What is cold brew and how does it taste
Cold brew is coffee that is infused in cold water for 8 to 24 hours. Coarse grind, light or medium roast coffee and cold water are used to prepare cold brew.
Cold Brew tastes different from other coffee drinks
Lower acidity. Many acids and oils that make up coffee beans dissolve worse in cold water. Cold Brew has 60-70 percent less acid than regular coffee, so the taste is softer.
Pronounced varietality. Long brewing time helps to reveal berry, honey, fruit, citrus and other descriptors that determine the country of origin of the grain.
Higher density. Cold brew is infused from 8 to 24 hours, depending on the recipe. During this time, most of the soluble components are extracted into the water, which makes the drink more dense.
An invigorating drink. The longer the extraction lasts, the more caffeine and essential oils in the drink
In our cafes, we introduce cold brew on the menu in May, when the snow melts and the summer sun begins to shine. This means that soon guests will come to us for coolness and refreshments.
How we develop cold brew recipes
When developing a recipe, we think over what kind of drink we will prepare on the basis of cold brew: author’s, carbonated or cold coffee with the addition of milk. If it is planned to introduce several types of drinks in the menu, then we are working on a recipe for a concentrated cold brew as a basis for them. We only prepare bottled cold brew.
Then we choose coffee: the more descriptors and the higher the potential of the taste, the more interesting the cold brew.
According to MyFriendsCoffee best coffee beans for cold brew are has bright acidity to refresh the drink. The classic taste profile of washed treatment copes well with this task – a juicy taste, in the descriptors red berries, citrus, floral notes. For example, coffee from Kenya.
For the cooler season, we consider varieties with low or medium acidity, in which the sweetness is revealed brighter. As a rule, these are naturally processed varieties with notes of chocolate, dark berries and sweet spices.
Most varieties from Brazil or Asia are more likely to be heavy in cold brew, unless they are experimental varieties in processing and fermentation that are strikingly different from the typical descriptors of these regions.
Then we choose 5-6 suitable varieties and prepare cold brew from them according to the same recipe in a liter container. They are welded under the same conditions, but they open the descriptors in different ways.
We choose one variety that better solves the tasks. Then we cook in large quantities, but in the same proportions. We compare the taste of a large batch with a small one. Depending on how much the taste and saturation have changed, we make adjustments to the recipe. To do this, it is important to alternately change one criterion during preparation – the volume of coffee, water, temperature, brewing time – and track the change in taste depending on this criterion.
It takes 1-2 weeks to develop a recipe. Every year we adjust the recipe because the assortment of coffee changes.
After entering the drink in the coffee shop menu, we invite guests to try cold brew. The barista treats the guest, talks about the cold brewing method and the peculiarities of the taste of this drink.
Cold Brew Recipe
First step
Ethiopia Nensebo – 150 BC
Drinking water cold mineralization 100 mg / l – 1500 ml.
Ice – 1500 g.
Preparation:
Grind the beans into a coarse grind.
Put ice in a container, add ground coffee, add water and stir. Avoid direct sunlight.
Stir after 8 hours.
Filter the coarse coffee fraction through a sieve.
Filter the fine fraction through the aeropress: pour cold brew into the aeropress cylinder and push until the first zips.
Filter once more through the hario filter.
Second step
Pure cold brew – 280 g.
Orange Flowers syrup prepared in a coffee shop – 2 g.
Jasmine Flowers syrup prepared in a coffee shop – 4 g.
Apricot syrup prepared in a coffee shop – 20 g.
Citric acid – 0.2 g.
Preparation:
Measure each ingredient in a separate container, then mix thoroughly in a common container. Pour into a bottle.
Common mistakes when making cold brew
In our case, making cold brew is an immersion way of brewing coffee. Accurate adherence to the recipe will help avoid cooking errors:
Failure to comply with the extraction time. According to our recipe, the brewing time is 8 hours. The evening shift put a blank overnight, and the morning shift had to immediately filter cold brushes. It is important not to forget to stop the extraction in time, otherwise the taste will be significantly different.
Non-observance of proportions. It is important to weigh each ingredient in a separate container, and only then mix. It is also important to closely monitor the weight of the citric acid. Lack of professional scales or haste can lead to an incorrect ratio of proportions and, as a result, a watery and mild taste, imbalance, and bitterness.
Poor filtration. On the general impression of on drink is influenced by tactile sensations. In order for the consistency of cold brew to be smooth and syrupy, it is important to provide several degrees of coffee purification from sediments of different fractions.