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NFT: Home Cold Brew fans? Any favorite coffee to use?

DanMetroMan : 9/13/2019 12:11 pm
My girlfriend loves iced/cold brew and I like to make cold brew a few times a week. Anyone on BBI have a favorite type of coffee they like to use?
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arcarsenal : 9/13/2019 12:14 pm : link
I'm actually interested in this, too - I love cold brew coffee but it's expensive to buy every day. I bought a pitcher to make my own, but haven't quite found the right coffee to use for it yet. The few batches I've tried have been "eh" and I just wound up dumping it.

I like dark roast coffee when I'm drinking it hot - but apparently it's not all that great for cold brew purposes.

The nitro cold brew Starbucks has is delicious, but it's like 5 bucks and change for a grande (and that's the biggest size they'll give you) which adds up quickly. I don't want to be spending over $100 a month on coffees.
starbucks makes  
bigbluehoya : 9/13/2019 12:26 pm : link
cold brew packs. the coffee is in filtered pouches. you just place the pouch in the pitcher, add water, steep, remove pouch, add more water. I think one of the pouches made us somewhere around a half gallon of cold brew.

My wife made it for the first time last week, and it was good. Not the best cold brew I have ever had, but not half bad and a hell of a lot less mess/hassle than her usual routine of steeping the grounds directly in water with no filter and then pouring it all through cheesecloth...
I  
DanMetroMan : 9/13/2019 12:27 pm : link
know the timeline I like to use is... fill up the pitcher. Let it sit room temperature for 24 hours, fridge for at least 24 more, but I like my coffee strong.
linky  
bigbluehoya : 9/13/2019 12:28 pm : link
.
Co' Brew - ( New Window )
I  
DanMetroMan : 9/13/2019 12:30 pm : link
was out sick a couple of days this week and my GF brought me a latte from Porto Rico coffee in the city... made me rethink my ability to compete! Still think Abraco is the best in the city but damn.
Wish I could self promote here  
beatrixkiddo : 9/13/2019 12:56 pm : link
Haha, I am opening my own coffee business in the coming weeks and have a few types that make for a great cold brew. Just about any roast type will work, just grab something fresh and make sure you use a coarser grind than your typical drip. I prefer Medium - Medium Light roasts, if you can get your hands on a Colombian- Narino or Columbia’s - Huila I particularly like those, or get a medium roast Guatemalan, all HueHuetanengos work great. Haven’t experimented yet with the African Origins, but a good Central and South American bean works great.
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arcarsenal : 9/13/2019 1:06 pm : link
Good looks, hoya... I'll need to try those out. Will probably save me a few bucks in the long-run.
RE: Wish I could self promote here  
arcarsenal : 9/13/2019 1:09 pm : link
In comment 14574133 beatrixkiddo said:
Quote:
Haha, I am opening my own coffee business in the coming weeks and have a few types that make for a great cold brew. Just about any roast type will work, just grab something fresh and make sure you use a coarser grind than your typical drip. I prefer Medium - Medium Light roasts, if you can get your hands on a Colombian- Narino or Columbia’s - Huila I particularly like those, or get a medium roast Guatemalan, all HueHuetanengos work great. Haven’t experimented yet with the African Origins, but a good Central and South American bean works great.


Best of luck with the new biz! That's exciting. Also, thanks for the advice.. I think the grinds I was using weren't quite coarse enough. I'll also have to experiment with some different coffee beans a bit to find the right flavor.

I don't get the obsession with this stuff  
Greg from LI : 9/13/2019 1:11 pm : link
Particularly at the prices they change - 4 bucks for a bottle?
Light roasts come out best and grinding fresh makes a difference too  
Eric on Li : 9/13/2019 1:13 pm : link
my usual go to is this one below from trader joes and another slightly snobbier option that's come out well is the groundwork angel city light roast.
Colombia Supremo Coffee 100% Arabica Whole Bean Medium Roast - ( New Window )
Only make cold brew  
g-baby : 9/13/2019 1:19 pm : link
Living in South Florida I can't remember the last time i had a hot coffee. We keep a pitcher of cold brew in the house at all times.

