4 ms·
I'm somewhat of a coffee snob, and have had quite a few _very_ expensive cups of cold brew from both the best locally known shops as well as some of the more "f
by johnbrodie 9y ago
I'm somewhat of a coffee snob, and have had quite a few _very_ expensive cups of cold brew from both the best locally known shops as well as some of the more "famous" shops in California.
At best, I can't tell the difference between cold brew bought from a shop using "high end" beans and what I make at home with a bag of 12 O'clock Coffee from the grocery store. The end of the article makes it seem like the beans are important in cold brew, but from my experience, that's just not the case - given you aren't using preground coffee, rubusto, or some other truly "bad" coffee. It's the opposite of espresso, where the bean, it's freshness, the grind, and the time all need to be within a fairly tight range to produce something worth drinking.
- mc32 9y ago>It's the opposite of espresso, where the bean, it's freshness, the grind, and the time all need to be within a fairly tight range to produce something worth drinking If true, it's little wonder coffee companies would love cold brew since it's less expensive to deliver to the end customer --that and that it prolongs the drinking season --but this is no surprise if one recognizes the popularity of cold teas in much of the tropics and semi tropics.
- bigredhdl 9y agoI agree. I'm kind of a coffee snob too, but my coffee expenses went down considerably when I started cold brewing versus hot brewing. Not only can you use a less expensive bean, but you can often use less beans overall.
- jghn 9y agoI've become a huge fan of the Dunkin Donuts cold brew for similar reasons.
- aabaker99 9y agomy favorite shop would actually use the beans that were about to expire for their cold brew specifically for this reason. they could no longer use the beans for espresso but they still made the best cold brew I have had to date.
- nkrisc 9y agoAs far as taste goes, I've noticed the biggest difference from pour over brewing methods. Now I can't say for certain I would be able to tell in a blind taste test (same beans, different method) but the best coffee I've had has always been pour over. There's a chance it's just the beans, though.
- Terribledactyl 9y agoI'm a hobby coffee roaster and anytime I have an off batch (by espresso or pour over standards), I add it to my cold brew bean bin and get very good results. Can't really distinguish the bean beyond the degree of roast, and mixing the beans achieves some consistency. The only times this has failed me was exploring the very darkest or lightest roasts.
- yazan94 9y agoOn a tangent, but where do you source your beans from?
- Terribledactyl 9y agoUsually from: https://www.sweetmarias.com https://www.sweetmarias.com (or their more commercial counterpart http://www.coffeeshrub.com http://www.coffeeshrub.com)
- clairity 9y agoi don't consider myself a huge coffee snob (i'm fine with cream and sugar laden starbucks after all) but i dislike the taste of cold brew. it's more astringent and lifeless than just about any regular coffee to me, so maybe that explains it. plus, i'm just not hipster enough to drink it. =)