Cold Brew Coffee

[Tropicalsenior]

26 minutes ago, Duvel said:

But then again English is not my native language, which

There's nothing at all wrong with your English. I think the discussion has veered into the question of whether cold brewed coffee is necessary to make good cold coffee drinks. It seems to me that it is an unnecessary, expensive procedure.

[haresfur]

I don't understand the expensive part since I make mine in the french press when I do.

 

I usually just get an iced latte from my friends. My partner will often get a nice (as in not iced) coffee to take home and put in the fridge for later - have them make an iced in a large keep-cup but don't add the ice. She likes vanilla syrup, which is an abomination, but it works for her.

 

Our alternate cafe does up cans of cold brew and long-blacks which are pretty good.

[weinoo]

22 hours ago, Duvel said:

… and I always thought that cold brew refers to the outcome of an extraction process at low temperatures. The other stuff I‘d call cold coffee, ice(d) coffee and the like. But then again English is not my native language, which - of course - has a precise term for what you describe 😝

 

It does, but eventually one is going to drink that stuff (most likely) over ice.  So why not start by extracting all the good things in coffee, using hot water.

[Tropicalsenior]

21 minutes ago, weinoo said:

So why not start by extracting all the good things in coffee, using hot water.

Not only will it taste better you will use a heck of a lot less coffee.

[Laurentius]

On 3/16/2023 at 4:59 AM, weinoo said:

Make hot coffee in quantities more than you need, and then put the extra in the fridge.  Like my grandparents did.

 

That may be a stab at an economical solution for the next day/week's cup(s), but it's still stale coffee.  Even if you somehow flash chilled a fresh pot of hot brew, it would taste different, and IMO not in a good way.

 

Somewhere I have the "Toddy Coffee" cold brew rig, which is just that.  The white plastic steeping bucket has a bottom hole with a rubber stopper.  The bucket also has a well in the bottom for a reusable filter puck.  You steep overnight, then drain into the included glass carafe.  The refrigerated concentrate doesn't keep forever, but IMO it tastes reasonably fresh for about two weeks.  You can still find the Toddy here: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/toddy-cold-brew-system-thm/975THM.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmICoBhDxARIsABXkXlJd_rdei7w4KZYwktLkQoR6zulIH6LAs-Blo7U8UC4DJZzx1gLPgeAaAr1cEALw_wcB 

 

I'll try to find it.  It made pretty good coffee, IIRC.  The downsides for me were messiness, clutter, and the fact that the carafe could hide too easily at the back of the fridge.  Oh, and the bucket-on-carafe thing was tippy...

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I had the toddy coffee "rig" back in the '60s.     It made a decent cup, especially considering the systems prevalent at that time, and was a slight convenience in the morning, but wasn't worth the hassle, planning ahead, clean up.     Went back to Melitta.