What roast is best for cold brew?

Since cold brewing coffee became widely popular, there is no surprise that baristas want to upgrade their cold brew recipes to perfection. Not only professionals, but also amateurs brew their coffee that way more often. To prepare an aromatic and flavorful cup of cold brew, you obviously need high-quality coffee beans. But what roast is the best for cold brew? Read this article further to find it out.  

What roast for cold brew will bring the best results? 

Coffee roasts are rich in completely different flavor profiles thanks to different roast temperatures. If you want to make cold brew, it would be the best if you used whether dark or medium roast. Here is why. Dark roast is commonly used in cold brewing coffee because it has deep chocolaty flavors enriched with smoky aromas. The characteristic dark brown color is the result of caramelized sugar in the coffee beans. It is possible thanks to the high temperature of (usually) 240 degrees Celsius – very high temperature used in coffee roasting. Strong and concentrated flavors closed in the dark roasted beans give a consistent flavor of your cold brew.  

Another option for cold brewing your coffee is to choose the medium roast. This is also one of the best roasts for cold brew because it still infuses cold water with strong flavors, but their profile is more complex than in the case of the dark roast. This type of roast is the most frequent all over the world – not without a reason. One word describes medium roasted beans very well, namely the balance. People like to drink cold brew that is not too sour, too bitter, or too sweet. In comparison to the dark roasted coffee beans, medium roasted beans have a dry surface. The oil rises after sugar is completely caramelized, which happens in the dark roast. Medium roast has in addition full-bodied flavor that many people adore.  

The best roast for cold brew – try different things  

Even though these two previously described roasts are mostly selected for this method of coffee brewing, nobody said that it is forbidden to use the light roast instead. If you like fresh, fruity and refreshing flavor notes, you can experiment with blonde coffee beans. This is usually a completely new experience for most of the coffee drinkers. Cold brewing coffee with the use of the light roast is quite difficult – it is much easier to make a mistake. To gain better results in the end, you can use a drip method, which is very simple.  

Regardless of what your preferences are, you still need to prepare your cold brew properly.  

HardTank Baby - countertop version of HardTank which allows you to brew 4 liters of cold brew in 45 minutes!

How to make cold brew coffee? 

Let’s say that you have the best roast for a cold brew, but what is the next step? You need to grind the coffee beans. Our experience shows that the best way is to grind them coarsely. The fine grind might form clumps, and infuse too much coffee. It is more difficult to find the golden proportion, if you grind coffee too fine. You can use a hand grinder or an electric one. You should buy such a grinder that is easy to adjust. However, you should decide how strong your cold brew is supposed to be before. If you want to make a strongly concentrated beverage, use 1:4 proportion. Such a flavorful, yet strong mixture should be served with additional water, milk, or cream. If you want to drink your cold brew right after pouring it into a glass, use 1:8 proportion. Add some ice and et voilà – you can enjoy your drink.  

After measuring how much coffee you want to use, grab a jar or a container, pour the coffee, room temperature or cold water, and stir. Put the lid on the top of your container, and leave the mixture for at least six hours, but the best way is to leave it for 12-24 hours. If you put the ground coffee in a some sort of filter, for example an organic cotton bag, you don’t need to filter the coffee several times after the brewing process is complete. If you don’t have a bag, you should use a paper filter and filter the mixture 2-3 times.  

The brewing process takes a lot of time. You can buy a professional machine for a cold brew, for example from Hardtank, and prepare your drink in less than 1 hour!