Coffee Brewed with Cold Water?
I was looking up instructions on how to use my cone drip coffee filter (the kind you put on top of your mug), when I came across a website that suggested that coffee steeped in cold water was less acidic. Has anyone tried this? They sell a contraption for it, but I assume you could steep it in any container and then run it through a coffee filter. Their instructions:
-Cold water brewing eliminates 66% of coffee acids.
-Place a pound of coarsely ground coffee in the top container, fill with cold water and let steep overnight. (Do not stir.)
-Remove plug to filter coffee concentrate into glass carafe.
-Add to cup with hot or cold water before drinking; start with 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water, then adjust measure to taste.
-tore the rest in the fridge for future use.
-he resulting taste is that of a strong but smooth coffee, without sharp edges. You may not need to add as much sugar or cream to tone down the taste.
For those of you who were recently looking into those plastic cone drips, they're $2.50 at Peet's (vs. $3 at Sur la Table). I've linked a photo below, but don't be fooled by that $12.99 sticker price.It's just a piece of plastic. Don't pay more than $3.
By nooodles
on May 24, 2005 11:34 AM
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This is something I ran into over 40 years ago, up in Alaska, and hadn't heard anything about since then until you mentioned it!
I remember that the store selling these devices was generous in giving out sample cups of coffee, and I thought it was pretty good...but the filters were something like $15, which at that time was about a third of my weekly wages!
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I have been using the Filtron cold water brewer exclusively for a year and a half now. The coffee does taste different, mostly in that it is lacking the acidity and the associated "bite". Some might not like it, but I do. I brew a batch once a week, then all I have to do is heat up some water whenever I want a cup. If you want to experiment without buying the device, use coarse ground coffee and soak it in 1.5 liters of water at room temperature for 12-24 hours, then run it through a filter and you have the concentrate. Then experiment with the dilution ratio to match your taste - I use two measuring scoops (2 oz?) for a large mug of coffee.
Link: http://www.filtron.com/
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p.s. - I forgot to mention in my post - when I said to use 1.5 liters of water I was assuming you are using 1 lb. of coffee.
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John, I've lost the directions for my Filtron brewer. Yesterday I put a pound of ground coffee in a paper filter over the felt filter. Then I filled the top part with water up to the appropriate line. This morning I tried to remove the paper filter with the grounds and brew, but the paper filter just fell apart and the whole thing was a mess.
Can you remind me how to use the Filtron cold water brewer? Also, I can't fint that thing that looks like a large clear circle of Swiss cheese, but I never understood what it was for anyway.
Thank you very much.
gmother1923
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Couldn't you do this in one of those French press coffeepots? Just let it steep, then press.
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I've done it before in a sun tea jug, then yes, pour it through a coffee filter. I did it with direction from the Commander's Palace cookbook (restaurant here in New Orleans), and, like them, used a coffee and chicory blend. I used it to make cafe au lait, though the recipe indicated you could add water and nuke for a regular cup. It was good. Coffee and chicory can be really harsh, and this was not.
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We do this all the time in the summer. The result is a coffee concentrate which makes great iced coffee. It is less acidic than coffee brewed with hot water.
It is definitely easier to make with one of the kits that is sold, I first tried it using just a big jug then scooping the coffee out with a slotted spoon, pouring it through a strainer, then the coffee filter, and it gets kind of messy. When I tried pouring it through the coffee filter, the filter kept collapsing on itself, and you need a larger vessel to put it over because the coffee drains very slowly towards the end.
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I started using the Filtron cold water extraction system back in about 1950. It made terrific coffee; as a single guy it had been a pain in the neck to use a regular coffee pot to make just one cup of joe; with the Filtron I'd make up a jug and use it through the week - efficient and economical. However, back then a major component of the device was made of glass and I'd periodically break it; they finally became unavailable (at least, where I was) and I went back to my old Chemex. It was hard to just dump a pound of coffee into a lot of water and let it soak; the coffee grounds just floated to the top. The Filtron process had a nipple-shaped cone that dripped water slowly into the coffee so the coffee became saturated. I'm kinda glad to see that the contraption is still around.
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Years ago - that seems to be a theme on these posts - I used a Toddy System. A big white plastic funnel with a thick felt filter. I remember the coffee as good - but not as hot as you'd think? I'm thinking of getting one for iced coffee if it ever gets hot here this summer. Of course, years ago I wasn't a coffee snob, with a close and deeply personal relationship with Peet's Garuda Blend!
Link: http://www.toddycafe.com/
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I got a Toddy relatively recently (say only 5 years ago or so) and use it durinbg the summer for iced coffee. It's great, but then again I haven't broken the thin glass carafe yet either....
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I have been using the Toddy system that pastrytroll linked to for the past few months with good results. It works out well for me, because I am an occasional coffee drinker - not every single day, and not usually more than one cup a day. The coffee concentrate, kept in its sealed carafe in the fridge, keeps better than beans or ground coffee, so I don't have to worry about them staling over the course of weeks.
The cold brew does remove a lot of acidity from the coffee (good for people with GERD) and smoothes it out a bit - something my co-hound appreciates because he doesn't like the bitterness in coffee. Coffee drinkers who like bitterness or higher acidity in their brew may not like it as much.
I admit I don't really have experience with using the concentrate with hot water, as I almost always drink it cold. I've found a couple unexpected benefits of using the concentrate: I can make coffee milk, diluting the concentrate with hot or cold milk and thereby getting full-strength coffee along with a full cup of milk, for a bit of extra nutrition in the morning. It's great for making hot mocha drinks with a hot chocolate mix (I use Ghirardelli Sweet Chocolate and Cocoa or their Double Chocolate Hot Chocolate Mix, which is the same thing); use the concentrate to make a slurry with the powder, and then add hot milk.
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I've been making cold coffee for iced coffee for a couple years now. I learned the method when I lived in Louisiana, and I swear by it - I didn't believe it would make a difference, but it does, and I've now converted every coffee drinker I know. I don't use any fancy machines - I just put about 1/3c grounds in a jar with 1 1/2c cold water, and let it sit for about 24 hours. Then I strain it through my coffee maker's filter (I have a Krups with the removable gold-ish filter). And it works great.
Oh - and one of the best uses for this is when you are camping! When there's a no-fire warning, or you just don't feel like starting one in the morning, you can easily make this coffee!
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