How do you take your coffee? - One sugar, two sugar, no sugar?
Better question yet. Hot or cold brew?
I don't know about you, but summer here is really starting to heat up. It's the perfect weather for cold swims, cold drinks, cold anything.
I'm honestly not a coffee person. Not that I dislike it, but that I have no tendency towards it. Lately though, cold brew is something that's becoming more and more popular - and despite having had it before, I had never made it myself.
So I rapidly typed into google 'how to make cold brew coffee', and excitedly read through all of the top links.
There were a plethora of different suggestions. Coarse grind, medium grind, no grinding at all!
Okay the last one wasn't true. You need to grind the coffee.
According to all the links, making cold brew is very simple - no fancy coffee equipment required and definitely not that $1000 espresso machine that beckons to me each time I go to the store. If we are being practical, all you need is a bowl and some filter paper.
If you want to make your life a little easier, a french press is the way to go.
All you have you do is place your grind into a containing unit, fill it up with cool water and let it sit for as long as you want! Recommended time is 15-20 hours, so beware, this is not a drink for impatient people.
Now you're probably thinking 'Well, that's fine and dandy, but where's the lavender!'
Well, here's an example of a blogger fail. I actually threw in the lavender at the 10th hour of steeping and forgot to take a picture.
Lavender is a very soft flavor, but can be extremely strong and overwhelming in large quantities. I elected to add it later in the process - just long enough to release the flavors, but not long enough for the richness of the coffee to be overshadowed.
After I let it sit overnight, I slowly took the 'press' part of my french press, and separated the coffee grounds from the rich coffee liquor that I've been so
patiently waiting for.
I grabbed a cup of ice.
And filled it with my hard (waiting is difficult) work.
I usually take my coffee black, but felt like a dash of cream today.
Then, after a whole day (and night!) of anticipation, I slipped to my room to enjoy my delicious efforts, accompanied with a side of ripe and juicy blueberries.
Now that we have the laborious process over with, the biggest question is, was it worth it?
Okay, so I'm no expert on coffee, but from a scientific point of view, the process of cold- brew produces a very different flavor profile compared to the coffee that comes from a hot-brew.
Sites will boast that cold-brew coffee is 67% (yes, exact numbers) less acidic than its traditional counter part and lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge. It's apparently easier on the stomach and creates a smoother, sweeter as well as more caffeinated beverage. It also takes a lot longer. As a first time brewer, I found that my little coffee experiment turned out well- extremely rich and aromatic. The lavender definitely added a unique dimension and lent to the flavor profile of the drink. I was however expecting something sweeter, and felt as though the coffee was MORE acidic than my typical brew.
More curious about the practical and scientific knowledge that came with brewing this coffee than I was with the coffee itself, this learning experience was fascinating. For those interested like me, this link
here attempts to demystifies the process between hot and cold brew.
The debate is ongoing, but it seems as though cold brew is the more popular choice - at least for this Summer, but maybe we shouldn't be looking at the extreme methods,. Instead, the
Japanese Ice Coffee method might be the perfect happy medium.
One thing is clear however, whichever method is used, coffee remains a popular poison for most.
For myself, if I consume any more coffee by active choice (which is highly unlikely), I think I will be sticking to the much more time efficient hot-brew.
But, which team are you on?
Team Hot Brew or Team Cold Brew.
naomi