The market near me has a New Orleans style roast I love to use for cold brew. Buy beans and grind them as coarse as possible. 4:1 water to beans ratio. Let it steep in a bowl overnight (12-16 hours is my sweet spot). Pour through a strainer lined with cheese cloth and you're good to go.
arc 1 mistake i made a lot for a long time was not using enough coffee  
Eric on Li : 9/13/2019 1:22 pm : link
i have a toddy which holds a lot of water (more than a pitcher's worth) and to do a full batch in that thing i need to use like half of the big cans from trader joes (so i guess that's like 5-7 ounces of coffee?) - I grind the beans in 1 of those automatic grinders and then let it sit out of the fridge for about 24 hours, comes out really good now. At one point I got a digital scale and tried to make sure the grams of coffee were about 1/4 the grams of the water and that's when I realized I needed to use a lot more grounds than I had been previously.
I very rarely go to starbucks  
if_i_knew : 9/13/2019 1:24 pm : link
but when I do I get the cold brew plus a shot of expresso for a buck more
RE: arc 1 mistake i made a lot for a long time was not using enough coffee  
arcarsenal : 9/13/2019 1:27 pm : link
In comment 14574176 Eric on Li said:
Quote:
i have a toddy which holds a lot of water (more than a pitcher's worth) and to do a full batch in that thing i need to use like half of the big cans from trader joes (so i guess that's like 5-7 ounces of coffee?) - I grind the beans in 1 of those automatic grinders and then let it sit out of the fridge for about 24 hours, comes out really good now. At one point I got a digital scale and tried to make sure the grams of coffee were about 1/4 the grams of the water and that's when I realized I needed to use a lot more grounds than I had been previously.


That's definitely part of the problem - I felt like I was struggling to find the right ratio. The first few batches I made, I definitely wasn't using enough coffee. I probably still wasn't even after that. So, that's probably a pretty important aspect here.. lol.
There are probably some better recos on this thread already  
Gatorade Dunk : 9/13/2019 1:30 pm : link
but I'm partial to La Colombe, either Nizza or Corsica.
I do miss the canned coffee in Japan  
Greg from LI : 9/13/2019 1:35 pm : link
That stuff was good cold or hot, and not expensive either. Never seen it in the US.
I make my own with a french press  
Eli Wilson : 9/13/2019 1:53 pm : link
Just add a little more(maybe 25%) grounds than usual, and let it sit overnight, or longer, before pressing. I use the same coffee I use for hot.
RE: I do miss the canned coffee in Japan  
DanMetroMan : 9/13/2019 1:56 pm : link
In comment 14574206 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
That stuff was good cold or hot, and not expensive either. Never seen it in the US.


Greg,
A pretty highly regarded canned Japanese coffee company recently finally began selling here. It's not cheap but very good.
Link - ( New Window )
ah yes, I remember Boss  
Greg from LI : 9/13/2019 2:11 pm : link
The roach coach used to sell Boss and Georgia. I preferred Georgia Original but they were both pretty good.

Japan has some horrific drinks (some really strange sodas) but some interesting ones too, like the canned coffee and Aquarius, which was a grapefruit flavored sports drink.

RE: I do miss the canned coffee in Japan  
beatrixkiddo : 9/13/2019 5:52 pm : link
In comment 14574206 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
That stuff was good cold or hot, and not expensive either. Never seen it in the US.


I think your referring to Flash brewed coffee. Not as popular here in the states, but you brew hot over ice to rapidly cool the coffee, it maintains a lot more of the brightness and acidity than you get from a cold extraction method. The cool thing with flash brew is even though it was brewed hot and canned and likely stored cold, you can actually reheat it and it tastes great.
RE: RE: Wish I could self promote here  
beatrixkiddo : 9/13/2019 5:59 pm : link
In comment 14574149 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
In comment 14574133 beatrixkiddo said:


Quote:


Haha, I am opening my own coffee business in the coming weeks and have a few types that make for a great cold brew. Just about any roast type will work, just grab something fresh and make sure you use a coarser grind than your typical drip. I prefer Medium - Medium Light roasts, if you can get your hands on a Colombian- Narino or Columbia’s - Huila I particularly like those, or get a medium roast Guatemalan, all HueHuetanengos work great. Haven’t experimented yet with the African Origins, but a good Central and South American bean works great.



Best of luck with the new biz! That's exciting. Also, thanks for the advice.. I think the grinds I was using weren't quite coarse enough. I'll also have to experiment with some different coffee beans a bit to find the right flavor.


