The best cold brew is easier to make than you think.
Cold brew coffee is very easy to do even when you are home. In fact, you can also achieve the exact taste of your favorite branded cold brew cup.
But, if you haven’t tried it yet, a good cup will certainly revolutionize your taste in coffee. As it happens, the technique used in making cold brew reduces the acidity of coffee. As a result, it enhances the sweetness and complex flavor of the coffee beans.
Before making one at home, there are a few things that you need to consider first. And this guide may just help you out.
Thing To Keep In Mind
Pick your roast
Any coffee roast will do when making a cold brew, but you can tailor the taste of your coffee depending on the type of roast. So you may want to check on that as you go through making your cold brew batches.
Keep in mind that the “roast” type affects the level of caffeine. Contrary to popular belief, the darker the roast the lesser caffeine it has. But, it offers a more intense flavor. On the other hand, light roasts offer up to 60 percent more caffeine than dark roasts.
If you are still in the process of getting to know the type of roasts and beans, you may just purchase a bag of roasted coffee beans from your favorite coffee shops.
Experiment with your beans
Aside from the type of roast that you have chosen, one of the most important things to consider is the coffee beans that you will use. Remember, a good cup of coffee, whether a cold brew or not, always starts with the coffee beans.
So, in order to find your best tasting coffee brew, experiment with your coffee beans. And you can ensure to have the freshest beans when you purchase from your local coffee shops.
Also, coffee shops do offer beans in varying roasting techniques. You may want to experiment on this one, as well.
Invest in a Burr Grinder
Grinding coffee beans is a process where you can preserve the freshness of the beans. Accordingly, this is a very important thing to consider, especially if you want to have the right blend and taste of cold brew coffee.
Generally, there are two types of coffee grinders. But, between Blade Grinders and Burr Grinders, the latter is the most recommendable. The reason being is that Blade Grinders are “inconsistent.” Nevertheless, they are fairly cheap. To save some, one can even buy a combo machine that brews and grinds both in one unit.
You can find a lot of options in the market, or alternatively find some good ones at Friedcoffee.
As for the Burr Grinders, it uses two revolving surfaces, which makes the grinding process more stable and consistent. In the end, this produces better cold brew coffee. While it may entail a much higher cost, think of it as a must investment.
Get the right grind
While Burr Grinders may help you produce a great end product, you must still be very careful when grinding your beans. It is worth noting that cold brews will work best when you use coarsely ground beans. This is because a fine grind may end up in a gritty and cloudy blend.
You may ask for assistance or additional tips from your local coffee shops about this.
Get the ratio right
What makes cold brew very easy to do is that it only uses two ingredients: water and coffee. However, while it may be simple, you still need to think of the ratio. As it happens, cold brew has a huge range of ratios, and each has a different flavor that will affect the overall blend and end product.
Depending on your taste and preference, you can experiment on the right ratio for you. But, in most cases, homeowners utilize about 1:8, coffee to water ratio.
Tips To Make Cold Brew At Home
With three easy steps, you can now make your favorite cold brew at home. Keep in mind, though, that this will start after you’ve obtained and ground the roasted coffee beans that you like.
Bloom the coffee
The first step to making cold brew coffee is the blooming of the grounds. You will need a clean glass container and hot water in this step.
Just place the coffee grounds in the container and slowly pour hot water in it. Let it rest up to ten minutes. In the process, you will see the coffee swelling and bubbling up, which is known as the “blooming.”
Add cold water
After the coffee grounds have bloomed, what you will need to do is to simply add the cold water and stir it properly. Once done, cover the container and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours.
Depending on your preference, you may choose to let it sit for longer hours. The longer the time, the stronger the flavor will be.
Strain slowly
After waiting for a few hours or a day, you may now enjoy your cold brew. But, before anything else, strain first the produce through a mesh sieve or a fine strainer. This will filter the large particles.
Once done, do a second strain with the use of a coffee filter. This will filter out the ground and fine particles.
Add ice or milk to your liking
Afterward, you can now get a glass of your cold brew. You may choose to drink it as it is or add a dash of milk and ice.
Cold brew coffee is revolutionizing the way coffee-lovers enjoy their glass or cup of coffee. Aside from the unique blend and taste that it offers, it is also very easy to do. So, instead of buying those branded cups that entail much higher prices, try to do it on your own in your kitchen at home!
