The greatest contentment for a coffee fanatic comes from starting their day with an exotic cup of beautifully brewed coffee. For them, coffee is more than just a daily dose of caffeine to stimulate their minds. It’s about fulfilling the longing for that nutty, earthy aroma of the coffee bean.

And the joy of adding endless variations to that flavour and exploring new ways of consuming it. 

The classic way of enjoying coffee is by brewing it in hot water and drink it straight or adding frothed milk to it. There is a slightly less known way of brewing beans as well; it is without using the heat. This method requires a bit of planning, as the coffee takes slightly longer to brew perfectly. Steeping the blend in cold water gives the cup of coffee stronger nutty notes and much less acidity. 

Why Cold Brew?

Cold brew coffee is the perfect solution for summers. Especially on one of those days, when the scorching heat of sun brings you to your local coffee shop for a cup of chilled coffee. What you get is a cup filled with a ton of ice cube sitting there diluting your coffee. Let’s admit it we all feel ripped off after that. So why not make it at home instead.

This brewing style is a lot more forgiving as it mellows down the slight variations in the flavour of the coffee roast. These subtle notes of citrus, spice, and cocoa are only enhanced when the beans are brewed in hot water, as the soluble and acids release at higher temperatures. For the same reason, these flavours will mostly seem untraceable to you in a cold-brewed coffee. The lower acidity level of the cold coffee comes with a trade-off on skipping the variations in coffee bean flavours.

Besides the minor differences in flavour, a cup of coffee brewed cold gets stale much slower. If drinking coffee is your morning ritual, it is a good idea to make a big batch every Sunday and continue to sip it throughout the week. This will also take a task off of your morning to-do list and save you a couple of minutes. 

A downside to cold brewing is that it requires double the amount of coffee grounds for the same intensity of the flavours that you’d get with hot brewed coffee.

The EquipmentSimple Cold Brew Recipe

Special pitchers are available for cold brew at very affordable prices on Amazon. But to be honest, brewing coffee doesn’t need any specific tools or equipment. You only need a grinder for the bean and a pitcher (preferably with a spout) to hold the coffee. These two things are pretty much a part of every household kitchen. 

Cold-brew is different from Iced Coffee. Iced coffee is brewed hot and then poured over ice, or it is refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving. Iced coffee gets diluted quite a bit, and doesn’t taste as fresh as it is brewed in hot water and then rested to cool it down. The biggest drawback is that the acidity levels are higher. However, cold brew solves all these issues. 

Cold-brew is a fuss-free method of preparing your daily dose of caffeine. The recipe varies from person to person as some people like it strong enough to give you a buzz, while others like the mellow version. We follow the ratio of one part coffee and four parts of water, which is 1 to 4 ratios. So if you want four 6 oz cups, use 6 oz of coffee and four 6oz of water and let it brew. Pretty straightforward, right?

For a more detailed recipe, follow the steps below:

  1. Measure and grind the number of beans needed to make the desired quantity of coffee. Keep the ground coarse, otherwise, you’ll end up with over-extraction.
  2. Add the grinds in the pitcher, and add room temperature water.
  3.  Cover with a lid and let it sit on the counter for 12 hours to fully infuse the ground in water. Or place the pitcher in the fridge, but the coffee will need longer in the refrigerator, say 18 hours.
  4. After it has rested for the said time, strain the ground and dilute it to your taste preference with milk or ice cubes or water.

In our experience, round ice melts less rapidly than cubed ones.

What Are The Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew?

Just about any coffee beans can be brewed hot, the same is not true for cold brew. Not every bean is suitable for low temperatures or for steeping in water for over 12 hours. A lot of science-stuff goes around in the brewing process.

There’s no concrete answer to which bean will yield the perfect cup of coffee, as it drills down to personal preference. Some coffee enthusiasts will tell you that medium roast is the best of all. Then you’ll also find online guides swearing that light roast coffee is a perfect choice.

