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HomeBrewCan You Use Any Coffee For Cold Brew

Can You Use Any Coffee For Cold Brew

Pour Through Cloth Vs French Press Vs Cold Brew Machine

How to make cold brew coffee without special equipment

There are three methods to making cold brew, so choose whichever works best for you! The pour through cloth is my personal favorite.

Pour Through ClothFor the straining process, I prefer to use a pour through cloth because its simple and doesnt require any special gear. Simply place the cloth over a cup or bowl, and slowly pour the coffee concentrate through. Let it sit and strain through, refraining from making the cloth overflow. Additionally, dont squeeze the coffee grounds through let them slowly strain.

French PressIf you do have a French press, they are great to use for making cold brew coffee. Measure out your coffee grounds and water, then add them to the press. Stick the lid on top and let the coffee steep for about 12 to 24 hours in the fridge. Press the plunger down, decant the coffee, and serve!

Heres a great tutorial and description of the parts of a French press that may be helpful.

Cold Brew MachineFinally, for the die hard coffee lovers that may be extra prepared for this recipe, using an actual cold brew machine wont hurt!

Whats The Difference Between Cold Brew And Iced Coffee

You might be wondering why you should have to invest in a dedicated cold brew maker when you already have a coffee maker, ice cubes, and fridge. As it turns out, there is a huge difference in flavor between these two methods.

Cold brew takes time to makeanywhere from 12 to 24 hours. With this method, coffee beans or grounds are soaked in cold water to slowly extract caffeine, fats, and oils, which results in a smooth low-acidity taste. Iced coffee is simply hot coffee thats refrigerated or cooled with ice cubes. In this method, flavor, oils, fats, and caffeine are warmed up and extracted quickly, which alters the chemical composition of those oils and fats and can result in a more bitter coffee.

What Is The Difference Between Arabica And Robusta

Now we know what good cold brew should taste and look like, we still have to look into the differences between Arabica and Robusta beans to see which one is best.

If youre not aware, Arabica and Robusta are two different types of coffee beans. They are different because they grow on a different type of coffee plant. Robusta is generally seen as less desirable than Arabica because the taste isnt as good.

The Robusta plant is also less picky so its easier to grow, bears fruit faster and produces more beans per hectare. Thats why its a cheaper bean than Arabica.

Arabica tends to be more acidic and fruity in taste. This creates a bright and open taste. Arabica has more oils and sugars than Robusta which is probably one of the big reasons why most people prefer it.

Robusta has a little less acidic taste although there isnt actually less acid in it. The reason it tastes less acidic is likely because other tastes are stronger. Its also more bitter and earthy notes, sometimes even described as burnt rubber. Robusta is a quite a bit higher in caffeine and caffeine tastes bitter.

Want to try Robusta beans? Vietnam is the biggest producer of Robusta in the world. Nguyen Coffee Supply has Vietnamese Robusta roasted in the USA so its always as fresh as possible. Check them out here.

Recommended Reading: Best Black Rifle Coffee For Cold Brew

Can You Use Regular Coffee Beans To Make Cold Brew

Yes, you can use regular coffee beans to make cold brew, so your favorite coffee is a great place to start! However, we recommend using coarse ground coffee beans. If you use regular or finely ground coffee beans, you’ll wind up with a bit of thick, gritty sludge at the bottom of your cold brew jar. While this isn’t the end of the world, it definitely isn’t the tastiest when you reach the end of the jar. Using finely ground coffee also makes the process just slightly more difficult.

How do you find coarsely ground coffee beans? Here are 3 options:

  • Buy them already coarsely ground. While this option may not be widely available at your local grocery store, you can often find coarsely ground beans on by searching for coarse grind coffee beans’ or cold brew coffee beans.’ You can also check your local coffee roaster, who may be able to grind the beans for you!
  • Grind them yourself. Your next option is grinding the beans yourself. If you are very particular about your coffee, or like one specific brand, this may be your best bet. Luckily, coffee grinders are easy to use and you don’t need an expensive one! Look for one in the $20-$30 range like this one.
  • Remember To Dilute The Cold Brew Concentrate

    Cold Brew Coffee

    One thing to keep in mind is that youre actually making cold brew concentrate. And this is pretty potent stuff. Only drink this straight up if you want to feel jittery and buzzy for the rest of the day .

    Instead, what I recommend is serving this up over ice or diluting 50/50 with water. I also recommend adding your favorite milk, like almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk, for a deliciously creamy, and definitely thirst-quenching beverage.

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    Best Decaf: Lavazza Whole Bean Blend

    Courtesy of Walmart

    The centuries-old coffee brand has established itself as a solid, widely available option. Their decaf coffee beans are particularly enticing to those who dont partake in caffeine. To make their decaf beans, Lavazza follows an all-natural method where green coffee is treated with steam and the caffeine is removed using carbon dioxide. The CO2 process retains the integrity of the bean while removing any traces of caffeine.

    The coffee is fully roasted using hot air to produce a roast that sips like your standard caffeinated cup balanced and fuller in body.

    Make it into a cold brew via your favorite method of making cold brew, or use it in a French press or espresso machine.

