Everything You Need to Know About Making Cold Brew Coffee

Making Cold-brew coffee may finally have become mainstream, but it is far from new. Think of making cold brew coffee as the grown-up and more sophisticated version of iced coffee. Like regular hot coffee, cold brew is pretty easy to make. What keeps its popularity escalating is the number of health benefits that come with every sip. Cool, silky, and caffeinated – cold brew coffee is an awesome beverage you should totally be drinking.

Why Making Cold Brew Coffee Deserves the Attention

There are a couple of reasons why making cold brew coffee should be getting its time in the coffee shop limelight:

No More Diluted Coffee

Pouring hot coffee over ice (or even putting cubes into your steaming cup of joe) is just asking for diluted coffee. Watery coffee is sad coffee, and it makes drinking it seem almost like a chore. Making cold brew coffee requires only the water needed to steep the grounds. If you want to dilute it afterwards, that is up to you.

Lower Acidity.

Since the coffee grounds are subjected to boiling water, the chemical profile of the product is very different from what a conventional cup of hot coffee would be. The lower levels of acidity actually make cold-brewed coffee easier on the stomach. Since the acid levels are low, cold brew coffee even brings out the sweeter notes of coffee.

More Caffeine.

Now isn’t that some glorious news? Cold brew coffee has a higher bean-to-water ratio than hot brewed coffee, and since it takes longer to steep, the caffeine content is naturally higher.

A Heap of Antioxidants.

Since high temperatures are known to destroy antioxidants in almost anything, the longer coffee is exposed to high heat, the less health benefits it has. Cold brew coffee therefore has a higher concentration of several antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid. When coffee beans are roasted, a light roast will reduce the amount of chlorogenic acid in the beans by 60%. A dark roast has no chlorogenic acid left at all.

The only trade-off is that cold brew lacks the same amount of aromatic oils that a cup of hot brewed coffee has. For that reason, if you like your coffee with a kick, cold brew may take some getting used to.

Making Cold Brew Coffee Yourself

Sure, making cold brew coffee may sound like some fancy process that requires a lot of barista-based knowledge. In reality, making cold brew coffee is super easy and perfect for people who aren’t totally hyped to be up in the morning.

You can either choose a cold brew coffee maker or try another home method, like the ones listed below.

If you are grinding your own beans, grind the beans coarsely. You don’t want a fine grind, because that will result in cloudy unsavoury coffee.

1. The Jar and Cheesecloth
This method requires two things: a jar or bowl that is deep enough to hold enough water. The ratio between coffee grounds and water is dependent on your own personal taste. It is recommended to start your grind with a ¾ cup of ground beans and 4 cups of cold water. Should you want to make a bigger batch, you can double that to 1.5 cups of beans and 8 cups of water.

Put the grounds in the bowl with water and slide it into the refrigerator overnight. Some people do like to leave the coffee steep at room temperature for about 12 hours then add it to the refrigerator later. The choice is yours. In the morning (or after time has passed), strain the liquid through a coffee filter or cheesecloth then enjoy.

2. The French Press
If you own a 32 oz. French Press, you are going to want ¾ cup ground beans and 4 cups of cold water. Once you have the everything add to the press, put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. Leave the plunger up. When you are ready to have your cup of cold brew coffee in the morning, push that plunger down, pour, and enjoy!

When it comes to cold-brewing your coffee, the key is not to rush it. You want to make sure the grounds have long enough to soak so that you get a satisfying and luscious cup of coffee.

Cold brewed or hot brewed coffee is delicious. But knowing how to make a cup at any temperature to savour is sure to excite any coffee addict or caffeine connoisseur. There are health benefits and a different taste profile to discover when you drink cold brew. And if you have tried making cold brew coffee before, what did you think?

Why Only Drink Shade Grown, Low Acid Arabica?

Why does Low Acid coffee matter?

