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4 Things You Should Know About Cold Brew

by Equator Coffee Roasters on Jun 09, 2023

A person pouring our cold brew concentrate into a glass.

Cold brew has made its way through coffee lovers’ hearts, for its smooth flavor, and versatility. Here are some of the most common questions about cold brew:  

  1. What is cold brew?
  2. Why use cold brew?
  3. Is cold brew stronger than espresso?
  4. Where to get Cold brew?

1. What is a cold Brew?

Cold brew is the result of the process where freshly roasted coffee beans are grounded and placed into a filter in a container of some sort. Then, cold water is poured over the coffee grounds. The mix of coffee grounds and water are steeped together between 12-18 hours. The grounds are removed from the brew, and what’s remaining is cold brew!

Any single origin coffee beans can be used to make cold brew, but to optimize flavor, we suggest organic certified coffee (free from pesticides and preservatives), high quality specialty grade coffee, and 100% Arabica. Like cooking, using high quality and fresh ingredients is a game changer to that final product.

Dark roasts are great for a roast flavor, and if mixed with milk, sweetness will be able to cut through. While a medium roast coffee will bring out more of the natural flavors from within the coffee, a dark roast will bring more of the roasting flavors forward. This extraction method is generally less acidic then an espresso shot and offers a much smother and balanced flavored coffee.

2. Why use Cold Brew?

Cold brew has many awesome features and benefits that truly make it a great product.  The reasons are:

2.1 More balanced in flavor

This brewing method allows for a longer extraction time, and different chemical reaction than an espresso. The result of this brewing method is a less acidic, smoother, and balanced flavor.

2.2 Consistent, cold brew is a lot more forgiving than espresso.

The cold brew process is a lot more forgiving than making an espresso. If there are human errors along the way in the brewing process, then it’s less noticeable. For espresso, there are many variables that affect the result.

2.3 Good Pre-workout and post-workout beverage.

The brewing process makes the caffeine concentrate higher, giving it a nice boost before and after workouts. They also have a less intense caffeine release than espresso, the caffeine crash is more of a slow decline than immediate hit of fatigue. Cold brew coffee is low calories as it's only made of organic coffee and water!

2.4 Easy to use!

Instead of scrambling to make a shot of coffee, you can simply pull-out cold brew from your fridge. This is ideal for on-the-go lifestyles such as parents, students, professional etc. Even if you just want to save time and spend that quality time relaxing. You can take it with you to the cottage, or on a road trip.

2.5 Versatile.

This product can be consumed as a cold drink, such as a shot on the rocks, or can be mixed with water and ice to make an iced coffee, or with milk to make an iced latte. It can also be consumed as brewed coffee by adding hot water. This brings out a lot of sweetness from the coffee beans. It doesn’t stop there, there are countless mocktails and cocktails that can be made with this product.

2.6 Affordable luxury

You can now enjoy a good coffee without compromising on not having a high-end espresso machine like there are in a café. You can recreate your favorite iced lattes without breaking the bank!

3. Is cold brew stronger than espresso?

Cold brew can be made into any strength, depending on how much water is added to the recipe. However, cold brew generally has a bold flavor if it’s made in a concentrated format for versatility. The TDS (total dissolved soluble) makes a big difference, and every person and company will make this differently. Cold Brew is stronger in flavor than iced coffee or iced americanos, as iced americanos add water to compose the drink. Cold brew and espresso have similar strengths in boldness in flavor, but cold brew has a smoother flavor, body, and is generally less acidic than espresso.

Cold brew can be consumed “on the rocks”, as a shot, or with added water to make a cold brew americano. This would be a lot more balanced in flavor and less harsh in acidity than using an espresso shot over ice.  

4. Where to get Cold brew?

Cold brew can be purchased pre-made from our line store here or picked up from one of our cafes. You can also make your own by purchasing our coffee beans and using a cold brew maker.

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