Persuade me to try cold-brewed hot coffee (from a person who doesn't drink coffee)

Cafe Society
1

I have only tried coffee twice in my life, both times hot with milk and sugar, and I couldn’t stand it, nor understand the appeal. I guess it was the bitterness, I don’t really know. Both times were home brewed, not from shops or cafes. I haven’t tried since. With this background, I am interested to find out if my gleanings of information below are accurate, overblown, backwards, or something else.

I have heard from knowledgeable TV people, like America’s Test Kitchen, that cold-brewing coffee gives you all the good flavors without any bitterness. After the cold-brewing, apparently you are left with a concentrate, which you can then dilute to taste and serve either hot or iced (or room temperature, I suppose). Or perhaps you can cold-brew with less coffee and just get a drinkable product as is.

Cold-brewing does not seem to be a very economical method of making coffee. If I recall correctly, on ATK the chef Erin used 7 ounces of coffee beans to end up with 2 cups of coffee, which seems kind of ridiculous on the face of it. Of course, she is a purist who doesn’t seem to mind spending money to satisfy her need for perfection.

There are machines to cold-brew coffee, but you don’t need one, you just immerse the grounds in water and let it sit until it seems strong enough (not sure how you tell).

Why bother? I hear you asking (and ask myself). It’s partly fear of missing out, coffee lovers seem to wax ecstatic over good coffee, but maybe it’s just the caffeine hit. I drink a lot of tea, and I think I would like to add another string to my bow of caffeinated beverages, maybe as an occasional treat, maybe as a regular thing.

So mavens of cold-brewed coffee, what say you? Where have I gone wrong in the above? What’s the best way to make it? Signed with eager anticipation, Roderick.

2

I traveled to Norway about 20 years ago, and loved the coffee there; later, I found out that cold-brewed was much more common in Scandinavian countries, and that’s probably what I was noticing.

But I also have a 3-5 cup a day habit.

In terms of persuading you: why not try it?

I’d also encourage you to try a cup from a good coffee shop. It’s very possible that the person making the home brew didn’t know what they were doing: they may have made it way too weak, or way too strong, or using really old and sour beans, or reheating yesterday’s coffee, or something else. Get a cup that comes recommended, to see if you like the good stuff.

Or not, no skin off my back.

3

You might find it useful to try good-quality coffee candy like Werther’s coffee caramels. If you don’t like the taste — assuming you don’t detest the taste of caramel — you aren’t likely to like anything you can do with actual liquid coffee.

4

It tastes like coffee and still a little bitter.

5

I didn’t like it. I’m not a coffee lover. I’ve drank hot coffee a few times. Bitterness doesn’t bother me. I just don’t prefer it.
If you don’t prefer coffee you’re not gonna like cold brew, I’m afraid.

6

I went through a long cold brew phase. I do prefer the taste, but it does take quite a bit more coffee to make it, and you really need coffee that is ground for cold brew.

I found some bags on Amazon, a large jar, and just made it like tea. My boss bought me a machine, but it was a pain to clean and it took even. More coffee.

I switched to just drinking hot coffee out of laziness.

7

I think it’s unlikely you will like it, but my cousin is a counter example of someone who absolutely detests hot coffee but lives for cold brew, nitro cold brews, and iced coffee/espresso drinks. So who knows. Just try it.

8

Is Cold Brew different than iced coffee? Iced Coffee seemed like it was just coffee poured over a big cup of ice.

9

I have no idea what “Cold Brew” is, but regular cold-brewed coffee really is not made with hot water. It takes a while to brew, though. If I wanted some right now, I would just go to the cafe.

10

I don’t blame you. I think my sixth decade was all about getting used to bitterness. Beer, coffee, whisky…

No, no, no. First, try some from a good coffee place They’ll do a better job of making something smooooth… We have a spot that actually has nitro cold brew on tap!

If you haven’t had a good latté made with whole (or oat) milk, those are smooth, and warm for the winter months.

BTW, I always said “Why bother? I’ll just avoid coffee”, but I found out I need the caffeine for alertness and ADD lack-of-focus.

11

Cold brew is different. It’s basically steeping coffee grounds in room temp / cold water, no heat is used in the extraction.

