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How to Tell the Difference Between Cold Brew Coffee and Iced Coffee
What makes summer special for you? For some people, it is the warm weather, camping, and going to the beach. For others, it means cold brews and iced coffee season.
After all, who wants a steaming hot cup of coffee when you’re already sweating from the latest heat wave? Instead, many are turning to a couple of cooler alternatives. But, what’s the difference between cold brews and iced coffee?
Which is better?
How Is Cold Brew Coffee Brewed?
If you want to make cold brew coffee, there are a few things you will need. First, you will want a big container. We prefer a half-gallon Mason jar.
You will also want coffee that is a nice medium-to-coarse grind.
You can then proceed to fill the jar with room temperature water, add the coffee, wait at least twelve hours, and then filter the grounds out. Or, you can put the grounds in a fabric filter and immerse it in the container.
At no point is the cold brew exposed to heat. The coffee’s oils, caffeine, and sugars are extracted over time rather than with heat.
It stinks waiting half a day for your coffee, but it stores well in your refrigerator. So, you can have “fresh” cold brewed coffee at any time.
How Is Iced Coffee Brewed?
You can essentially use any regular hot coffee brewing method to make iced coffee. It is basically hot coffee that is cooled down and poured over rice.
Keep in mind that the coffee is cool before it is added to the ice so that the coffee can keep its flavor. Also, the iced coffee you are drinking at a café today is likely made using yesterday’s leftover hot coffee.
What Are the Key Differences Between These Summer Favorites?
To recap, here are the key differences between iced coffee and cold brews:
Iced Coffee:
· Simply regular, room temperature coffee poured over ice
· Due to the melting ice, it tastes like thinner, cooled down coffee but with a full body
· Brewed like any other coffee and is then cooled down
Cold Brew
· Concentrated to be twice as caffeinated as your regular cup of joe
· Compared to traditional coffee, cold brew tastes smoother, more chocolatey, and less bitter
· Never heated up, brewed cold
So, which is better? It depends on the person, but as an added benefit, cold brew does include that extra rich flavor and the added caffeine.
After all, unless you are a decaf heathen, who drinks coffee if not for the caffeine?
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