fbq('trackCustom', 'view_shop_coffee'); var trackEvent = 'shop_coffee'; I was excited when my local coffee drive-through started…
Love strong, dark coffee but don’t like the bitterness? Does the acidity in coffee give you trouble? If yes, then you might want to try cold brew coffee.
This article will explain the ins and outs of cold brewing coffee. We also reviewed which brewers make the best cold brew coffee.
Cold brew is simply coffee that is brewed with cold water instead of hot. By letting the grounds steep in cold or room temperature, the flavor and caffeine are extracted and the acidity stays in the bean.
With some brewing techniques, getting the exact water temperature, grind size, and brew time will make or break the experience. Cold brewing is much more forgiving. And you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment.
You can make cold brew in a simple mason jar. Just throw in some grinds, add water, and let it set. Then you’ll have to find a way to filter out the grinds.
You can also turn a French press brewer into a cold press coffee maker. Just add cold water instead of hot and let it sit for a day. Then press the plunger down to filter the grinds.
While the best cold brew coffee comes from high-quality, fresh ground beans, the cold brewing technique can work wonders with older, less-than-premium beans.
Cold brewing is easy, but it’s not a quick process. In the refrigerator, the grounds steep typically from 12 to 18 hours, and some prefer to go as long as 24 hours.
If you’re brewing on the countertop, it may be done as quickly as 8 hours, but you’ll probably want to let it go a little longer.
Some automatic cold brew coffee makers can brew in terms of minutes instead of hours. However, you won’t be getting the rich, syrupy concentrate.
You can do much more with a cold brew concentrate than just drinking it. It’s great for adding flavor and a kick of caffeine to cooking, baked goods, milkshakes, and more. Of course, it is great to drink, too.
You can dilute it with cold water, milk, or cream and pour it over ice for a refreshing treat. You can also dilute it with hot water for a hot coffee that retains the smooth texture of cold brew.
When hot-brewed coffee sits for more than a half-hour, you’ll notice a change in taste. Not so with cold brew. When cold brew is well filtered, it retains its taste for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If your brew method lets through a fair amount of fine grounds, it’s best to drink it within a few days.
Just because you don’t like iced coffee doesn’t mean you won’t like cold brew iced coffee. Of course, if you already enjoy iced coffee, using a cold brew iced coffee maker will take it to the next level.
Heat extracts certain compounds from the coffee bean that cold water does not. Mainly, these compounds are what contribute to coffee’s bitterness. Cold brewing draws the lighter, sweeter notes.
Also, iced coffee will often taste weak or watered down. When you pour hot coffee over ice, what happens? The ice melts. Most cold brew coffee makers make a coffee concentrate that is meant to be diluted, usually a one part coffee to three parts other liquid ratio.
Even when you add milk or cream, it will retain the full coffee flavor.
We know you want to make the best cold brew coffee possible. Here are 10 brewers to choose from that will help you make café-quality cold brew at home.
In our search for which brewer makes the best cold brew coffee, we discovered three main categories of cold brew coffee makers. Here, we’ll break it down to help you decide which one will work best for you.
This is the most common method. It’s also the simplest and most forgiving. The coffee grounds steep in the water for an extended period of time. This method can create the rich, bold cold brew concentrate that paves the way for an almost limitless variety of coffee-based drinks.
This is much less common. In this method, drop by drop, the water slowly percolates through the grounds. The constant saturation over a period of time helps extract the flavor. This method can give a strong cold brew coffee, but it may not reach the level of coffee concentrate.
The automatic cold brew coffee makers that we’ve reviewed here both use the immersion method. The two use very different brewing techniques, but both automate the process which means less work for you. You can expect to pay considerably more for that convenience.
In our search for the best cold brew coffee maker, we came across a wide variety of methods and features. Here are some things to think about to help you select a brewer that will work for you.
You can make excellent cold brew coffee at home without buying a dedicated cold brewer. You can convert your French press into a cold press coffee maker. Also, the mason jar method brews quite well, but you’ll need to strain out the grinds.
To make things easier, some coffee companies are now packaging coarse ground coffee in cold-brew filter pouches or bags. But a cold brew coffee maker will make the process easier and you can use any coffee you’d like.
Many of these cold brew coffee makers come with a reusable filter. That’s great for the environment but can make cleanup much more involved. Some of these cold brew makers have an optional paper filter, and others require you to use a paper filter every time.
If you are careful about the volume of paper products you consume, you’ll want to lean towards the cold brew makers with a fine filter so you won’t need paper filters.
A big thing to keep in mind when looking at capacity is if it makes a regular or a concentrated cold brew coffee.
Two different cold brew makers may have the same capacity, but one could yield three times the number of servings.
You may notice a wide range of prices on these cold brew coffee makers. Simple cold brew makers can run under $30, while others are well over $100.
You can, but do you want to? Hot-water brewed coffee quickly loses its flavor. When you simply stash your hot-brewed coffee in the refrigerator, the result may be less than desirable.
Not necessarily, but it can make it much easier. A key advantage of a cold brew coffee maker is that they offer a fast and convenient way to separate your beverage from the grinds.
This depends on the cold brew coffee maker, but most cold brew makers will use more grinds per serving than other types of cold brew makers.
A common recommendation is one cup of grinds to four cups of water to get a good concentrate.
Yes. Quite simply, cold water does not extract the acids in coffee. This is true regardless of the coffee origin or roast.
You can use any roast for cold brew coffee. If you’re concerned about acidity, you may gravitate towards a darker roast. Some don’t care for dark roast because of the bitterness.
Because the cold brew coffee does not extract the bitter oils and compounds, you may enjoy a cold brew dark roast even if you typically stick to mild and medium roasts.
In the refrigerator, you’ll want the grounds to steep for at least 12 hours. Most aim for 14-18 hours. You can let it go up to 24 hours for the strongest taste.
Cold brew iced coffee is brewed with cold water. The coffee bean is never subjected to heat. Regular iced coffee is brewed with hot water then poured over ice.
You can use a machine on this list as a cold brew iced coffee maker. But it can also be used to create hot coffee. The best way is to add hot water. If you have cold brew concentrate, you can dilute it with a ratio of 1:3 concentrate to hot water for a steaming beverage.
Cold brew concentrate is extremely dark. The ratio of coffee grounds to water is often around 1:4. Most will not enjoy sipping it straight. Regular coffee has a ratio closer to 1:15. Some cold brew coffee makers produce a ready-to-drink beverage instead of concentrate. If you want ready to drink, you can simply decrease the amount of coffee grounds.
Overall, we feel the Toddy Cold Brew System is the best cold brew coffee maker. Toddy has been producing cold brew coffee makers for decades, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the technique.
We also love that this system makes a lot of coffee. Because it takes so long to brew, it’s nice to make one- or two-week’s coffee at a time. And with the double filtration, you can a clean cup of coffee that tastes so sweet.
Hario is a well-known brand in the coffee world, so it’s no surprise that two of their cold brewers made our list. The Hario “Clear” Slow Drip Coffee Brewer beats the drip-method competition.
While the drip method is much less forgiving than immersion, the results can definitely pay off. If you want a simpler system that has a single pot for brewing and storing, then you’ll want to check out the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot.
The Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker seems to be the most popular cold brew coffee maker out there. It doesn’t really make a concentrate, but it makes a good cold brew and it’s available in three different colors.
Plus, the BPA-free plastic makes it convenient to take it wherever you go. Whichever brewer you choose, we’re sure you’ll enjoy many hours sipping the sweet, caffeine-packed beverage.
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