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As a classic representative of low-temperature extraction coffee, there is nothing better thanIce drip coffeeandcold brew coffee. Unlike iced Americano/iced Pour over(V60) coffee, which require a pot of high-temperature hot water to be extracted and then added with ice cubes to cool down, ice-drip and cold-brew coffee use low-temperature water throughout the extraction process, so the extraction time is also very long. Since many people say they want to make these two types of coffee at home, Front Street believes that if you want to make delicious coffee, you must first understand their extraction principles.
What is low-temperature brewed coffee?
The movement of hot molecules in hot water will accelerate the release of heavy molecules (bitter) substances in coffee, while cold water does the opposite. When coffee is extracted with cold water/ice water/low temperature, not only is the bitterness not easily released, but other quality flavor molecules in the coffee are also released more slowly, so it takes longer to make up for the low efficiency.
Therefore, low-temperature extraction of coffee usually takes 6-12 hours to allow the pleasant positive flavor substances to be better released and dissolved in the water, giving the coffee a fuller and more fragrant taste.
Grind size for iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee
FrontStreet Coffee usually uses medium-light to medium-roasted coffee beans to make low-temperature brewed coffee, so the coffee beans are ground to medium thickness (as fine as white sugar/China No. 20 standard mesh sieve rate 75%).
If it is too fine, the water dropped from the pot of ice-drip coffee cannot evenly and fully pass through the entire coffee powder layer; after adding water to cold brew coffee, the coffee powder is prone to clumping. These are all causes of uneven coffee extraction and unbalanced taste.
The difference between iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee
Ice drip coffeeIt is a trickling filter extraction. It uses a mixture of ice and water below 5℃, allowing the ice to melt naturally and then controlling the speed of the ice water dripping into the coffee powder through a valve. The ice water drips into the coffee powder and slowly dissolves the flavor of the coffee, and the extraction liquid leaks out bit by bit. The complete extraction time is about 2 to 8 hours.
In order to obtain a better taste, a refrigerated fermentation time of 12 to 48 hours is required. The ratio of each extraction is low (FrontStreet Coffee will use a powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:10 for extraction, that is, 60g of coffee powder extracts 600 ml of coffee liquid). Generally, the concentration is very high without adding ice cubes. If the coffee liquid is too strong, add ice cubes to dilute it according to personal taste. Excellent taste.
Cold brew coffee is steeped or extracted. It is to mix room temperature water/ice water directly with coffee powder, then seal it and put it in the refrigerator to start the extraction process which lasts for 8-12 hours. Different from iced coffee, cold brew coffee is extracted very fully because it is directly in contact with the powder and water. After extraction and filtration, you can drink it directly.
Front Street Coffee Coffee) usually uses a powder-to-water ratio of 1:10 to 1:12. If a stronger ratio is used, that is, 30g of coffee powder is added to 300g of cold/ice water for extraction, the final concentration of the coffee liquid will be thicker and thicker for most friends. We can first add 2 to 4 ice cubes to the cup to keep the coffee at a low temperature while reducing the concentration. The cold brew produced in this way will ensure the flavor and find the appropriate concentration.
If you want your coffee to be lighter, you can change the ratio of coffee powder to water to 1:12 or 1:13. If the grinding and soaking times remain unchanged, the extracted taste will become significantly lighter, which is suitable for most people's tastes.
The difference in flavor between ice drip and cold brew made with the same coffee beans
FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will use its own freshly roasted coffee beans to conduct comparative experiments in this article. Only freshly roasted coffee beans will have a fuller and richer aroma and flavor, so all coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days after roasting.
This time I chose a medium-light roasted "Front Street Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Sun-Dried Red Cherry Coffee Bean". This coffee bean is made from 100% fully ripe coffee fruits, so the coffee itself is very sweet. Coupled with the direct drying of the sun treatment, the sugar is further converted into the coffee beans, accompanied by a slight fruity fermentation feeling.
The ice-drip coffee is made through drip filter. The flavor will show the acidity like citrus, the sweetness and sourness like strawberry and the tea taste like black tea. The taste is refreshing, clean and thorough. As the wine is stored longer, the fermentation like fruit wine will become more and more obvious.
Cold brew coffee is made through immersion. The flavor will show the acidity like citrus, the sweetness and fullness of mixed berry juice, and the sweetness like black tea. The taste is full, rich and clean.
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
