Cold Brew Coffee
I did not understand the draw to cold brew coffee until this week, when I put my birthday present to the test. I got a Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker through Amazon from my lovely wife Melissa. I’m about to sell you on this idea. Ready?
First, let’s talk cons. It uses an entire 12oz bag of coffee and has limited use filters. It came with two 10 use filters, that need to be refrigerated between gigs. Brewing takes about 24 hours and involves layering cups of water with course grounds.
Am I talking you into this yet? Didn’t think so. Let’s talk pros.
- It doesn’t make cold brew coffee, friends… it make cold brew coffee CONCENTRATE. And no, I’m not yelling at you to pay attention, I’m saying this stuff is hyper potent coffee juice. To get to the approximate taste of a normal cup of coffee you have to dilute it in a 1:7 ratio. PRO-TIP: Dropping a spoon into your cup may help you eyeball what 1:7th looks like.
- That’s a WEEK’S worth of coffee, almost entirely at-the-ready (particularly if you do like cold/ice coffee, but just adding hot water does the trick if you want hot coffee, and it does so consistently well.)
- That means you get to drink coffee all week long, and only make it once a week. Are you doing the math on this?
- They also made the system so that the glass pitcher is large enough that you can still have some left over from the previous batch and simply add to it; meaning after the initial sacrifice of time, you never have to be without coffee if you time it right. Which I won’t, but it is the thought that counts.
- Better taste partially due to less acid! I suspect this has something to do with the dilution, but right on the package it says so. That acid causes some of the bitterness that folks try to get rid of with additives… that bitterness is mostly gone. Some small part of me almost missed that bitterness, but I got over it. Plenty of other things to be bitter about.
FAQ
Did you try to make an ice mocha type of beverage?
I did indeed and it was amazing. I added chocolate syrup and an abundance of milk instead of straight up water, a couple of ice cubes, and it was indistinguishable if not better than something from Starbucks. I think the lack of bitter allows anything you add to the drink to stand out a bit more. Hard to say. Especially hard to say while I’m drinking coffee. Which is right now.
Did you try to make a pumpkin latte?
No. I did not. A pumpkin latte is an affront to God. Pumpkin belongs in a pie or on a porch with a candle in it. Relax, I’m kidding. But you’re a horrible person for asking this question. 😉
I’ll cut us off here. Suffice to say I’ve tried mixing up ratios of ice, water and milk… I have yet to get it “wrong.” It’s like it is a potion of transformation that turns you into a barista.
Anyway… seriously. Awesome. Get one. Highly recommend.
