Get to know your cold brew

Between the years of 2011 and 2016 the market for cold brew grew by 580% in the US. Although the growth in this category has steadied, cold brew is still a popular choice with 10% of coffee drinkers in the US stating that they enjoy cold brew at least once a day in 2017.

Cold brew originally hails from Japan and has a different chemical process to your typical hot coffee, meaning that the final product is a lot less bitter and acidic than most other coffees. The same beans can be used to brew either hot or cold coffee but the flavour profiles are generally quite different. Usually a cold brew will produce a smoother and more delicate flavour coffee.

How does cold brew extraction work?
Extraction of cold brew happens at a lower temperature than hot coffee and is done for a much longer period of time. Dubbed the long-term steeping process, coarse ground coffee is stirred into water and allowed to sit for a minimum of 12 hours before it is strained. The combination of cooler temperature and longer contact time produces a quality tasting beverage.

Contrary to the name, you don’t have to serve your cold brew cold. The name refers to the brewing method as opposed to the serving method. Before iced lattes became popular cold brew coffee was brewed as a concentrate, diluted with boiling water and served hot. It can also be used in a variety of beverages and cooking such as tiramisu.

Five on-trend ideas for using your cold brew:

1. Create a smoothie with a healthy boost! Add some to your next smoothie, it works a treat with bananas, nut milk oats and flaxseeds. A morning wake-up with a real kick!
2. Try a Thai cold brew, combine cold brew with sweetened condensed milk for a smooth sweet drink.
3. Mix Cold brew with soda water and a flavoured syrup such as Monin Blueberry syrup or passionfruit syrup for a refreshing summer beverage.
4. Cold brew cocktail (our personal favourite). Try the classic espresso martini or even a coffee Negroni by updating the classic style and adding in a bit of coffee concentrate.
5. Traditional Affogato with a cold twist. Pour your cold brew over ice cream and perhaps add a flavour shot of liquor for that extra something.

References:

National Coffee Association USA 2018, ‘Cold Brew coffee description’, Cold Brew Coffee Guidance for Industry,’ viewed 8/04/2019, <http://www.ncausa.org/Portals/56/PDFs/Cold%20Brew/2018_NCAColdBrewToolkit.pdf>

National Coffee Association USA 2018, ‘The NCA Guide to Cold Brew’, Industry Resources Cold Brew, viewed 5/04/2019, <http://www.ncausa.org/Industry-Resources/Cold-Brew>

Hardwick, N 2016, ‘Behind the trend: Cold brew coffee’, BBC Good Food, viewed 5/04/2019, <https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/article/behind-trend-cold-brew-coffee>

Flavour & The Menu 2018, ‘Coming in for cold brew’, Top 10 Trends issue, viewed 5/04/2019, <https://www.getflavor.com/coming-in-for-the-cold-brew/>

Thomas Jefferson University 2018, ‘Hot brew coffee has higher levels of antioxidants than cold brew’, Eureka Alert The Global Source of Science News, viewed 5/04/2019 <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/tju-hbc103118.php>