As some of you may already know, I drink probably 90% of my coffee cold.
No, I am not punishing myself for past transgressions. Also, it is not ignorance, as I appreciate most every way coffee beans are prepared in their caffeinated goodness, from espresso to starbucksian caffeinated shakes to...
cold coffee.Yea, verily, I revere the Bean.
So why do I drink most of mine cold?
1. Convenience. I don't have time to brew coffee every AM.
2. Safety. With wee-ones around, the idea of steaming cups of coffee getting sloshed on them is a bit of a killjoy.
3. Heat. When it is hot outside, a hot cup of coffee is not my ideal refreshment.
4. Cheap, legal stimulant.
In the past, I have made coffee in the house with auto-drip, French press, stove top espresso pot, percolator, and yes (I am man enough to admit)
instant coffee.
My current regimen consists of brewing two pots of very stout auto-drip coffee on Sunday (1.5 quarts), removing it from the machine immediately, and storing it in the refrigerator for consumption during the week.
Yes, not the ideal way to consume one's coffee. Frankly, without making it into cold cafe au lait (1/2 coffee, 1/2 milk) it can be somewhat bracing even without the caffeine hit...and has been rumored to make a fine varnish-remover.
So, when I saw a means to make coffee using a cold / room temp process that promised 74% less acid and had long-term storage options, I sat up and ordered one of the bad boys.
The device is produced by Toddy Products out of Houston, TX, and looks like so:
Online can be found many and varied comments, tips, & such on how to use the device, but the short of it is the following:
1. Place the filter in the bottom of the plastic container.
2. Place the plug in the bottom of same plastic container.
3. Place plastic container on top of glass carafe.
4. Place water & coffee in plastic container
5. Steep 12+ hours
6. Remove plug & let drain into glass carafe
7. Store resulting concentrate however you determine and dilute ~3:1 for use with hot or cold water
The directions emphasized arabica beans & coarse grind.
Directions are fine, but I used what I had on hand, fine-ground Costco bulk coffee, which likely has not a single arabic bean gracing its discounted self.
I steeped it closer to 18 hours, not wanting to wake at 0330 Sunday to drain 'er out.
I only used 3/4 the recommended amount of beans and 7/8 the amount of water, because of other users who wrote of slopping the filled-to-the-brim plastic container all over creation. and covered the top with foil to keep out dust & caffeine-jonesing critters.
Last, I wrapped the provided re-usable filter with a paper filter for my auto-drip beast, at the suggestion of one of the online tipsters.
So, how did it turn out?
Pretty danged well.
I let it filter out in to the carafe while at church and came home to an almost-full carafe of some highly-concentrated coffee product. I grabbed a 1-cup measuring cup and filled it with 6 oz of tap water and then 2 oz of coffee concentrate.
I had been forewarned that some users end up with tasteless brown water and feared the wost as I brought the concoction to my gaping maw...only to find that it was a fine, stout cuppa joe I was sucking down.
Surely nothing to rival the Jamaican Blue Mountain I was given by a missionary to Kingston, but better than you would expect for cheap robusta beans from the Costco bulk-can. But surely more flavor than the brown-colored water some users have produced.
My next brew/steep will have to be done with some arabica beans, to see how well it does with better-quality materials.
I suspect my choice of fine-ground coffee and longer steeping time had a large effect on the outcome, giving it more kick/flavor/whatever than I would find with a coarse grind.
Any user will have to play with those two variables to get the strength they desire. Also, changing the dilution ratio will help after the brew.
I am thinking that drinking the concentrate straight will provide a kick that espresso would envy, given my preparation method.
All in all, I am happy with my purchase and expect to use it to make my coffee in the near term.
LINKSwww.toddycafe.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Toddy-Maker-Cold-Brew-Coffee/dp/B0000DCYS1http://www.ineedcoffee.com/06/coldbrew/
