Often mistake when it comes to cold brew coffee is that people confuse it with Ice coffee. What’s the difference? While Ice coffee is just normal warm coffee spilled over ice which makes it cold, this is a completely different way of making coffee. When cold brew coffee is made coffee beans are soaked in cold water for hours which helps beans to release caffeine and coffee oil. It also releases sugar which made it popular since it can replace artificially sweetened beverages.
There’s also a difference between cold brew coffee and a cold brew concentrate. Coffee shops usually use concentrate which is more caffeinated made with more beans or less water to get a stronger taste that needs to be diluted later. Cold brew coffee on the other hand is ready to drink, mixed when making coffee and it’s preferred by coffee lovers.
Unlike standard coffee, cold brew coffee is believed to be more healthy with strong antioxidant power. It can also last longer than regular coffee and that time depends on several factors. Usually, it can last seven days up to two weeks. How to prolong the time your cold brew coffee is good for drinking? Keep reading and find out.
Tips to make cold brew coffee last longer
- Store it in a refrigerator. This makes it last one to two weeks. At room temperature, it can last for two hours, after which taste changes. A couple of hours later at room temperature, cold brew can be thrown away.
- Diluting cold brew coffee also affects its lifetime. If diluted with milk, it can stay good in the refrigerator for 8 hours. If you dilute it with water and refrigerate it can last for 2-3 days for standard portions. Bigger portions last less also depending on the storage type and if it’s diluted.
- Maybe you wouldn’t think of this, but the quality of beans can also determine how long does your coffee stays fresh. What significantly affects the quality of beans is how old are they. So expiration date is something to pay attention to because a higher price doesn’t promise higher quality. Also, information that is harder for you to check but that affects the quality of the beans is the type of beans, how are they grown, stored, and processing of the beans. The most popular types of beans amongst coffee lovers are African and Latin American coffee beans.
- If you’re grinding beans by yourself be very careful about this process since the flavor and how long does cold brew last depend on this process a lot. The coarseness and thickness of be beans are the main points in this step. Too fine grinding results in a too strong and bitter taste, whilst grinding too thick can result in a flavorless, watery drink since flavor won’t be extracted well. Perfect grinding size would be like sugar.
- When it comes to mixing water with coffee beans, ratios is very simple but it makes a big difference. The ratio is to add one gallon of water to every one pound of coffee beans. If needed in smaller portions just adjust this ratio. For example, for half a pound of coffee beans, you would add half a gallon of water, etc.
- As for the grinding, there’s too little, ideal, and too much time of steeping. A minimum of 12 hours can still not be enough, while less than that will give you bland beverages like thick beans. Ideal 14-16 hours will result in the desired flavor of a high-end cold brew coffee. As the very fine grinding, steeping beans for long like 18-24 hours will leave you with a bitter and very caffeinated drink.
- When mixing coffee and water to get a perfect cold brew coffee, make sure that you use a 1:7 or 1:8 ratio. Afterward, you can dilute to your taste with milk or water.
- Storing cold brew coffee affects its taste, quality, and how long it will last. You can use glass jars, teapot, or french press. The sealing container also contributes to the longer-lasting of your drink. A plastic container is the worst choice since it oxidizes coffee faster.
How to know when cold brew coffee is going bad?
To avoid drinking spoiled cold brew coffee always pay attention to these very simple signs that the beverage has gone bad. You don’t want to consume spoiled food and the same goes for drinks too. Don’t ignore signs that cold brew coffee has gone bad so that you don’t endanger your health. Coffee diluted with milk will start losing its freshness first so be extra careful with those.
Taste is one of the first indications that the drink is no longer good. If it tastes musty or like wood vinegar, it’s ready to be thrown away.
Another sure sign is the bad smell. If you can smell acetous or woody smell, you shouldn’t drink it.
The reduced caffeine kick is also one of the pointers that drink is no longer so fresh. After all, you should notice mold appearing on your drink when it’s totally bad.
Making your coffee
Although it can be challenging, making coffee by yourself comes with a very awarding feeling. Plus, it saves you time and money. You don’t have to try out many different coffee shops to find your perfect coffee taste or waste your time waiting in lines.
If you’re not sure how to pick a coffee maker that will suit your wishes, here you can find the list of Keurig coffee makers. They come in different capacities, several reservoir sizes and some even come with an option to make other beverages than coffee. What is in common for all those coffee makers is functionality, you just need to choose which one covers all your daily needs.
To conclude, cold brew coffee is a great choice if you want a healthier, longer-lasting, and naturally sweetened beverage. As long as you follow the given instructions in regards to grinding, steeping, mixing, and storing cold brew coffee, you will have a delicious drink at your disposal for a long time.
