Coffee! Where should I start. My love for a good roast comes from when I was younger. My parents always brewed coffee. Just the smell brings back memories. I probably drank too much in my 20s. Unfortunately, I started to get acid reflux and would burp up coffee taste from hot drip coffee. I also used coffee prior to workouts and the acidity was not a good match. I’m sure I didn’t drink as much water as I should either.
Jumping ahead, a few years ago, I thought I would try a cold coffee. It was smooth and chocolatey. It was a “cold press” from Caribou Coffee in MN. I was hooked. I asked the barista, “what actually is cold press?”After learning what it actually was it was all over for hot coffee.
Cold brew is perfect. The process of making cold brew is simple. Coffee grounds sitting in water, chilled, for 12-24 hours depending on what your preferred taste is. Hot coffee is a fast brew and the hot water causes the acidity level of coffee to rise. During the cold brew process the acidity level is almost absent. It is velvety smooth. I will go into detail below on my process for making great cold brew.
I have tried many brands of coffee and they have been about the same in my opinion. What really matters is the roast type. I prefer light to medium roast coffee compared to dark roasts. Darker roasts have a bold and deep taste. The only way to decide what you like is to try.
The grind for cold brew is going to be different than your regular drip roast coffee. I currently grind coffee myself for each batch. I love the aroma that grinding coffee gives off! I use a single handheld coffee grinder. It was cheap and that’s all you really need to grind your own coffee. The grind needs to be a course grind. If it’s too fine, the coffee can taste bland (it can also plug the coffee filter so it will not filter). You should be able to see chunks of coffee beans when you have a course grind. Certain brands to sell cold brew coffee grounds.
The ratio of coffee to water is important. I make concentrated coffee- 2 cups coffee grounds to 4 cups water. This has been what tastes best to me. You can try different ratios. As expected, the more coffee grounds you add to the water, the stronger the coffee will be. The strength of coffee will be 2:1 if you use my preferred coffee/water ratio. I use filtered water. I have never tried anything else.
If you’re like me and you like strong coffee, you can sip on the coffee as the original concentrate. Its bold! You can have it over ice (the ice will start to melt and begin to water the coffee down slowly) or you can add water to your liking. I love how versatile cold brew concentrate is!
Osen Village 