Cold brew is a strong and refined type of cold coffee that will surely appeal to any coffee lover, especially in the heat when you want something refreshing. This drink does not require ice or gradual cooling, which negatively affect its taste and aroma. It is initially prepared without heating, so it turns out cool.
What is cold brew?
Cold brew is not a cocktail or a coffee-containing drink, but real coffee prepared using a special technology. Unlike the usual espresso or Turkish coffee, cold brew is prepared using cold water. The cooking method also differs. This is not the usual heating, but infusion.
The name “cold brew” refers to the method of preparation. Translated from English as “cold brew”.
The recipe gained worldwide popularity several years ago, however, it has been well known for more than half a century.
- Some attribute the authorship to the Dutch. From Holland the idea spread to Japan. Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun have, indeed, been making and selling cold canned coffee for many years in a row.
- Some researchers believe that the technology was invented by Todd Simpson, a genetic engineer. He began infusing ground coffee in cold water during his expedition to Latin America. After the scientist returned, the idea found technical embodiment in the form of a machine for preparing cold brew. Modern devices for preparing cold brew operate based on the Simpson method.
These two versions are the most popular, but who can guarantee that no one else came up with the idea of infusing coffee in cold water much earlier?
Whoever was the author of the invention, it received a second birth after 2002, when there was a surge of interest in high-quality coffee and unique recipes in the global coffee industry. Experts call this period the “third coffee wave,” during which many recipes and technologies, including cold brew, were rethought.
Today, manufacturers of coffee equipment are actively producing devices for preparing cold brew at home and in a coffee shop. For example, the Brewista system allows you to get about 23 liters of cold brew coffee at once, which is very convenient for coffee shops or bars.
Tapioca with cheese
Tapioca (a homemade recipe allows you to bake delicious pancakes with cheese filling in a saucepan) is suitable for creating flour products. The filling can be fruit or milk. Tapioca with cheese will be a good treat for breakfast or afternoon snack.
What ingredients will you need?
Making cheese tapioca at home is possible if you have the following ingredients:
- tapioca flour – 300 g;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- table salt - as needed.
If desired, it is permissible to include fresh parsley or dill in the filler.
Step-by-step cooking process
Making your own tapioca cheese is possible by following these steps:
- Starch flour must be soaked in salted water to taste for about 2 hours.
- Then the liquid needs to be drained. The wet flour will need to be placed on a piece of gauze and squeezed out. When the mass hardens a little, it should be broken into pieces and grated.
- Next, you will need to heat a Teflon-coated saucepan and place the prepared tapioca on the bottom.
- When, after a few seconds, the pancake is formed, it needs to be turned over to the other side.
- Then, on one of its sides, you need to put grated cheese on a coarse grater, folding the pancake in half and frying the workpiece on both sides.
When the cheese is melted, the delicious treat can be sent to the table for tasting.
Serving rules, decoration
Tapioca pancakes with cheese filling are best eaten hot while the dairy product is molten. Tea or coffee is suitable as a drink. If desired, the delicacy can be supplemented with sauce, for example, sour cream.
Cold brew recipe: how to cook at home
If you do not plan to prepare cold brew in industrial quantities, then the trendy drink can be prepared at home. There are several cooking methods.
In the French press
You will need approximately 150 g of coarsely ground coffee and 1 liter of water at room temperature. The better the quality of the water, the tastier the coffee, so you shouldn’t skimp on water. Pour freshly ground coffee with water and, without lowering the press, leave for 8-12 hours. Then lower the press to separate the grounds. The coffee is ready and ready to drink.
In a jug
The proportion of ingredients is the same. Pour water over the coffee and let it brew for 8-12 hours. Then strain through a fine sieve, and then again through a paper filter. The coffee is ready.
In a plastic bottle (travelling option)
Pour ground coffee into a plastic bottle and fill with cold water. Leave for 8-10 hours. You can pour coffee from a bottle through several layers of a fabric filter made of natural, clean material: cotton, chintz, gauze.
There are industrial devices for making coffee using the cold infusion method.
- The famous Japanese brand Hario offers a driper coffee maker for making cold brew. The device consists of three parts, resembles a tower, costs 35-40 thousand rubles and prepares coffee in 6 hours.
- Toddy is the very first cold brew device. The author of the device is Todd Simpson, who came up with the technology and then embodied it in an engineering solution. The Toddy is still on the market today and is characterized by its simple design. Price – 5-6 thousand rubles.
- You can make cold brew using an AeroPress. However, the design will have to be further processed: cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle, pierce the lid with a needle to create a tiny hole. Then pour the ground coffee onto a paper filter for an AeroPress, cover the powder with a second paper filter. Place the bottle on top with the lid down, put ice in it and pour water. When all the water has seeped down, the coffee is ready. Proportions for this recipe: 50 g ground coffee, 300 ml water and 200 g ice.
To prepare cold brew, it is better to use medium-ground coffee; small particles are difficult to get rid of, and cold brew does not require the presence of grounds in the drink.
Difficulties of cooking
Brewing delicious coffee using the cold method is not so easy. First you need to choose good raw materials. This requirement can be applied to all methods of preparation, but when the coffee powder is boiled, brewed or steamed, the shortcomings in taste are slightly leveled out. There are no high temperatures here, so the quality of the coffee beans plays a paramount role. For a classic drink, only 100% Arabica is suitable.
