Brewing Guide: Cold Recipes
Typically, I prefer starting my day with hot coffee rather than cold coffee simply because my body isn’t ready for something icy so soon after waking up. These recent balmy days, however, have me favoring cold coffee preparations. Here are some recipes I’ve been enjoying.
Iced Pour Over
Also known as flash brew, an iced pour over adjusts a few factors of your conventional pour over or drip coffee recipe. Keeping your coffee dose the same, you’d basically reallocate a portion of the hot water you’d use for brewing (about one third) to ice that you brew onto. This keeps your brewing ratio of coffee to water the same. Since less hot water passes through the coffee grinds, you’ll want to use a finer grind setting to expose more surface area. This will ensure greater extraction so your end product is the same strength as your usual cup. The resulting brew will be cold but you may need to add more ice if you want it colder.
Iced V60 Recipe
Yields 1 cup
- 20g coffee
- #16 Grind on Baratza Virtuoso/Encore
- 120g Ice in carafe
- 40g Water - bloom for 60 seconds
- 160g Water - over 3 or 4 pours
I’ve applied the same principles to making iced coffee on my parents’ 5-Cup Bonavita Connoisseur Brewer with great success. This is my preferred way to make cold coffee since it preserves the aromatic compounds, acidity, and clarity that I enjoy in my coffee. Using fruitier coffees – like our current Ethiopia Duromina or Kenya Kayu AA – will yield extremely refreshing beverages!
Cold Brew
This is one of the easiest ways to make coffee after a French Press. Actually…a French Press is what I used to make cold brew. The principles are amazingly simple. Coarsely grind coffee and steep it for at least 12 hours at room temperature or in the fridge. Drain and you have a concentrate to dilute to taste.
French Press Cold Brew Recipe
Yields 2-3 cups
- 100g Coffee
- #30 Coarse Grind on Baratza Virtuoso/Encore
- 600g Water
- Stir to ensure all grinds are saturated and submerged
- Let steep for at least 12 hours
- Strain/drain and dilute to taste
Personally, I don’t drink cold brew straight; I find it to be unclear and overwhelming. There’s also a distinct flavor note I’m not fond of. I do think cold brew makes a great concentrate to be used with extracurricular add-ins like milks, syrups, seltzers, lemonade, etc. With sustainability in mind, I’ll note that cold brew uses more coffee per serving so it’s a less efficient brewing method and a bit more of a treat.
Whether you prefer juicy iced coffee or chocolatey cold brew, I hope you’re finding suitable ways to enjoy your brews amidst this heat!