Cold-brew coffee

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 7:53 pm

Has anyone ever tried this? Having to walk my dog on hot mornings, I didn't really want to drink hot coffee, so I whipped up some cold brew. You basically grind up several ounces of coffee, either seal it in a filter or just dump it straight into a big container, add water, cover it and let it sit until it's dark brown (generally about 12 hours or so).

It's really good, easy to make and I found out it's a lot less acidic than other coffee preparations.

Cold-brew coffee 19292010378_5c817cc580_b

Cold-brew coffee 19292010378_5c817cc580_b

You do need to strain it if you don't use a filter to begin with, though.

by captain Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:10 pm

Thanks Ben

Don't have a coffee percolator here, I would love to get real coffee so will try this. All I need now is the coffee grinder and some pointers of the best coffee to go for. I read that the arabica coffee bean was the best and there was a particular farm that never mixed the beans.

by eddie Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:52 pm

Is it like iced coffee, frapaccino?
That's nice when it's - hot day.

But over here Ben, we only drink rainwater seeing as we have so much of it pffffff

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:18 pm

It's actually kind of like the coffee version of sun tea, minus the sun (do y'all do sun tea over yonder? Smile

)

The beans are never heated, which means they release their bean-y goodness differently -- less acid, and sometimes more caffeine -- you might find you have to dilute it, especially if you don't use a filter and you let it sit for more than 12 hours.

I just take it with a little milk and sugar, and it's really nice -- the final dregs are really rich in particular.

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:18 pm

Sorry, forgot -- you need to have sun to make sun tea Razz

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:23 pm

Going to give that a go overnight tonight. What the hell is sun tea. Mind you, you have iced tea over there which I found disgusting. But as I like iced coffee, I'll probably like your cold brew coffee.

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:30 pm

captainJane wrote:Thanks Ben

Don't have a coffee percolator here, I would love to get real coffee so will try this. All I need now is the coffee grinder and some pointers of the best coffee to go for. I read that the arabica coffee bean was the best and there was a particular farm that never mixed the beans.

Sorry, almost forgot my pointer -- Sumatran beans are my very favorite. I don't know if Community Coffee is exported to the UK, but their Hotel and several other blends are really good, and generally not too pricey.

by eddie Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:32 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:Sorry, forgot -- you need to have sun to make sun tea

Yes you do Sad

Your coffee sounds nice, you're drinking the "soaked beans" rather then the burned beans...sort of,

A barista told me you should never pour boiling water on coffee granules as all you do is burn them.
I grew up making the black mans coffee; coffee, condensed milk (or cream) then hot water; never hot water first!

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:33 pm

sassy wrote:Going to give that a go overnight tonight. What the hell is sun tea. Mind you, you have iced tea over there which I found disgusting. But as I like iced coffee, I'll probably like your cold brew coffee.

Haha, I know a lot of Brits hate iced tea -- I actually drink it both ways, but they're really different. I also like an Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.

Sun tea is where you put the tea bags in a jar of water and let them steep in the sun. I don't imagine it would be very good warmed up, and it's actually kind of risky to drink, since there's no heating or chilling of the water to kill bacteria.

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:34 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
captainJane wrote:Thanks Ben

Don't have a coffee percolator here, I would love to get real coffee so will try this. All I need now is the coffee grinder and some pointers of the best coffee to go for. I read that the arabica coffee bean was the best and there was a particular farm that never mixed the beans.

Sorry, almost forgot my pointer -- Sumatran beans are my very favorite. I don't know if Community Coffee is exported to the UK, but their Hotel and several other blends are really good, and generally not too pricey.

I don't brew 'proper' coffee very often, tend to use instant, but when I do, has to be Blue Mountain beans that I grind myself, have a coffee/spice grinder.

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:34 pm

eddie wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:Sorry, forgot -- you need to have sun to make sun tea

Yes you do

Your coffee sounds nice, you're drinking the "soaked beans" rather then the burned beans...sort of,

A barista told me you should never pour boiling water on coffee granules as all you do is burn them.
I grew up making the black mans coffee; coffee, condensed milk (or cream) then hot water; never hot water first!

That's right. I do like hot coffee, but not after a half-hour dog walk when it's already 30 degrees outside Smile

by eddie Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:37 pm

I like iced tea, peach-flavoured.
Any really good fruit tea from Whittards is nice when iced.

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:39 pm

eddie wrote:I like iced tea, peach-flavoured.
Any really good fruit tea from Whittards is nice when iced.

Like fruit tea iced, but tea tea is undrinkable iced to me, and the peach flavour is the worst lol

by eddie Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:41 pm

sassy wrote:
eddie wrote:I like iced tea, peach-flavoured.
Any really good fruit tea from Whittards is nice when iced.

Like fruit tea iced, but tea tea is undrinkable iced to me, and the peach flavour is the worst lol

I never used to like it but I think one's taste changes after a few years?
There's loads of things I really like now that I never used to, and things that now, I find too sweet?!
Weird.

