If you are a cold brew coffee lover or at least a coffee enthusiast, you must have thought about what makes cold brew coffee different from other coffee types. Indeed, cold brew coffee has many more aspects to explain why people have shown immense love for it. If you want to learn more about the reasons behind cold brew’s popularity, we have more for you than you thought.
Cold brew coffee has some unique qualities, e.g., cool taste, appealing flavor, more energetic and refreshing, more caffeinated beverage, very easy to make and longer preservation (even without a fridge), etc. All these virtues have made cold brew coffee different from other coffee.
In this article, you will learn in-depth about the qualities of cold brew that have made this coffee special.
A basic intro to cold brew coffee
Considering its appeal, easy making, health benefits and easy consumption, cold brew coffee is one of the best coffee types. Making cold brew takes a few things only – coffee grounds, cool water, a jar and a filter or a flimsy piece of clothing. Yes, it also takes your patience for a minimum of 12 hours and at the highest level for 24 hours. That’s it.
Mainly long extraction periods and coarse coffee grounds of dark roasted beans play the most crucial role in making cold brew unique. Take coffee grounds and water, get them mixed in a pitcher and allow the steeping duration. Your cold brew is at your hand.
What makes cold brew coffee different from others?
Many things have made cold brew different from other coffee in common. Cold brew coffee differs from regular hot and iced coffee (also known as cold coffee). We will find out its ways of being particular.
How is cold brew coffee different from iced coffee?
Cold brew coffee is the most authentic of all coffee sorts and has earned great popularity quickly. Iced coffee has a great taste and is gradually expanding its appeal. The unique characteristics of each coffee have made their separate identity. They are –
| Comparison Subject | Cold Brewed Coffee | Iced Coffee |
| Making process | Very easy to make and takes a little arrangement. You can even make cold brewed coffee without a cold brew maker and grinder. | Takes more ingredients and arrangements to prepare. You must need a coffee maker. |
| Pre-making stage | Cold brew making is a direct process. | To make iced coffee, hot coffee is made first. |
| Easy digestion | Very easy to digest. | May lead your stomach to cause some issues. |
| Coffee bean use | Dark roasted beans bring the best result. | Lite or medium roasted beans can bring excellent results. |
| Coffee grounds | Better grind beans on own and use the ground in the freshest condition. | Fine or medium fine ground is better to use. |
| Sort of water you need | Normal room temperature water. | Boiled and hot water. |
| Steeping process | Requires longer but easy steeping. | Need a shorter duration to be steeped. |
| Aroma | Very rich and original aroma. | Emits a pleasing aroma. |
| Health value | Healthier than all other coffee sorts. | Less healthy than cold brewed coffee. |
| Additives | The soother and the more pleasant liquid become more attractive with additives. | Additives make iced coffee fancier than others. |
| Dilution | One can add water and weaken it as per his/her fondness. | This stage is not available in iced coffee normally. You can forcefully add what will lessen the taste. |
| Acidity | Very low acidity. | Contains a bit higher acidity or leads to higher acidity. |
| Antioxidants | Normal preservation is longer than others and so do freezing preservation. | Poor levels of antioxidants can drive fewer facilities to remain healthy. |
| Bitterness | Less bitter than all other coffee. | Can be more bitter than others. |
| Storing method | Refrigerator and non-refrigerator-based preservation systems are available. | You can store it in a few ways, but its taste will not be acceptable. |
| Longer preservation | Normal preservation is longer than others and so do the freezing preservation. | Longer preservation is not possible normally. Normal preservation damages taste. |
How is cold brew coffee different from hot coffee?
Hot coffee has been a popular type of coffee for a massive period. But cold brew coffee is a newer version of coffee. Though hot coffee is still marching forward, cold brew’s advancement is not negligible too. Let’s have a look at their main aspects.
