I have some dumb questions about cold brew coffee. Is it best to drink it cold, over ice, or can you drink it hot without affecting the quality? Does the cold brew need to be diluted if using hot, and if so, how much? TIA.
Yes, you can reheat it.
It needs to be diluted if it’s made as a concentrate, it doesn’t need to be diluted if it isn’t. Concentrates use a considerably lower water:grounds ratio. Commercially sold cold brew should be labelled as such, but you can use your taste.
Here’s an earlier thread about cold brewing:
I take 3 cups of coffee grounds, typical folger’s medium roast, and put it in a gallon pitcher. I add water until almost full, stir it up, seal it (shaking it a few times in ensuing hours) and leave it for at least 12 but usually 24 hours at room temperature.
Then I strain it thru a coffee filter to get the grounds out, chill, and serve over a few ice cubes. Or heat and serve, it warms quickly in the microwave and makes a nice hot cuppa (again without the bitterness of regular brewing). I’ve got a batch brewing now, as I’ll run out of the stuff by Wednesday afternoon if I don’t. The Mrs. and I consume it regularly. I add half and half, the Mrs. adds a bit of sugar and half and half. When I feel fancy I add a few drops of vanilla extract.
I initially diluted my finished product 1:1 with water but I found without the bitterness, I liked my cold brew nice and strong. I love the flavor of the cold brew, far far more than when hot water is used to produce coffee.
Does cold brewing result in coffee that’s less harsh on the stomach? I love coffee but have given it up because it upsets my stomach. Even so, I still love to have one once in a while (for the caffeine), with the same problem almost every time.
As long as there’s caffeine in the coffee, the potential for GI upset is there. But I found that cold brewing certainly greatly reduced any queasiness that coffee had previously given me. Coffee contains a lot of other ingredients that can cause side effects, and the cold brew method does seem to minimize some of those ingredients.
My recommendation: Try some. Starbucks makes a very very good commercial cold brew, available at a LOT of grocery stores these days. Try one, see what happens. If it works for you, your own home made cold brew should work as well. (I do tend to loathe most other Starbucks products, but I’ll give them credit where it’s due).
Thanks for the tip. I’ll probably just try making it myself and see what happens.
Sure, do a test batch, use 3/4 cup of ground coffee in a quart container, then fill with water, and you’ll get a nice amount to sample.
I’ve never learned to like coffee, I couldn’t stand the taste (maybe it was bitterness, I’m not sure, I didn’t drink enough to find out). Could cold brew be a gateway to liking coffee?
How much liquid coffee do you end up with this way?
It could be a way to liking coffee, only one way to find out. To me, cold brew mixed with half and half is divine!!! Otherwise coffee is just how I stayed awake during my medical career.
We end up with about 3/4 of a gallon of cold brew by this method. Probably a tad more than that. Again, if you dilute it 1:1 with water (the recommended approach) that’ll give you well over 1.5 gallons to enjoy.
Thanks for all the tips.