All About Cold Brew Coffee

 

en years ago, there weren't that many coffee shops that served cold brew. Now, you can find cold brew everywhere, from megachains like Starbucks to the aisles of supermarkets. 

But just because it's everywhere doesn't mean everyone know what it is. To answer some of your most common cold brew questions, I talked to Brent Wolczynski, Head Brewer of Cold Brew Production for Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Stumptown started bottling cold brew in 2011, which was an incredibly novel idea at the time. But now, Stumptown’s cold brew stubbies, whose brown bottles are now an iconic symbol within the cold brew world, are one of the most popular ready-to-drink products and just one of a handful of Stumptown cold coffee drinks on the market. 

So, What Is Cold Brew?

Cold brew is simply coffee that has been brewed with cold rather than hot water and usually involves a long steeping process—anywhere between 12-24 hours. In terms of flavor, cold brew is generally characterized as smooth, low-acid, and heavier than its hot brewed counterparts. 

Although cold brew has been around for centuries, it’s really in the last ten years that it’s become a staple on coffee shops menus and recognizable by most coffee drinkers—a 2019 study by the National Coffee Association shows that 80% of respondents under 40 know what cold brew is and that 20% drink cold brew occasionally. “That was not the case in 2010,” Wolczynski says. “Communicating the difference between iced coffee and cold brew was difficult, let alone trying to convince people that this thing called cold brew that comes in an amber stubby bottle isn’t beer.”