Follow the cold brew diaries !

Best coffee cold brew style? I am often asked this. My answer is always the same. You cannot beat Brazilian. Furthermore you cannot beat the Happy Donkey Classic Brazilian espresso blend.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Thinking back over the last three or four years I have done a mass of experimenting in this genre. I still find it fascinating that with so little effort a gourmet coffee experience is yours. Sat in the fridge waiting for your arrival.

One thing I realised recently was that I had separated my research into two parts. First of all was which is the best coffee cold brew style? Secondly was which is the bit of kit to brew the coffee in?

Having got to the point where I knew the Kinto Jug was the best all rounder. I had not continued to test other coffee in the Kinto ! I knew darker blends offered the best flexibility.

Best coffee cold brew style – going back !

Now having been back on the Classic Brazilian for a month or so. Curiosity is getting the better of me. I need to go back and try the other coffee in the king of cold brew jugs. The mighty Kinto !

Each week I will try one type and report back, so stay tuned ! If you want to know when an update is appearing follow us on Twitter

If you want to now how to make the perfect cold brew in the mean time see this article.

Week 1 – Cold brew Costa Rican

The evidence is in the photo ! Sixty Grams of Cost Rican into the cold brewer followed by one litre of mineral water. The image at the top of the article shows the instant Crema the Costa Rican gave off. Impressive for a single origin.

Best coffee cold brew style 12 hours in.

Into the fridge to do it’s thing. Twelve hours later and perhaps somewhat previous the cold brew is sampled. At this point what you get is something extremely refreshing.

The cold brew is one dimensional at this stage. There’s a taste of coffee with a remote hint of apple. Then it’s gone, not like when the taste goes from something to cardboard. This is something to nothing. No after taste at all.

This in itself is something incredible and unique. Never before have I experienced a drink so refreshing yet at the same time almost non existent. It’s like a magic potion from a children’s story book !

Will it be the best coffee cold brew style? It’s too early to say. For a single origin coffee this is only to be expected. The minimum time for brewing realistically for most coffee types is twenty four hours. At this point though I am optimistic we have something good here.

24 Hours in.

Yes the magical twenty four hour brew time. My excitement is rewarded with something really quite special.

The cold brew has matured and there’s a decent taste of coffee with a large apple taste. Also making an appearance is a strong hint of banana !

Never before have I experience banana, I am surprised and very pleased. There’s also a mild Marzipan after taste. At this stage the cold brew is fantastic. I want to drink all of it. Because this is in the name of the diary I can’t!

48 Hours in – Costa Rican

I awake to a burning hot day and head straight for the fridge. What will be waiting in the magic jug? This is fun.

Today’s cold brew is very different and it has matured by a very long mark. There’s the taste of coffee but the focus of the flavours has gone totally fuzzy.

The Banana has definitely gone, the apple is still there somewhat. The most obvious taste is Marzipan, something which 24 hours ago was an after taste!

In fact once into the second glass it’s fair to say that the Marzipan has completely taken over. I add some tinned Carnation milk, what I have is a good cold brew but not great one.

It tastes like one of those you buy in the supermarket out of the chiller. It’s acceptable but it’s not gourmet level it doesn’t excite or inspire.

It’s not quality and it’s quality we are looking for here, the best all round and the best peak time brews also.

Best coffee cold brew Costa Rican – Conclusion

After 2 days brewing then it’s all over. I could sit it out for another 24 but I believe by that time it will be dead altogether. I certainly would not want to be the one testing it !

There is a part of me now wondering what would happen if I upped the dose of the coffee to eighty Grams instead of sixty.

Would that give the cold brew the legs it needed to give us a great forty eight hours? Or would it give us an overwhelming 24 hours? I want to find out and I will return at some point to see.

For now what we know is from the happiest place in the world. Comes a coffee which honours us with an extremely rewarding cold brew at 24 hours.

The apple explosion with it’s Banana side kick and Marzipan after taste is a wowser. Inspirational, full of happiness and hope with a refreshing light taste of real coffee it’s a winner.

For it’s 24 hour stance alone I am giving this a 7 out of 10. That taste sensation is one I will want to chase down again and again.

Week 2 – best coffee cold brew  – Classic Brazilian

Here’s a coffee much loved by the well heeled. A classy number if ever there was one. The Brazilian is rich in taste and strong in body. How will this translate into cold brew coffee though?

Pouring mineral water through the grinds straight away I notice a difference.

The coffee is much darker than the Costa Rica was. There’s almost no ‘red’ stage. It starts off at dark brown and it pretty much stays that way. Until it goes very dark brown !

Grinding the Classic Brazilian it gives off an earthy real coffee aroma. This coffee has a very traditional feel to it.

24 hours later

The planned tasting at 12 hours didn’t happen for various reasons. However that is something I plan to come back to later.

At the 24 hour stage the results are somewhat predictable.

This coffee is full of chocolate and caramel flavours. The two sit so well together it’s impossible to just drink one tumbler. I drink two.

The caffeine hit is strong; this is an espresso blend after all. There is an after taste but I can’t pin it down.  All told a very pleasant cold brew. I am very pleased with the result. In fact I love it!

48 hours later

Back to the fridge in the quest of finding the best coffee cold brew style. There’s a big smile on my face what will it give us? I have been looking forward to this like a kid does Christmas.

One day later and the caramel tones have all but gone.  It highlights the Brazilians unique ability to give us so much.

What we have is a full on taste of dark chocolate and the taste of real cold coffee.  So smooth and deep bodied this is a cup of gorgeous.

There’s another flavour ever present too, it’s like Rye or Wheat. A kind of whisky element I suppose. It sits in the upper layers making the perfect partner to the dark chocolate.

I have no qualms in drinking the rest of the jug. Life is just too short and this is far too nice. A real discovery, I feel so satisfied!

Conclusion using Classic Brazilian

At the 48 hour stage I blew it, the brew was so good I had to drink the lot! What will it taste like on day 3? I have no idea but I will be back to try. I will also have a twelve hour test.

So great is the drink from this blend used in this way.  In order to test the above I am going to have to use two jugs. I know I do not have the discipline to have just one cup at a time.

Is this the best coffee cold brew style? Well what we know at this point is the Classic Brazilian is a quality entertainer.  After a day it delights us with its sweetness and on day two it leaves us wanting for nothing.

I am surprised by this talented coffee to perform so well in this way. I had fears that such a weighty espresso blend would over power.

With four coffees left to try it’s too early to crown anything.  For it’s outstanding display of flavours at days one and two alone. I have to give the Classic Brazilian eight out of ten. It’s a stunner.

Next in the diary a part two will appear later in 2021 – the pandemic set it all back some! thanks for following so far – much appreciated.