    Good to Know: Usually, people make their cold brew in a French press so its important to have a good filter. Paper filters are recommended over mesh filters because of the different textures and qualities of the coffees, says Rivera.

    What Is The Best Pre

    Strictly speaking, there isnt a perfect option for a cold brew certain varieties seem to work better than others.

    It also depends on the individual some people want different things from their cold brew recipe than others. However, to help you make your choice, lets look at seven great pre-ground coffees that are available in any good supermarket or on Amazon:

    1. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee

    This coffee is 100% USDA organic and ethically sourced from Nicaragua and Peru. The coffee is coarsely ground and medium roast. Darker roasts are typically used to make cold brew coffee liquid, but this is worth trying if you want to try a lighter roast.

    2. Stone Street Colombian Cold Brew Coffee

    The coffee beans are coarsely ground and dark roasted the flavor is slightly sweet, bold, and smooth, with low acidity. Its perfect for cold brewing.

    3. Cold Brew Lab Organic Ground Coffee

    This brand uses a blend of dark, and medium roast coffee and the grind is extra coarse, making it just right for cold brew coffee. Cold Lab brew also advertises as 100% USDA organic.

    4. Coffee Du Monde Coffee And Chicory

    This is a full-bodied, dark roast, coarse grind. Its excellent value for the amount of coffee you get. It makes a perfect cold coffee brew.

    5. Black Rifle Coffee Grounds

    6. Koa Coffee Private Reserve Medium Roast

    This is a high-quality coffee using hand-picked beans. Its a medium roast producing fruity and sweet flavors. It also has a mild aroma.

    7. Lifeboost Coffee Medium Roast

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    Ready To Drink // : 15 Brew Ratio

    The alternate is to make a ready-to-drink product straight out of the brewer 1 part coffee to 15 parts water . The finished brew using this recipe has similarities to filter coffee in taste and texture, highlighting more of the nuances found in more delicate coffees.

    This works great if youre only planning to serve it black, or with small amounts of milk however it doesnt allow many other serving options. Also, if youre used to drinking heavy, espresso-based coffees, you might find the body too light for your tastes using this recipe.

    Choosing Your Beans And Grinds

    How to make Cold Brew Coffee (that doesn’t suck)

    Go with your flavor preference when choosing your cold brew coffee beans. If you prefer a mild, less bitter taste, go with a blonder or lighter roast. Choose a darker roast if you prefer a stronger coffee flavor.

    Note: For cold brew, darker roasts do tend to work better as far as flavor is concerned, as lighter roasts can sometimes get lost or muted.

    As for choosing your grinds, be sure to select a coarser grind size. These work better for cold brew, as fine grinds can pass through the towels and create a gritty coffee. Cold brew grinds should be course like beach sand.

    Read Also: Flavia Fusion

    What Kind Of Coffee Does Starbucks Use For Cold Brew

    It is not known exactly what is in the blend that Starbucks uses for their cold brew coffee. This is a trade secret. What I do know is they use coffee beans from Nariño, Colombia. You can closely resemble and replicate what they serve in their coffee shops by using their pitcher packs that have coffee from this exact area of Colombia.

    Closely replicate is the best we can do without knowing the exact blend, grind size, roast, water temperature and brew time.

    Grind Your Beans Fresh

    The best way to get a better tasting cold brew, is to grind whole beans yourself. Youre ensuring that your coffee hasnt lost any flavor or aroma by grinding it fresh.

    Just make sure youre grinding to the right size. If you dont have a grinder that does coarse well, I have another article you can check out for some options.

    Recommended Reading: Folgers French Roast Caffeine Content

    What Is Espresso Cold Brew

    Espresso cold brew is just as it sounds like, a cold version of espresso. However, this coffee is made by steeping ground coffee in cold water for 12 hours. So it is quite a different brewing method from a regular espresso.

    When the cold brew coffee is finished steeping for 12 hours, it is sieved and can be diluted with some additional water, milk, or milk alternative. It is served on ice cubes to make it icy.

    Espresso cold brew is super easy to make as there are not many things you need to make this recipe. Ill talk about everything you need to make this recipe a bit further down.

    Cold Brew By The Immersion Method

    Easiest Overnight Cold Brew Coffee

    Minimalists will embrace this basic coffee extraction method. Ground coffee is mixed with cold water and left to steep for 12 to as many as 24 hours. Then the coffee grounds are filtered out and the result is a rich and bold coffee. Some people make a cold brew concentrate to dilute for an excellent cold coffee drink.

    All you really need to make your own cold brew at home is a mason jar and a way to filter your brew when it is done steeping. You can also make a great cold brew with your French press its perfect for both steeping your ground beans and then filtering them out.

    Read Also: Folgers Instant Decaf Coffee Caffeine Content

    Steep Coffee Grounds In Cold Water

    Before going any further, ensure you have good water for brewing. Use a charcoal filter at minimum to get a good starting point. The last thing you want is to wait half a day or more to taste your coffee, only to find it has some sort of chemical taint in it, or simply a flat/heavy/chalky/empty taste to it. Disclaimer over!

