How To Choose: Iced Coffee or Cold Brew?

Spring has officially Sprung here in Denver, and as the days begin to warm up, many of us coffee lovers are making our annual seasonal switch from hot coffee to iced coffee. With this switch comes the all-important decision; should you go with a classic Iced Coffee or opt for a Cold Brew?

The decision really comes down to understanding the difference between the two and we are here to help with that! The main distinction is that one requires an entirely different process to make, while the other is essentially a classically brewed coffee that gets cold.

Let’s start with Iced Coffee. Iced Coffee is really just hot coffee that you make cold after the brewing process. HOWEVER, don't just make a pot of coffee then stick it in over ice in your refrigerator! That would make it taste super watered down when you go to drink it! Why? Because of the ice! Think of it like this – when you drink a hot cup of coffee you’re usually drinking it either black or maybe with some cream and sugar added in. But when you drink Iced Coffee, you add in the ice to your drink first then dress it up with cream and sugar, etc. While the first few sips might taste perfect, the ice in your coffee will inevitably begin to melt, and your delicious cup of caffeine will begin to taste more and more watered down with every drink.

Instead, you’re going to want to brew a "double batch". This means that you double the amount of coffee grounds used to brew a normal pot of coffee.  So for every scoop of coffee you normally put in a portafilter, add in a second as well. Doing this will give the coffee more body, flavor, and caffeine! (Yes, the rumors are true, iced coffee does have double the caffeine dose of a regular cup of joe, so be careful!). Then after it's done brewing, pour the coffee into a pitcher and place in your refrigerator to cool.

Making Cold Brew on the other hand is a much longer process. It takes about one day in total to complete. It also takes more dialing in to discover the flavor profile you like. 

To make Cold Brew you will need a large pitcher (or home brew bucket depending how much coffee you drink) and a fine filtered bag. Using a 1:4 ratio of coffee to water, grind the coffee beans you want to use on the coarsest setting possible. This will help to keep all the coffee grounds in the filter and allow for a maximum surface area of beans to soak. Next soak the grounds in the filter bag before tying off the filter and pouring water (remember the 1:4 ratio) into your pitcher. Let this soak for 24 hours at room temperature then remove the filter bag/grounds and place your cold brew in the refrigerator to let it chill.

When your Cold Brew is nice and cold and you’re ready for a glass, pour yourself some of your freshly created concentrate, but be sure to leave room in the glass for some water as well. Cold brew comes out of the creation process very concentrated, so you will likely want to dilute it down a little before serving. Unless of course you are just that hard core and you actually want a similar French press grit to your coffee.

We also want to mention that a lot of coffee shops tend to serve their Cold Brew with nitrogen gas that is funneled through a kegerator. This gives your Cold Brew a frothy, stout-like appearance and a taste that is meant to not require the addition of cream or milk. So that might be something to take into consideration as well when making the choice between Iced Coffee and Cold Brew. The beauty of coffee is that it is totally customizable to anyone's taste, and we encourage you to experiment with all of it until you find the exact right combo for you!