We all love coffee. It’s a great pick-me-up on those difficult Mondays or late evenings at work. But coffee, like most soft drinks, teas and anything with sugar, is acidic. High acidity can create health issues including heartburn and acid reflux. That’s why drinking low-acid coffee is so important. Every coffee you receive from Buzzbox Coffee is low acid.

Why does Shade-Grown coffee matter?

When coffee grows in direct sunlight, it grows incredibly fast. It develops higher levels of acidity, and bitterness. Conversely, shade-grown coffee takes longer to grow, develops less acidity, and a smoother flavor.

Why does Arabica matter?

But, it’s not just low acid and shade-grown coffee that makes the difference. The type of bean you drink makes a huge difference. Make sure you’re only drinking Arabica coffee. Other species of coffee like Robusta, contain twice the caffeine of Arabica. Caffeine can make heartburn and acid reflux worse. By only drinking the Top 1% Arabica from Buzzbox Coffee you not only treat yourself to the highest quality and flavor, but also save yourself the heartburn.

Brew Guide: Aeropress

Aerobie, the company that invented the Aeropress, is not a coffee company by origin. Their first product was actually the Aerobie Pro – A flying disk. Alan Adler, the founder of the company, had invented many disk-like toys before he invented the Aeropress. Today, Aeropress is Aerobie’s #1 product and an extremely popular method of one cup brewing. The Aeropress produces an espresso strength coffee and as a result, has become known as the “poor man’s” espresso.

Aeropress is a pretty easy brew and only takes around 10 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Aeropress
• Tools Included
• Water
• Coffee
• Circular Filter
• Gooseneck Kettle
• Grinder

AMOUNTS

1 scoop coffee & 12 oz water (16 grams coffee & 355 grams water)

GROUNDS

You’ll want one heaping Aeropress scoop of finely ground coffee to start – a #4 grind on industrial machines.

WATER

Bring your water to a boil and then remove from heat. Never pour boiling water straight onto coffee grounds – it will scorch them and give your coffee a burnt flavor. Allow the water to cool for 30 seconds (the temperature should be between 195-205) before you proceed to the next step.

FILTER

Place the paper filter into the plastic filter, screw it onto the Aeropress and set it over your mug. From here, you can wet the filter with your hot water, to remove the papery taste and heat your press and mug. Dump out the water before proceeding.

ADDING GROUNDS/BLOOM

Drop the grounds into the vessel, and add just enough water to cover them. Let them bloom for 30 seconds before continuing.

POURING

After the bloom, pour more hot water into the Aeropress, until the water level is just above the blue number 3.

STIRRING AND PRESS

Use the paddle that comes with your press to give the grounds a stir for about 5 seconds, then place the plunger into the tube. From here, slowly press the coffee through the filter until you hear a hissing noise.

Brew Guide: Moka Pot

Moka Pot was invented in 1933 when Italy’s economy wasn’t doing so swell. It was marketed as an affordable way to enjoy daily espresso at home, and thereby avoiding cafe prices. Today, many people still use the Moka Pot, and it’s known as one of the best ways to get ‘Stovetop Espresso’.

Moka Pot is a simple brew that takes about 15 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED

• Moka Pot
• Coffee
• Kettle
• Grinder

AMOUNTS

The amount of coffee you need depends on the size of your Moka Pot. You’ll want enough to fill the funnel filter of your pot without packing down the grounds.

Moka Pots come in all shapes and sizes, so measure how much water fills the bottom half of your pot before beginning.

GROUNDS

Grind your beans on a medium grind, which is a #6 or Drip Flat on an industrial grinder.

WATER

It’s not recommended that you boil your water directly in the Moka pot, because it might give it a metallic taste, so heat it in a separate kettle before beginning. Carefully pour the boiling water right into the bottom of the Moka Pot, filling it until the water line is even with the screw on the side.

ASSEMBLY/ADDING GROUNDS

Put the grounds in the funnel filter, using your finger to even it out and remove excess coffee. Place the filter on the base, and screw the top half on. Caution: the base will be hot from the hot water, you might want to use a towel or hot mit while you do this step.

