There seems to be a distaste for cold brew from the contingent of specialty coffee folks. However, most coffee drinkers love cold brew and you can’t walk by any coffee related retail display without seeing a ton of cold brew product offerings. So if cold brew is so popular and beloved by the masses, why are the experts and pros hating on it?
Cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in room temperature water for 12 hours or more. This extraction process greatly reduces the acidity in the brew. This low acidity is the reason why many coffee drinkers love cold brew – it’s described as being very “smooth.” Also, cold brew has become very trendy and has become a very popular drink to order at a cafe. However, these are all the same reasons why the experts trash it (see this Reddit). They say the narrow flavor profile lacks the acidity and the other full spectrum of flavors that come in a normal brew. And I think the experts just view cold brew as an inferior way of brewing.
I think the larger conversation has to do with what the coffee experts like vs what the general coffee drinking population likes. These two sides will forever be at odds, but they can coexist peacefully. You can like both a coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin and a 3rd wave latte with local non-homogenized dairy. It doesn’t have to be all one way all the time. Ultimately, I do agree with parts of both sides. I generally do not like cold brew as it does taste flat, dull, and stale to me. It really doesn’t work with the lighter roasts as the acidity and brightness are the strengths and they are completely missing! And it always seems to be way too weak for my liking whether it’s the bottled kind in the grocery or at a cafe (both mass market and 3rd wave offerings). However, in experimenting at home, I have found a super strong cold brew recipe that I enjoy. It’s not a coffee that I drink black – I make it extra strong and enjoy it with half and half and simple syrup. So far there is only one bean that I like after experimenting with over 10-15 different ones, and that is La Colombe’s Corsica dark roast. I brew at a 5:1 ratio and I do not dilute, except with a few ice cubes. The super dark roast plus cream and sugar results in a very rich chocolate taste! I kinda liken it to a Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk – usually made with a dark roast with chicory like Cafe Du Monde – something about dark bitter roasts just goes very well with cream and sugar!