Thanks Arc, it’s been an adventure so far to say the least. Can’t wait to get final approval from Consumer Protection, need to start securing accounts.
Agree on Japan...  
Kanavis : 9/13/2019 6:45 pm : link
That was delicious. I believe it was Dotours. They sold it in cartons.
Costco sells canned Kirkland cold brew coffee  
jcn56 : 9/13/2019 7:05 pm : link
It's pretty good stuff, and it's reasonable (about a buck a can).

Dan - I think you might be steeping it a bit too long. I typically go about 18 hours, and even that's supposed to be on the longer side. I use a Filtron, but any way you do it is fine so long as you can filter out the grounds after. The trick is to not grind your beans too fine, it has to be coarse.
Jose's Organic blend at Costco.  
madgiantscow009 : 9/13/2019 7:13 pm : link
cheaper than non-organic coffees there.
Black rifle coffee  
chiro56 : 9/13/2019 11:02 pm : link
Strong bold . Learning how to cold brew
You might want to give Stumptown a try  
santacruzom : 9/14/2019 2:26 am : link
They have a lot of coffee with a flavor profile that works well for cold brew.
Some great points above - wanted to share a couple twists which I use  
csb : 9/15/2019 11:35 am : link
* Always grind the beans yourself - much fresher than buying ground coffee

* Sometimes I'll flash the light / medium roast with hot tap water for 10 seconds before filling with cold water; have found it increases the flavor but still prevents the acidic flavor that cold brew avoids

* Love making Nitro with NO2 / CO2 and a whip cream charger. Really adds a natural sweet and is incredibly smooth

* Typically I prefer either 36 hours in the fridge or 12 room temp and 12 fridge. I find that for every hour of room temp is equivalent of about 2 hours in the refrigerator

Anyway - hope this is helpful to others.
RE: Some great points above - wanted to share a couple twists which I use  
jcn56 : 9/15/2019 11:37 am : link
In comment 14575629 csb said:
Quote:
* Always grind the beans yourself - much fresher than buying ground coffee

* Sometimes I'll flash the light / medium roast with hot tap water for 10 seconds before filling with cold water; have found it increases the flavor but still prevents the acidic flavor that cold brew avoids

* Love making Nitro with NO2 / CO2 and a whip cream charger. Really adds a natural sweet and is incredibly smooth

* Typically I prefer either 36 hours in the fridge or 12 room temp and 12 fridge. I find that for every hour of room temp is equivalent of about 2 hours in the refrigerator

Anyway - hope this is helpful to others.


Interesting note on the NO/CO - I have a whipped cream charger with CO2, how would I use it to make a cold brew?
RE: RE: Some great points above - wanted to share a couple twists which I use  
csb : 9/15/2019 11:53 am : link
In comment 14575630 jcn56 said:
Quote:
In comment 14575629 csb said:




Interesting note on the NO/CO - I have a whipped cream charger with CO2, how would I use it to make a cold brew?



Pour the cold brew until it is about 3/4 full or to the line; screw in the charger & shake 10 times or so. Let sit for a few minutes and exhaust the CO2 from the charger. Pour into glass like a beer to prevent foam (do without ice as ice will cause the cold brew to over foam). If you want it colder add ice after it has been poured.

Thanks! I have to give that a shot  
jcn56 : 9/15/2019 12:26 pm : link
I don't buy outside coffee very often, but when I do it's a Starbucks nitro brew. Kinda tired of dishing out $6 for that.
RE: RE: RE: Some great points above - wanted to share a couple twists which I use  
ron mexico : 9/15/2019 12:29 pm : link
In comment 14575645 csb said:
Quote:
In comment 14575630 jcn56 said:


Quote:


In comment 14575629 csb said:




Interesting note on the NO/CO - I have a whipped cream charger with CO2, how would I use it to make a cold brew?




Pour the cold brew until it is about 3/4 full or to the line; screw in the charger & shake 10 times or so. Let sit for a few minutes and exhaust the CO2 from the charger. Pour into glass like a beer to prevent foam (do without ice as ice will cause the cold brew to over foam). If you want it colder add ice after it has been poured.


I’ve heard co2 and coffee don’t mix. I think you need pure nitro.

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