The summer months in Bratislava call for refreshments that not only get you on your feet, but also have a great taste. Cold brew has become a phenomenon in modern cafés and although it may seem complicated to prepare, the opposite is true. At Goriffee, we believe that you can enjoy a quality coffee experience in the comfort of your own home without the need for expensive machines.
What is a cold brew
Unlike classic iced coffee, which is brewed hot and then cooled, cold brew is created by a long maceration in cold water. The result is a drink with lower acidity, high sweetness and chocolate notes. This extraction process typically takes 12 to 24 hours, giving the coffee its full body and smoothness.
Barista tip: Why does cold brew have a different taste?
The difference in taste is not a coincidence, but the result of different chemistry in the extraction. In conventional coffee preparation, hot water acts as a catalyst that quickly releases oils and acidic compounds from the beans. Cold water, however, extracts these compounds much more slowly and to a lesser extent. The result is a beverage that is 60% to 70% less acidic than conventional coffee.
Since the drink lacks aggressive acidity and pronounced bitterness, your taste buds can perceive the natural sweetness of the bean much more intensely. That’s why cold brew is most often dominated by notes of chocolate, nuts or caramel – because these aromatic components develop best in cold water during long hours of steeping.
Exact recipe for Hario cold brew bottle
If you are looking for the easiest way to the result, the Hario cold brew bottle is a solution that we also offer at Goriffee. This bottle includes a built-in fine filter so you don’t have to laboriously filter the coffee after maceration. For the best taste, use these exact parameters:
- Coffee: 65 g (freshly roasted specialty coffee)
- Grinding: coarse (consistency of coarse salt)
- Water: 750 ml (always use room temperature filtered water)
- Extraction time: 15 hours
- Extraction temperature: refrigerator (5 – 8 °C)
Preparation procedure:
- Weigh exactly 65 g of coffee and grind it very coarsely. If the grind is too fine, the drink will be cloudy and bitter.
- Pour the ground coffee into the strainer included with the Hario bottle.
- Slowly pour 750 ml of filtered water over the coffee in the filter.
- Gently stir the coffee in the strainer with a spoon to remove any dry spots.
- Cap the bottle and place it in the refrigerator for exactly 15 hours.
- After the time has elapsed, remove the filter with the coffee.
The secret of a top cold brew lies in the quality of the water and the coarseness of the grind. If you use filtered water and grind the coffee just before brewing, you get a drink with a clean flavour profile dominated by sweetness.
– Šimon Janík, Master Barista Slovakia 2019
Unique homemade nitro cold brew
Want to take your summer refreshments to the level of top bars? Try making your own homemade Nitro Cold Brew. This drink is typical for its creamy texture and avalanche effect, reminiscent of dark beer.
Just pour the finished and cooled cold brew into a classic whipped cream siphon. You then inject a nitrous oxide N2O canister into the siphon. Shake the contents of the siphon well and then dispense the coffee into the cup. The gas creates micro bubbles that give the drink an incredible smoothness and sweet mouthfeel even without the addition of sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What coffee should I use for cold brew? The best results are achieved if a lighter roast of specialty coffee is used. African coffees add fruitiness and freshness, while Central and South American coffees bring notes of chocolate and nuts.
2. How long does the finished cold brew last in the fridge? In a sealed bottle or container, it will retain its freshness and flavour profile for 7 to 10 days. However, we recommend removing the coffee filter as soon as the maceration is complete to avoid over-extraction.
3. Do I have to grind the coffee really coarsely? Yeah. Grinding too finely would make the coffee bitter and murky. Coarse grinding allows the water to slowly and evenly extract the best tastes over a long period of time.
4. Is it necessary to use filtered water? Yeah. Water makes up more than 98% of the drink. Ordinary tap water in Bratislava is quite hard, which can overpower the subtle flavour notes of Specialty coffee. The use of a filter kettle will greatly improve the result.
5. What is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee? Iced coffee is coffee prepared hot and then cooled with ice. Cold brew never meets hot water, resulting in significantly lower acidity and a completely different flavour profile.
