As perhaps it is known (though more likely unnoticed and therefore unknown), I am an avid drinker of coffee beverages. It can also be attested that I dislike hot coffee (mainly because it is, well, hot). Using ice cubes to bring the temperature down waters the coffee down, requiring a delicate balance of creating mud-like coffee to be diluted with the right amount of ice. Even when planned perfectly, it can end not well. Leaving coffee out can make it stale sometimes.
There has to be a better way.
Well, while doing research for using coffee in beer, I came across a method that is known as "cold-brewing".
Basically, one lets coffee grinds sit in cold water for an extended period of time. Substituting water, one can cold brew coffee in beer in a secondary fermentation. Basically, though, cold-brewed coffee can be added in any part of the brewing process (substituting for parts of water or simply being added by itself).
Enough about coffee in beer, cold-brewed coffee is a very different drink from regular coffee -- hot coffee has more in common with its concentrated brother, expresso, than cold-brewed coffee. By using a cold-brewing process, the acids from the coffee are not extracted, making the final product not as bitter as regular coffee (the reason people add sugar and/or cream to it). The final product is also more concentrated than regular coffee, so it can be added to something like milk as a flavoring.
In order to make cold brewed coffee, you need a container (mason jars are perfect), a filter of some kind, coffee grounds, and water.
-Add 4 parts water to 1 part coffee to the container (for example, for every cup of water, add 1/4 cup of coffee)
-Make sure all of the grounds are in contact with the water
-Place container in the fridge for a minimum of 3-4 hours, though overnight works best
-Filter coffee grounds out by pouring the container through a filter into a different container. Repeat as necessary
And boom, it's there, concentrated not-bitter coffee
Adding ice to this beverage works moreso as a pure temperature regulator than a diluter, making this a perfect choice for iced coffee beverages.
-- Knuttel
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2 comments:
Interesting... I've never tried cold brewing. I worked in coffee shops for years, and, to make iced coffee, we'd simply hot-brew it and put it in the fridge overnight!
yeah, i have been drinking coffee seemingly forever, and ive only heard of it recently while looking up beer stuff
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