| Comparison Subject | Cold Brewed Coffee | Hot Brewed Coffee |
| Need for coffee bean type | Dark roasted is the highest recommendation for better results. | Light or semi-dark roasted is recommended. |
| Coffee grounds | The Course is the best and the medium coarse is also accepted. | Fine ground brings the best result. |
| Making process | Water needs to be heated and boiled from 195°F to 205°F water. In Celsius, from 90° to 96°. | Need a more complex process than cold coffee. |
| Sort of water | Normal filtered cool water (also called room temperature water). | The dilution stage of cold brew gives more control to its consumers. You can control strength (can make it weaker than its default stage) by adding water. |
| Steeping process | All ingredients need to be mixed in a pitcher. | Sometimes they need to be extracted. Modern hot coffee dissolves in water completely. |
| Additives | Milk is common, but sugar, chocolate or other flavors are also okay. | You can add sugar, milk, chocolate or something else. |
| Dilution | A larger amount of antioxidants in the cold brew is helpful in preventing some health issues. | There is no such easy dilution stage as cold brew coffee. |
| Storing method | You can preserve cold brew normal and refrigeration methods. | You can preserve it, but it won’t be successful since it can hold the same taste. |
| Health amenities | Healthier than all other coffee types. | Lower than cold brew coffee. |
| Taste after preservation | After both normal and refrigeration preservation cold brew taste remains the same. | No preservation method can do more to keep the hot coffee the same. |
| Longer preservation | Very easily you can preserve cold brew for more than a week. If you refrigerate it, it will last for more than a couple of weeks. | If you store hot coffee, it will not be acceptable anymore. When it becomes cold, it doesn’t have any more appeal or drinkability. |
| Antioxidant properties | Larger amount of antioxidants in the cold brew is helpful in preventing some health issues. | Less amount of antioxidants can play a minor role in disease prevention. |
All comparison subjects and their relevant details clarify how cold brew coffee has established its kingdom worldwide and why people love it. Now it is clear why cold brew is superior to others.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between cold brew and regular coffee?
There are significant differences between the two – cold brew coffee and regular coffee. When cold brew coffee requires coarse coffee ground and more in amount, regular coffee takes fine coffee ground. The first one needs a longer steeping duration of 12-24 hours and the second needs several minutes.
More importantly, cold brew coffee needs cool water at room temperature and regular coffee takes hot water (approximately 195°F – 205°F or 90° to 96° on the Celsius scale). The taste of the cold brew is much stronger than regular coffee. Cold brew is also higher caffeine-generating, less acidic and easily digestible whereas regular coffee is not.
Is cold brew healthier than coffee?
Yes, cold brew contains more health value than regular coffee. It produces less amount of acid due to its cool water extraction process. So, people having acidity problems can easily enjoy cold brew coffee. More caffeine is helpful for getting more refreshments in the lowest possible time.
Why is cold brew stronger than regular coffee?
There are two strong reasons why cold brew coffee becomes stronger than regular hot coffee. Cold brew’s coffee-to-water ratio demands more coffee grounds than regular hot coffee. This coffee amount extracts more caffeine from the coarse coffee grounds.
Cold brew’s long steeping process extracts more oil, flavor, and caffeine smoothly from the ground. Being steeped in cool water, cold brew coffee remains fresher and more refreshing. The cool water steeping process brings out the best potential of grounds. Thus, cold brew coffee becomes stronger than regular coffee.
What are the pros and cons of cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee has many more pros to refer to. The main pros are – less acidic, more refreshing, more caffeinated, long-lasting, great flavored, large amounts of making at a time, great health value and versatility of additives, etc.
On the other hand, cold brew coffee has some cons also. It takes a longer time, an extended amount of caffeine, and its cost is a bit higher. Besides, its strong taste is not liked by some coffee lovers’ who have regular hot coffee-taking habits.
Regular and excessive drinkers of cold brew coffee may be affected by some health issues like constipation and diarrhea and may lose their appetite.
Is Iced Americano the same as cold brew?
We can get the easiest answer to the question by judging a few things. In making process, an Americano is made with a few shots of espresso machine, cold water and ice. Here sweetener or milk is optional. Cold-brewed coffee takes a different making process.
Comparing health value and taste, Iced Americano coffee is far behind cold brew coffee. Cold brew has a notable number of health benefits, Iced Americano is better, but not as much as cold brew coffee. So, Iced Americano is different from cold brewed coffee.
Conclusion
In the end, we hope we’ve provided satisfactory information on what makes cold brew coffee different. The great flavor, smooth taste and refreshing ability have made cold brew coffee more and more appealing. Its triumph is such a stage that we must acknowledge that it will go ahead limitlessly.
Our final verdict is – you can enjoy cold brew coffee without worrying a bit due to its less acidity, antioxidant properties, easy digestion, delicious taste, etc.