Cold coffee is a real all-rounder
Most of you are probably familiar with the saying: “Cold coffee makes you beautiful”. However, where this comes from has long been forgotten. Coffee was often drunk cold to prevent make-up from getting lost. At that time, lipsticks were also made on the basis of wax.
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What is cold brew coffee? How do you best prepare it?
Some people will be a little surprised at this term, because how can coffee be “cold brewed”, since the “brewing” process always goes hand in hand with hot water !? Cold brew coffee is much more than just cold coffee. This variant impresses with its unique taste, which of course depends particularly on the coffee beans used, although you should always use fresh, home-ground coffee. In this case you need a very coarse grind, which should be a little coarser than with a French press.
The following recipe is measured for 1 liter of water, whereby the amount of concentrate is a little less. However, if you top up with a little water at the end, you get exactly 1 liter again, because the coffee powder soaks up some of the water. For 1 liter of water you need 100g of coffee powder.
- Grind the coffee with coarse grinding grade fresh
- Put the grist in a glass, or with the Hario Pot in the filter
- Now add the cold and filtered water
- If necessary, stir the mixture so that the set can be distributed well and then cover everything
- Now let the concentrate steep at room temperature for about 12 hours
- Then filter everything out or remove the filter
- Pour the solution up with water until it reaches one liter again
One liter of delicious cold coffee is ready, which you can store in the refrigerator for ten days and enjoy in many different ways.
And the Ice Brew method?
This variant works in the same way as for the production of hot filter coffee. The difference here is that the coffee is poured over ice so that the hot coffee is immediately cooled.
You will need these utensils for the preparation:
- 1 Chemex carafe (6 cups)
- 300g ice cubes
- 38g of your favorite coffee that you grind with a medium grind
- 300ml hot water
Before you filter the coffee powder through the Chemex carafe, add the 300g ice cubes to the coffee and then brew the coffee with 300 ml hot water in the Chemex. The ice cubes immediately cool the coffee again, so that there is no bitter aftertaste when enjoying coffee later. Thanks to this special combination with ice cubes and hot water, cold coffee retains its typical taste and offers you pleasant refreshment on hot days.
What is an ice drip coffee?
This iced coffee preparation, which we rarely find in bars and cafes, is cult in the USA and Japan. The slow dripping of the melting ice onto the coffee powder has a great fascination for the viewer. The preparation could be seen as a real contribution to deceleration because only one drop of water hits the coffee powder per second. Due to the slow wetting of the coffee and the exceptionally long preparation time of around 5 to 15 hours depending on which maker is used, the result is a concentrated coffee elixir with a taste that is more reminiscent of tea. The concentrate is then stretched with water or ice. In this way you get a mild, cold coffee with a round taste and little acidity.
The preparation with the Hario Water Dripper
Fill the middle container with 72g of ground coffee, whereby you have processed the beans into ground coffee beforehand with a rather coarse grind.
- Moisten the coffee powder with a little water and stir it with a spoon.
- Now place the paper filter on the ground coffee and make sure to distribute the coffee as horizontally as possible so that the dripping water cannot collect on any side, which would lead to uneven extraction.
- Fill the top flask with ice and add a little water to activate the melting process. There should always be enough water to drip down. A ratio of 2/3 ice to 1/3 water is recommended.
Tip: If you place the flask on a scale, you can better control the water / ice ratio. We recommend using a total of 700 g of ice and water for 72g of coffee.
Turn up the drip control mechanism so that the ground coffee is wetted with a drop of water every second. After about 5 to 8 hours, you will get the desired coffee concentrate. Then it is advisable, depending on your taste, to add water, ice or possibly a little milk to the concentrate so that you can enjoy a smooth and harmonious taste.
Why is cold brew and ice drip coffee so popular?
In contrast to the conventional preparation of coffee with hot water, with these production variants you get a particularly balanced aroma that contains less acid and bitter substances, a real alternative even for coffee lovers who want an intense but mild aroma.
Conclusion: cold coffee – variations
Cold brew and ice drip coffee are wonderful coffee variants that you can prepare yourself and that represent a real alternative to conventional methods of preparation. By not using heat, the following advantages arise:
- The versions contain less acid
- They don’t have that many bitter substances
- Thanks to the unusual brewing method, the variants develop their very own aroma notes
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