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:44 pm

eddie wrote:
sassy wrote:

Like fruit tea iced, but tea tea is undrinkable iced to me, and the peach flavour is the worst lol

I never used to like it but I think one's taste changes after a few years?
There's loads of things I really like now that I never used to, and things that now, I find too sweet?!
Weird.

True, there are things I used to hate I love now, but iced tea isn't one of them! And I never have liked sweet things, my downfall is creamy things.

by eddie Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:45 pm

My downfall is Danish pastries
If I buy them, I'll eat every last one. Sad

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:53 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
sassy wrote:Going to give that a go overnight tonight. What the hell is sun tea. Mind you, you have iced tea over there which I found disgusting. But as I like iced coffee, I'll probably like your cold brew coffee.

Haha, I know a lot of Brits hate iced tea -- I actually drink it both ways, but they're really different. I also like an Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.

Sun tea is where you put the tea bags in a jar of water and let them steep in the sun. I don't imagine it would be very good warmed up, and it's actually kind of risky to drink, since there's no heating or chilling of the water to kill bacteria.

perhaps you should modernise your water supply ?????

you know get with the 21st century and add a bit of chlorine.....or if you cant abide that idea a bit of silver colloid?

christ i knew you lived in a bit of a backward place BEN...but at least we can drink our water straight Rolling Eyes

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:55 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
eddie wrote:

Yes you do

Your coffee sounds nice, you're drinking the "soaked beans" rather then the burned beans...sort of,

A barista told me you should never pour boiling water on coffee granules as all you do is burn them.
I grew up making the black mans coffee; coffee, condensed milk (or cream) then hot water; never hot water first!

That's right. I do like hot coffee, but not after a half-hour dog walk when it's already 30 degrees outside

you shoudnt be walking your dog in that sort of heat.....grrrrrrrr

get up early or go out later.......snarl

by Ben Reilly Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:24 pm

victorismyhero wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:
eddie wrote:

Yes you do

Your coffee sounds nice, you're drinking the "soaked beans" rather then the burned beans...sort of,

A barista told me you should never pour boiling water on coffee granules as all you do is burn them.
I grew up making the black mans coffee; coffee, condensed milk (or cream) then hot water; never hot water first!

That's right. I do like hot coffee, but not after a half-hour dog walk when it's already 30 degrees outside

you shoudnt be walking your dog in that sort of heat.....grrrrrrrr

get up early or go out later.......snarl

Vic, we're talking 8 a.m. -- it's okay though, he's very heat tolerant, takes it better than me, actually Smile

Probably his Chihuahua side.

by Guest Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:37 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
victorismyhero wrote:

you shoudnt be walking your dog in that sort of heat.....grrrrrrrr

get up early or go out later.......snarl

Vic, we're talking 8 a.m. -- it's okay though, he's very heat tolerant, takes it better than me, actually Probably his Chihuahua side.

in that case get up and walk him at 5:00 am yah lazy so and so Razz

by Ben Reilly Sun Sep 20, 2015 12:18 am

victorismyhero wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:
victorismyhero wrote:

you shoudnt be walking your dog in that sort of heat.....grrrrrrrr

get up early or go out later.......snarl

Vic, we're talking 8 a.m. -- it's okay though, he's very heat tolerant, takes it better than me, actually Probably his Chihuahua side.

in that case get up and walk him at 5:00 am yah lazy so and so

You're not the boss of me! Razz

by Guest Sun Sep 20, 2015 1:01 am

and aren't you glad of that........ Twisted Evil

by Ben Reilly Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:01 am

victorismyhero wrote:and aren't you glad of that........

Um ... yeah. But seriously, there are a lot of days in North Texas where it never cools down to 30.

by eddie Sun Sep 20, 2015 9:50 am

I really, really like different seasons! I could never live in a country where you get either hot or cold.

By the time summer is over I'm really looking forward to autumn and the fall of the leaves.
Love winter and wrapping up and then when you're just abiutnsicknof the cold....along comes spring; stunning time of the year.

by Ben Reilly Sun Sep 20, 2015 5:37 pm

eddie wrote:I really, really like different seasons! I could never live in a country where you get either hot or cold.

By the time summer is over I'm really looking forward to autumn and the fall of the leaves.
Love winter and wrapping up and then when you're just abiutnsicknof the cold....along comes spring; stunning time of the year.

We have seasons here too -- the record low for my area was -21. It just tends to be warmer on average, and what feels like autumn to me probably would feel like summer to you. For example, the average high temperature in London for October is 15; we won't see temperatures like that until December.

by eddie Sun Sep 20, 2015 8:31 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
eddie wrote:I really, really like different seasons! I could never live in a country where you get either hot or cold.

By the time summer is over I'm really looking forward to autumn and the fall of the leaves.
Love winter and wrapping up and then when you're just abiutnsicknof the cold....along comes spring; stunning time of the year.

We have seasons here too -- the record low for my area was -21. It just tends to be warmer on average, and what feels like autumn to me probably would feel like summer to you. For example, the average high temperature in London for October is 15; we won't see temperatures like that until December.

Oh yes I know you get seasons too, that's sort of what I was saying, counties like ours get the best of all worlds.

