You may be asking yourself, “why am I reading about cold brew coffee when Starbucks is already selling Pumpkin Spice Lattes?”  The short answer is – flavor.

The high temperatures of regular hot brew coffee leads to the extraction of some unpleasant flavors (think bitterness and high acidity).  Conversely, coffee that is brewed with cool water will result in a more balanced and less biting sip.

The result of a cold brew is usually a concentrated coffee that requires dilution.  This makes cold brew a perfect technique for iced coffee but it is important to realize that cold brew coffee and iced coffee are completely different things.  Cold brew refers to the technique in which the flavors are extracted from the coffee bean.  Iced coffee simply refers to the serving temperature.

So why not take the subtle flavors of cold brew into the winter?  Try starting with a 3:1 ratio of hot water to cold brew coffee and adjust to the desired.  Also adjust the temperature of the hot water so that the resultant drink is around 135°F.

Cold Brewed Coffee

Ingredients

1 gallon cold water
1/2 lb freshly fine ground coffee beans

Steps

-Combine and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
-Strain liquid through a coffee filter.  This can be done by using a colander lined with a well fitting paper coffee filter.
– Keep refrigerated.