So I know the accepted practice for cold brew is to do a coarse grind, and to brew somewhere between 8-24 hours depending on whether you’re doing it at room temperature or in the fridge.
But is this really necessary? Could I just use a finer grind and brew for less time? I’m asking because when you grind coarse, you end up having to use a lot more coffee beans (mass) than you would for the equivalent volume of any other type of coffee.
For context, I’m using a coffee sock which is just a glorified reusable coffee filter, so I don’t think that grind size is going to impact filtration that much.
What is it about brewing it cold that makes it better? Why not brew it normally and then cool it off? I love coffee, but have never really been a cold brew aficionado. I recently watched an episode of Americas Test Kitchen that showed the best way to make cold brew coffee, and when they used enough coffee grounds to brew two pots worth just to make two servings that wouldn’t be ready til the next day, I realized I probably would never become one.
I make it so my partner has immediate coffee concentrate ready for the morning rush. I also like the unique flavor it has, often I’m getting interesting notes nothing like when I brew the same coffee hot.
I would argue that it’s just down to a preference. I regularly go between hot brewed, iced coffee, and cold brew, and I would personally say that when I make iced coffee (the exact same way as hot but just leaving it in the fridge until it’s cold), it’s significantly harsher and is missing a lot of nuance.
Cold brew definitely also lacks complexity compared to hot - I think most coffees made as a cold brew will converge towards an oxidized/ chocolate flavor. It’s not really worth it to buy expensive coffees for cold brewing but I think it’s a pretty forgiving and easily-scaled process.
Cold brew is my go to for gifted beans or trying a new roaster/bean that turns out I didn’t terribly enjoy. I’m not wasting the beans and because it lacks complexity (and I’m going to hit it with a little sweetener and cream anyway lol) I can still end up with a very drinkable cup.
I will admit I haven’t given that method as much serious consideration as I probably should. I’ve done it several times and it has always tasted different from how I like it. The main reason I probably don’t do it more often is that I don’t actually own a coffee maker of any kind.
It’s maybe like 10% better … but it requires double the resources and literally thousands of times the prep time. The return on investment is so bad it’s laughable.