Cold coffee is The softest coffee: pleasant and sweet, made for warm days and cold ideas. Therefore, the best cold coffee beans are not necessarily the most interesting coffee beans that make the most interesting drip or pour or espresso. This is completely different from the volatile strength of hot beers. Instead, it is gently extracted within 12 or 24 hours to release the natural sweetness of the beans.
Of course, I have my own ideas. Over the past year, I have tested multiple cold coffee machines for the Wired Guide to the Best Cold Coffee Machines Guide. But few people grasp the issue more strongly than Maciej Kasperowicz, the coffee director at Trade Coffee. With his team, Kasperowicz spent months fusing 90 cups of coffee that are best for cold beers and included in Trade’s new cold coffee subscription. Meanwhile, Brent Wolczynski, Director of Product Development and Cold Beer at Stumptown Coffee in Portland, has established one of the country's most outstanding cold plant programs for coffee shops and packaging.
We consulted Kasperowicz and Wolczynski to ask which beans make great coffee for which cold coffee, which coffees don't know, what you know, and the myth surrounding making a good cold brew cup.
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First of all, when I mean cold beer, I don't necessarily mean all cold coffee. Cold brewing is a process: the act of gently extracting coffee at room temperature or at lower temperatures during a few hours rather than minutes. In fact, most "instant" cold brewery manufacturers are making something called iced coffee: hot coffee is refrigerated quickly to avoid the bad taste that causes letting the coffee cool slowly. It's good, but different, and it brings different results: more aromatics, but less smoothness and sweetness.
On traditional cold machine manufacturers, the process is very simple: grind the beans, put them in water, place the mixture in the counter or refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, and then wait. To use a cold brew concentrate that can be diluted with water or milk, roll in a ratio of 4 or 5 to 1. (Ideally, use a kitchen or coffee scale. But every pinch of water can make 4 ounces of coffee.)
My favorite home cold brew coffee machine that combines ease and convenience with excellent extraction and flavor is Oxo compact cold brew machine manufacturer. For larger batches, use something used in restaurants and cafes: a large Tody Cold Brewer ($49). To make it easier and drink cold water at a lower concentration, you can try a basket-style winemaker like Hario Mizudashi ($18).
Cold brewing is a process of extracting flavors at low intensity for a long time, so the result is different from hot brew beer. Gentle extraction means less fluctuation, less bitterness, and focus on sweetness and fullness as well as huge round flavours.
This is the best advice for Kasperowicz and Wolczynski to provide the best cold coffee on the best coffee beans.
Medium roasted beans have the best balance: The Goldilocks roasting level is usually medium roasting, Kasperowicz says, and here you can find cold drink collections for most coffee bags. While light barbecue offers bright flavors you like in handmade coffee, they are a little slower than medium barbecue and easier to extract. "Dark barbecue is slightly soluble and theoretically so medium and dark barbecue will be a little easier," said Casperovic. That said, lighter and medium barbecue become more fun, so it's a balanced game. Wolczynski agrees: “A well-developed medium barbecue is the best choice for cold beers.” Neither of them argues about dark barbecue in overcooled beers, especially Wolczynski says dark barbecue tends to “fall.”