Cold brewed coffee/tea

DavidSteel · 11-02-2009, 03:33 PM

I was just wondering why when adding coffee (or tea) to a secondary, why must they be cold-brewed coffee (or tea)? Would 150 degree water temp be fine? The only reason I can think of why it would be better to do a cold-brew is because if the water is too hot, tannins might be release from the tea (I'm not sure if this is true of coffee). Was just wondering why.

**GilaMinumBeer** · 11-02-2009, 03:38 PM

Lots of people consider cold brewed to be smoother.

Tanins, maybe.

shortyjacobs · 11-02-2009, 04:31 PM

You can cold brew 12 oz of coffee in 1 L of water. Cold brewing gives excellent extraction, due to the multiple days the coffee steeps.

You basically get coffee concentrate.

This allows you to add the punch of gallons of coffee to your beer without adding a whole bunch of water.

DavidSteel · 11-02-2009, 06:27 PM

Oh I see. Is the general time for steeping 24 hours? And do you do this in room temp water or do you put it in the fridge or what?

JKoravos · 11-02-2009, 06:38 PM

I don't think you HAVE to cold brew it. Try it both ways, see what you like better. You can even combine the two. Cold brewed/steeped coffee has a different character than hot brewed. You may be able to tweak the ratio of cold brewed and hot brewed to get a character that works best for you.

beerad · 11-02-2009, 07:43 PM

Cold brewed or cold pressed coffee is less acidic and will allow more flavors off the bean to come through.

EricCSU · 11-02-2009, 10:25 PM

I cold brew coffee for consumption as well as an additive for desserts or ice cream. Like people have said, it can be perceived as much smoother. It has a higher pH, so it is less acidic than coffee. I like that because it does not bother my acid reflux as much.

If you are not familiar with the procedure, this website outlines the procedure. I have fine-tuned my method to be slightly more specific:

1. I always allow the coffee to brew for about 12 hours. Less is too week and more doesn't taste as good (too bitter I think).

2. The ratio that I use for cold brew is 6.3g fresh ground coffee beans to 1 oz of coffee (this is about 38g per cup, compare it to the ratio of 10g per cup of hot coffee). I have a one quart french press, but I can only get about 22 oz of water due to the high volume of beans.

3. After the coffee has finished brewing, I slowly depress the plunger and then pour into a lexan nalgene bottle and store in the fridge. It is good for at least a week (I haven't had any last longer).

4. On the serving end, I use a ratio of 3.75 parts water to 1 part cold press coffee for hot coffee. For an 8oz mug, I will put 2oz of coffee and then fill with hot water from a tea kettle. For iced coffee, my preference is 2 parts coffee to 1 part cold water, over a full glass of ice. These are only my preferences, YMMV.

Have fun!

Eric

beergutbrew · 11-18-2009, 07:16 PM

Brewed a Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and am almost ready for the coffee addition.
Are there any sanitization steps I need to worry about? Everything I've read states that I may need to boil and cool the water prior to steep and sanitize the vessel the coffee will steep in.
Any suggestions?

DavidSteel · 11-18-2009, 09:43 PM

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout? Oh man, I only had one of those and it was sooooooo bad (but it was old too). Tasted sour lol

**wyobow** · 11-18-2009, 11:58 PM

Hey beergutbrew how about the recipe for lagunitas cappuccino stout ?