So it all comes down to your palate, what feels and tastes good to you. The guides are just to give you a head start on your journey to explore the best coffee beans.

Best Coffee For Cold Brew In 2024

1. Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve

Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve

 

First thing first, “Cold brew coffee beans” do not refer to a specific type or origin of the bean. For instance, these grounded beans by Stone Street will get the customer thinking at the first look that what they’re picking is specifically for cold brew. But this blend is also suitable for a hot brew, espresso shots, and french press at the same time.

These dark roasted coffee beans are coarsely ground; this makes it a one-step process to prepare the coffee. All you need is to scope out the reserves and put them in the pitcher. The coffee reserves come in a three-layer kraft-foil bag; it is resealable, making them well balanced & bold flavours last as long as the coffee reserves last.

The beans are 100% arabica, single-origin Colombian Supremo, with slightly sweet endnotes. Stone Street’s cold brew is available in 1lb, 2lb and 5lb package along with the option of getting un-grounded beans as well.

2. Koffee Kult Dark Roast

Koffee Kult Dark Roast

 

Koffee Kult is a family-owned business. Customer satisfaction is very dear to them. For this reason, they have the doors open for whoever wishes to visit their roasting facility. 

This dark roast is 100% arabica, originating from Sumatra, Guatemala, and Colombia. The coffee beans are roasted in house. The blend has a distinct flavour profile with strong notes of cocoa and cinnamon. These beans are suitable for brewing at cold and hot temperatures alike. This full-bodied coffee is bold yet smooth and has a low acidity level. Koffee Kult is a good option to start with.

3. Olde Brooklyn Coffee French Roast Whole Bean

Olde Brooklyn Coffee French Roast Whole Bean

 

Olde Brooklyn’s French roast is made with 100% arabica bean, handpicked from Brazil, Columbia, and Guatemala. The beans have full-bodied flavours and subtle smoky-sweet aroma. To retain the freshness of the unique aromas, they are roasted in small batches and packed in air-tight packs. For the freshest experience, the blends are weekly roasted in-house.

Olde Brooklyn has a wide range of roasts at a great price without sacrificing on quality. There’s one for everyone’s liking. Italian Dark Roast, Brazilian Santos, Breakfast Blend, are some of their best sellers. The blend is suitable for all brewing styles. Brew it cold, in french press or drip-brew; they all will taste superb. 

4. Verena Street Espresso Beans

Verena Street Espresso Beans

 

The label might get you thinking that these beans are for extracting espresso shot. But the blend also makes a fine cup of strong cold-brewed coffee. The creamy, richness of flavour remains as is even after steeping the grind for 12 hours. The beans have subtle notes of sweetness. This pack of dark beans is already ground. All there’s left for you to do is to dunk them on Sunday night before going to bed.

A plus point for the eco-conscious coffee lovers, Verna Street Coffee Co pledges to source the coffee beans responsibly. They have pledged to protect the farm, wildlife, and farmers’ rights. The beans are procured from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms only.

The family-owned business products are certified as kosher, by the world’s most trusted organization, the Orthodox Union. They have a variety of blends and roasts to pick from, including decaf ones.

5. Kicking Horse Coffee – Smart Ass

Kicking Horse Coffee - Smart Ass

 

Holding to true their name, Kicking Horse is famous for giving an instant kick of caffeine to your body. But the buzz of caffeine comes with a downside of a high acidic level. This medium roast is one of the best options for cold brew.

The arabica beans originate from sustainably grown farms in Africa and America; they are roasted just below the Rocky Mountain peaks. The whole beans have a sweet, chocolatey aroma with subtle notes of honey. Recommended for cold brew, espresso, drip machine, and french press. 

6. Java Planet – Guatemalan Organic Coffee Beans, Medium Roast

Java Planet - Guatemalan Organic Coffee Beans, Medium Roast

 

This delicious medium roast is a good choice for both cold brew and a hot brew. The ground has a creamy body with the tanginess of the fruit and notes of caramel and chocolate notes. Organic coffee brands are 100% arabica and certified as fair traded.

