Coffee for Cold Brew

About Coffee for Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Today’s hottest new brewing trend is, funnily enough, cold brew coffee. There’s a growing number of cold brew fans out there savouring every sip, and even making such coffee at home with the help of innovative cold brew coffee makers. While a quality tool like that absolutely does make preparing a delicious cold brew a lot easier, what’s not as easy is finding the right coffee for this brewing method. What coffee variety is best? Should you go for whole coffee beans or pre-ground coffee? Is it a good idea to follow a certain recipe, or does it make more sense to experiment on your own? Look for the answers to these questions below! 

Coffee for Cold Brew Coffee Makers: How to Find the Right One?

Let’s start by clearing one thing up: best cold brew coffee is not your regular hot coffee served at a lower temperature. What this term actually refers to is a unique brewing method that involves using cold water to extract the flavours hidden in your coffee beans. With the help of a special cold brew coffee maker, you can prepare a delicious, refreshing drink with ease. What about its taste though? Well, coffee like that boasts a higher caffeine content, and it’s usually richer, sweeter, and not as acidic. 

When it comes to choosing coffee for your cold brew coffee maker, there are no strict rules here: it all depends on your personal taste. If you like classic Italian-style coffee, your best bet is an arabica and robusta blend, but if you’re a fan of particularly bold flavours, we suggest you give specialty varieties a try. The only type of coffee that we suggest you steer clear of is dark-roasted coffee of a very fine grind. Why’s that, you wonder? Well, this brewing method relies on your coffee and water staying in direct contact for a long time, so dark roasts and fine grinds will most likely result in a brew that’s way too piquant and bitter. 

Feel free to experiment with different flavours when searching for your own version of the perfect cold brew. Our range of products makes such experiments easier: we’ve got coffee beans, specialty varieties, pre-ground coffees, decaf coffees, as well as locally roasted coffee beans on offer. Just pick the one that sounds good, and get brewing!

Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew Coffee

For the finest cold brew flavours, use freshly ground coffee beans. Cold brew coffee makers are very versatile and suited well for a wide variety of different coffees, so just let your personal taste guide you. Light-roasted beans will produce a pleasantly acidic, fruity cuppa. Medium-roasted coffees result in well-balanced, deliciously sweet flavours, which makes them an excellent choice for a cold brew. Coffee beans of a dark roast will add boldness and intensity to your drink, so those who prefer subtler flavours would do better to avoid them.

If you’re after sweet, less fruity flavours, we recommend you give the medium-roasted Caprisette coffee beans a try. Fans of particularly vivid, flavourful cold brews are more likely to enjoy the coffees from our Parallel and Black Crow White Pigeon ranges.

Specialty Coffee Beans for Your Cold Brews

Cold brew coffee is a popular choice amongst seasoned coffee connoisseurs. This should come as no surprise: it tends to be pretty bold and is certainly unique in terms of its taste profile. Cold water helps complex tasting notes develop—and if you’re looking for complex flavours, specialty coffee is always the way to go.

Those searching for new experiences should browse through the specialty coffees in the Black Crow White Pigeon range. This line is designed to introduce coffee lovers to the full spectrum of  specialty coffee flavours: from dark, deep, earthy notes to light, subtle aromas. For an absolutely gorgeous cold brew cuppa, try specialty coffee from Africa or Asia. African varieties will enchant sworn fans of refreshing notes, including berries, fruit, flowers, or even tea. Asian coffee beans are “heavier” and more bitter though: they tend to boast notes of spices, chocolate, tobacco, red wine or wood.

Ground Coffee for Cold Brew Coffee Makers

While the tastiest cold brews are always obtained using freshly ground beans, pre-ground coffee is also an option. All you have to do is find the one that’s suited well for your personal taste! By the way, bear in mind that coffees of a very fine grind aren’t the right choice for a cold brew coffee maker: this brewing method requires coffee to stay in direct contact with water for quite a long time, so fine grinds can end up creating exceedingly bitter, piquant flavours. To avoid disappointment and ensure a delicious, well-balanced cuppa, we suggest you go for coffee of a medium to coarser grind. 

Decaf Cold Brew Coffee

If you tend to avoid caffeine for whatever reason, you’re probably wondering whether the cold brew method is suited for decaf coffee too. We’ve got great news: decaf cold brew coffee is absolutely an option. You won’t even have to do anything differently: just get yourself some decaffeinated coffee of the right roast and grind, then use your cold brew coffee maker like you usually would. 

To obtain a particularly delicious decaf cold brew, try the Caprisette Lullaby Decaf blend: it’s marked by gorgeous notes of cashews, cacao and wood. The specialty Black Crow White Pigeon Colombia Decaf deserves a separate mention too, with its notes of chocolate and caramel made even tastier by a touch of citrusy acidity.

Locally Roasted Coffee: Freshness Guaranteed

Sworn fans of cold brew coffee know full well that the fresher the beans used, the more delicious and unique the flavour. How do you know if your coffee is truly fresh though? You can’t go wrong with a locally roasted variety. We’ve partnered up with some of the finest UK roasters to offer you a wide range of coffees roasted right here at home. Coffee beans like that never disappoint, as long as you choose the roast level and notes that suit your personal taste, be it inclined more towards light, fruity brews or sweet, rich flavours.  

Coffee Sets for Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Cold brew coffee is suited perfectly for the year’s warmer months, and sworn fans of cold brews tend to sip on cup after cup of it in the summer. As a result, a standard bag with 250 grams of coffee beans in it rarely lasts long. To ensure you never run out of coffee unexpectedly, why not browse through our selection of coffee sets? Some of them include several coffees of the same variety, while others are made up of different ones. When looking for the right cold brew coffee set, just keep the same basic guidelines in mind: pay attention to the roast level, grind size and, of course, flavour. 

Arabica Coffee Beans for Cold Brew Coffee Makers

One more thing we have to discuss is whether you should go for arabica or robusta beans when searching for the most delicious cold brew coffee out there. Arabica coffee beans are known for their sweet, subtle flavours. They’re generally fruity and particularly fragrant too. So, if you prefer your cold brews light, sweet and enchantingly aromatic, arabica beans are definitely your best bet.

Robusta Coffee Beans for Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Unlike arabica, robusta is often marked by intense, bitter, earthy flavours. Because of its strong taste and higher caffeine content, this type of coffee is rarely sold on its own. You’re much more likely to see robusta mixed with arabica, which is great news for fans of cold brew coffee, as arabica and robusta blends are suited great for this brewing method. They help obtain the right balance of sweetness and intensity, and are a great choice for those who love experimenting.

Curious to Find Out More?

Have we left any of your questions unanswered? Perhaps you’d like to know more about other types of coffee? Feel free to reach out to our consultants: they’ll be happy to share their knowledge with you, and point you towards the right direction.