Cold Brew is what Australian summer dreams are made of. There is nothing more refreshing and delicious than an icy cold brew to quench your thirst and give you some much needed energy to get through the rest of the day (because let’s face it, you may have heat stroke from being in the sun all morning!
So, what is Cold Brew??
So many people we chat to are often confused by what the the difference is between an iced coffee & cold brew . Don’t fret if that’s you! We’re here so the next time you’re offered both you can make an educated decision & understand what you’re actually drinking!
Grouch & Co’s Almond Milk Cold Brew
Drinking iced coffee and drinking a cold brew are totally different experiences. Iced Coffee has been around for as long as we remember, it has a far less clear definition and how it’s made tends to vary between coffee shops, but traditionally is a freshly brewed shot or 2 of coffee, poured over ice before being topped with the drinkers milk of choice and any extras like cream or ice-cream.
Cold brew is made via an immersion process, this means ground coffee is submerged into room temperature water and is then left to steep for 12-24 hours (at Grouch we submerge our coffee for 24 hours). The next step is to strain out the grinds and chill the liquid ready to be enjoyed. It’s that simple.
Many will add their milk of choice to the cold brew – which can make it even more delicious! We are loving our Almond Milk Cold Brew, it’s seriously tasty and super refreshing.
Cold brew is the patient man’s coffee. It’s brewed for 24 hours because without heat, the extraction rate for the coffee is much, much slower. But, the finished result is 100% worth the wait, think smooth, sweet and ice cold coffee – YES PLEASE!!
But does it taste different?
Cold brewing coffee also drastically changes the finished flavours found within the brew. Generally cold brew has a much lower acidity level – this is because the grinds aren’t exposed to boiling water. This results in the chemical profile of the brew being different than that of an espresso or drip coffee. Generally speaking, lower acidity = smoother, mellower and sweeter drink. When we rapidly cool down hot coffee (like an espresso straight from the machine) it will often become bitter and acidic.
So, what does all of this mean? Basically, because cold brew tastes so smooth and delicious, there is no need to add milk, sugar or ice-cream…unless you want to of course!!
What about the amount of caffeine in it?!
Because of the way cold brew is made, the high bean to water ratio and long brew time means that cold brew contains a higher percentage of caffeine then your everyday iced coffee would. It will give you a stronger buzz & keep you going for longer, an easy way to calm the intensity down s to add a dash of milk to your cold brew.
At Grouch we love our cold brew, we source the best quality beans from around the world, for our black cold brews we’ll use a super delicious single origin so all those amazing flavours get a chance to really be tasted and enjoyed. Our milk and Almond cold brews are made with our Espresso Blend Ping – Ping blends super well with all kinds of milk and over the years we have perfected it into an amazing cold brew recipe.
So next time you walk into a café and get offered both a cold brew or an iced coffee, hopefully you’ll have a better idea which you might like. We urge you to try a cold brew, they have changed our lives & hopefully yours too.
Happy Cold Brew Slurpin’
