It’s difficult to match the energizing jolt of a cold brew coffee on a hot summer day. Known for being smooth and mild with low acidity and minimal bitterness, cold brewing can be the perfect way to bring out a coffee bean’s most subtle flavors.
Our Choose:
- Atlas Cold Brew Coffee Subscription – Best Overall
- Lifeboost Optimist Light Roast – Best Light Roast
- Volcanica Coffee Cold Brew Blend – Budget Pick
- Coffee Bros Cold Brew Blend – Best Blend
- Out Of The Grey Honduras Comsa – Best Single Origin
- Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve – Best Dark Roast
- Cold Buzz Coffee Hazelnut – Best Flavored Coffee
- Peet’s Coffee Baridi Blend – Best Medium Roast
Undoubtedly, not all beans are created equal, and some benefit from this treatment more than others. Continue reading to find out which coffee beans produce the tastiest cold brew and how cold brewing affects the flavor and aroma of your beverage.
What’s the Difference Between Cold Brew and Iced Coffee?
The terms “cold brew” and “iced coffee” are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.
Pouring hot coffee over ice produces iced coffee. You can add milk and sugar to iced coffee, but the brewing process is still identical to hot coffee.
While you can let the hot coffee cool a little before pouring it over the ice, the drink will still be diluted as a result.
Cold brew is coffee brewed without heat for several hours (usually overnight) and is then put through a filter. The resulting coffee is less acidic, tastes stronger and bolder, and contains more caffeine than espresso.
Read More: Pour Over Coffee vs French Press – Which Method is Better?
Best Cold Brew Coffee Beans
So now that you are aware of everything a cold brew beverage entails, here are 8 beans you can use to create your own at home. These coffees are in our opinion the best for cold brew.
Atlas Cold Brew Coffee Subscription – Best Overall
Specifications
- Roast: Varies
- Origin: Varies
- Tasting notes: Varies
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
A coffee subscription is a great way to sample various coffees and possibly find new favorites. Home Grounds recently introduced a brand-new cold brew coffee subscription and believes Atlas is one of the best!
You’ll receive a brand-new single origin specialty coffee each month that has been specifically chosen to taste great when brewed cold. You can choose a preference for lighter or darker roast profiles, or you can leave it up to the professionals at Atlas. Choose whole bean coffee if you have a good burr grinder at home; if not, Atlas will grind it for you to the ideal coarseness.
You will also receive a set of filter bags for cold brewing along with your coffee, so you won’t need any extra tools like a cold brewer. It only needs to be a mason jar. Each new coffee, as with all Atlas coffee subscriptions, is accompanied by a lovely postcard that describes the growing region and flavor profiles of the coffee.
Read More: 5 Best Iced Coffee Makers (2023 Reviews)
Lifeboost Optimist Light Roast – Best Light Roast
Specifications
- Roast: Light
- Origin: Nicaragua
- Tasting notes: Smooth, sweet, tea-like
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
This Light-roast Nicaraguan single-origin bean is currently being sold by The Lifeboost Coffee Company. If you read through the specifications you’ll see that environmentally friendly, ethically produced and healthy. However, the majority of people are still unaware of how great a cold brew it makes.
Given that light roast coffees can be very acidic, we advise using this one for cold brew. You can get a smooth and flavorful cold brew by cold brewing it for at least 16 hours and thereby lowering the acidity.
Consider trying this bean by Lifeboost if you’re looking for something with low acidity, you want something healthy, or you simply want to make some interesting tasting central-American cold brew.
Volcanica Coffee Cold Brew Blend – Budget Pick
Specifications
- Roast: Medium
- Origin: Sumatra and Other
- Tasting notes: Sweet Chocolate, and Nuts
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
Volcanica Coffee has years of experience sourcing and roasting the best coffee from the world’s top growing regions, so they are well-versed in creating the ideal cold brew blend. If some of the single-origin suggestions on this list are likely to expand your palate, this medium roast blend is the opposite; it’s a crowd-pleaser.
The Volcanica Cold Brew blend combines coffee beans from Sumatra – known for bold, earthy flavors and a heavy body – with sweeter, low-acid Arabica coffee from the Americas. The end result is a cup that is exquisitely well-balanced and has gratifying chocolate and nut flavors.
This blend has a very low acid content by nature, and the cold brewing process highlights this even more. It’s a fantastic choice for anyone sensitive to acidity or for those who simply prefer a smoother flavor profile.
