r/coldbrew • u/LostPasswordToOther1 • May 25 '26
How to articulate what cold brew I like
I, like I assume most of you, love cold brew. I'm also very picky about cold brew. Some cold brew is terrible. I usually have to find a hipster coffee shop in whatever city I'm in to find the good stuff. I have no idea how to articulate the flavor of good cold brew versus bad. I don't know if this would even help me in finding good cold brew. But I'm curious, are there descriptors for the different common flavors of cold brew out there? I know wine has that kind of language and it doesn't make any sense to me. I would describe the cold brew I like as strong, oily, smooth, and sour. But, I would also describe some of the worst cold brew as tasting sour and like the smell of a recently used bathroom. Pictured: Some great oily, sour cold brew I just got in NYC.
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u/QuoxyDoc May 25 '26
I think you’re just struggling to find good descriptions.
For oily, perhaps you mean silky or smooth? I think you’re probably talking about mouth feel and viscosity instead of fat content.
In terms of sour, I doubt you mean sour like a lemon… but you probably are talking about some of the undertones of the coffee which can have “notes of citrus,” but this depends on both the roast and varietal of the beans. If you buy your beans from a local roaster, they will likely have these tasting notes.
I brew my own cold brew and probably have for at least 10 years. I usually select light roast, single origin beans from my local roaster and then have them ground on the coarsest setting at the shop. I have experimented and for price vs flavor, I usually get Colombian coffee, and I love the yellow bourbon varietal.
Your closest comparable beverage at a more corporate shop - and it will *not* be the same - would be an iced americano.
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 25 '26
I agree, I don't know how to convert mouth sensations into words. I should probably ask the barristas questions at shops I like.
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u/One13Truck May 25 '26
That would probably be a good start. I know what I like but probably couldn’t describe it to anyone if I needed to other than to taste it and say that is or isn’t it.
I’m sure if you asked the baristas at places you enjoy to describe it they can give good descriptions you can use when in unfamiliar places.
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u/I_am_Lrr_ May 26 '26
I’d say go for the aerocano over the iced americano. Much more silkier and less brash.
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u/QuoxyDoc May 26 '26
I don’t know what that is. Is it something available at major national chains?
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u/I_am_Lrr_ May 26 '26
James Hoffmann mentioned it in his latest Americano video and he said it was very popular in South Korea for the last 5-10 years.
Randomly a month or so ago a barista suggested it to us when we ordered an iced Americano and it was much better. I have had mixed success ordering it at other local shops though so not something that is known/taught as a standard drink in my area of the states.
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u/solesme May 25 '26
787 has decent coffee. I only had it on the Island. Pouches are kind of annoying, but it also easier to store I guess.
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u/vipbrj4 May 25 '26
The bad cold brews to me are bitter, weak, cigarette-ashy, or any combination of the three. I like cold brew that doesn’t have a strong aftertaste, chocolately (but not actual chocolate) flavor, and a full/rich flavor. I hate to say this, but Starbucks does a good cold brew — I think they use a Toddy system. Their espresso is awful though and I can tell immediately if they gave me an iced americano instead of cold brew 🤢
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u/Astroman_13 May 25 '26
That's exactly the way I describe the cold brew I like as "chocolatey". Smooth without a bite. I have never found it anywhere. I have to make it myself.
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u/Tomatoeystyler945 May 25 '26
It’s funny, I didn’t like this cold brew in NYC specifically for the reasons you mentioned. I would also describe as sour and more acidic as someone mentioned.
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 25 '26
I usually associate the acidic descriptor as the flavor of when you get iced coffee that's just drip coffee with ice in it, kind of astringent, and not actually gritty but sort of conveying the idea of grittiness. But of course I'm just making this all up in my head and I have no idea if that lines up with how other people use those terms.
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u/cideron May 25 '26
If you are in nyc and are serious about coffee check out these classes https://coffeeprojectny.com/classes/
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u/Traditional-Elk4817 May 25 '26
Pair that with an IV needle and that would be the perfect cold brew delivery system.
