Cold brew coffee is made by slowly steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in room temperature water for at least six hours (it can be as much as up to 24, but it depends on how strong you want your cold brew it to be, many choose to do it overnight). When the beans are steeped like this it creates a strong coffee concentrate that just needs to be mixed with water and milk to taste.
As the grounds aren’t exposed to hot temperatures, cold brew coffee has a more flavourful, sweeter and less bitter and acidic taste. In a recent study, cold brew coffee was found to be between 50 – 67% less acidic than the average cup of coffee.
It’s a common misbelief that cold brew has to be cold, in actual fact it can be served piping hot too! If you want it cold, simply add cold water, ice and milk (to taste) and for hot you just need to boil water or add hot milk (some will even pop it in the microwave if they’re in a rush).
Now you know what cold brew coffee is, and the differences between a cold brew and an iced coffee, want to learn more about other coffee types? Find out what a macchiato is, next.