Apparently, England is going to see temps of 25 in October - but then the other day we were supposed to be bracing ourselves for the coldest winter yet Rolling Eyes

by veya_victaous Mon Sep 21, 2015 12:00 am

@victor
it can be 30C at night in summer down here

the dogs are fine but you have to let them go at there own pace and bring a water bottle (plenty of taps on my route so not a problem)

My dogs would be much more upset about not getting their walk at the right time then putting up with a little heat.

40C+ and yeah it's too hot (it is probably acclimatization too)

by veya_victaous Mon Sep 21, 2015 12:02 am

@ben
you hipster, this is all the rage in the hipster cafes around work I haven't tried it yet.

Most seem much more complex in then what you described though Laughing

by Ben Reilly Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:24 am

veya_victaous wrote:@ben
you hipster, this is all the rage in the hipster cafes around work I haven't tried it yet.

Most seem much more complex in then what you described though

Ah, I can't be a hipster if I don't overcomplicate things, right? Smile

Seriously, you can just break the beans with a rock and dump them in a jar, as long as you filter it. The easity is one of the cool things about it.

I have had to take my dog for a walk when it's around 40 outside. Luckily, he knows well enough to take care of business quickly so we're not out more than 15 minutes or so.

by veya_victaous Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:16 am

I don't know ben smashing your coffee beans with a rock sounds a bit hipster and If you use a mason jar... {veya google searches}
Lolz.. Ok.... Google says you are Ultra hipster ben, Apparently those fancy contraptions are for a lower grade hipsters, Should have Known A real hipsters Like things 'organic' and natural/traditional... And then you go and Out hipster the lot by using a rock, instead of one of those grinders that are just Commercialization of nature by the man!!! Cold-brew coffee 3239900740

.

Cold-brew coffee Cold-Brewed-Iced-Coffee-Method-One

by Ben Reilly Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:26 pm

Well, especially since I bought the rock at Urban Outfitters Smile

by veya_victaous Mon Sep 21, 2015 10:46 pm

how longs it keep for?
you say several ounces and a big container How big? measured in mugs of coffee?

And you're just using room temp water? the Fancy hipster contraption get filled with ice cubes up top, all seemed a bit too much effort. as you'd need half a freezer of ice Suspect

It is starting to heat up down here so I'll probably give this a go.

by Ben Reilly Mon Sep 21, 2015 11:37 pm

veya_victaous wrote:how longs it keep for?
you say several ounces and a big container How big? measured in mugs of coffee?

And you're just using room temp water? the Fancy hipster contraption get filled with ice cubes up top, all seemed a bit too much effort. as you'd need half a freezer of ice

It is starting to heat up down here so I'll probably give this a go.

It should keep for about two weeks, after that it loses freshness so I've never tried keeping it longer than that.

I use water from my Brita filter pitcher, which I keep in the fridge, but I leave the container on the kitchen counter, so I don't think temperature is going to matter too much.

I like to make a big batch since it takes a while. Probably about a liter to two liters of water, with maybe 50-75 grams of coffee per liter. A liter lasts me about a week, but I have one huge cup per day, so your results may vary Smile

Right now I'm doing up a two-liter batch that I'm going to steep for about 16 hours. If it's too strong you can always dilute it, like a concentrate.

by veya_victaous Tue Sep 22, 2015 12:10 am

I will try and let you know the results

I even have a mason jar at home Wink

by Ben Reilly Tue Sep 22, 2015 12:12 am

veya_victaous wrote:I will try and let you know the results

I even have a mason jar at home

Awesome, hope it comes out well! TBF, I didn't let my first batch sit long enough and it came out tasting like weak-coffee-flavored nosebleed.

by veya_victaous Tue Oct 06, 2015 3:51 am

made it over the weekend, liked it. a lot less bitter/acidic.
we had heat wave at the same time hit 39C in the shade So excellent Ice coffee.

Cold-brew coffee 8Qly4y3

the only problem I had was i like sugar in my coffee and it doesn't dissolve in cold coffee, tried making a jar with water with sugar already dissolved in it... mild success.

by nicko Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:19 am

Has anyone tried the beans that some Animal craps out, if so whats it like?

by Ben Reilly Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:06 pm

veya_victaous wrote:made it over the weekend, liked it. a lot less bitter/acidic.
we had heat wave at the same time hit 39C in the shade So excellent Ice coffee.

the only problem I had was i like sugar in my coffee and it doesn't dissolve in cold coffee, tried making a jar with water with sugar already dissolved in it... mild success.

Glad it came out well! I've heard South Australia is really hot right now. Makes sense, since it's finally cooling down here Smile

@nicko -- never have, never will! Too gross.

by veya_victaous Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:21 pm

nicko wrote:Has anyone tried the beans that some Animal craps out, if so whats it like?

I haven't but my mum just came back from holidays in Indonesia and tried it, the animal is a civet by the way (Asian palm civet)
Cold-brew coffee Asian-palm-civet

She said it was good but didn't live up to the hype. not worth the price

Plus there are many concerns about the welfare of the civets used to 'farm' the coffee
Cold-brew coffee 675747

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