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How to Pick the Best Coffee for Cold Brew

How to Pick the Best Coffee for Cold Brew

Clark Clark
5 minute read

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Picking the best coffee for cold brew starts with the end product in mind. If your favorite coffee is sweet and creamy then you should go for a budget coffee blend. 

But if you prefer to taste the notes of a single-origin coffee, then you probably want to put a little more effort into your selection. 

Many home-baristas are adventuring to a cup of cold brew, not only for the coffee flavor profile, but it is also an enjoyable way to drink regular coffee without any sugar or milk additives. This makes it a less acidic, healthy cup of coffee.

What is cold brew? Cold brew is coffee that has been brewed for at least 4 hours without the use of any sort of hot water. 

Room temperature water is ok, but cold water is certainly recommended for the cold brewing process. This is the main difference between cold brew and iced coffee.

Do you have to buy special coffee for cold brew? You do not have to buy special coffee for cold brew. All types of coffee beans can be used for the cold brewing process. Although some coffee beans will produce better tasting results than others, it is generally a matter of personal preference.

What are the best cold brew beans?

The best cold brew beans are medium or dark roast coffee beans. However, goldroast coffee provides an entirely new experience with more caffeine and balance for drinking cold brew without cream and sugar

When it comes to the best coffee bean varieties, most baristas agree that Arabica beans make the best cold brew and lighter roasts are to be avoided. 

What kind of coffee is good for cold brew? Medium roast and dark roast coffee are good for cold brew. Due to its low acidity and robust, chocolatey, hazelnut flavor profiles that are common in these varieties. Light roast is generally not selected. 

However, many factors other than coffee beans come into play when it comes to brewing the best cold brew coffee possible. Some of these include your coffee grinder, brewing time, coffee brands, filtered water, or even if room temperature or cold water is used.

Cold Brew Methods

How do you make cold brew coffee? You make cold brew coffee by using either the drip or immersion methods. Each has its own unique process and brewing time that affects the cold brew concentrate and its flavor profile.

Each of these cold brewing methods requires different equipment and processes. One requires steeping to take place, and the other is essentially just a prolonged drip system. There are, however, some similarities between the two methods.

Both methods will produce the best cold brew coffee if filtered cold water with ice cubes is used rather than room temperature. Also, coffee with low acidity has the most suitable flavor profile for either technique and should be coarse ground to produce the best results.

Drip

Although this is a popular cold brewing process for baristas in a coffee shop, the drip method can be difficult to accomplish while at home. This process is where ice-cold water slowly drips into ground coffee, where it is filtered into a carafe.

This process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to complete, and without the proper equipment, can be hard for just any coffee lover to conduct within their own home. 

Yama and other best cold brew coffee makers are beautiful and expensive. For those looking to purchase a cold brew drip coffee maker, affordable sets are available on Amazon. 

There are affordable, tiny footprint models that use a normal amount of ground beans, instead of the giant glass towers in coffee shops. 

Immersion

The immersion method involves steeping your coarse ground cold brew coffee beans for anywhere from 12-24 hours, followed by pouring the contents through a filter to enjoy!

This cold brewing method easily allows for improvisation, since all you need is either a mason jar, filtered water, or your favorite coffee beans at a coarse grind. A french press would also be a fantastic solution for anyone interested in the cold brewing process.

With the purchase of a french press, coffee lovers can make quality small-batch cold brew concentrate and own a coffee maker that makes a tasty cup of hot coffee.

Grind Size

For both of these cold brewing methods, a coarse grind is recommended. If you don’t have a grinder at hand, the baristas at your local coffee shop should be more than happy to grind whatever coffee beans you want to purchase, just make sure they know it’s for a cold brew!

How long is cold brew good for?

Although cold brew is not known for expiring, the coffee flavor itself will taste the freshest if consumed within a week of its brewing time. Letting the cold brew concentrate sit or brew for an extended period will undoubtedly alter its flavor profile.

Feel free to experiment with small batches and find out what your favorite cold brewing method is!

The Best Cold Brew Coffee

What is the best coffee for cold brew? The best coffee for cold brew is gold roast coffee. You can purchase convenient coffee pouches that allow you to cold brew in any container with zero mess. 

Golden Ratio coffee is typically 5 times less acidic, providing a uniquely smooth flavor that is well suited for low acidity cold brew enthusiasts. If it’s your first time, we recommend a Variety Pack. With a flooded market of dark, heavy roasts Gold Coffee is a new exciting alternative for anyone looking to experiment with their morning brew!

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