The Cold Brew Thread

UNM

Well, I am a but slow in posting this update, but a bit over a week ago, I made a slight variation on cold processed coffee. 60 gram approx of coarse ground coffee (RMs four bean blend) 330 ml of Bundaberg Rum. sealed in a jar for approx 10 hours and then filtered and chilled. This is interesting in many ways. When the rum was added to the grounds they poisitively fizzed, much more active than with a water extraction. I assume this is because alcohol is a far more effective solvent than water. The end result is a powerful concoction and no mistake. I had thought that rum would provide a suitable amount of sweetness, but still find it a tad rough on the back of the throat and am considering maple syrup or golden syrup as a mild sweetener for the last couple shots. I suspect it would be good in a granita, suitably sweetened and served with dark chocolate, but I don't have enough left for that. Next time I will try vodka as the fluid, should give a purer coffee taste.

RichardM

You could try a slightly "sweeter" alcohol. Maybe Drambuie, or Cointreau? The other one that might work well would be gin - the bitterness would kind of be familiar to the tongue with the coffee flavour.

UNM

I think drambuie is basically whisky and honey isnt it?

askthecoffeeguy

I like the sound of rum and coffee - makes sense to me!

UNM

on 1336737224:

I like the sound of rum and coffee - makes sense to me!

That is what I thought. Mind you, I did have half a bottle of rum that had been sitting around for about four years... Mead might be an interesting extraction fluid too. Wonder what other fluids can be used. Any chemists care to offer ideas?

hiphipharar

Rather than using the spirits as a solvent, prepare the cold brew coffee in the usual way (with water). Then try cocktails of cold brew and various spirits to see which works. You can then vary the proportions.

askthecoffeeguy

served up some Nicaragua Cup of Excellence Lot 10 Dan May by way of cold filter during the week - and it was just damned delicious - would've liked to have seen some more age on it (it was 10 days post roast but still a baby) - but that was never going to happen  :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

WotB

Some interesting things I've found with regards to cold brewing (immersion method): Brewing at room temp gives a more well-rounded brew. Brewing in the fridge takes the top off the brew, flavours don't infuse as easily, so the earthy notes come through.

Jonty

I would be interested in how long you all let your beans rest for cold brew.  I have done roast of  Guji to just rolling 1C.  Do I need to wait 4-6 days or can one grind away earlier?

hiphipharar

on 1347082671:

I would be interested in how long you all let your beans rest for cold brew.  I have done roast of  Guji to just rolling 1C.  Do I need to wait 4-6 days or can one grind away earlier?

I've found resting at least a couple of weeks provides a smoother result.

RichardM

on 1347086143:

I've found resting at least a couple of weeks provides a smoother result.

Wow. I go the opposite for full flavour - I roast it at dinner time, leave it in open air overnight, then grind the next morning in a 1:10 ratio with water. Chunky grinds. It's a little hygroscopic, so you have to shake it up.

UNM

on 1347092844:

Wow. I go the opposite for full flavour - I roast it at dinner time, leave it in open air overnight, then grind the next morning in a 1:10 ratio with water. Chunky grinds. It's a little hygroscopic, so you have to shake it up.

I do a 1:4 ratio leave overnight approx 10 hour at room temp. Usually use beans rested about a week.

whatAcoffee

Hi All, 1st posting  Just for reference, I made a Cold Brew using * Grappa * home made spirit for the owner of building I rent at my workshop. I don't drink alcohol, so I can't say what it tasted like. BUT, It smelt fabulous. The Grappa is 54% Proof.  :stir This made me wonder what it would be like brewed using Port and other fragrant wines.  :coffee:

Kelsey

Has anyone tried using one if these from Ministry Grounds? http://ministrygrounds.com.au/coffee-equipment/hario-mizudashi-cold-brew-pot.html Space is at a premium and there's not a chance that the more DIY efforts in this thread would be acceptable!

UNM

Not used one. As I tend to make a concentrate, I am not sure the mesh part would hold enough coffee (my brew ratio is 1:4). If you are brewing a ready to drink batch, should work fine. Height might be an issue in some fridges, looks quite tall

whatAcoffee

Just a thought. What about making a Coffee * bouquet garni * in a tall jug etc. Would save a lot of filtering. You could even reuse the muslin cloth after rinsing. 1 cup coffee to 4 cup water in a 6 cup jug. +/-

C-man

with these lighter roasts, do you still need to wait a week before brewing?

WotB

I rest my roasts in an open container in a stable temperature/humidity environment for about 24 hours.

C-man

sounds good, thanks

beanflying

After the last few hot days in this part of the world and one real Scorcher time to get the Cold Gear back into production again Although not strictly Cold Brew couple of very nice Long Affagattos in the last few days but I promise I will roast and brew some cold drip later in the week [attachimg=1]

askthecoffeeguy

I like to wait 7 to 10'days post roast to do a cold filter coffee -'so that the oils are just starting to come to the surface of the bean - so that I can capture those oils and the yummy goodness that they provide! I reckon that we sold at least 20 cold filter coffees at work today - it's definitely the right time of year for it! Been using El Salvador Santa Rita new season Red Boubon - and it's coming up a treat !

JeanetteT

I had a go at WotB's formula and was really pleased with the result. Thanks for sharing

WotB

Glad you enjoyed the results.  I think a lot of times we inherently make things much more complicated than they need to be.  Cold brew is as simple as things get.

Brett H

Well, what do we have here... Tea/coffee infuser $15, Separation funnel $31, off cuts $0, fun.... Well you get the picture... And here it is: ... And now after some fiddling:

Kelsey

That looks fantastic! Top notch stuff mate, I reckon you could sell those. Are you worried about splashing with the receptacle sitting so low?

Brett H

Hi K and thanks.  I haven't tried it yet to be honest.  Nice light roast this morning and I'll give it a shot.  If it is too high ill just cut the legs off.  I'm thinking 150g of coffee to the litre as a starting point.  I have a 2.2 litre jug that sits comfortably under but that becomes useless if my basket holds less than 200g roasted.  I'm in the 'suck it and see' phase of development.  After that, if it works well I'll post that it does and you clever folks here can refine and build ones for yourselves!  Took about 20 mins!!  :thumb:

Kelsey

Nice - looking forward to your results, it could be a good Christmas project.

askthecoffeeguy

mate that looks amazing! is the infuser glass walled? or otherwise how do you direct the flow downwards? and I agree that's worth paying for! p

UNM

on 1355117822:

is the infuser glass walled? or otherwise how do you direct the flow downwards?

Looks like fine mesh to me. At a guess he is relying on gravity for the downward flow. Perhaps a simple flexible plastic liner  will avoid any sideways leakage

Brett H

on 1355119241:

Looks like fine mesh to me. At a guess he is relying on gravity for the downward flow. Perhaps a simple flexible plastic liner  will avoid any sideways leakage

Spot on UMN! Had the maiden voyage today.  No sideways leakage whatsoever and can get about 60-70g of course grounds in the basket.  The 500ml trickled through in 8 hours and the roast was a very light Mexican Organic.  The pot is in the fridge insight for tasting tomorrow.  It smells amazing... Can't wait!