better hot or cold, but according to certain studies, the health benefits are the same either way!
What Are Some Potential Benefits of Coffee?
Coffee itself is linked with decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many degenerative nerve diseases.
Coffee is also linked with lowering your risk of developing liver disease. With the extra caffeine kick to get you up and awake, cold brew has all the same benefits with even more flavor. So keep drinking that coffee to keep your body going mentally and physically!
Cold Brew on Top With Even More Benefits
Cold brew also extracts the antioxidants that are naturally found in coffee cherries (where the beans come from), and they are linked to helping your brain function as well. So, if you like coffee chilled, cold brew is the coffee drink for you!
Since cold brew is made over a long time period, basically a day, it extracts the flavor slowly. Whereas fresh brewed hot coffee extracts quickly resulting in a stronger and more acidic flavor, cold brew is known to be smoother, stronger in the natural flavor notes, and less acidic than regular coffee.
This means it doesn’t need to be filled with cream or sugar because the coffee is so naturally flavorful. With less sugar and cream added, less calories are consumed.
Come on Brain: Stronger Caffeine
Do you ever wake up in the morning and already want to take a nap before your feet even hit the floor? If so, cold brew can help.
It has a longer extraction period, so it has even more time to pull the caffeine into the finished product.
Less Acidic
Cold brew is easier on your stomach as well since it is less acidic than regular coffee. Too much coffee can result in indigestion and more serious stomach issues over time. If you’re looking for a good drink with lower calories that is less acidic but still rich in flavor, cold brew is a great choice!
Share Your Cold Brew Sip
Cold brew is a simple and satisfying way to make and enjoy coffee. You only need coffee, water, and time as the main ingredients. You can make cold brew anywhere, anytime!
Despite only being served cold, cold brew can have special flavors or spices added to it to be enjoyed any time of the year.
You have now learned how cold brew is special, how to make it, and how it benefits you. Coffee is an awesome way to connect to others as well as your own community. You can have fun experimenting and share your new discoveries with others.
So go out there, share your knowledge, and drink good coffee while you’re doing it!
Be sure to share your journey on Instagram with @javy.coffee and start your day right with some good coffee.