It’s Cold Brew Season!

Summer is well and truly here, which means it’s officially cold brew season!

A strong cold brew becomes the drink of choice for most of our coffee-obsessed team throughout the warmer months, whether it’s served over ice in the morning or in a delicious cocktail on those warm summer nights! A no-fuss, set and forget home-brewing method that tastes great and lasts weeks? Yes please! Here’s how to get onto the cold brew bandwagon this summer…

So, what is cold brew exactly?

Just as the name implies, cold brew is coffee brewed with cold water, rather than the more conventional hot water brewing methods. It involves a longer steeping process, usually 12-24 hours, and has around the same amount of caffeine as filter coffee. However, the longer you brew, the more caffeine will be extracted, and the stronger it will be. Brewing coffee with cold water means the coffee grounds don’t oxidize by heat, resulting in a delicious brew that is low acidity, low bitterness, full-bodied and packed with flavour.

Making cold brew at home

Making cold brew is easy, convenient, low waste and inexpensive – all in all it’s the most approachable and simple way to brew great coffee at home. You’ll just need a brewing vessel, some good quality coffee, and cold water.

For the specialty coffee, we’ve got two favourites when it comes to cold brew. First, the Thailand Akha, featuring notes of toffee, milk tea and lime. This coffee is medium in body & strength, offering a balanced and unique character that is well-loved by both staff and customers. Our second recommendation is our best-selling Sumatra Gayo-Bies - with notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, cinnamon, and blackberry. The Gayo-Bies is rich and complex, and perfect for lovers of a stronger, more full-bodied coffee. Both offer super tasty flavour profiles and a nice caffeine-kick.

Our go-to cold brew method is the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot, which features a permanent 60 micron mesh filter to keep the coffee grounds out of your brew. It's built to last, easy to clean, and will save you money on filters. It brews up to 1litre (4-5 cups), and you can store it in the fridge for up to ten days (although trust us, it’ll be gone before then!). As with all home brewing, we recommend playing around with a few different recipes to find the perfect brew for you.

cold brew coffee recipe

A basic recipe to get you started:

Grind 80g of Old Quarter coffee on an extra-course setting. If you drink with milk and love a strong brew (like us!), you could use 100g. Put it into the Hario Mizudashi mesh filter.
Pour 1 litre of cold, clean (filtered if you've got it!) water onto the coffee.
Brew in the fridge for between 12hrs- 24hrs. You can also brew warm on the counter (note that your coffee will extract slower in the fridge).
Once it's finished steeping, remove the filter and store either in the fridge in the pot or transfer it to another bottle so you can get another brew on the go! Will keep in the fridge for 5-10 days.

Some ways to enjoy cold brew this summer

The best thing about cold brew is that it’s outrageously simple and completely delicious. Serving it black over ice makes for a robust and refreshing cup of coffee, and it’s also great with your favourite milk, especially if you’re making a stronger, more full-bodied brew. We also love to use cold brew in our espresso martinis for a smoother, sweeter, and stronger take on the classic.