OT: Cold brew machines?

[vitaly66]

My experience from having tried these methods, is that cold brewing for many hours in the refrigerator results in a different character than hot brewed french press poured over ice.

That is not to say one is better than another, it is all about individual preference. For drinking iced coffee, I happen to prefer cold brewing using the mason jar + melitta filter method. I would describe the character as smoother and more fully developed, and possibly less bitter and acidic, than hot brewed coffee over ice.

Anyway, to paraphrase some comic, coffee is like sex: when it's good it's really good, when it's bad it's still good.

(Except not always.)

[giordana93]

Originally Posted by RFC

BTW, here is a way to benchmark the simple cold brew method.

When you buy a cold brew from a coffee purveyor, chat them up and ask them how they make it.

I've done this at 4 or 5 different locations and the answer has generally been the same.

"Wow, this is great! How do you guys make cold brew coffee?"

"Well, we put ground coffee and water in pitchers and let them set for about 18 hours."

"Do you put the pitchers in the refrigerator?"

"No, we just leave them out on the counter."

Try this, see what you find out and report back.

yep, which is exactly what the toddy does, but instead of trying to pour a half gallon of frothy, inky, coffee soup into some filtering mechanism the next day, and waiting around for it to finish dripping, you pull a rubber stopper out and walk away. easy, clean up is a snap, and you put the carafe straight into the fridge.

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by Drmojo

I have using French press for 7 years now for
cold brew
Coarse ground
Experiment with ratio and type of coffee
No need to refrigerate overnight,if you want it cold,
add ice
Never had better than home brew cold brew

Follow up on this...

Followed this, works perfectly! Loving my cold brew coffee!!!

[geeter]

Finally bought a Toddy.. love it

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[jruhlen1980]

Originally Posted by vitaly66

Ok, this is good information, thanks.

I used my cycling socks, quality merino.

The coffee was terrible but this upside: my feet and shoes smelled like a roaster's!

I've been doing #sockdoping all wrong.

[KWalker]

I've tried every single method. Every single way. The best is to grind coarse, put in a giant gallon container. Use luke warm to warm water. Let the gas escape, sea. Later use both a nut bag and some kind of conical filter to filter the cold brew. There are zero particles and it does the same thing as a Toddy. It's also easier to store while it's brewing IMO.

Cold brewing is probably the least particular and most forgiving way you can brew anything. It's really not that complicated beyond roast preference and even then you rarely get any subtleties you would with any other brew method.

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by KWalker

I've tried every single method. Every single way. The best is to grind coarse, put in a giant gallon container. Use luke warm to warm water. Let the gas escape, sea. Later use both a nut bag and some kind of conical filter to filter the cold brew. There are zero particles and it does the same thing as a Toddy. It's also easier to store while it's brewing IMO.

Cold brewing is probably the least particular and most forgiving way you can brew anything. It's really not that complicated beyond roast preference and even then you rarely get any subtleties you would with any other brew method.

So true...ratios, times, amounts, grind quality don't really matter much. Just dump coffee into bucket of cold water, stir, wait 12-24 hours, pour over ice and enjoy.

[KWalker]

One thing I do when I travel now instead of an Aeropress is generally bring a plastic french press and maybe some filters and a plastic Hario v60. Buy the best grounds available, which in many countries means something akin to Bustelo/sitting on a store shelf, and then make it whenever we settle enough to put it in the French press. Ready to go or heat the next morning quickly, but then I don't have to bring beans, a grinder, or worry about hot water.

Doing this reallllllly opened up my eyes into how forgiving it is. And how a 24hr brew time creates jet fuel.

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by KWalker

One thing I do when I travel now instead of an Aeropress is generally bring a plastic french press and maybe some filters and a plastic Hario v60. Buy the best grounds available, which in many countries means something akin to Bustelo/sitting on a store shelf, and then make it whenever we settle enough to put it in the French press. Ready to go or heat the next morning quickly, but then I don't have to bring beans, a grinder, or worry about hot water.

Doing this reallllllly opened up my eyes into how forgiving it is. And how a 24hr brew time creates jet fuel.

Wait, is there any other way to drink it???......