The idea of selecting beans for cold brew coffee is different from that of hand brewing and Italian style. Cold extraction requires soaking in cold water for a long time. The dissolution curve in a low-temperature environment is completely different from that in high-temperature extraction. Some beans perform amazingly during hot brewing, but have a weak flavor after cold extraction. Choose the right beans and your cold brew will taste great. Lightly roasted sour beans are used for cold brewing, taking the fresh juice route. Ethiopian sun-dried beans are used for cold brewing, and the fruity aroma is fully preserved. The aroma of strawberry and passion fruit is gently released in the low-temperature slow brewing. The mouth is like a glass of diluted juice, sour, sweet and soft. The cold brew of Yirgacheffe washed beans is more clear, and the citrus and floral aroma are more prominent in cold drinks. It tastes like cold brewed scented tea, suitable for drinking directly with ice in summer. The key to lightly roasted bean cold brew is the balance of sourness and sweetness. A good lightly roasted cold brew will not taste too sour, because low-temperature extraction inhibits the dissolution of some acids, and the fruity aroma and sweetness are more prominent. Medium-roasted nut-type beans are used for cold brew, taking the mellow chocolate route. Brazil's Queen's Manor makes cold brew. The aroma of nuts and cocoa becomes softer and denser at low temperatures, the caramel sweetness is obvious, and the taste is like cold brew cocoa. Mandheling is dark roasted for cold brewing, and the flavors of herbs and dark chocolate are softened by low temperature. The bitterness is much lighter than when brewed hot, but it has a mellow sweetness in the mouth. The advantage of using medium-dark roasted beans for cold brewing is that they have a thick taste and blend well after adding milk, making them suitable for cold brewing latte. Blending beans for cold brew is a cost-effective choice. The complementary characteristics of the blending production areas are still effective in cold brewing. Brazil gives the base sweetness and Colombia gives the brightness. Several flavors are fully integrated during long soaking, and the taste is more balanced than single-origin beans. The daily rations are cold brewed and blended with beans. The cost is controllable and the quality is stable. You don’t have to worry about soaking in large quantities. The impact of processing methods on cold brew flavor is also worth noting. The sun-treated beans are used for cold brewing. The fruity aroma is more intense and the sweetness is thicker. It is suitable for pure cold brewing. Washing and processing the beans for cold extraction has a cleaner flavor and brighter acidity, making them suitable as a base for drinks with juice added. Honey-processed beans are used for cold brewing. The sweetness is outstanding and the taste is between sun-dried and washed. It is suitable for making cold brew latte with milk. Grind size is a key parameter for cold brew. For cold brew, it is recommended to use a coarse grind, with particles close to the size of coarse sugar. Grinding that is too fine will easily lead to over-extraction during long soaking, and too many bitter substances will be dissolved; grinding that is too coarse will result in insufficient extraction and a weak flavor. A coarse grind combined with a 12 to 18 hour soak time is the standard parameter window for cold brew. In terms of powder to water ratio, the recommended cold brew ratio is 1:10 to 1:12, which is much thicker than hand brewing. Because the cold extract will be diluted with ice cubes at the end, if the concentration is not enough, the flavor will be too weak after adding ice. The cold extract solution made at a ratio of 1:10 has just the right concentration after adding an equal amount of ice cubes. For light-roasted fruity beans, the recommended ratio is 1:10, which will make the fruity aroma more prominent; for medium-dark roasted, full-bodied beans, the recommended ratio is 1:12, as too strong a bean may cause bitterness. The idea of selecting beans for cold brewing is to first determine the style. If you like fresh fruit acidity, choose light-roasted sun-dried or washed beans. If you like mellow chocolate, choose dark-roasted blends or single-origin beans. Then adjust the grinding degree and powder-to-water ratio, and the cold-extraction product will be basically guaranteed.
The freshness of cold brew beans also needs attention. Beans that are too fresh will have strong exhaust gas and many bubbles during soaking, and the water surface will bubble and overflow, affecting the powder-to-water ratio. It is recommended to do cold brewing after growing the beans for 7 to 10 days. The exhaust gas will be stabilized and the soaking will be more even. The prepared cold extract should be sealed and refrigerated, and the flavor will be best if consumed within 3 to 5 days.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
