My Foray into Cold Brew

That which once seemed like a passing fancy is now an almost daily ritual

I remember meeting one of my dear friends a few years ago at a Starbucks near her house (this was back before there were many independent options in the area where she lived). She is a teacher who subsists on a diet of caffeine and the drama of middle schoolers. I asked if she was going to get a latte, but she said, “I’m getting a cold brew. Cold brew is my thing.” I was perplexed, having never heard of this new thing called “cold brew”. To me, at the time, coffee was best served hot. Why would anyone want their coffee cold? I just kind of blew it off at the time, assuming that this was a temporary trend that Starbucks would likely replace within a month’s time with something like a Java Chip Triple Caffeine Surprise with Shards of Rock Candy on top. I didn’t think much of this cold brew thing after that. 

Fast forward to sometime around 2019 or so. I was on another one of my fun diets where I was looking for lower calorie options to get my caffeine on. I decided to try a Kohana Tahitian Vanilla Cold Brew since it was an easy way to have my coffee while commuting to work. It was pretty good — not bitter or sour like other canned coffees I had tried, and not ridiculously sweet either. It also had erythritol, monk fruit, and cane sugar, which keeps the calories lower by mixing in healthier sweeteners. The hubs liked it too. We kept ordering it for a while until all of a sudden we couldn’t find it anymore at our local Kroger affiliate (aka King Soopers) here in the Denver area. FWIW, I just noticed they redid the look of the can and you can get it online or probably somewhere local if you hunt for it. Eventually, my cold brew experiment fizzled out and I didn’t seek out anymore since I had only tried the canned version up to that point. I preferred getting a fresh latte or mocha (when I was feeling indulgent) rather than drink out of a can. 

Summer 2021 arrived, and with it, a random stop at the Chick-fil-a drive through in a moment of sleep-deprived desperation. Not only was I in need of an Egg White Grill, but I was truly in need of some coffee after dropping off my son at summer day camp during the ongoing pandemic (did you know that drive-thru coffee is the #1 prescribed medication for parental pandemic anxiety?). I decided to give the vanilla iced cold brew coffee a try. On this hot summer day, I was finally open to having an iced coffee with my hot breakfast sandwich. Wow. I was really surprised at how smooth the coffee tasted. It was still so dark with what seemed like only a splash of milk or cream, but it was the perfect balance. I was totally sold. 

Once summer camp ended, it was time to give up my hedonistic almost daily CFA coffee habit. My bank account was definitely on board with making a change. After missing my daily infusion of that beautiful dark liquid with swirling clouds of white vanilla creaminess, I finally decided that mere coffee mortals were also able to create cold brew at home. I began researching top-rated cold brew coffee makers/contraptions. Until I was able to give it a good initial try, I didn’t want to invest too much money in my choice. I was tempted by several four-star plus rated options, but I settled on one of the simplest. With over 13,000 reviews and a five-star rating, I chose the County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker on Amazon in the 2 quart size. It arrived quickly, was super easy to put together, and I started using it almost right away. If I have one suggestion, it would be to purchase an additional Mason Jar so that you can brew another batch of coffee while you are finishing up the current batch. Since it takes 24-36 hours or more depending on your taste preferences, it’s important to plan ahead before you run out.  

Oh, and since we are talking about brewing coffee using cold or room temperature water, you have to consider the type of beans you use. As I have mentioned in other posts, I tend to like smooth coffee without bitterness. Cold brew is typically less acidic because of the way it is brewed, so I think you have a bit of flexibility here. From my past research, going with a darker roast of coffee is probably the way to go here. So while I normally wouldn’t consider a dark roast for my morning coffee, I did go that route for my homemade cold brew. I started out with a bag of Peet’s coffee since it was easy to come by during a grocery store run. It has been pretty decent since I tweaked the brewing method and timing. The first batch was too weak, so I went for a longer brew period the second time. That came out way too strong and bitter. I finally settled on 24 hours at room temp with the coarsest grind available in my Breville Smart Grinder. I use a ratio of 1:5 coffee to water. As long as I stick to room temperature, the brew finishes right around 24 hours. If I switch to putting it in the refrigerator after 12 hours, then it comes out at 36 hours total (12 room temp + 24 hours in the fridge). If you decide to jump down the homemade cold brew rabbit hole, I suggest you play around to see what works best for your palate and comfort level of delayed gratification.

Finally, I need to give a serious shout out to Corvus Coffee Roasters here in Denver, specifically their Broadway location. I stopped by a week ago to meet my same dear friend (the one who was an early adopter of cold brew) for a Friday afternoon, and while I almost always order a hot latte with their amazing cashew almond milk, I opted to try their New Orleans Cold Brew. They brew their cold brew like a chemistry lab with awe-inspiring contraptions of beakers and copper pipes. I had never tried their cold brew before since I hadn’t been by in-person since earlier in the pandemic. I was so glad I tried something new! The blend of chickory, cold brew, and vanilla cream was a total party for my taste buds. My only regret is that it was on the smaller side for an iced beverage. I definitely could have consumed much much more of this amazing, unique taste experience. I highly recommend checking it out if you are ever in the Denver, Colorado area.

So there you have it. From a cold brew skeptic to a cold brew junkie. It just took a few years and a pandemic to get me there. I hope your adventures with cold brew yield similar happy results. Cheers!