As the weather warms to a balmy 80 degrees (ok, so we're still shivering in Seattle) it becomes extremely tempting to commit one of the most egregious coffee crimes: brewing hot coffee, adding cream, and pouring your coffee-milk concoction over ice cubes.
Freeze! No wait- don't freeze! Stop right there. Do not drink iced coffee unless it's cold brewed!
You won't find awful, diluted, cold coffee at Zoka. We don't brew our cold coffee hot and then cool it down. We brew our cold coffees
cold from the very beginning.
Why we do the cold brew
There are 25 acids in coffee that make it taste so amazing- citrus and
malic being the two best tasting (think: oranges and apples).
When coffee is hot brewed (and hot brewed poorly), it breaks down - good acids turn into quinic
acid and that creates a foul astringent taste. Ever sampled a coffee
from your local gas station? Taken a sip from a mystery mug that's been
sitting way too long? Zapped your coffee in the microwave? THAT
mouth-puckering, spit-it-out, downright disgusting taste is the result
of hot brewed coffee breaking down and turning astringent.
With cold brewing, the breakdown of the acids never occurs because the
acids are never allowed to fully develop. Pure genius.
Cold brewing is an option if you're willing to brew well in advance and
if you prefer cold coffee without the acidic bite.
Cold brewing (also called Toddy or cold press) has many advantages. The
cold brew process brings out sweet brown sugar, mouth-watering maple
syrup, and heavenly chocolate flavors (the favorable flavors), while
muting the bright citrus and honey notes. You can serve it iced cold
without the diluted, acidic effect.
The flavor relies heavily on sweet notes and the coffee is much smoother
than if one took hot-brewed coffee and cooled it down.
The secret to Zoka's "mmm"azing cold brew? Meet Toddy.
Meet the Toddy
It's extremely difficult to cold brew at home without a cold brewer. We
recommend the Toddy for cold brew beginners.
The Toddy allows coffee grinds to soak in room temperature through the
night. It's wonderfully low-tech, uses no electricity, it just needs three simple things:
gravity, coarse-ground coffee beans, and 10-12 hours of steeping time.
Toddy Tips
-
Grind the coffee beans at a coarse setting.
-
When you're using the Toddy, be sure to pour the water slowly and
gently in a circular motion
-
Resist the temptation to stir. Just tap the top grounds with the
back of a spoon to ensure all grounds get wet.
-
Cold brew your coffee 12 hours for optimal flavor
One you're done cold brewing, serve iced, hot, or blended with
chocolate. Try Zoka's
Colonel Fizroy's Blend or any of our other sweeter coffees in coarse ground for your cold brew.
When you start cold brewing your cold coffee, you'll taste the difference right away.
If you have any cold brewing tips or have ever tried to cold brew at
home, comment below!
6 Comment(s)
What kind of coffee do you recomend for cold brewing?
Also, once coffee is cold brewed, how do you recommend heating it up? Will zapping it in the microwave be ok?
Thanks!
We have a Toddy's at home & we absolutely love it! Much smoother flavor and no bitterness. The only thing is you can never go back to bad coffee ;-) Another plus is you can make iced coffee quickly & easily. (You just need cold water!) We usually do it overnight, so 12 hrs doesn't seem all that long.
Ramiro:
I definitely recommend one of the Brighter acidity coffees: think Rwanda Abukundakawa. The cold brew process will tame the acidity and bring out the turbinado sugar sweetness to make an excellent refreshing beverage that needs no milk or sugar.
Microwaving coffee is never a good idea because it breaks down the compounds that give the coffee its excellent flavor and brings on that quinic acid this blog talks about, similar to letting a pot of coffee sit on a hot plate for a long period of time.
The cold brew process generally makes a coffee concentrate that is to be cut with water. My recommendation is to cut this concentrate with boiling water if you want it hot.
If you are every curious about what cold brew toddy should taste like, stop into one of the Zoka cafes and taste the single origin they have available :)
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
Where can you buy the Toddy?
@Terja
For instant Toddy goodness check out their website: http://www.toddycafe.com/
Also - keep your eye on Zoka's coffee brewing equipment. We keep our selection updated with lots of great items for your brew.