For many people, cold brew is a secret weapon. It’s an ultra-strong version of coffee that they can use to focus and increase their productivity. But what makes cold brew different? Cold brew is actually just what it sounds like. It’s coffee that is brewed cold — without heat. This process difference can affect the flavor profile, and obviously the experience of drinking the coffee, but does it have more caffeine? Where does cold brew come from and why are people so obsessed with it? In today’s blog, we cover some of the basic ins and outs of this popular drink.
Brewing Coffee Is All About Extraction
When using any kind of process to “brew” coffee, what you’re really doing is creating an extraction. Roasted coffee beans have a specific flavor profile to them, but you’re not drinking the beans themselves. In traditional coffee roasting, one would use hot water, poured slowly over coffee, so extract the components of the beans like flavor and caffeine. While hot water can create a quick extraction, a lower water temperature takes more time. That’s why cold brewing coffee is often left to sit (extract) for at least 24 hours.
Does Cold Brewing Lead to More Caffeine?
Most cold brews are strong. That’s a major part of their appeal to coffee drinkers. If you can drink an ultra-strong version of coffee that is full of flavor and gives you that caffeine fix, why wouldn’t you? The cold brewing process doesn’t actually extract more caffeine than hot brewing. The flavor and caffeine content of coffee is most affected by the ratio of coffee to water. If you add more coffee grounds before brewing, your coffee will be stronger. If you use less water, you’ll have less coffee, but again, that coffee will be stronger. Cold brewed coffees are typically made with a high grounds-to-water ratio, which is why this drink is so strong.
Can You Make Cold Brew at Home?
If you’re a cold brew fanatic, you might consider making this drink at home for yourself. While there are kits you can purchase, and special bottles that you can use for home brewing, the recipe for cold brew is pretty simple. You may want to look up some ratio guidelines to get you started, but you can experiment on your own with the amount of water and coffee grounds you use. Store the two in a mason jar together for 24 hours and then filter out the grounds when you’re ready to drink.
We Love Cold Brew at Dunn Brothers Coffee
Cold brew is flavorful and strong — two qualities that we love in a coffee at Dunn Brothers. We mix our Infinite Black cold press coffee with delicious flavor combinations to create our Nirvana drinks. To learn more about our drink menu and all of the coffee roasts that we offer, contact Dunn Brothers Coffee in Coralville, IA by calling 319-665-2020.