coffee

Did you know, or have you ever realized that cold-brew coffee is high in flavors but low in acidity compared to hot-brewed coffee? Also, did you know that cold brew coffee is brewed in cold water? It may sound obvious but the name of this type of coffee sounds like something a coffee purist would doubt because, you know, the art of coffee brewing is limitless.

Here is everything you need to know about cold brew coffee

Cold brew coffee and hot-brewed are similar nutritionally and nothing else

If you begin by recognizing the fact that both coffee techniques of preparation use the same beans, the only other shared factor between the two is their nutritional value – both contain the same antioxidants and nutritional signature. Here is how the cold brew coffee differs from hot-brewed coffee.

  1. Fewer acids

Whether you choose to brew your cold brew coffee with cold brew coffee maker or your own ingenious technique, your cold brew coffee will come with lower acidity levels compared to hot-brewed coffee. The cool conditions in cold brew coffee do not permit ample mixing and release of acidic agents. But that’s the attribute that makes cold brew coffee healthy – the absence of these acids means your body’s alkaline-acid balance won’t be disrupted.

  1. Natural flavors

Low levels of acidity in cold brew coffee let your beverage’s real flavors take the center stage. Those flavors bring the nutty, chocolatey, sweet, and even fruity punch although this can depend on the type of beans used. These flavors are hidden by the aggressive acidity and heat in the hot brew coffee.

The flavors elicited by your cold brew can depend on the type of coffee beans, where they were grown, and the manner in which they were roasted. There are three major coffee-growing regions – Africa, South East Asia, and South America – and each area brings their signature blend.

  1. Long life

Cold brew coffee is not heated hence its constituent chemicals are not destroyed. This causes cold brew coffee to stay drinkable for a long time (even months) after it has been brewed. Hot brew coffee, on another hand, allows heat to destroy its chemical component. As a result, hot brew coffee becomes stale a short time after cooling.

Brewing your cold coffee without a cold brew coffee maker is as easy as ABC

Cold brew coffee is probably the easiest type of coffee to brew even in the absence of a cold brew coffee maker. You don’t know how? Try out this recipe:

  1. Add 1 cup of coarse-ground coffee beans into a clean container preferably a mason jar. Find a lid if the jar doesn’t have one
  2. Pour 4 cups of room-temperature or cool water into the container
  3. Proceed to stir the contents of your jar for 1 minute
  4. Close the container with the lid
  5. Let the contents steep for about 12 hours
  6. Revisit your preparation and filter out the coffee grounds. You may need to filter it twice to eliminate all the grounds

Reasons to take cold brew coffee

– More caffeinated cup: Much of the caffeine in your cold brew remains unchanged, thanks to the absence of heat and longer brewing hours (as long as 12 hours!)

– No more watered brew: The biggest setback with hot-brewed coffee is that there is a need to pour it on ice cubes before drinking. The resultant watery diluted taste isn’t particularly impressive. Cold brew coffee has already been prepared at room temperature, so there is no point in adding ice cubes.

– Low acidity: For those who dislike the bitter and acidic taste in hot brews, cold brew coffee is a better alternative because the acidity level is remarkably low. Cold brew coffee is sweeter and mild on the stomach.

– Cost-effective: Although you can use a cold brew coffee maker if you want, it isn’t very necessary – all you need is cold water, a container, lid, and a lot of time in your hands. Keeping the cold brew coffee maker out of the equation means you won’t spend money buying it. Also, you won’t use electricity.

– Goes well with milk: If you looking for the best coffee to mix with milk, you should consider cold-brewed coffee. The sweet taste in cold brew coffee rhymes with milk better compared to the bitter and acidic taste in hot-brewed coffee.

Reasons not to make cold brew coffee

You probably shouldn’t take cold brew coffee, here is why:

– Time-consuming: Cold brew coffee takes longer to brew compared to hot-brewed coffee. While hot-brewed coffee may take less than 10 minutes to make, cold-brewed coffee can take as much as 12 hours.

– Not great in the mornings: Cold-brew coffee doesn’t remotely qualify to be a beverage you would take in the cold mornings. Hot brew coffee would be better.

Things NOT TO DO to your cold brew coffee

Use fresh beans

Cold-brew coffee comes out best when prepared using the oldest beans you can find (more than 2 weeks old).

Be hasty

As aforementioned, cold brew coffee is for those with a lot of time in their hands. Do not prepare your cold brew coffee in 2 hours. The least you can wait is 7 hours. The best cold brew is produced in 12 hours.

Substituting real water with ice cubes

Well, the sky may be the limit for some of the most adventurous coffee enthusiasts out there but preparing your cold brew coffee using ice cubes should be a major No.

And that’s all you need to know about cold brew

Except for the nutritional content, cold brew coffee and hot-brewed coffee is as different as day and night. The reason why you should choose to have cold brew coffee more often is that it is less acidic, it goes well with milk, and is cost-effective. Also, there is more caffeine per cup. The biggest setback about cold brew coffee is the time taken to prepare it. However, it is the sweetest and most palatable type of coffee you can ever brew.