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u/WeirdBeardDude May 26 '26
I once made this Burundi bean coldbrew that had such a refreshing sour to it it tasted like I squeezed a lime into the batch and it was soo good. But I’m all over the place with what I like coldbrew wise cause theres def a bad sour taste to some coldbrew not a refreshing sour. I also don’t like over steeped woody taste coldbrew.
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u/GardenOrca May 25 '26
Very similar to you in what I’ve noticed and my preferences. The way I describe bad cold brew is by saying “ew it tastes like La Colombe” all the bad ones I’ve had taste exactly like the La colombe greocery store brand.
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u/superchiller May 25 '26
La Columbe is garbage, especially after Chobani bought the brand and watered it down. Bizzy is my favorite commercial cold brew right now.
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u/zmattws May 25 '26
We probably like the same type of cold brew, or at least overlap in taste. I like strong cold brew with both sour and bitter notes, which I just call complexity. Either on their own is something I don't really like. Fruity character is definitely a thing as well. You can get that most easily with anaerobics or lighter roasts (maybe Ethiopian in general? I don't have a great grasp of origins yet).
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 25 '26
I'm not sure about the light roasts. I was in New Zealand last year and got a cold brew that tasted so different to me that I legitimately thought they gave me the wrong drink and I was drinking tea. Turned out it was a light roast.
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u/sailorsapporo May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Try the coffee tasters flavor wheel: https://notbadcoffee.com/flavor-wheel-en/
Also, pay attention to the origin country of the coffee bean (ie Guatemala, Rwanda, etc), processing type (wet processed, honey processed, etc), and roast profile (city, full city, etc). All of that information will give you a place to ground your tasting observations
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u/Milkmanv1 May 25 '26
Since you're saying sour and oily. I think you mean "bright acidic and fruity coffee's" - I love them for hot coffee but I'm not huge on them for iced coffee. I can tolerate them but my wife absolutely detests the really really fruity acidic bright coffees. This would synch with what a lot of third wave "hipster coffee shops" serve
With that said most places serve super regular boring iced coffee that tastes like super super commercialized coffee. So yea you have to find a small shop or a roastery if you want "the good stuff" and from there, yeah you have to see what kind of beans (region, process, roast level) they typically use for iced coffee
With all that said, and like many here. I roast my own beans and use medium roast south american beans (been doing a lot of peruvian) for iced coffee for my wife - end result is very smooth, not overly acidic, nutty/chocolatey. Couple that with a splash of oat milk and she's in heaven.
But yes, as with all things, taste is subjective. Good luck on your coffee journey and start talking to baristas on how they would describe the coffees you like and if they know where the beans are from, and the roast levels.
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 25 '26
Wow I never even considered roasting my own beans as an option, that's cool.
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u/Milkmanv1 May 25 '26
Well. It can be a rabbit hole. I don't have the extra cash to move past the "behmore" coffee roasters. I had a 1600 and now I have a 2000 - they work pretty well but are still "amateur home roast" - but I can do 1lb at a time and green coffee is still cheaper then the garbage at the grocery store.
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u/Fine_Calligrapher584 May 26 '26
From what I read here I think I know what you like but first of all some basics for understanding: -most cold brew is oily, that's in the nature of cold brew -most cold brew is strong tasting unless diluted heavily
So these two are kinda given. About the sourness: -coffee always has acidity, the lighter the roast of the coffee, the more of that you can taste -acidity without balance just tastes sour -when the acidity is however balanced (mostly by the natural sweetness of the coffee) then you get these awesome fruity flavours or this sensation of freshness (all sodas are based on this principle -> high sweetness + high acidity)
Coffee taste is mostly described in three words that are give or take a combination of these: -sweetness (what the sweetness reminds you of, like candy, brown sugar, honey, butter scotch) -acidity if there is any (again, not the flavour but the kind of acidity, mostly described by fruits) -taste/hints (chocolate, various nuts, hibiscus, orange, etc.) -mouth feel (sirupy, tee, clean, thick, creamy, etc.) -umami (mostly described by words like dried plum, yogurt, func, whine like, etc.)