The taste of water is very important. Filtered water will do, but the best option would be boiled and then cooled water.
The cold infusion process is very long, which can take from 8 to 24 hours. In a specialized coffee maker, the drink is prepared within 3 - 6 hours.
How to drink cold brew?
Have you made cold brew? Great, all that remains is to figure out how to use it. At its core, the resulting drink is not just coffee, but a coffee concentrate. It contains more caffeine than espresso. Therefore, you can drink cold brew in its pure form in limited quantities - no more than 2-3 servings per day.
But the drink can be an excellent basis for coffee cocktails. Cold brew is mixed with milk or cream, condensed milk, syrup or honey, ice cream, and whipped cream are added.
An excellent flavor combination is cold brew with cherry juice or coconut milk. A traditional morning pick-me-up is cold brew with orange juice and lemon syrup.
The drink is served in glass glasses, and if cold brew is consumed in its pure form, it can be served in glass espresso cups, adding ice cubes or a slice of orange.
One of the features of cold brew is its long shelf life. The prepared coffee can be stored for 10-14 days in the refrigerator, in a closed container, without loss of taste characteristics.
Direct cooling
Let's fix one point: we will get a delicious cold drink called Cold Brew only after we dilute the concentrate with the required amount of water. Doesn't this bother you? Why make an extract and dilute it when you can just make an alternative to suit your taste and refrigerate it. Yes, you can do it this way, but I will say one thing: if it gave such an excellent result, then coffee enthusiasts would not have to invent and use something more technologically advanced.
Chilled during the brewing process is also considered cold brew. You just need to add ice to the alternative cooking technology. Example:
- pour a funnel (or similar extraction type) into a server half-filled with ice cubes;
- During bypass, use ice water when diluting the AeroPress concentrate.
Unfortunately, direct cooling cannot be accomplished with all alternative brewing methods. Most often, amateurs buy special servers and flasks with built-in compartments for ice (the most popular of them are presented by the manufacturer hario). They are made so that the frozen water in the cubes does not get into the black coffee you prepare, but only cools it.
Are you not satisfied with the taste? It is not expressive enough and seems dull - add a little (5-10 grams) lime juice to increase the acidity. If you want to add sweetness to your coffee drink, you can safely add a small portion of juice to it to your taste (in a ratio of 1:10). Although this will no longer be considered an original cold brew, I am sure that this cold drink will turn out great. Do you like to drink iced coffee with milk?
Cold brew: taste and features
Coffee differs from the recipes we are used to not only in its original preparation method, but also in its taste characteristics. Cold extraction releases large amounts of caffeine and relatively small amounts of chlorogenic acid and tannins into the infusion. Therefore, cold brew has a mild and pleasant taste. There is almost no sourness in it, and the usual coffee bitterness is felt much weaker. But don’t let the subtle bouquet of cold brew fool you – the drink contains more caffeine than espresso – from 150 mg of caffeine per 100 ml of liquid.
Main characteristics of cold brew
- Mild taste without sourness and minimal bitterness.
- High caffeine content.
- Subtle aroma.
- Good combinability with other ingredients: milk, juices, syrups.
Try our coffee
Mix of grains
Espresso coffee
Blend of 100% Arabica beans. The aroma reveals notes of roasted peanuts and hazelnuts, while the taste is dominated by dark chocolate and walnuts. Soft aftertaste of cocoa and burnt sugar.
Peru
Coffee "Chanchamayo"
Rich and strong coffee with notes of bread in the aroma.
Brazil
Coffee "Santos"
The aroma is dominated by spices and cocoa. The soft nutty-chocolate taste is offset by a slight sourness at the end.
Extraction time
At room temperature, extraction occurs faster than in the refrigerator, but in any case, the clock counts. The optimal brewing time for cold brew is 12-18 hours; the longer the coffee is brewed, the richer it will be. Focus on your taste: if the drink seems insufficiently rich and lacks sweetness, you can leave it to brew for two to three hours longer.
Because cold brew takes time to brew, it can take days to find the perfect recipe. To find “that same taste” faster, it is better to brew several drinks at once - in different devices, with different grains, with different dosages, with or without hot pre-wetting, for different times.
You will need:
- coffee grinder and bean coffee or coarsely ground coffee;
- sieve;
- muslin cloth or paper towels;
- two large-volume containers (one of them with a lid).
Coffee grinding
If you are not using ground coffee, run the beans through a coffee grinder. Make sure to choose the right grind size: the coffee grounds should be about the size of breadcrumbs. By using smaller grains, you risk getting a cloudy drink.
Coffee lovers recommend not taking the path of least resistance and grinding the beans roasted for espresso with your own hands: this will make the drink more tasty.
Infusion
Fill a large jar with coffee and cold water in proportions of 1:8. If you plan to drink cold brew with ice, then the proportions should be changed to 1:4. Mix thoroughly, cover and place the jar in the refrigerator. If you used a ratio of 1:8, then the waiting time will be 18–24 hours. If 1:4, then 10–12 hours will be enough.
Filtration
Strain the drink through a sieve, getting rid of large particles of coffee. Place a muslin cloth or a few paper towels on the cleaned sieve and strain the coffee again. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times until there are no visible particles left at the bottom of the jar. If you are unable to get your drink to such purity, it means you used too finely ground coffee.
Innings
Cold brew is ready. You can add ice, milk, cream, cherry juice or various syrups to the drink.