BEGIN BREW

Open the lid and set the Moka Pot onto your stovetop on a medium setting. To avoid burning your pot, don’t turn the burner any hotter than medium. Also be careful not to have the handle directly over the flame, as it could melt if it gets too hot.

CONTINUE BREWING

After a couple minutes, steam will start to push the water up through the grounds and into the top chamber. As soon as this starts, place the lid onto the pot. (Note: Sometimes if the grounds are too coarse, the water will shoot up out of the pot. If this happens, be careful that you don’t get burned and try a finer grind the next time you brew).

FINISHING BREW

Once the lid is on, wait nearby and listen. When you hear a gurgling noise, remove the pot from heat – your brew is finished!

ENJOY

Pour into a separate mug and enjoy. If you find stovetop espresso too strong, dilute with a bit of hot water or cream. Lastly, be cautious when handling and cleaning your moka pot, as the metal will be extremely hot.

4 Ways to Improve Brain Health with Organic Coffee

“Coffee’s bad for you! Don’t drink that stuff!” We all know that one person who insists coffee will cause you health issues further down the road. Next time that ‘friend’ harasses you about your love for coffee, tell them about the 4 Ways Organic Coffee Improves Brain Health .

1. Organic Coffee Improves Brain Health By Increasing Your Memory

If you’re anything like me, you forget things all the time. But recent research reports that you might be in luck – coffee can help your memory!

Michael Yassa, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins comments on a recent study, “We’ve always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail . . . We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours.”¹

So how did the John Hopkins researchers come to this conclusion? First, they asked their participants to study a series of images. Then they gave some of the participants caffeine and others a placebo. They then sat through a boring 24 hours. Many yawns later they tested the participants memory of the images. They found the participants who took caffeine could remember more images than the participants who took just the placebo.²

For the next round of testing the researchers made it trickier. As if looking at pictures and trying to remember them wasn’t hard enough. For the next round of testing they used a variety of images — some the same, some new, and some similar but not the same. Those sneaky researchers.

Dr. Yassa gives us his take, “If we used a standard recognition memory task without these tricky similar items, we would have found no effect of caffeine. However, using these items requires the brain to make a more difficult discrimination – what we call pattern separation, which seems to be the process that is enhanced by caffeine in our case.”³

Of course, while these studies do promote the benefit of caffeine, you always want to be careful that you don’t consume too much of it. To prevent caffeine overload, we recommend always drinking Arabica, shade-grown coffee beans. When beans are grown in the shade they grow slower — developing less acidity. This results in a smoother, less bitter cup of coffee. 

Additionally arabica beans contain half of the caffeine content of other beans. Shade-Grown coffee is the best way to enjoy a safe & healthy dose of caffeine while still finding a way to improve your brain health with coffee.

2. Organic Coffee Improves Brain Health by Preventing Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affects 1.2 million people in Europe alone with an estimated 75,000 new cases diagnosed each year.⁴ But there is hope. In addition to new drug therapies, caffeine has been shown to have a noticeable effect on treatment and prevention of Parkinson’s.

Research from as far back as 1968 points to caffeine in coffee having a positive impact on preventing and reversing some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s.⁵ In fact, a study conducted in 2000 found that men who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day have a five-fold reduced risk for developing Parkinson’s Disease.⁶ Another study found the risk reduced from 24% – 32% for every 3 extra cups of coffee consumed per day.⁷

There’s a lot of research out there that gives us hope, but how exactly does coffee help prevent or reverse Parkinson’s disease? Caffeine reverses Parkinson’s disease by inhibiting the damaged receptors in the brain. These are the same receptors that control motor function. When damaged they create the tremors most associated with the disease. So basically the caffeine in coffee works to increase motor activity while at the same time reducing motor deficits like tremors caused by Parkinson’s Disease.⁸

In short, you’re doing your future self a favor by drinking that cuppa joe every morning! But one more thing to keep in mind: organic coffee. Coffee is one of the most absorbent crops on the planet. It’s also sprayed with more pesticides than any other crop on the planet outside of Tobacco. Make sure to choose organic and after one sip you’ll see why.