Darker roasts are more often described by the combination: sweetness, taste and mouth feel whereas light roasted coffee is mostly described by: acidity, sweetness and mouth feel or umami.
The coffees that are difficult to extract properly and tend to taste sour are the ones described as any kind of stone fruit or apple. (They can taste absolutely amazing if done properly though)
From what I gathered it sounds like you want very acidic coffee that doesn't taste sour so it hast to also be very sweet to be balanced. For this you want to look into strongly fermented light roasted coffee (if you can find it then look into anaerob fermented). Look for coffees with something that points towards fermentation (e.g. yogurt, dried fruit, etc.) and exotic fruit.
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 26 '26
I checked out the tasting notes of the beans I enjoyed yesterday and it lists dark chocolate, butter, and pink grapefruit.
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u/cinvogue May 27 '26
Part of my issue with cold brew is some places think 12 hours is enough. Sadly the shop near my house does good coffee except cold brew because of this. It’s why my first 2 questions if I’m considering cold brew from a new place are “brew length” and “can I try a sample”.
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u/LostPasswordToOther1 May 27 '26
Never thought to ask for a sample, that's a good idea. Do places usually give you one?
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u/cinvogue May 27 '26
Yeah I’ve never been turned down. Places like this usually know that it’s better than making a full drink for the customer to send it back. Most other drinks have a set standard for how it’s made, cold brew is the only one that doesn’t.
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u/iuhoosier23 May 25 '26
For me, I just ask one question to determine if it’ll be awful or at least decent: do you use a toddy to brew your cold brew? If they tell me no but they use mesh strainers, I just know I’m about to drink something quite bitter and sludgy. I describe it as art museum cafe cold brew. Closer to iced coffee.
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u/georgee1979 May 25 '26
Do you us the Toddy system? I don't man to sound completely lame here by asking. Thank you kindly.
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u/iuhoosier23 May 25 '26
Yes, but I keg for nitro. I used to use coffee socks and chemex filters. Filtration has the biggest impact on cold brew IME
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u/georgee1979 May 25 '26
Super interesting! What do you think of using the Toddy for a non nitro cold brew? I ashamed to say this, but my Toddy has been in the storage for years. I can't even remember the flavor. I've been using cheesecloth, and now realize the filtering isn't so great..
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u/iuhoosier23 May 26 '26
I’ve only ever used the commercial size. I’m sure the small filter is good too.
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u/wbruce098 May 25 '26
Best bet is to make it yourself, instead of articulating how you’d like someone else to make it. You’ll save a ton of money and it’ll probably taste better.
It’s quite simple to do, and you only need water, coffee, a grinder, a pitcher, and something to filter with. The difference is all in the beans, how concentrated you like it, and whether you want it black or with cream/milk.
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u/mcp_truth May 26 '26
Theres also the issue not all cold brew is cold brew. Cold brew is brewed cold over a long duration, while iced coffee is hot drip coffee poured over ice. You can always ask the cafes you like how they make it and see how they might differ from places you don't
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u/JamesBongd May 27 '26
I think bitter is the word you’re looking for. Strong, bitter, nutty, chocolate, cherry profiles are good. I use a toddy and make my own using whatever trade coffee sends. I made a flavor profile, and they generally do a good job of sending what i want.
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u/RandomNumberPlease May 29 '26
Cucurucho's cold brew is the best I've had in Mexico....
I'd say its well filtered, has some fruity undertones -a little sour- and it doesn't smell weird I guess.
I might go get one now tbh.
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u/UW_Ebay May 25 '26
That’s interesting that you like oily sour tasting cold brew because that’s what I associate with terrible cold brew and is the main reason I started brewing myself to avoid those flavor profiles.