What is cold brew and why do I want it?
Drinking coffee is more than just a fast way to caffeinate. The right coffee prepared the right way is a sensual experience, combining taste smell and mouthfeel into pleasurable pick-me-up. A well-roasted coffee bean offers deep flavors and intriguing aromatics that make you smile before your first sip.
Now, cold brew coffee companies have created a series of new coffee products that offers coffee lovers a new, cooler coffee experience. Because of the way it is prepared, cold brew coffee is smoother and sweeter than its hot pot sibling. These cold brewed coffees are a great option during the hot summer months, or if you just want a great cup of coffee with less acidity.
Why is cold brew different?
Don’t be confused, cold brewed coffee is not the same as iced coffee. Iced coffee has the same acidic bite as hot coffee, just watered down with ice. Cold brewed coffee is a different beast altogether. In cold brewing, the flavors of the coffee bean aren’t rapidly extracted using heat but slowly coaxed out of the bean over time.
Heat speeds chemical reactions. For coffee making, this means that heat causes the flavorful oils in the coffee bean to be released into the hot brewing water. Heat makes your ground coffee dissolve fast. But heat also releases the acids in the coffee bean.
In the cold brew process, rough ground coffee beans are steeped in water for 12 to 24 hours. This time allows the coffee to dissolve into the water without fast forwarding the process with heat. Less of the coffee’s oils are released and so are less of the coffee’s acids. The result is a milder, naturally sweeter taste that still has that rich coffee piquancy.
How can I get the cold brew taste?
Experts agree the best cold brew is a slow cold brew. Because heat isn’t accelerating the process, cold brewing takes time to extract the multi-faceted flavors from the coffee bean. But the final richly nuanced flavor profile is worth the wait.
Cold brew coffee companies know that not everyone has the time, patience or equipment to create the perfect cup of cold brewed coffee. So these companies provide the solution with concentrated cold-brewed coffees and brew your own kits. Cost-effective, convenient and portable, these cold brew coffee products offer coffee lovers a whole new coffee drinking experience.
Here are just a few of the best cold brew coffee companies and what they have to offer:
Trader Joes Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00EBFA2IU” locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate[/easyazon_link] cold steeps rough ground Arabica beans to produce a concentrated coffee syrup with a lush fruity flavor. Blended with water, dairy or other milks, one bottle is enough to make 96 ounces of your favorite coffee drink. This cold brew coffee contains 50% less acid than a hot brewed cup. Trader Joe’s recommends a great recipe using coconut milk.
Grady’s Cold Brew Iced Coffee Kit
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”B00KH4M8FO” locale=”US” src=”http://coffeemakersparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/51MsvNIPNuL.SL160.jpg” tag=”cafe049-20″ width=”160″]Ready to give cold brewing a try? Grady’s offers you everything you need for New Orleans-style coffee. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KH4M8FO” locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]The Grady’s Cold Brew[/easyazon_link] Iced Coffee Kit includes Grady’s “bean bags” that make the brewing process easy. All you need to do is soak a Grady’s Bean Bag in 2 cups of cold water overnight. After 12 hours, you’ll have 3 concentrated servings of cold brewed coffee ready to mix with your favorite liquid. The addition of chicory to the Bean Bag mix gives this coffee a distinctive sweet and mellow New Orleans flavor.
Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee Concentrate
The Chameleon cold brew coffee company offers a 16-hour steeped concentrate that is consciously crafted. Chameleon’s cold brew coffee is made from 100% organic, fair trade Arabica coffee beans. Chameleon cold brew coffee company roasts its beans on-site and uses pure Texas Hill Country water. The result of Chameleon’s brewing process is a coffee concentrate that is mild, smooth and highly caffeinated.
Cool Brew® Fresh Coffee Concentrate
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”137″ identifier=”B003SRSHNY” locale=”US” src=”http://coffeemakersparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/51dYLXmCM1L.SL160.jpg” tag=”cafe049-20″ width=”160″][easyazon_link identifier=”B003SRSHNY” locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]Cool Brew Fresh Coffee Concentrate[/easyazon_link] is the original. This family owned business started it first, making concentrated cold-brewed coffee that you can enjoy anywhere since 1989. The Cool Brew coffee brewing company uses a time-honored New Orleans style of cold coffee extraction to make its concentrate. Cool Brew concentrates are available in 8 handcrafted flavors, including original, mocha, toasted almond and vanilla. You can even purchase a decaf variety. Eco-conscious, Cool Brew recycles the grounds used to make its smooth, rich coffee concentrate, by donating them to EcoUrban, a New Orleans-based landscaping company.If you are ready to experience the full, nuanced flavors of a great cup of cold brewed coffee, give one of these cold brew coffee company’s products a try.
