Iced Coffee

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
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ex trahere
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#1: Post by ex trahere »

So I have been making cold brew for the last three years or so. I have changed methods over time, but have ultimately settled on a cold immersion followed by a cloth filtration.

I generally don't make cold coffee until summer, but it was in the eighties last week, which prompted me to make a few batches. I made some of Barrington Coffee's Perla Negra from Costa Rica, as well as Wrecking Ball's Rwanda Rulindo Tumba. Both were amazing as a multitude of brew methods, but as cold brew they really shined.

Anyways, this in conjunction with the new brewing section got me wondering about others ice coffee habits/preferences. Got a favorite method? Or do you just not care for it?

Here is a post from Jamie running through iced coffee methods commonly used today.

http://blog.barismo.com/2011/08/iced-coffee.html
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the_trystero
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#2: Post by the_trystero »

I do cold brew for bulk convenience with inexpensive beans in the summer. But after doing a lot of blind tastings amongst beans of similar roast profile I stopped using expensive beans, they all end up tasting the same. This is with the basic toddy system.

For personal iced coffee with nice beans I've been doing the Aeropress over ice.
"A screaming comes across the sky..." - Thomas Pynchon

jonny
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#3: Post by jonny »

Last summer I had La Peppina. I used it to make iced lattes. I would let the espresso cool for a few minutes, pour it over ice with a little simple syrup and a splash of milk. Those always turned out nicely and the Peppina is a joy to work with for a straight shot here and there. When fall rolled around and I was back to cappuccinos, La Peppina got neglected, so I sent it to a better home. With summer approaching again, I now kind of wish I still had it! I did do some cold brews that turned out pretty nicely though I didn't feel like they kept for as long as some people claim. After 24 hours, it would start to taste like old brewed coffee. I ended up using the Aeropress to make small quantities. Just load it up inverted, about 6 or 8 ounces of water (can't remember how much coffee I used. Maybe like 30 grams?), let it sit over night, then press it. I can't remember all the details though, like the grind or brew temp (room or fridge).

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the_trystero
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#4: Post by the_trystero »

I meant to post this link. A couple of related articles along with a few posts on H-B steered me away from cold brewing for finer coffees.
"A screaming comes across the sky..." - Thomas Pynchon

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JohnB.
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#5: Post by JohnB. »

I've been using a Hario Mitzudash 1000ml Grande for several years now & really like the cold brew it produces.
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yakster
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#6: Post by yakster »

At the risk of repeating myself here, I'll post my iced coffee recipes. I love iced coffee when I hot brew into ice, but I'm not a big fan of the cold process brew. This is most likely because I favor bright iced coffees like Kenya and Ethiopia and drink them like juice. My favorite trick is to brew a quick batch, pour it into a metal water bottle, and take it to the movies. I brewed a double batch for an overnight trip to Alcatraz (before the TV series made the rock so popular) since there's no food or drink on the island. Had to rush out the door right after brewing the coffee and almost missed the ferry looking for parking... my Wife almost had to kill me over this one.

It's important to make sure that all the ice is melted before pouring out the coffee if your sharing otherwise you'll end up with different coffee concentrations as the ice dissolves. Your basically making double-strength coffee and diluting it with melted ice. Ive always wanted to make iced coffee by brewing into dry ice, you could brew at full strength and the CO2 would probably make it more of a coffee soda. The other think I've been meaning to try is making iced coffee using one Aeropress base holding the ice (without the plunger) connected by the funnel to another Aeropress above it brewing the coffee, all into a cup or coffee server. A sort of daisy chain, ganged iced brewer.

Iced Chemex
40 g Coffee
283 g Water
196 g Ice (~8 cubes)

Double-batch "Alcatraz" Iced Chemex
80 g Coffee
566 g Water
392 g Ice (~16 cubes)

Single-Serve Iced Aeropress
14 g coffee
100 g water
70 g ice (~3 ice cubes)

*Cube size may vary.
-Chris

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the_trystero
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#7: Post by the_trystero »

Interesting, I've been doing 18 to 20mg with 100mg of water for iced Aeropress.