    So, depending on the purpose of your cold brewing, the ratio of water to coffee should change. A ratio of 1:8 of coffee to water will produce a nice coffee ready to drink after around 24 hours at a coarse grind. Another option is to create a much stronger cold brew , by using a ratio anywhere from 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, up to around 1 part coffee to 2 parts water. This stronger brew will take much, much longer at a coarse grind setting, but can be quickened by grinding finer. The concentrate is usually then diluted with water, milk, ice or a combo of these.

    Whatever you do, mix the coffee and water together and leave for 12-18 hours at room temperature, or in the fridge for 18-24 hours, .

    It’s Smoother Than Regular Coffee

    While I love a cappuccino or an iced latte, cold brew is one of my go-tos because it is so much smoother than hotbrewed coffee or espresso. Traditionally, coffee is made quickly with boiling water to create a delicious, hotbrew. If you want a cold beverage, the coffee or espresso is simply poured over ice. While this is definitely a tasty option, you can sometimes end up with an overly-acidic, too-strong iced coffee.

    To make cold brew, you mix ground coffee and water and let it steep for 12-24 hours. All coffee beans contain oils where fatty acids are stored, and these oils are best extracted using hot temperatures. The cold, slow brewing process prevents many of the oils stored in coffee beans from being fully extracted, meaning that the acids contained within them aren’t present in the final product. This leads to a more mellow brew that allows the flavors of the beans to truly shine.

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    Do I Have To Use Coarsely Ground Coffee

    Literally, you have no choice! Your hands are tied on this one.

    Yes, you have to use coarsely ground coffee. The reason you need, literally must use a coarse grind is due to brew time and the surface area of grounds that are in contact with water. A finer grind gives a much larger contact area with the water, a coarse grind has a smaller contact area.

    When you are brewing for such a long period of time with a smaller grind size you will end up over extracting and end up with a very bitter and off tasting coffee as a result. The over extraction is simply pulling out too many of your beans flavors. There is also a high probability of getting dry clumps if not submerged well.

    Due to using a cheese cloth or something similar, there is no risk of getting fine grinds in your cold brew coffee.

    A coarse grind will simply get you much better results for the water temperature used and the brewing time. Be sure to TAFO Taste And Find Out every few hours. Once it tastes as youd like you can remove the grounds and halt the extraction process.

    As a side note, as always try not to use pre-ground coffee beans, here at Latte Love Brew we encourage you to always do your grinding and home roasting for more control over all aspects of the process. Above all, grinding and roasting your own beans gives you maximum freshness.

    Can You Make Cold Brew At Home

    How to make cold brew coffee(and what ratios you can use)

    The brewing process for cold brew is actually very easy! While there is special equipment you can buy to make the process easier, you dont need any special equipment to make great cold brew at home. As a coffee lover, I make my own cold brew often, so here is my own cold brew recipe you can make at home with nothing but a pitcher and a bowl.

  • Add 10 ounces coarse ground coffee to a pitcher. NOTE: You can use regular ground coffee as well. Coarse coffee will yield the best result and make straining the coffee grounds easier, but any coffee will work.
  • Add 5 cups of cold water and mix everything up well to ensure all the coffee grounds are wet. If you use less coffee to begin with, just stick with the same ratio: For every ounce of ground coffee, add 1/2 cup of filtered water.
  • Let steep at room temperature for 16 hours. Steeping the coffee at room temperature actually extracts more flavor and yields a much bolder, stronger coffee, so I prefer that! Also note that anywhere from 12-24 hours should work great, I just prefer 16 hours.
  • Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Rinse the pitcher, pour the coffee back in, then repeat one more time. If your coffee was ground too finely, you may want to use a cheesecloth to make sure none of the grounds slip through.
  • Pour into a mason jar or smaller container , and add to the fridge to enjoy it cold!
  • Also Check: Sonic Frozen Coffee

    Cold Brew & Iced Coffee Recipes

    With temperatures rising, maybe its time to try some of our cold coffee concoctions:

    You can brew the coffee in a 32-ounce French press if you prefer. Place the ground coffee and water in the pitcher, place the plunger lid on top, but dont press the plunger down. After the coffee grounds have steeped, gently press down on the plunger until the grounds reach the bottom of the pitcher. Then proceed with step 2 of the recipe. Whichever method you choose, the coffee needs to steep for at least 12 hours, so plan accordingly. Remember to make a batch of Simple Syrup before you begin. Get our Basic Cold Brewed Coffee recipe.

    This cold, caffeinated beverage can get you feeling festive fast. Its actually more of a cold brew coffee than an iced coffee. Simply steep some coffee grounds in cold water the day before, then strain no sooner than 12 hours later. Lastly, spike the cold brew with some amaretto and Pernod , and youve got a slightly buzzy, biscotti-flavored iced coffee. Get our Boozy Biscotti Iced Coffee recipe.

    Coffee and chocolate are two beans that belong together. We might call the combination mud, but we sure wouldnt mind swimming in it. Coffee ice cream blends with milk and crushed chocolate wafer cookies, and then its all drizzled with hot fudge sauce. Get our Mud Pie Milkshake recipe.

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