Java plants claim to carry out the roasting process in small batches to ensure high quality, homogenous roasting, resulting in an optimum flavour. The beans are rich in antioxidants, aiding in weight loss by increasing your metabolism. A cup of Java Planet is the best way to energize your mornings.

7. Cold Brew Lab Coffee

Cold Brew Lab Coffee

 

Ready to consume right off the shop, Cold Brew Lab Coffee comes in extra-coarse grinds. Made with 100% Arabica, Columbian Supremo beans, the blend is a mixture of medium and dark roast that gives it a unique roast level for a well-balanced cup of coffee. This well-rounded grind has low acidity levels, and full-bodied, smooth yet bold flavours, making it the best choice for slow cold brew.

Cold Brew Lab is an artisan coffee roaster located in New York and sources organic speciality-grade beans only. They offer a single flavour only, with the option of getting either coarse grind or whole beans.

8. Hugo Roasters Cold Brew Coffee

Hugo Roasters Cold Brew Coffee

 

Hugo Roasters Cold Brew coffee beans are roasted for cold brew specifically and are grounded coarsely. It gives off has a subtle note of spice, nut, and chocolate. The manufacturer suggests brewing it for 24hours at room temperature. 

The African beans are carefully selected and sourced ethically from Utah. The packaging of the Hugo Roaster Coffee has a lot to tell you about the part they play to fulfil their social responsibility. For every pound of coffee purchased, they donate shelter to a dog in need. Drink coffee for them dogs.

9. Wink Coffee Blonde Roast

Wink Coffee Blonde Roast

 

These 100% Arabica beans originate from Columbia and fire-roasted in small batches for uniform roasting to ensure the richness of the undernotes is elevated. Freshness is ensured with resealable airtight zipper closure.

The taste profile of Wink Coffee has earthy notes and hints of milk chocolate and a pleasant nuttiness. The citrus flavour is also present, but the cold brew doesn’t highlight it much. Besides cold brew, the blend is suitable for all coffee brewers; french press, drip coffee, Moka pot and pour-over.

In Conclusion

For greater freshness, buy whole bean instead of grounded coffee. Grind the beans just before brewing to experience the boldness of the flavours that get mellowed down otherwise. We recommend buying the coffee beans fresh and in small batches.

If you have been more of a safe player, we recommend stepping out of the mainstream brands like Dunkin’ Donut and Starbucks. Try coffee beans by some of the artisan roasters mentioned in the guide above.

These fancier roasts will enlighten you with flavours oblivion to you right now. If you regularly drink light roast, pick a medium roast the next time you hit a grocery store. Broaden your horizon by bringing variations.

This will help you understand what you truly love and how to brew the coffee to your liking. Experimenting with the roasts, brewing techniques, and bean origin is worth it. Your tastebuds will always remember these flavours. Ask a coffee enthusiast about his enlightenment phase and he’ll tell you the same. 

The hot brew is a quicker way of extracting the flavour from the beans. It does so by oxidizing the beans to release all the flavours instantly. This process pulls out the oils, acidity, and bitterness along its way.

Cold brewing is a hit these days. It is the ultimate mess-free method of brewing your coffee. The steeping time is 12 to 18 hours, but it is worth the wait. During this time the coffee will slowly infuse into the water.

With some forethought, you can prepare a whole batch and store it for the week ahead without worrying about it going stale. Cold brewing is bliss for people looking for a full-bodied yet less acidic and subtle alternate to hot brew.

Cold-brew has a higher coffee to water ratio, lending a smooth cup of coffee with a punch of caffeine. It doesn’t lag flavours, it only leaves out the bitterness that comes along with heating the beans while brewing.

This concentrate can be diluted with a few ice cubes or water to your liking. With cold brew, you can make a ton of variations by just adding milk or perhaps different flavourings. Ace the game of cold brewing this summer so you’ll never have to go to a coffee shop again.

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