Good point on the tip to wait for all the ice to melt.
"A screaming comes across the sky..." - Thomas Pynchon

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ex trahere (original poster)
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#8: Post by ex trahere (original poster) »

the_trystero wrote:I do cold brew for bulk convenience with inexpensive beans in the summer. But after doing a lot of blind tastings amongst beans of similar roast profile I stopped using expensive beans, they all end up tasting the same. This is with the basic toddy system.

For personal iced coffee with nice beans I've been doing the Aeropress over ice.
I have never used a Toddy, what is the filtration method? The only type of immersion cold brew I will stand by is cloth filtered. Stainless mesh allows fines to get in the resulting brew which indeed will muddle the flavor and texture. Paper filtration won't allow an optimal amount of oils in, thus resulting in subdued flavors and less mouthfeel.

IME, cloth filtered cold brew, with a grind in-between drip and press steeped for 18-24 hours results in a beverage that will have many of the characteristics of a hot brewed cup. I actually prefer it after it has aged in the fridge for a day. I could without a doubt tell the difference between a Kenya Othaya, Guatamalan El Bosque, and a Colombian El Meriano (All of which I prepared as Cold Brew last summer, hence the example) in a blind tasting. I will note however, that although I do not use inexpensive coffee, I will use coffee that would be considered stale for drip or espresso (day 14+) and I still get great coffee. It's a great way to revitalize old beans in the summer time.
the_trystero wrote:I meant to post this link. A couple of related articles along with a few posts on H-B steered me away from cold brewing for finer coffees.
Actually rocked this method exclusively last summer in between houses when I was traveling quite a bit. I find it is amazing for some coffees and eh for others.
yakster wrote: I love iced coffee when I hot brew into ice, but I'm not a big fan of the cold process brew. This is most likely because I favor bright iced coffees like Kenya and Ethiopia and drink them like juice.
The coffees you mention are definitely the ones I prefer if I were to use the hand pour over ice method. Fruitbomb type coffees tend to really pop with this method.
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cannonfodder
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#9: Post by cannonfodder »

Never did a cold brew before, but if you are using normal brewing methods then icing this is what I have found. Never dump hot coffee over ice. Always let it cool to room temperature first. Dumping the hot stuff on cold stuff will tend to produce a bitter coffee. When the hot liquid hits the ice the dissolved solids are shocked out of suspension. That makes for a bitter brew, same with tea. Dump your hot tea over ice and it goes cloudy as the solids are shocked out of suspension. Use about 1/3 more coffee in your brew, since you will be diluting it to start with make a stronger mix so you don't lose the flavor in the ice/water. Cold items dull taste, so a stronger flavor is needed.
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yakster
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#10: Post by yakster »

ex trahere wrote:I have never used a Toddy, what is the filtration method? The only type of immersion cold brew I will stand by is cloth filtered. Stainless mesh allows fines to get in the resulting brew which indeed will muddle the flavor and texture. Paper filtration won't allow an optimal amount of oils in, thus resulting in subdued flavors and less mouthfeel.

IME, cloth filtered cold brew, with a grind in-between drip and press steeped for 18-24 hours results in a beverage that will have many of the characteristics of a hot brewed cup.
I may have to revisit cold process with a cloth filter. I've only tried it in a french press using the press strainer as the filter.
the_trystero wrote:Interesting, I've been doing 18 to 20mg with 100mg of water for iced Aeropress.

Good point on the tip to wait for all the ice to melt.
Consider my recipes starting points, YMMV. As for waiting for the ice to melt, I read that somewhere on a coffee blog post and it stuck with me. Wish I remembered where I first saw this.
cannonfodder wrote:Never did a cold brew before, but if you are using normal brewing methods then icing this is what I have found. Never dump hot coffee over ice. Always let it cool to room temperature first. Dumping the hot stuff on cold stuff will tend to produce a bitter coffee. When the hot liquid hits the ice the dissolved solids are shocked out of suspension. That makes for a bitter brew, same with tea. Dump your hot tea over ice and it goes cloudy as the solids are shocked out of suspension. Use about 1/3 more coffee in your brew, since you will be diluting it to start with make a stronger mix so you don't lose the flavor in the ice/water. Cold items dull taste, so a stronger flavor is needed.
I haven't noticed this to be a problem in my iced coffee, but as I said I tend to hot brew the fruit bombs over ice so it could be that my coffee choice balances out the resulting bitterness. Probably goes along with my fondness for IPAs.
-Chris

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