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Front Street recently saw a discussion mentioning "What is the difference between ice brew coffee and cold brew coffee", and some of the replies below said there is no difference, and some joked that "the coffee made by my hands is what I say it is!" Haha ~ hardcore! So is there a difference between the two?
What is ice brew coffee?
Iced brewed coffee is actually iced drip coffee~Iced brewed coffee means drip extraction of coffee powder using a mixture of ice and water below 1℃. Common ice-drip coffee pots are divided into three parts. The upper pot is used to place the ice-water mixture. Some have valves to adjust the dripping speed, and some set the dripping speed through the original design; the middle pot is used to place coffee powder; and the lower pot is used to store the extracted coffee liquid.
Extraction time of ice brew/ice drip coffee
Due to the low temperature of the ice-water mixture and the drip filtering method, the release rate of flavor substances in the coffee powder will be slower, and the bitterness and other flavors will also be difficult to release. In order to ensure that the sweet and sour flavor in the coffee can be fully extracted, the dripping speed of ice water should be 4 drops per 10 seconds, and the total extraction time should be 4-8 hours.
You cannot drink it immediately after the extraction is completed. The coffee at this time has no taste. It needs to be sealed and left in the refrigerator for more than 8 hours. The sealing process produces carbon dioxide, and the pressure generated by the carbon dioxide allows the coffee's flavor molecules to better express themselves (the alcoholization process). The overall feeling of iced drip coffee is light. It can be said to be clean, refreshing and free of impurities, and the aroma is full and lovely~
What is cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee, also known as cold brew coffee, involves injecting cold water into the coffee powder and then performing immersion extraction. The cold brew method can amplify the various flavors and aromas of the coffee, reduce the acidity, and improve the overall body of the coffee. The equipment for making cold brew coffee is very simple. You only need a container with a lid and a filter tool. You can make it at any time, whether at home or in the office.
Should cold brew coffee be brewed at room temperature or in the refrigerator?
Both will work, but the extraction time will vary. Cold brew coffee at room temperature is recommended to be soaked for no more than 8 hours, while cold brew coffee at low temperature is recommended to be soaked for 12-24 hours.
For cold brew coffee at room temperature, the extraction time will also vary depending on the room temperature. Coffee soaked at room temperature can express a full body immediately after extraction. The disadvantage is that if the extraction time is not what the coffee powder wants, it will release a woody flavor to "demonstrate" you.
The advantage of putting it in the refrigerator is that it can soak out the richness and the woody taste is not easy to appear. The disadvantage is that it takes a long time... Although low-temperature extraction is not easy to extract the impurities and bitterness in the coffee beans, the extraction time is still relatively long after all. In order to avoid the coffee liquid after extraction being too rich, it is recommended to slightly adjust the grinding degree.
Regarding the selection of coffee beans, Front Street believes that you can choose coffee beans with different processing methods or roasting degrees according to your own preferences, provided that the coffee beans are within the best tasting period (2 months). The extraction characteristics of ice-drip coffee can highlight the wine aroma, fruit fermentation, and sweet and sour aroma in the coffee. For example, if you like a clear and fruity aroma, we recommend the ice drops made from Front Street Flower Butterfly coffee beans, which have the sweet taste of grapefruit tea;
If you like the aroma of fermented wine, we recommend the Front Street Honduran Sherry Barrel Ice Drop, which has a rich taste of whiskey and vanilla in the mouth, as well as the sweetness of honey;
But if you prefer the sour and full juice feeling, I recommend Front Street Sundried Oiran Ice Drop, which has active berries and passion fruit sour and sweet, with obvious juice feeling, and the aftertaste has the fragrance of black tea.
How long can ice brew/ice drip coffee and cold brew coffee be kept?
After the ice brew/ice drip coffee is extracted, it can be sealed and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. As time goes by, the flavor of iced drip coffee after three days will weaken and the taste will be very weak.
Cold brew coffee can be sealed and stored in the refrigerator for 5 days after filtering. Although it is said that the flavor of cold brew coffee will become more mellow the longer it is stored, after all, the refrigerator environment is "complex" (especially household refrigerators), and it is difficult to avoid the invasion of bacteria. So it is really not recommended to store it for a week or even a month before drinking it.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
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
