For more knowledge about specialty coffee, please pay attention to: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee）
Iced coffee has a refreshing and soothing taste. Even in the winter, customers come to Qian Street to order this iced coffee. Iced coffee has a different extraction principle than hot caffeine, so the flavor of the coffee will be different.
The origin of cold brew coffee
The production of cold brew coffee is a low-temperature extraction method that uses cold water to soak coffee powder at a low temperature and reacts for a certain period of time to release aromatic substances. The iced drip coffee and cold brew (cold brew) coffee that we often see in coffee shops are all forms of cold brew. Gradually, everyone is accustomed to calling cold brew coffee according to their own understanding.
Cold brew coffee originated in European countries. In the 16th century, the Dutch were unable to use hot water to brew coffee due to long-distance sea shipping. They had no choice but to soak the coffee in cold water. Unexpectedly, they found that the taste was very unique, soft and smooth, and not as strong as hot coffee. Soon, this method of brewing cold water coffee was spread to more areas through air routes. Ice-drip coffee using drip-type low-temperature extraction began to spread due to the ice-drip pot made by the Japanese.
The difference between cold brew and hand brew
No matter which way you brew your coffee, water is a critical ingredient. During the extraction process, a series of chemical reactions will occur between water and coffee. The temperature of the water directly affects the extraction rate of different components in the coffee.
When brewing coffee by hand, we use nearly boiling hot water to pour into the evenly ground coffee powder to extract the flavor substances inside. Front Street recommends that the water temperature should be controlled at 87 to 93°C, because too high a temperature can easily make the coffee burnt and bitter, while too low a water temperature cannot fully extract the flavor substances. In addition, the water injection method, time, grinding degree and other factors will affect the taste of coffee.
Cold-brew coffee extracted at low temperature and slow speed requires a longer extraction time to release enough aroma components because the coffee powder reacts much slower in cold water than Pour over(V60) coffee. Cold brew coffee made in Front Street usually soaks for 12 hours, while ice-drip coffee is made with a flow rate of 7 to 8 drops/10 seconds, and can usually be completed in 7 to 8 hours.
During the coffee brewing stage, the small acid molecules come out first, followed by the sweet molecules, and finally the large bitter molecules. As the temperature increases, substances are extracted faster, and various changing factors may affect the taste of coffee. Therefore, various parameters that affect the extraction rate need to be carefully controlled in hand brewing. Cold brew extracts much less bitter substances in a low-temperature environment than high-temperature hot water. The richness and body of a cup of coffee mainly come from bitter substances. Without the support of bitter substances, the taste of coffee is likely to be thin and lacking in aftertaste.
Some friends will also ask Front Street, what is the difference between cold brew coffee and iced hand-brew coffee? Which one is better? As mentioned above, hand brewing is a high-temperature extraction of hot water, which is then cooled by ice cubes to give it a chilled taste. The cold brewing process is always in a low temperature environment, and the coffee molecules move slowly. Both have a refreshing taste, but there are still some differences in flavor. If you are curious about the flavor and tonality of different coffees, Front Street thinks you might as well ask the barista first, so that we can have a better experience.
Tips for making cold brew
Cold brew only requires fresh coffee beans, a grinder, and an airtight container for coffee. The convenient operation is indeed very trouble-free. Although there is generally no need to worry about over-extraction with cold brew coffee, there are still some small details required to make a delicious cup of cold brew coffee. Front Street has summarized a few points here for your reference.
1.Choose freshly roasted coffee beans
No matter which extraction method is used, the first thing to ensure is that the coffee beans are freshly roasted. Since coffee goes through a bean-raising period of 4-7 days after roasting, it will enter a best tasting period. After this period, the aroma of the coffee will evaporate more quickly, and the flavor and taste will be greatly reduced. Front Street understands the importance of coffee freshness, so the coffee beans shipped are freshly roasted within 5 days, and the coffee beans are at their best when received by customers.
Compared with the rich and complex layers of Pour over(V60) coffee, cold brew coffee pursues a cool, sour and sweet taste and fermented fruit aroma. Therefore, Front Street recommends the following three types of coffee beans.
"Refreshing floral and fruity flavor - Front Street Flower Butterfly Coffee Bean"
This coffee bean comes from the Panama production area, which has nutrient-rich volcanic ash soil. The coffee beans produced have a fragrant floral and fruity aroma. The washed process highlights the clear white floral aroma and citrus flavor of the coffee. The cold brew coffee made by Front Street using this coffee bean presents the sweet and sour taste of grapefruit green tea.
"Fermented wine aroma——Front Street Honduran Sherry Barrel Coffee Beans”
This Honduran sherry coffee bean is fermented in whiskey barrels. The coffee beans present a rich aroma of vanilla, cream and whiskey. It is a very popular coffee bean on the front street bean list. The sherry cold brew coffee has a rich aroma of fermented wine and the sweetness of honey.
"Strong fruit tea type——Front Street sun-dried Oiran coffee beans”
The sun-dried Oiran coffee beans are made from mature coffee fruits whose pulp sugar content is as high as 30%. The fructose fermented in the sun gives the beans a full fruity sweetness. The cold brew made from this coffee bean has active berries, passion fruit, sour and sweet taste, obvious juice flavor, and a refreshing aroma of black tea in the aftertaste.
2.Grinding degree and powder to water ratio
Like pour-over coffee, the grind size for cold brew needs to be taken into consideration. Grinding too coarsely or too finely can easily lead to bitter or tasteless coffee. Front Street recommends using a slightly finer grinding ratio than Pour over(V60) coffee. Front Street uses a No. 20 standard sieve with a pass rate of 85% as a reference. Richness is also related to the ratio of powder to water. Front Street recommends 1:10 to 1:12. The extracted coffee can be drank directly, or diluted with ice cubes to a consistent concentration for tasting.
3.Soaking time and storage
Front Street usually soaks the coffee one night in advance for about 12 to 14 hours. The next day, the filtered coffee grounds can be taken out and the extracted coffee liquid can be obtained.
Front Street once tried soaking for more than a day due to forgetfulness, and the extracted coffee liquid was bitter and irritating. Everyone also needs to pay attention to the control of extraction time to avoid waste. In addition, the space where the coffee is stored will absorb various flavors in the air. If we store it in a household refrigerator, Front Street recommends choosing a container with a better sealing to avoid affecting the flavor.
You can now purchase Front Street Coffee's single-origin coffee beans and Italian blend coffee beans at Tmall's "Front Street Flagship Store". There are 60 kinds of coffee beans from all over the world, freshly roasted and shipped 24 hours a day.
Tmall link：https://qianjieshipin.tmall.com
Or you can directly search for "Front Street Flagship Store" on Taobao
FollowWECHATOfficial account, read more about specialty coffee beans
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