As opposed to most iced coffee, which is brewed using heat, then chilled in most cases.

Personally, I drink both, but with cream and sugar.

If you like coffee on occasion, but find it a little too bitter, or otherwise just barely too much to drink regularly, cold brew may be a win.

If you don’t like coffee, then you’ll probably dislike cold brew less, but it will likely not change your opinion overall. Of course, this leaves out the possibility that the OP’s first 2 cups weren’t brewed poorly, or with horrible beans, or with an excessive roast.

I’d experiment with a medium roast of reasonable quality, and do it in a non-bespoke device.

Mostly, I use cold brew to do decaf coffee for summery evenings. Decaf already tends to compromise the beans, so I’ll hedge my bets that way.

So TL;DR, it isn’t a major change but it’s a noticeable one vs traditionally brewed options.

12

Yes, I’ve been thinking mostly of how to make my own to try it, but there’s no reason I can’t try it at a coffee shop. Maybe Peet’s. Do coffee shops have cold brew served hot, or is it always iced?

13

It may be that you are simply genetically indisposed to liking the taste of coffee. I drink tea, coffee and brewed chocolate and all 3 of these are bitter.

Why you like coffee, and I choose tea – it’s in the genes discusses research into the genes that shape how bitter flavors taste.

14

In the mid 70’s, I was thirty-ish, and had tried coffee several times and wasn’t impressed. I delivered a piece of furniture I had built to a couple, and they were pleased enough to offer me coffee. I was pleased enough with their delight, and the check, that I said yes.

Cold-brewed, so good that I’m still drinking a liter of coffee a day, but not CB, can’t afford that.

So, watch it! You could be hooked!

Dan

15

I find that cold brew is somewhat less bitter, but much less acidic than warm brew. Also I find that cold brew is much lighter on the terpene notes. I think that’s why people identify the taste as “chocolatey”, since chocolate has bitterness similar to coffee, but none of the acid or terpenes.

That’s why I appreciate cold brew in warmer weather. More than being cold, chemically it just has less of the stuff that feels warm and heavy to me. It’s easier on my stomach too.

16

I’m a bit confused here- are you asking about cold-brewed coffee drunk cold, or cold-brewed coffee heated up and drunk like a normal cup of coffee?

I’ve had the former and it’s good, but I haven’t really figured out where it fits into my beverage world. It seems… heavy(?) compared to something like water, iced tea, or even diet soda, and I don’t really want the caffeine kick either.

I haven’t had the second- I really haven’t had enough complaints about normal drip/french press/moka pot coffee to try it. Maybe I will though, now that you mention it.

17

I am most interested in cold-brew served hot, but I don’t know if chain coffee shops serve it that way. I was going to go try some today but ran out of time. Tomorrow, if I remember.

18

You make that sound exotic, but… Doesn’t even Starbucks have that now?

19

The Mrs. and I do love our home-made cold brew. We make a gallon every 3-4 days. We tend to drink it cold, but once in a while warm it up in the microwave. It does deliver more real coffee flavor with MUCH less bitterness. I love a single glass of it with a lot of half and half, with ice, first thing in the morning. I avoid caffeine the rest of the day.

I’ve fiddled with the beans, the roast, the grind all trying to get the best flavor. After all that fiddling, I find that your basic Folgers medium to medium dark roast and medium grind works just fine for me. And I used to be an extreme espresso snob, so deciding Folgers was so nice was a big surprise to me.

I’d suggest getting a few bottles of Starbucks cold brew. It’s available in a lot of grocery stores these days. Now I’m not a big fan of Starbucks in most cases, but they do make a decent cold brew. Take it home, try it hot or cold or both.

I’ve tried a few nitro cold brews. I can’t say I’m a fan of them.

20

I’ll repeat and emphasize my earlier point after @Qadgop_the_Mercotan’s point - the current fondness at Starbucks and those emulating them of various super dark roasts is problematic for people who are experimenting with coffee. Unless you’re already an initiate, you almost always feel the need for copious amounts of cream, sugar, or other modifications to deal with it.

Medium roasts of many sorts are a LOT more accessible, even more so in a cold brew.