Coffee in its natural state has a sweetness to it. The first time I tasted actual cold brew coffee, it was Sumatra beans from Indonesia, grown in volcanic soil that gives it an almost "chocolaty" taste and naturally sweet. Later I discovered Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and liked it even more. Also good are Trader Joe's Bolivian and Sumatra beans and a couple of their dark roasts. I just take it to their in-store grinder, set it to "ESPRESSO" fine and let it grind into the container. To me (IMHO), the finer the grind, the more bang for the buck you get.
Brewing coffee is really a matter of allowing the oils of the bean seep out of the grind and into the water. So the finer the grind, the more coffee oils you get.
I don't consider this a "down side" (although some may), but with that level of fineness, I get a tiny bit of sludge at the bottom of the carafe, but as I said, I don't mind it, I just pour that out... maybe a tablespoon or so of it. It just tells me that I got all the coffee out of the grounds.
I put my used up grounds in my compost barrel, as it adds nutrients to the compost, and then to the soil when I plant my garden in spring.
I tend to like strong coffee, black and robust, but not acidic. That's what I find with cold brew. You can mix the concentrate as strong or weak as you like it, experiment with it some to find your preference.
For me, as I said above, I make it strong enough that I can't see the inside or bottom of the cup, and it never causes me acid reflux. One-quarter cup of concentrate, fill to the top with filtered water, microwave 2 minutes, ad VOILA!
I'm so spoiled with cold brew that anything else from restaurants or at meetings is just so much swill to me.
Glad you liked it. I've never tried store-bought cold brew coffee, I just jumped in with both feet on the advice of a blogger I used to love years ago. He passed away and his blog fell silent, but for the years that I did read him, he was a treasure trove of interesting information, technical expertise in many fields, and an all-round curmudgeon just like me.
So after he posted on cold brew, I simply bought the brewer from Amazon and tried it... did some trial and error at first to find out what worked best, and the method I laid out is as summation of my experience with the stuff.
You may find that you prefer it weaker or stronger, or that a different grind works for you. My method after about 18 hours of steeping (shaking occasionally) comes out VERY strong, just the way I like it. I still have to combine the concentrate with water before heating and drinking, but it's strong enough that I cannot see the bottom or sides of the cup. It's pretty intense, even after adding water.
Good luck with it. My method is just a springboard for others... your mileage may vary and you might want to tweak or experiment with the method to suit yourself. My wife on occasion will ask me to add a little cream when it's a coffee variety that is particularly dark and strong, but she most often just has it black like I do when it's Sumatra or Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
Excellent thank you. I have to try this because the acid really bothers me. I guess I have some ordering to do.
Coffee in its natural state has a sweetness to it. The first time I tasted actual cold brew coffee, it was Sumatra beans from Indonesia, grown in volcanic soil that gives it an almost "chocolaty" taste and naturally sweet. Later I discovered Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and liked it even more. Also good are Trader Joe's Bolivian and Sumatra beans and a couple of their dark roasts. I just take it to their in-store grinder, set it to "ESPRESSO" fine and let it grind into the container. To me (IMHO), the finer the grind, the more bang for the buck you get.
Brewing coffee is really a matter of allowing the oils of the bean seep out of the grind and into the water. So the finer the grind, the more coffee oils you get.
I don't consider this a "down side" (although some may), but with that level of fineness, I get a tiny bit of sludge at the bottom of the carafe, but as I said, I don't mind it, I just pour that out... maybe a tablespoon or so of it. It just tells me that I got all the coffee out of the grounds.
I put my used up grounds in my compost barrel, as it adds nutrients to the compost, and then to the soil when I plant my garden in spring.
I tend to like strong coffee, black and robust, but not acidic. That's what I find with cold brew. You can mix the concentrate as strong or weak as you like it, experiment with it some to find your preference.
For me, as I said above, I make it strong enough that I can't see the inside or bottom of the cup, and it never causes me acid reflux. One-quarter cup of concentrate, fill to the top with filtered water, microwave 2 minutes, ad VOILA!
I'm so spoiled with cold brew that anything else from restaurants or at meetings is just so much swill to me.
Thank you again.
👍🏾 That's my diversity thumbs up. 😆
I bought some cold brew in the store yesterday to try it before I bought the equipment.
You are absolutely right. I can drink it black, I usually use only half and half, there is no acidity and it tastes great.
I guess I will purchase the equipment to make my own.
Glad you liked it. I've never tried store-bought cold brew coffee, I just jumped in with both feet on the advice of a blogger I used to love years ago. He passed away and his blog fell silent, but for the years that I did read him, he was a treasure trove of interesting information, technical expertise in many fields, and an all-round curmudgeon just like me.
So after he posted on cold brew, I simply bought the brewer from Amazon and tried it... did some trial and error at first to find out what worked best, and the method I laid out is as summation of my experience with the stuff.
You may find that you prefer it weaker or stronger, or that a different grind works for you. My method after about 18 hours of steeping (shaking occasionally) comes out VERY strong, just the way I like it. I still have to combine the concentrate with water before heating and drinking, but it's strong enough that I cannot see the bottom or sides of the cup. It's pretty intense, even after adding water.
Good luck with it. My method is just a springboard for others... your mileage may vary and you might want to tweak or experiment with the method to suit yourself. My wife on occasion will ask me to add a little cream when it's a coffee variety that is particularly dark and strong, but she most often just has it black like I do when it's Sumatra or Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
Thank you again.
The brand I bought was Strok bold.