Are you familiar with cold brew coffee? No, it's not espresso with ice, milk, syrup and whipped cream. This is black coffee prepared with cold water.
Why is he interesting? Firstly, on hot summer days it can be a good alternative to hot coffee drinks. Second, cold-extracted coffee tends to have a higher sweetness and body, which may appeal to many people.
Among other significant advantages, this brewing method allows you to extract flavoring and aromatic compounds that cannot be extracted at high temperatures. Cold brew also contains no oils and fatty acids (esters, ketones, amides), which add bitterness to your favorite drink. In addition, cold brew is the most environmentally friendly cooking method, because it does not require any extra electricity or gas. Having said that, making cold brew is a fairly simple process, and we’re pretty sure that after reading this article you’ll definitely have some in your refrigerator.
What is cold brew
Cold brew (from English cold brew) is black coffee brewed with cold water. It is distinguished from other methods of preparation by its unusually long brewing time - from 8 to 24 hours. The result is a refreshing and very tonic drink with low acidity and bitterness, high sweetness. Its concentration will depend on your wishes: you can make a light drink, similar in density to a pour-over, or you can brew a concentrate to dilute it with water, milk or add ice.
Cold brew is not a new invention. It is believed that this method of preparing coffee was used back in the 17th century by Dutch merchants transporting goods from Asia over long distances: cold brewing allowed them to prepare a drink that could be stored for a long time and drunk cold or hot. From Holland, this method penetrated to Japan, where it became incredibly popular.
In the late 1960s, Japanese entrepreneur Uyoshima Tadao began producing iced coffee in cans. The idea was picked up by various manufacturers, from local to large ones, such as Illy. Coffee in cans can still be found in stores today, and during the summer season many coffee shops offer their own versions of cold brew and drinks based on it in bottles that are convenient to take with you and store in the refrigerator.
In addition, in the 1960s, another invention related to cold brew appeared: American Todd Simpson, a plant nursery owner and chemical engineering specialist, went on an expedition to Guatemala and Peru, where he first tried cold brew coffee, which was served warm. The drink was amazingly smooth and tasty, and Todd decided to try making something similar himself. This is how a device called Toddy appeared with a complex filtration system that makes it easy to prepare cold brew both at home and in industrial settings.
How to drink cold brew?
Have you made cold brew? Great, all that remains is to figure out how to use it. At its core, the resulting drink is not just coffee, but a coffee concentrate. It contains more caffeine than espresso. Therefore, you can drink cold brew in its pure form in limited quantities - no more than 2-3 servings per day.
But the drink can be an excellent basis for coffee cocktails. Cold brew is mixed with milk or cream, condensed milk, syrup or honey, ice cream, and whipped cream are added.
An excellent flavor combination is cold brew with cherry juice or coconut milk. A traditional morning pick-me-up is cold brew with orange juice and lemon syrup.
The drink is served in glass glasses, and if cold brew is consumed in its pure form, it can be served in glass espresso cups, adding ice cubes or a slice of orange.
One of the features of cold brew is its long shelf life. The prepared coffee can be stored for 10-14 days in the refrigerator, in a closed container, without loss of taste characteristics.
Cold brew and cold drip: what's the difference?
Typically, cold brew refers to an immersion method of brewing coffee: ground beans are immersed in water and remain in it throughout the entire brewing process. In this way, you can prepare coffee in a regular cup or jar, or you can use devices in which coffee can be both brewed and filtered: a French press, Aeropress, immersion funnels, or the Toddy system, which was mentioned above. Cold brew brewed using the immersion method will be less acidic than coffee brewed with hot water because not all of the acids can be extracted in the cold water. At the same time, the taste will have a lot of caramel sweetness, since the water will have time to extract a lot of sugars from the coffee bean.
Cold Drip is a method of cold brewing, also known as “Kyoto” or “Dutch”. Essentially, this is the same pour-over, but the brewing process in it is very slow and takes up to 24 hours. The taste of coffee is more “terroir”, fruity or floral shades will be more pronounced in it, since less sugars are extracted than with the immersion method. Cold drip is a more complex method that requires special equipment. Typically this is a design of three tanks: the top one is for cold water, the middle one is for ground coffee and the bottom one is for the finished drink.
Cold brew recipe: how to cook at home
If you do not plan to prepare cold brew in industrial quantities, then the trendy drink can be prepared at home. There are several cooking methods.
In the French press
You will need approximately 150 g of coarsely ground coffee and 1 liter of water at room temperature. The better the quality of the water, the tastier the coffee, so you shouldn’t skimp on water. Pour freshly ground coffee with water and, without lowering the press, leave for 8-12 hours. Then lower the press to separate the grounds. The coffee is ready and ready to drink.
In a jug
The proportion of ingredients is the same. Pour water over the coffee and let it brew for 8-12 hours. Then strain through a fine sieve, and then again through a paper filter. The coffee is ready.
In a plastic bottle (travelling option)
Pour ground coffee into a plastic bottle and fill with cold water. Leave for 8-10 hours. You can pour coffee from a bottle through several layers of a fabric filter made of natural, clean material: cotton, chintz, gauze.
There are industrial devices for making coffee using the cold infusion method.
- The famous Japanese brand Hario offers a driper coffee maker for making cold brew. The device consists of three parts, resembles a tower, costs 35-40 thousand rubles and prepares coffee in 6 hours.
- Toddy is the very first cold brew device. The author of the device is Todd Simpson, who came up with the technology and then embodied it in an engineering solution. The Toddy is still on the market today and is characterized by its simple design. Price – 5-6 thousand rubles.
