The Best Cold Brew Coffees of 2024

Cold Brew Coffee: A Buying Guide

Sometimes, all you want is the caffeine-charged energy boost that a cup of coffee provides. The traditional coffee is usually served hot; however, warmer weathers call for colder drinks. Sure, Iced Coffee might serve your cravings when you want a cold cup of coffee, but more often than not, it ends up too watery, too bitter, or too acidic. The perfect option for you is cold brew coffee. With this in mind, we’ve compiled this buying guide to help you choose the best option.

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Simply put, cold brew coffee is coffee that’s brewed with cold or room-temperature water instead of the traditional method of using hot water. It mainly follows a simple recipe of steeping coarsely ground coffee into the water for about 12 hours. Straining takes place after the coffee has been infused into the water to create a concentrated brew.

Why Choose Cold Brew Coffee?

The most peculiar thing about cold brew relative to other coffee brews is that it isn’t brewed as a final product, but instead as a concentrate. Unlike cold brew, the hot brew is made by applying hot water to ground coffee and it is then brewed as a final product. Similarly, iced coffee is simply hot brew coffee that’s been refrigerated.

• Less Acidity: If regular coffee gives you heartburn or upsets your stomach, you may want to opt for cold brew coffee. Cold brew has a lower acidity level because not all acids are extracted from the ground coffee, due to it not being brewed at a higher temperature.
• Less Bitterness: Even without the addition of sweeteners, cold brew boasts of lower bitterness when compared to hot brew. The acids that give the hot brew its familiar bitterness do not get extracted when the coffee grounds are steeped in cold water. Research has shown that cold-brewed coffee can have as high as 60% less bitterness when compared to hot coffee.
• More Versatility: Truth be told, hot coffee is hot coffee. No matter the variations, it ends up being coffee that’s been brewed in hot water. Cold brew coffee comes in vastly different flavors, mainly because it’s a concentrate, so it can be mixed with a variety of ingredients.

How to Choose the Best Cold Brew Coffee

Alright, what are some of the things you should look out for when selecting your cold brew coffee? Below are some of them:

Roast Type

One of the most important things to look out for when choosing your cold brew coffee is the type of roast used in making it. There are three major types and these are as follows:

• Light Roast: This is the most tea-like coffee. If you want a high acidic content in your coffee, opt for a cold brew made from light roast. It usually has a fruity smell.
• Medium Roast: As the name implies, it balances the acidity boasting of a medium acid level. It’s generally sweeter than light roast and dark roast.
• Dark Roast: If you suffer from acid reflux when you take coffee, the best cold brew coffee for you is the one made from a dark roast. Dark roast has the lowest acidity of the three and typically has a bittersweet taste.

Convenience

This largely depends on the products, but some are brewed to be highly concentrated and strong while others are diluted and primed for drinking. Cold brew coffee is generally smoother than hot brew. However, the smoother the cold brew is, the easier it is to drink without dilution and vice versa. If you want something you can readily drink, opt for a diluted brew that isn’t too concentrated. If you want to use it for longer periods, you should opt for a large, concentrated quality that can be diluted.

Flavors

The fact that cold brew coffee is a concentrated product opens your world up to a variety of flavors and cocktails. As you get your boost of caffeine from your coffee, why not treat yourself to other flavors you enjoy simultaneously? If you occasionally drink sodas, you could select a cold brew soda that incorporates the coffee with sugar and soda water.

Some other available options are cold brew cocktails, cold brew coffee charged with nitrogen gas, cold brew coffee with milk and sugar, etc. Also, you could opt for a cold brew product with zero additives.

Caffeine Level

Almost everyone who drinks coffee drinks it for the caffeine. The caffeine level of your cold brew is the biggest thing to consider when purchasing it. Cold-brew concentrate, on average, has higher caffeine levels when compared to hot-brew coffee. However, once it gets diluted, you arrive at about the same levels.

Simply put, the ratio of coffee to water greatly influences the caffeine levels and cold brew cocktails essentially have lower caffeine strength. Generally, most cold brew coffee products state the caffeine level on the body of the product, so you do not have to worry about ingesting too little or too much caffeine.

Packaging and Lasting Power

When refrigerated, cold brew coffee can last a few days before it goes bad; however, the package it comes in also factors into how long it lasts. Cold brews can come in cartons, bottles, or cans. However, the best possible container for lengthening the lasting power of your cold brew is a bottle with an airtight seal.

So again, it all boils down to what you want. If you want a concentrate you can utilize over a few days, you should opt for bottled brews. Conversely, if it is going to be consumed within a day or two, you could go for a canned brew. Altogether, regardless of the container, it should be kept refrigerated.

Price

Cold brew coffee is generally more expensive than hot brew; but conversely, undiluted cold brew coffee comes in larger quantities. The same way you can find cold brew in a variety of flavors and containers is the same way you can find it at a variety of prices.

A 6-pack of cold brew cocktails with Sprite is typically more expensive than a large bottle of undiluted cold brew concentrate. You won’t be breaking the bank while purchasing your coffee, but you may have to spend more if you want a cold brew coffee mixed with other ingredients.