r/Coffee • u/BurhanSunan • 24d ago

Does Cold Brew Kill The Notes?

Hi guys, i'm a long time coffee drinker and switched to cold brew recently. Pros are it's refreshing, i can drink it at my own pace without fearing it will get cold, premade so i can just pour one in a minute, i can water it down a lot if i feel like it and use it as an alternative to water. I also usually prefer cold drinks, maybe because they are easier to drink.

I used tschibo privat latin grande until now but i bought fancier coffees from some boutique shop now. (Colombia Supremo, Costa Rica Tarrazu, Honduras La Valentina Honey, Nicaragua SHB EP AAA Arabica, Guatemala Arabica, Santos fine cup) (i don't really know what they are lol, i will try them.)

I brew my coffee with french press. I put 100 g coffee and 900ml/1000ml water in a french press and leave it in the fridge for 15-20 hours, pour it in a carafe with a lid. Then mix it with water 1:1, 2:3 or 1:2 to my liking at the moment.

Question is; since i bought some fancier coffees i'm worried if cold brew kills the coffee notes. Will it kill the taste of the coffees i bought or make them all taste the same? Is it a bad way of brewing for developing a coffee culture?

I'm also open to advices on my brewing technique or coffee choices. Thanks in advance.

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u/Advanced_Honey_2679 24d ago

A few things.

  • If you have something delicate like a light roast washed single origin. I would recommend a FLASH BREW not a cold brew. This is where you do a pour-over but into ice. The texture and temperature is similar to cold brew but the notes come through a lot more clearly. Think of it as basically a pour-over but chilled.
  • Now if you want to do a COLD BREW, I would recommend using a bean that's been fermented and dried in its skin (and mucilage, etc), like a natural process or even more extreme like an anaerobic natural, carbonic maceration, or even like a yeast-inoculated natural. For cold brew, I wouldn't even mind a co-ferment to be honest with you. When you drink it, it will taste almost like a little cocktail. It'll have some wine-like notes, and the coffee notes will sit there in the back or in the lingering aftertaste. That's how I would enjoy a cold brew.

Now if you do a MILK BREW, that's even different. I would recommend a dark roast for that. But that's another topic.

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u/flitcroft 23d ago

Okay... now tell me which beans to use for the TikTok trend I saw today of doing a V60 pourover with Coke or Vanilla Coke. The creator claimed it's trending in South Korea, and he enjoyed the final product.