Coffee Bros Cold Brew Blend – Best Blend
Specifications
- Roast: Medium
- Origin: Ethiopia, Brazil
- Tasting notes: Dark Chocolate, Berry, Brown Sugar
- Grind: Whole Bean
Two brothers with a love for fine coffee founded the young company Coffee Bros. Their dedication to quality sourcing and small-batch roasting sets them apart because it guarantees that each roast receives the respect and care it requires.
Their medium roast Cold Brew Blend is expertly made to highlight the juicy and sweet flavors you desire in a refreshing cold brew.
It begins with a blend of 100% Arabica beans that are sourced from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, and Minas Gerais, Brazil, two of the world’s top growing regions. They choose naturally processed beans because they naturally have more sweetness, and they roast them carefully to bring out this quality. A flavorful beverage with hints of chocolate, berry, and brown sugar is the end result.
Out of the Grey Honduras Comsa – Best Single Origin
Specifications
- Roast: Dark Medium
- Origin: Honduras
- Tasting notes: Honeydew Melon, Peach, Bitter Chocolate
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
A very adaptable medium-bodied single-origin coffee, Out of the Grey’s Honduras Comsa is delicious brewed hot or cold. Despite being a fairly dark roast, it has a noticeable acidity when brewed hot. However, the cold brew method greatly reduces this, leaving you with a super-smooth brew that has notes of honeydew melon, peach, delicate florals, and a bitter cocoa finish.
In addition to tasting fantastic, this Fairtrade coffee also benefits Café Orgánico Marcala (COMSA), a great organization. This collective, which was established in 2001, aims to assist small-scale coffee farmers in the Honduran Marcala region by increasing development opportunities and promoting improved agricultural practices.
You can order Out of the Grey coffee whole bean or pre-ground. If you’re opting for pre-ground, be sure to choose the “coarse” option, which is suitable for cold brew or French press.
Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve – Best Dark Roast
Specifications
- Roast: Dark
- Origin: Colombia
- Tasting notes: Nuts, Chocolate
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
Another small-batch roastery in the United States, Stone Street Coffee, sells coffee beans made specifically for cold brew. They take great pride in their close, ethical relationships with the world’s top coffee farms and growing regions.
The premium Colombian Supremo single-origin arabica beans are dark roasted to create a strong, bold, well-balanced, and slightly sweet coffee flavor.
It is widely believed that Colombian Supremo beans are among the best in the world. They are distinguished by notes of fruit, chocolate, and caramel.
Cold Buzz Coffee Hazelnut – Best Flavored Coffee
Specifications
- Roast: Medium
- Tasting notes: Smooth, Hazelnut
- Grind: Ground
By selling pre-ground beans already in bags, like tea bags, Cold Buzz Coffee makes cold brewing as simple as possible. Simply add water and soak overnight is all that is necessary.
They source their 100% arabica beans from Central and South America and Europe. They collaborate with roasters and wholesalers in an effort to reduce costs because they are aware that cold brew is more expensive than hot coffee because it requires so many more grounds.
There are several flavors available at Cold Buzz Coffee, but the hazelnut is the best. Dark roasting enhances the sweet, buttery flavor, making it ideal for cold brewing.
Peet’s Coffee Baridi Blend – Best Medium Roast
Specifications
- Roast: Medium
- Origin: Africa/Arabia, Americas
- Tasting notes: White Flower, Seville Orange, Toffee
- Grind: Ground or Whole Bean
One of the biggest and most reputable roasters and suppliers of fine coffees is Peet’s. Baridi (the Swahili word for cold) is a specialty blend designed for both iced coffee and cold brew. Though not single-origin coffee, the beans making up the blend are all sourced from East Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Products from these nations were chosen to maximize aroma, a feature that is frequently lacking in cold coffee.
This is a particularly cooling beverage because of the fruity, juiciness of the local beans. Following some testing, it was determined that a medium roast would produce a flavor that was bold, smooth, and just a little bit sweet.
What is Cold Brew?
It’s crucial to comprehend cold brew itself before determining which beans make the best cold brew. Namely, the distinction between cold brew and iced coffee. Cold brew coffee is made without any heat at all.
Most often, ground coffee beans are steeped in cold filtered water for a long period of time in order to extract the flavor of the beans. In contrast, iced coffee is made from regular brewed coffee that has been cooled and poured over ice cubes.
The Effects of Temperature on Taste
Cold brew coffee is extracted between 2 and 21 degrees Celsius, whereas hot coffee is extracted between 91 and 96 degrees Celsius (195 – 205 F). While the lack of heat from the brewing process gives cold brew its distinct and prized characteristics, it also means that it requires twice as many grounds and many more hours of brewing time than hot methods.
