Iced Coffee x Cold Brew at home

The iced coffee season is here and we're already dreaming of ways to make our favourite Coaltown Brews, our own at home. Whether that's spicing it up with some whipped cream, salted caramel ice cream, peanut butter or a little booze we are here to encourage you to do it!

But before we jump all in, let's start by making a simple iced coffee and a cold brew recipe that we can use as a base and adapt as desired.

What’s the difference between iced coffee and cold brew?

Iced coffee is as simple as using espresso-style brewed coffee over a glass of ice with your chosen milk or just water if you wish to keep it black. But if you want to get a little more specific, iced coffee is made with espresso that’s brewed for around 28 seconds and comes out as 36 grams of pure coffee from your espresso machine.

 Cold brew is a little more elaborate and requires more time. As opposed to simply pouring regular brewed coffee on ice, cold brew consists of leaving coarsely ground coffee saturated in cold water for a minimum of 12 hours. The longer the coffee is being infused, the stronger and tastier the flavour will get. Imagine cold brew as a concentrate, that you can dilute with whatever you desire, alternative milk, water or tonic.

With that in mind, how do you start?

It's easy, really. All we need is your favourite tall glass filled with ice (pre-chilled in your freezer if possible) brewed coffee and if you fancy, some homemade sugar syrup, we recommend a sugar that's tasty and has been mindfully processed. Our go-to is BONRAW Panela sugar, a handmade tradition that's endured in Colombia for centuries. It's delicious: fine with full-bodied flair and ready to enrich all your favourites like your regular brown sugar, only naturally. Just simply use a 2:1 ratio when making sugar syrup with BONRAW Panela. Double the amount of sugar to the half of the boiling water. Mix it all up and there you have it, let it cool, pour it into an air-tight bottle and store it in your fridge to sweeten your future brews!

If you feel like it, why not get your shaker or blender involved? Chuck all your ingredients in and shake, like a cocktail. Think of it like a non-alcoholic energising espresso martini!

What are the best coffees to use for cold brew?

For a more fruit forward profile, especially if you like your cold brew black, our Natural Ethiopian single origin is the winner, called BOOKKISA. If you like something a bit more mellifluous with notes of milk chocolate and caramel and prefer to sweeten things up with milk and sugar, we would recommend our new Washed Honduran single origin, Finca El Jardin. 

Are freshly ground coffee beans a better choice?

Let’s face it, freshly ground coffee beans always taste better, but ground coffee will make your iced brew just as tasty!

 

Should I filter the water I use to make Cold Brew?

The better the water is, the tastier the ice brew will get! Cold brew is 98% water so make sure it’s fresh and clean!

What grind should I use for Cold Brew?

Coarse, like you would grind for a french press. This makes filtration nice and easy.

What should the coffee-to-water ratio be?

1.Weigh out 50g of coffee.

2.Grind the coffee medium-coarse, to a similar grind you’d use for a French Press.

3.Pour your coffee into the Hario bottle’s chamber/into your bottle.

4.Fill your bottle with approximately 700ml of cold water or adjust your coffee to water using a 1:14 ratio if need be.

5.Put the lid on your bottle and give it a good shake.

6.Put your bottle in the fridge.

7.After 12 - 18 hours, your cold brew will be ready to drink. Pour it over ice and dilute it with some water or milk of your choice.

Explain the brewing time. How long should I let my Cold Brew steep?

When you're looking for the ideal coffee brewing process, the key is to start somewhere with a 12-hour window. Keep in mind that stretching from 12 to 18 hours is also acceptable, although letting the coffee sit any longer or shorter than this will not be ideal. The combination of both the water and the grounds should reach levels of equilibrium, which can significantly slow down the entire extraction process.

What other drinks can you create once the base is brewed and ready to sip?

Like anything, you can add your own spin on things. If you’re looking for something sweet, add a drop of syrup or a scoop of ice cream you could even amp things up with a spoonful of peanut butter to elevate the nutty taste.

Do I need to keep Cold Brew refrigerated after making it?

YES!

How long does Cold Brew last after making it?

Up to 10 days refrigerated. If your cold brew starts to taste off, use it as a one time plant food and feed your plants with it. Dilute it with 2 parts water and 1 part left over cold brew ( Don't overdo it).

Can I make Cold Brew with decaf beans?

DEFINITELY! Jenkin Jones' taste notes are chocolate, sweet and citrus. Could it be a better combination of taste notes to make it into a delicious and refreshing glass of cold brew?!

 

More recipes are coming soon by us! Keep your eyes peeled!

 

If you want to request some summer inspired recipes, pop it in a comment below!