3. Organic Coffee Improves Brain Health by Helping You Avoid Stroke

There are many good practices and lifestyle choices you can make that keep you at a minimal risk for stroke, and coffee is one of them! There haven’t yet been many in depth studies done on the connection between coffee and stroke prevention, but the research & statistics currently available on the matter are quite impressive, particularly among women:

“A research study out of Sweden revealed that women who consumed more than a cup of caffeinated coffee daily reduced their risk of stroke by 22 to 25 percent.⁹

Scientists have yet to pinpoint what exactly it is about coffee that has such a strong effect, but I suspect we’ll see more studies on that in the coming years. I don’t know about you, but until then, I’m content drinking my organic coffee knowing that something about it is reducing my risk of a stroke.

4. Organic Coffee Improves Brain Health By Helping You Slow Down Alzheimers

Last but not least, caffeine in coffee seems to be helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease too. A study conducted over a 21 year period showed a 65% decrease in onset of Alzheimer’s Disease for people who started drinking 3 – 5 cups of coffee per day.¹⁰

Some reports are even showing that caffeine in coffee can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease in patients who already have some form of mild dementia. ¹¹

So the next time your friend looks at your hot cup o’ joe and says “You’re going to regret that!”, tell them they’re missing out on an easy and tasty way to improve brain health with coffee.

I mean, really, If preventing memory loss, Parkinson’s, strokes, and Alzheimer’s is as simple as a few cups a day – why wouldn’t you want to drink delicious organic coffee?!

Sources

1.http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/01/12/caffeine-enhances-memory

2.IBID.

3.IBID.

4.European Parkinson’s Disease Association (2011) ‘EPDA Annual report 2010-2011.’ Available at: http://www.epda.eu.com/welcome/

5.Nefzger M.D. et al. (1968) A retrospective study of smoking in Parkinson’s disease. Am J Epidemiol, 88:149-158.

6.Webster Ross G. et al. (2000) Association of coffee and caffeine intake with the risk of Parkinson disease. JAMA, 283:2674-2679.

7. Costa J. et al. (2010) Caffeine exposure and the risk of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Alzheimers Dis, 20 Suppl 1:S221-38.

8.<>a href=”http://coffeeandhealth.org/topic-overview/coffee-and-parkinsons-disease/”>http://coffeeandhealth.org/topic-overview/coffee-and-parkinsons-disease/

9.http://www.caffeineinformer.com/prevent-a-stroke-by-drinking-caffeine

10. Eskelinen M.H. et al. (2009) Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia: a population-based CAIDE study. J Alzheimers Dis, 16:85-91.

11.Cao C. et al. (2012) High blood caffeine levels in MCI linked to lack of progression to dementia. J Alzheimers Dis, 30:559-572.

Brew Guide: French Press

The exact origin of the French Press has been subject to much debate. Folklore says it was an elderly frenchman in the 1850s, while the Italians claim to have produced the most functional model in the early 1900s. Of course, the fight to take the credit is understandable, as French Press is one of the most-loved brew methods around the world. For this brew, we used a Bodum 32oz. french press.

Brewing with a French Press is easy, and will take you about 11 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED

• French Press
• Coffee
• Water
• Wood Stirrer
• Gooseneck Kettle
• Grinder

AMOUNTS

4 tbsp coffee & 16oz water
8 tbsp coffee & 32oz water
32 grams coffee & 473 grams water
64 grams coffee & 946 grams water

GROUNDS

To start, we suggest a ratio of 2 tablespoons of grounds for every 8oz of water. The coffee should be ground on the coarsest setting – a #9 on an industrial grinder. If your grounds are too fine, you will get ‘muddy’ coffee in your press.