- You can make cold brew using an AeroPress. However, the design will have to be further processed: cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle, pierce the lid with a needle to create a tiny hole. Then pour the ground coffee onto a paper filter for an AeroPress, cover the powder with a second paper filter. Place the bottle on top with the lid down, put ice in it and pour water. When all the water has seeped down, the coffee is ready. Proportions for this recipe: 50 g ground coffee, 300 ml water and 200 g ice.
To prepare cold brew, it is better to use medium-ground coffee; small particles are difficult to get rid of, and cold brew does not require the presence of grounds in the drink.
Extraction time
At room temperature, extraction occurs faster than in the refrigerator, but in any case, the clock counts. The optimal brewing time for cold brew is 12-18 hours; the longer the coffee is brewed, the richer it will be. Focus on your taste: if the drink seems insufficiently rich and lacks sweetness, you can leave it to brew for two to three hours longer.
Because cold brew takes time to brew, it can take days to find the perfect recipe. To find “that same taste” faster, it is better to brew several drinks at once - in different devices, with different grains, with different dosages, with or without hot pre-wetting, for different times... Then the very next day you will be able to compare different options and choose the one you like. Happy experimenting!
Recipes
We have established the classic recipe. At home, infusing ground coffee with water is not a problem. On a hot day, drinking a cup of cold brew that refreshes your body and ignites your soul is a great pleasure.
Cold brew is of excellent quality and has a long shelf life. In a closed container in the refrigerator, the drink can be stored for up to two weeks without loss of taste. Having prepared a large portion, it is convenient to drink it every day with different additives.
Homemade coffee lemonade
Required:
- 50-60 ml prepared cold brew;
- 150 ml of a carbonated tonic drink (for example, Schweppes), you can also take regular mineral water;
- lime or lemon, or rather its juice;
- ice.
Combine all ingredients in a large clear glass. Garnish it with a slice of lime. It is pleasant to drink through a straw, with pleasure.
Santa Claus and summer
The cocktail combines the taste of New Year's holidays and cold against a bright background of fresh fruit.
Ingredients:
- 70-80 ml cold brew;
- 50 ml fresh grapefruit;
- 100 ml cranberry or lingonberry juice;
- a pinch of cinnamon;
- ice.
A slice of orange, tangerine or lemon is useful for decoration. A magnificent, rich cold dessert will remind you of the merry New Year's days on a summer day.
Iced cold brew latte
A cocktail with a delicate taste, tonic, nutritious, refreshing.
What you need for preparation:
- 50-60 ml cold brew;
- 150 ml of cold milk with a fat content of 2.5-3.2%;
- maple syrup - 1 teaspoon, can be replaced with caramel or vanilla;
- ice.
Beat cold milk until foamy using a French press or shake vigorously in a tightly closed jar for 2-3 minutes. Add syrup to coffee and stir. Pour the mixture into milk and add an ice cube. This cocktail looks great in a clear glass or Irish cream glass.
Cold brew coffee is simple and convenient, and can be used to create countless delicious cocktails. For coffee lovers, summer, decorated with the presence of cold coffee masterpieces, will become more pleasant and fun. If you have a desire to design a fundamentally new system for preparing cold brew, a rationalization proposal has been born to improve the existing options, you have invented an original recipe that has caused a storm of admiration among tasters - please share. You will definitely find like-minded people!
Difficulties of cooking
Brewing delicious coffee using the cold method is not so easy. First you need to choose good raw materials. This requirement can be applied to all methods of preparation, but when the coffee powder is boiled, brewed or steamed, the shortcomings in taste are slightly leveled out. There are no high temperatures here, so the quality of the coffee beans plays a paramount role. For a classic drink, only 100% Arabica is suitable.
The taste of water is very important. Filtered water will do, but the best option would be boiled and then cooled water.
The cold infusion process is very long, which can take from 8 to 24 hours. In a specialized coffee maker, the drink is prepared within 3 - 6 hours.
Features of taste
The taste characteristics of cold-brewed coffee differ from other types of this drink. Due to the low temperature and prolonged infusion, caffeine is actively released into the water, and relatively little chlorogenic acid and tannins are extracted. Therefore, cold brew has a milder taste. There is almost no sourness in it, and the characteristic coffee bitterness is felt much weaker. But this does not affect the caffeine content in any way - there is more of it than in espresso - from 150 mg of caffeine per 100 ml of liquid.
Honore de Balzac, who periodically spent several days in a row without sleep, came to the conclusion that cold-brewed coffee was the best invigorator.
Due to its reduced acidity, cold brew is easier on the stomach than hot coffee. It is allowed to be consumed even by people suffering from diseases of the digestive system.
Sources
- https://shop.tastycoffee.ru/blog/cold-brew-coffee
- https://kofella.net/vse-o-kofe/kofe-kold-bryu.html
- https://cofenator.ru/recept/kold-bryu-retsept.html
- https://mycoffe.ru/recepty-kofe/kofe-kold-bryu.html
- https://shop.tastycoffee.ru/blog/cold-brew-recepti
- https://coffeefan.info/kofejnyj-napitok-kold-bryu.html
- https://www.TorreFacto.ru/blog/cold-brew-secret/
- https://zen.yandex.ru/media/coffeefan/kofe-kold-briu-cold-brew-5cef8e67e53c7200af47ed5b
- https://rba-org.ru/2019/05/13/chto-takoe-koldbryu-i-kak-ego-prigotovit-doma/
- https://rb.coffee/about/blog/cold-brew
- https://Lifehacker.ru/cold-brew/
