For hot summer mornings or a mid-day cool down, drinking a cold cup of iced coffee can satisfy those cravings and give you the boost you need for your day. But to take iced coffee to the next level, why not try making cold brew in your own home?
What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee? With cold brewing, the flavour profile produced features low acidity and a natural sweetness, which iced coffee can’t often achieve.
This is because it uses a different brewing method to iced coffee in which cold water is used to extract the coffee flavour instead of hot water.
So the cold brew method produces a bit of a milder flavour profile, which is why it has become so popular in recent years.
How to Make Cold Brew
Making cold brewed coffee is easier than it seems; it just needs patience! First, make sure your coffee is ground to a coarse consistency. The fresher, the better!
Then, pour cold water into a jug or jar and add your coffee grounds. Do not stir the mixture. Cover with a lid and let it steep for 18 to 24 hours. There is no need to refrigerate during the steeping step!
After this period, stir the mixture and pour your coffee through a coffee filter into another container. You can store your cold brewed coffee in the fridge for up to three days.
Make sure you store your coffee in a sealed container before using. This canister from Fellow Atmos is vacuum sealed and ensures your whole beans or coffee grounds stay fresh for longer.
What Coffee Can You Use for Cold Brew?
What is the best coffee to use for cold brew? Actually, anything goes!
What can really enhance the flavour you achieve with cold brewing, though, is grinding your own beans. Pre-ground coffee tends to be ground to a slightly finer degree than is ideal for cold brew. For cold brew, you need something coarser than regular ground coffee.
Coarsely ground coffee helps the water penetrate the grounds to steep the full flavour out of the coffee bean. If your coffee is ground too fine, then the water can over-extract the flavours, and, in turn, the coffee will be too bitter.
This is why grinding your own coffee at home is so important. We offer the Skerton Plus hand coffee grinder on our website that allows you to control how you want your coffee ground perfectly.
While you can use any type of coffee for cold brew, here are our very own top five recommendations - all available here at Coast to Coast Coffee as a one-time or subscription purchase!
1. Superior Dark
A dark roast is arguably the top choice for cold brew coffee, and our Superior Dark has the full flavour profile you’re looking for. This full-bodied coffee has dark chocolate flavours and caramelized, rich sugar, making it a great choice for cold brew coffee beans.
Since cold brew is so concentrated, this coffee’s flavours shine when brewed for an extended amount of time, making it the perfect choice for cold brew. This is the only true dark roast we offer at Coast to Coast Coffee because we’re confident it’s the best dark roast out there.
2. Papua New Guinea Enorga
For a fantastic coffee with a natural brightness, our Papua New Guinea Enorga makes a great coffee for cold brew. This fair trade organic medium-dark roast blend has a full-bodied flavour with earthy tones and notes of citrus and mango.
These fruity flavours, along with its medium-dark roast, shine when brewed in cold temperatures. Those flavours only add more depth over time as the coffee brews, so patience is key when brewing this cold brew.
3. Guatemala Nahuala
Another excellent choice for brewing cold brew coffee is our Guatemala Nahuala. It comes from the Quetzaltenango region of Guatemala and is fair trade, certified organic coffee. It features hints of walnut, milk chocolate, and apricot for a sweet and nutty flavour.
This medium roast has a vibrant chocolatey flavour profile. Its sweetness and brightness stand out when brewed cold!
4. Mexico Chiapas
Look no further than our fair trade organic Mexican Chiapas for a fantastic medium roast cold brew coffee. This is a medium-bodied coffee with a balanced acidity and a smooth finish. It has hints of caramel, dark cocoa, and almond for a light earthiness.
5. Honduras Marcala
Finally, our fifth pick for the best coffee for cold brew is our Honduras Marcala, a fair trade organic coffee with a complex flavouring. It’s a medium roast with dark chocolate, citrus, and peach flavours, offering some robust aromatics.
This is a delightful coffee for any coffee lover looking to try something new. And what better way to try it than by steeping it as a cold brew?
Conclusion
We hope we’ve demystified how to make cold brew coffee at home. Pick the brew of your choice, and you can make it as tasty as a coffee shop barista, if not better!
The best part about making your own cold brew coffee is that you can flavour it completely to your liking. Add in your own syrup and milk or dairy substitute to match your taste for example.
Another option for cold brew is to substitute sparkling water, which helps accentuate the cold brew's flavour. Try it with sparkling water, a dash of oat milk, and simple syrup. Use one part coffee to two parts water or milk for an evenly balanced drink.
For more on our coffee selection, check out the coffee we offer and get cold brewing with free delivery across Canada!