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Among the many, indeed countless, coffee extraction methods, Cold Brew Coffee is probably one of the least known but slowly gaining popularity among baristas and mixologists for its characteristics, advantages, and the spectacularity of the extraction.
Today we talk about Cold Brew Coffee with the legendary Nicola Battista, Coffee Sommelier of Bar Project, the research, training, and promotion of beverage culture project with which we have been collaborating for years. An Italian excellence, a group of extraordinary people led by Claudio Lepore, from whom we are fortunate to draw and with whom we share passions and interests.
Nicola turned his passion into his job. He started working in Italian coffee shops and here he discovered the boundless world of coffee, realizing that it is not just a simple drink consumed hastily at the counter of a bar, but about lands, plantations, types, harvesting methods, drying, and roasting... "an infinite plant" that he fell madly in love with.
So, we asked Nicola to talk to us about coffee and cold extraction methods of coffee, what are the advantages of cold brew, the history and traditions, the best tools, techniques, and ingredients to make a quality cold brew coffee. Ready to start this journey? Let's begin!
Photo credits to Bar Project Academy
Cold Brew is an extraordinary extraction method that few still know. But what are the differences and possibly the advantages of cold extraction compared to traditional hot extraction? Nicola explains that the importance of the Cold Brew method in coffee revolves around the ability to slowly extract the fats and oils naturally contained in coffee, preserving them from oxidation.
The oxidation of these substances transforms coffee from a tasty and rich drink with properties and aromas into something harmful to our body.
Cold extraction of coffee allows to slowly draw out the fats and oils contained in coffee and thus perfumes, aromas, and properties of coffee. In this way, the extracted beverage can be consumed even days after extraction - provided that the cold chain is maintained.
Nicola explains that the hot extraction process of coffee does not allow the beverage to be stored for long and consumed over time. Coffee extracted hot must be consumed hot. This is because the oxidation of fats occurs very quickly, affecting the aromatic and gustatory profile, the body and density, and the properties of coffee until it becomes even harmful.
Letting a hot extracted coffee cool down, the only taste that would be enhanced and intensified would be bitterness, forcing us to excessively sweeten the drink, further affecting its taste.
Nicola tells us that over the years, the lack of professionalism and knowledge of coffee has led to certain practices spreading and becoming part of tradition. Consequently, the concept of cold coffee that many professionals and consumers have is as wrong as can be imagined. Until a few years ago, it was indeed common to be able to order a cold coffee in a bar and be served a sort of coffee slush prepared with espresso coffee, or moka at home, and then sweetened from a bottle taken from the freezer.
Fortunately, this practice has been banned by law that no longer allows the preparation of cold coffee precisely because of the oxidation process that transforms coffee from a pleasant drink to a harmful substance for our body.
Preparing cold coffee in this way, besides being unhealthy, is also the best way to "kill" a coffee. In the cooling process, the drink transforms losing beneficial effects, aromas, taste, body, and density.
Continuing the conversation, Nicola explains that the same does not apply, however, to the famous shaken coffees and coffee-based cocktails. In the case of these drinks, the coffee is actually cooled very quickly through ice, causing a thermal shock capable of blocking oxidation. The coffee then becomes an ingredient in a preparation, to which sugar, ice, and other ingredients are added.
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The preparation of Cold Brew Coffee is very simple. If in hot extraction heat helps dissolve solids, in cold extraction it will take more time to do so. Let's see Nicola's suggestions.
First of all, you need to be patient, have quality raw materials, and – not necessarily – suitable tools.
The first ingredient to obtain a good cold-extracted coffee is water. Always choose water with total dissolved solids between 125 and 175 milligrams per liter. You can find this information on all water labels on the market.
The coffee must be ABSOLUTELY – and Nicola emphasizes this – single-origin arabica coffee, in order to enhance the chosen coffee's aromas to the fullest, eliminating bitter notes.
The coffee should be coarsely ground before starting the extraction.
The recommended ratio by Nicola is 60 grams of coffee per liter of water.
To make your Cold Brew coffee, you can use dozens of different tools, from the most professional and scenic ones like the Ice Drip to the less beautiful, but equally functional ones like a simple carafe with a filter.
It may not be beautiful, but a carafe with a filter is the system with which everyone can challenge themselves for the first time. You will need to steep coarsely ground coffee in cold water in a carafe – according to the right proportions – and keep it cool for at least 6 hours. After that, simply filter the liquid obtained.
A tool that combines practicality, aesthetic taste, and quality is the Ice Cold Brew. This innovative set allows you to prepare excellent cold brew coffee or tea quickly and easily. The set consists of a bell where you put the ice, a silicone filter for the coffee, and a teapot where the liquid is collected as it is extracted.