WATER

Heat your water until it’s boiling, and then remove from the heat source for 30 seconds before pouring (boiling water will burn your grounds and ruin your drink!) The best temperature for brewing is between 195-205 degrees.

ADDING GROUNDS

Drop the grounds into the french press, and pour enough water over them until they are fully covered.

BLOOM

Pause and let the coffee bloom for 45 seconds.

ADDING WATER

Continue to pour the rest of your water into the press. You can now let it brew for 3-5 minutes (personally, we think 4 minutes is the perfect time, but it’s all about your own taste preference).

BREAKING THE CRUST

Once the time is up, use a small bamboo paddle or chopstick (not metal – you don’t want to crack the glass) to break the crust and give the grounds a quick stir.

PRESS

Now you can put on the lid and press! There should be a small amount of resistance, but not much. If it is difficult to push down, your grounds are probably a bit too fine. If it seems way too easy to press, perhaps your grounds are too coarse.

ENJOY

Pour into your favorite mug, and enjoy your marvelous cup of delicious french press.

7 Tips To Make The Best Drip Coffee

Do you knock your neighbor’s socks off with your drip coffee? Well, now you can, if you follow these 7 Easy Steps To The Best Drip Coffee.

1. The Coffee Must Be Fresh

Coffee has a shelf life of around 6 weeks. The coffee in the grocery store is on average 3 to 12 months old. What that means for you is, if you are drinking store-bought coffee you are enjoying the coffee equivalent of moldy stale bread. To avoid this and to enjoy the vast array of coffee’s flavors — only purchase coffee from a local independent roaster. Your coffee will be hours young not months old.

2. Your Water Has To Be Filtered

The water you use is the second most crucial step to having great tasting coffee (just after the coffee itself). Use filtered water or even bottled water. DO NOT USE distilled or softened water.

3. Be Specific About Your Grind

USE ONLY A BURR GRINDER. If you have a blade grinder, then I’m sorry. You are better off getting the custom treatment you can only get from a local roaster. A good, local roaster can grind your coffee according to your filter needs. If you have a burr grinder then here’s what you do. For ‘cone’ shaped filters (paper or gold cone), grind your coffee at #4 on your grinder. For flat-bottomed filters grind a little coarser with a #6 grind. The grind is imperative to the extraction process and the subsequent flavor.

4. Use The Right Amount

Use 2 level tablespoons of ground coffee per 6oz. of water.

5. Pre-Wet the Grounds

This is a fun trick many don’t know.  If you have an Insta-hot or can quickly heat up a very small amount of water, sprinkle no more than an ounce of water on your grounds before you start brewing. This begins the extraction process and starts pulling the flavor to the surface of the grounds.  When the brewing starts, it will have a head-start on the extraction.

6. If It Ain’t Hot, It’s Time To Shop

Your coffee maker should maintain a constant temperature of around 200?F to ensure optimal extraction.  If you’re coffee is cool or colder than you remember, it maybe time for a new machine.  BONUS TIP: A drip maker should also take only 5 – 7 minutes to brew.

7. Don’t Wait, Enjoy It Right Away

Nothing ruins your coffee experience like cold coffee. So, don’t wait, drink it right away. A thermal carafe will keep your coffee warm longer than a glass pot. No matter how warm you keep your coffee make sure to finish it off within 30 to 60 minutes of brewing. BONUS TIP: Re-heating coffee can never revive the optimal just-after-brewing flavor. That’s the seventh step in how to make the best coffee.

Conclusion:

Many coffee ‘experts’ will downplay the flavor of a drip brewer for many reasons.  In reality though, a drip coffee maker can make a the best coffee in the world with the right beans, water and grind. Whether you like a light roast coffee, a medium roast coffee, or a dark roasted coffee, you just have to pay attention to the details. Oh, and when you’re done, don’t forget to help your neighbor find their socks.

Source | NCA Brewing Guide (combined with some of our own expertise)