A large portion of the acids and solubles that give coffee its delicate and floral notes can only be extracted above a certain temperature. Because of this, cold brew has a lower acid content than hot brew and is easier on the digestive system, but it also has mellower flavors. Choosing the right beans is the best way to ensure a cup that is both smooth and flavorful.
When choosing the best beans for cold brew, there are a few factors you need to consider.
Immersion Vs Cold Drip Cold Brewing
The two main methods for making cold brew coffee are immersion and slow drip. Due to its simplicity, home brewers typically prefer the immersion method.
Ground beans are steeped in cold water for 12 – 24 hours before being filtered out. Ice water is slowly dripped onto ground beans during the slow drip process, and the drips are collected in a carafe below. Although it still takes 3 to 5 hours to produce a cup of cold brew, this method’s main benefit is that it is relatively quick.
However, the specialized equipment requires investment.
In terms of flavor, the drip method produces a more diluted medium-bodied brew while the immersion method produces a full-bodied concentrated brew. When picking beans for cold brew, brewing technique can be a crucial factor.
The Grind Size Matters (A Lot)
Whether buying pre-ground beans for cold brew or grinding them yourself, be aware that grind matters.
A coarse grind is always preferable for a cold brew. Due to over-extraction, fine grounds frequently produce more bitter or harsh flavors.
The grind size is especially crucial when using the slow drip method. A coarse grind is quicker to begin dripping, while a finer grind can sometimes become too dense and restrict the flow of water. Just be sure to use a quality coffee grinder for cold brew coffee.
Dark Or Light Roast?
The decision between a dark roast and a light roast depends largely on personal preference. Your best bet is to experiment. You shouldn’t assume that your preferred roast for hot coffee will be the same for cold coffee.
Experts are divided on the question. Some recommend light to medium roasts, which are naturally more acidic, because the cold brewing process reduces much of the acidity of the beans. Due to the fact that cold brew has a penchant for tasting of darker, richer flavors, like chocolate, nuts, and earthiness, other cold brewers advise dark roasts.
It might be challenging to extract the bright acidity that distinguishes light roasts through cold brewing, leading to muted flavors all around. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that lighter roasts will require a longer extraction time because the cellular structure of the beans has been less affected by the roasting process.
Single-Origin Or Blend?
While there is disagreement among experts as to whether to use light or dark roasts, most agree that single-origin beans are the best choice for cold brew. In this article, you can read more about single origin coffee. The taster can fully appreciate the single-origin product by experiencing the more delicate notes of a bean through the cold brewing process.
When making espresso or regular coffee, where a barista must strike a balance between acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, blends are appropriate. However, because cold brew contains no bitterness or acidity, this process is not necessary.
Here are some of the best coffee beans in the world that you should try (hot or cold), but we will soon present you with a comprehensive list of the best options for cold brew.
To Milk Or Not to Milk?
This is again a matter of personal taste. Since the flavors of cold brew coffee are already so delicate, many experts advise drinking it without any dairy because doing so would do the coffee’s flavors an injustice.
Consider testing the cold brew without milk or cream if you typically brew your coffee with a little of each. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Also Read: Can You Heat Up Cold Brew Coffee – Will It Change the Flavor?
What Do I Need to Make Cold Brew at Home?
Making cold brew at home is very easy. The easiest way is to soak coarse ground coffee in an airtight container with cold water for at least 12 hours. After it has finished soaking, strain it and take a bite.
You should mix one part whole coffee beans with four parts water when using this method. This means that if you coarsely grind one cup (82 g) of coffee beans, you should soak the grinds in four cups (950 ml) of cold water.
You can also use a French press to make cold brew. You may have used a French press before to make delicious hot coffee, but this method is just as effective for cold brew.
When using a French press, the ratio is slightly different, so be sure to use two cups (470 ml) of water for every four ounces (110 g) of coarsely ground coffee.
Add your coffee grounds to a French press and cover with water.
Put the plunger lid down until the grounds are completely submerged after letting it soak for 14 to 18 hours, then strain the liquid.
You currently possess a cold brew concentrate that can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. When preparing the dish, combine the concentrate with the water or milk in an equal ratio.
The Verdict
The best coffee for cold brew is probably the one that tastes the best to you. That is the only possible truth. But until you are aware of the advantages offered by each of the top picks, you won’t know which option to choose for yourself. The top eight iced coffees on the market have been chosen by Home Grounds. You now have the choice of experimenting or sticking to your usual routine of drinking light or dark roasts.
For us, the best choice is the variety of options that Atlas Coffee Club offers with their cold brew subscription. If we were able to bring deliciousness to your door, we’d love to know what you decided to do.
