How can you capture the essence of coffee while also providing refreshment on hot days? One method for making a delicious cold drink is cold brew, or brewing coffee cold. How do you do it? How long does it take to make cold brew, and what are its characteristics?

Cold brew at home - it's easier than you think

Brewing cold brew coffee is incredibly easy. Interestingly, it doesn't have to be made exclusively with coffee—you can use tea instead. Cold brew coffee tastes different than hot brew coffee. Above all, this drink lacks bitterness and acidity —with the mid-tones being the most noticeable. Cold brew is sweeter and milder in flavor, making it ideal for those who, for example, experience stomach upset after drinking espresso.

Homemade cold brew can also be used as a base for experimenting with other flavors. Naturally, you can add milk or ice, but you can also add other additions like a lemon slice, your favorite syrup, or for a richer version, liqueur, ice cream, or whipped cream. Serving cold brew can be a fun way to combine your favorite coffee with new textures and aromas.

What coffee should you use for cold brew? Since we're not looking for bitterness or acidity in this drink, a better option is to reach for the sweeter varieties of specialty coffees available at LaCava. Ethiopian coffees, such as Lima Bru, are a good choice. However, if you don't have time to prepare the drink, you can reach for our macerated and canned Nitro Cold Bru .

How much caffeine is in cold brew?

While it might seem that cold brew won't differ in caffeine content compared to espresso or other coffee varieties, it turns out to be quite the opposite. For example, a 250ml filter coffee can contain 95-200mg of caffeine, depending on the bean type (robusta has twice as much caffeine as arabica), while cold brew will contain approximately 150-240mg of caffeine for the same size beverage. What accounts for these differences? The largest impact on caffeine content in this case is brewing time. Cold brew requires at least several to a dozen hours, which means extraction delivers more caffeine.

Cold brew - how much coffee do you need? How to make cold brew?

Cold brew coffee maceration doesn't require specialized equipment. However, it's worth having a grinder if you want to grind the beans precisely. Making cold brew at home requires medium- to coarse-ground beans. Water is also essential. As with other brewing methods, it's important to ensure the water is filtered for better maceration results. Unfiltered water will make cold brew taste cloudy, heavier, and will certainly lose all of its nutritional value.

Cold brew and hygiene

Proper hygiene is crucial when it comes to cold brew coffee. Why is it so important? This method of brewing coffee also creates the perfect environment for the growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria, mold, and yeast. Therefore, we shouldn't prepare this beverage without first taking care of the equipment and accessories (it's worth sterilizing them), but also ensuring our hands are clean. We also avoid, for example, coughing into the container or the coffee.

Cold brew - recipe

How do you choose the right coffee and water ratios? There are at least a few ways to do this. A 1:4 ratio is a good idea (i.e., add 400 ml of water to 100 g of coffee), but this is something we can adjust. Once we have the coffee prepared (e.g., in a jar), pour water over it, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover the chosen container and place it in the refrigerator. Again, maceration time affects the final flavor of the drink. It can be removed after as little as 10 hours, or even after more than 12-14.

Depending on the time, the flavor will vary. The longer the maceration, the more bitter the cold brew. Once the maceration is complete, pour the brew into a new container through a fine strainer to prevent the coffee grounds from getting into it. Straining the remaining coffee is not recommended, as this releases the most bitter notes. Cold brew prepared this way can be stored at home for about seven days.