The answer is Yes! We brew the coffee cold. A cold brew coffee means the act of leaving the coffee beans to moisten in cold water or room temperature for at most one day.
After moisturizing, the coffee comes out as a potent concentrate you would have to mix with the appropriate water for the concentrate. You’ll get a unique cold brew coffee from this process. The amount of water you’ll put relies on how intense you want your coffee.
Are there things bothering you concerning the cold brew coffee? Then continue reading. I’ve lined up everything you should know about the delicious and nourishing coffee.
Is Cold Brew Coffee Actually Cold?
Yes, Cold brew coffee is a cold coffee, i.e., we don’t use hot water during its moisturization, and it isn’t an iced coffee.
So if coffee is cold and doesn’t involve hot water, does that mean we should make cold brew coffee with cold water? This question takes us to the next heading.
Is Cold Brew Coffee Made With Cold Water?
You don’t have to keep guessing because we made cold brew coffee with cold water. It doesn’t require any heating either.
Is Cold Brew Coffee Different than Iced Coffee?
Firstly, please note that cold brew isn’t better than iced. Instead, it depends on the nutrients you’ll love to get. Furthermore, they’re both perfect for all seasons!
Knowing what they stand for will go a long way to help you understand their differences.
What is Cold Brew Coffee?
You have to moisturize a cold brew coffee for about 12 hours to 24 hours. It’s a typical coffee that’s diluted with cold water.
Cold-brew coffee requires a long-brewing process, and unlike hot water, the cold water used doesn’t easily remove the coffee’s flavors and oils.
You can use any container of your choice, and the essential thing is moisturizing your coffee beans in cold water.
Comparing a cold and ice brewed coffee
What is an Iced Coffee?
Iced coffee is a coffee made with ice, and there’re diverse ways to make it with ice.
An iced coffee requires heat, i.e., you have to use hot water, so the most popular way to prepare it is to dilute the hot coffee with ice, and it’ll turn into iced coffee. Incredible right?
At this moment, the coffee is flavorless. Serve it right away if you enjoy it like that. However, add milk, sugar, or both to get sweet iced coffee If you don’t like it without flavors.
The Major Differences Between Cold Brew Coffee and Iced Coffee
I’ve explained the differences between cold brew and iced coffee below:
- As a result of the longer moisturizing process in a cold brew coffee, it has more caffeine than an iced coffee.
On a 0-100mg scale, the cold brew coffee has 50mg more caffeine than iced coffee. If you want a significant energy boost? Cold-brew coffee is the answer.
- An iced coffee requires hot water, which undergoes an oxidation process that mostly removes its flavor.
The process is different from cold brew coffee. Though it requires long moisturizing, the use of cold water retains its typical flavor. As a result, there isn’t a need to add sugar or milk to the coffee.
However, you can add your milk or sugar or both. It boils down to how you want it. Remember, there’s a difference in the flavor between cold and iced coffee.
- The heating process of the iced coffee makes it extract more acids when compared with the cold brew coffee. If you’ve got a sensitive stomach, an iced coffee might be a bad idea for you.
- The price of cold brew coffee is way higher than iced coffee. The price difference is because of the lengthy preparation process of the cold brew coffee.
Can Cold Brew Coffee Be Served Hot?
If you’re with the mentality that you can only enjoy a cold brew coffee in the summer, it’s time to let go of that mentality and focus on the right way to enjoy your favorite coffee in the winter also.
Before anything else, Yes! Cold-brew coffee can be served hot! All the lovely nutrients of the cold brew coffee, such as more caffeine, less acidity, and pleasant flavors, remain intact even after serving hot.
After brewing, the concentrates remain locked in the coffee so hot water wouldn’t destroy them. However, the only thing that can alter those nutrients is the water and concentrate you use when brewing your coffee.
Tip: Make sure you use an equal ratio of water to cold brew concentrate when moisturizing. Don’t make one way higher or lower than the other.
What is Special about the Cold Brew Coffee?
One unique factor that distinguishes cold brew coffee from iced and regular coffee is its less acidic content because hot water isn’t involved.
As a result, cold brew coffee tastes better and sweeter. Also, it’s most suitable for people who have sensitive stomachs.
Can You Use Regular Ground for Cold Brew?
Yes, you can, but coarse ground coffee beans are the key to getting the best result. Using regular ground beans means the moisturizing process will be more complex, and no one wants that, so opt for the coarse ground coffee beans to be on the safer side!
Can Cold Brew Coffee be Heated?
Serving a cold brew coffee hot means it can be heated; it’s a YES!
Are you skeptical about how to heat your coffee because you don’t want any of its beautiful nutrients lost? Relax? I’ve got you covered. Just keep reading.
You can either use hot water or heat the coffee directly on your stove. Either method is superb.
How to Heat Your Cold Brew Coffee with the Use of Hot Water:
- First, heat the water with your means of cooking, it doesn’t have to boil to 100°c, but it should be hot.
- Rinse your coffee cup with warm water to keep the cup’s body warm. The heat will aid the warming up of your cold brew coffee.
- Fill up your coffee cup with the amount of concentrated cold brew coffee you’ll love to take. Just remember, a less cold brew coffee means less caffeine content.
- The next and final thing to do is pour the hot water into the mug. Enjoy your cold brew coffee like that, or mix it with milk/sugar.
How to Heat Your Cold Brew Coffee Using Stove:
- Pour the amount of concentrated cold brew coffee you want to heat into a kettle, add the appropriate amount of water into the kettle and mix them thoroughly.
- Put the kettle on the stove, and make sure it’s on medium heat.
- When you notice the kettle has started steaming, wait for another minute before removing it from the stove.
- What’s next? Pour it into your favorite coffee cup and enjoy it right away.
Perhaps, you don’t like any of those methods, and there’s another way to heat your cold brew coffee. However, it’s a bit tricky, so you’ve got to be extra careful.
How to Heat Your PreMixed Cold Brew Coffee:
It’s called premixed because you must have mixed your cold brew coffee and water on the ground beforehand.
- Pour the premixed cold brew into a big saucepan and heat for about two minutes or until it’s warmed to your desired taste.
- Remove the saucepan from the fire and pour it into your favorite coffee cup as usual, and that settles it.
Is It Bad to Microwave Your Cold Brew Coffee?
Some people will say it’s okay to microwave your cold brew coffee, while some will strongly object to it.
I would rather say it’s cool to microwave the coffee but make sure you don’t microwave it for an extended period. However, in a final verdict, using a stove to heat your coffee is the best and safest. Also, I wouldn’t suggest using an electric kettle to heat your coffee.
How Long Can Your Cold Brew Coffee Last?
Unlike regular hot coffee, the good news is that your cold brew coffee will last for quite a while.
If it’s a concentrated cold brew coffee that is yet to be diluted with water, it can stay comfortably in your fridge for a week. You can increase it to a maximum of two weeks, but the reality is that its nutrient value will start depreciating after a week.
Please do not keep it in your fridge for more than three days for a diluted cold brew coffee. You’ll be drinking poison afterward.
Concluding
I’ve written this article to answer all the questions bothering you concerning the fantastic cold brew coffee. Now there’s nothing that’ll stop you from enjoying your favorite coffee to the fullest.
Sources:
Simply recipes: is a cold brew made with cold water?
Cozy coffee: can cold brew coffee be heated
Healthline: what is unique about cold brew coffee.