Decaf Cold Brew: Make Your Own Delicious Cup at Home
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Once you get coffee into your veins, there’s no turning back! It’s hard for people like us to go through a day without craving a cup of delicious, freshly made coffee.
Be it iced coffee, regular coffee, or a cold brew, the caffeine content in each drink can mess up your sleep cycle. Research suggests that drinking coffee in the evening might keep you up at night.
So how do you enjoy a cup of coffee without ruining your chances of quality sleep? Try decaf cold brew coffee. If you want to learn how to make a delicious cup of decaf cold brew coffee at home, this guide is for you.
Why Should You Try Decaf Cold Brew Coffee?
A lot of people avoid decaf coffee, believing it to be harsh, bitter, and tasteless. However, with the right recipe and high-quality decaf coffee beans, you can make even decaf coffee as delicious as a regular cup of coffee.
How to Choose the Right Beans for Decaf Cold Brew Coffee
The secret to creating a perfect cup of coffee without caffeine lies in selecting the right beans or coffee grounds.
Coffee lovers often cannot limit themselves to a single cup each day, but making a fresh batch of cold brew coffee takes time. Keep a large batch of coffee ready to serve any time you want by making a decaf cold brew concentrate.
Here are five things you need to check when you go shopping for decaf beans:
1. Roast Level
For the perfect cup of decaf cold brew coffee, go for a medium-dark roast. It’s important to hit the right roast level here. If the roast is too light, your coffee will be watery, and if it’s too dark, your coffee will turn chewy and bitter.
2. Recency
The freshness of your coffee beans also has a significant impact on the overall taste of your drink. For the best taste, opt for beans roasted in the last 5 to 12 days. You should avoid any bags of ground coffee or beans that have been roasted more than 30 days prior.
3. Flavor
Select a few tantalizing flavor notes. Avoid flavors like “bold” or “rich.” Brands simply use these terms to disguise low-quality coffee with no distinguished flavor. Instead, choose obvious flavors like caramel, walnut, or red apple.
4. Avoid Pre-ground Coffee
A pack of pre-ground coffee can make your drink dull, flavorless, and weak. If you want the perfect balance of decaf and strength, choose whole decaf beans and grind them right before brewing your coffee.
5. Stick to Speciality Coffee
Specialty coffee refers to a special grade of coffee beans only sourced from the best coffee estates. These beans are carefully picked and processed to give you the natural flavors and richness of coffee. Nothing can make your decaf cold brew coffee taste better than specialty coffee beans.
Want to know what coffee beans work best for cold brew? Click here.
How to Make a Cup of Decaf Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Now that you know how to pick the right beans for your decaf cold brew coffee recipe, here are the steps you need to follow:
1. Measure the Coffee Grounds and Water
This recipe will use cold brew concentrates, so you’ll need a higher coffee-to-water ratio. We recommend using a 1:7 ratio. This means if you’re using 50 grams of coffee, then use at least 350 ml of cold water. Measure carefully and use separate containers to hold each of them.
2. Grind the Beans
If you haven’t already ground the beans, this is where you do it. For cold brew, you need coarse grounds that won’t slip into your drink. If you’re confused about the perfect size, just keep your coffee grounds slightly larger than a French press grind size.
3. Mix the Coffee and Water
Mix your coffee and water and stir them well until the grounds are perfectly soaked. Leave the container at room temperature or in the fridge and let the coffee steep for at least 16 hours.
4. Separate Coffee Ground Residue
By the end of 16 hours, the concentrate should be ready for use. It’s time to separate the remaining coffee grounds from your cold brew. If you have a French press at hand, you can simply use its plunger to remove the grounds. Otherwise, a coffee filter and kitchen strainer can be used.
5. Filter Out the Final Sediments
For a smooth taste and effective storage, it’s crucial to filter out the last trace of coffee ground residue. To do so, simply pour your coffee concentrate over a paper filter or any other filtration device of your choice and let it seep through.
6. Enjoy Your Coffee
To prepare a refreshing cup of coffee from cold brew concentrate, all you have to do is add a few ice cubes or milk. If neither of these two work for you, simply add water until the concentration is perfectly balanced. Remember to store the remaining concentrate in a refrigerator.
Final Thoughts
Sleepless nights and coffee jitters often stand between coffee lovers and a perfect cup of rich, smooth, and creamy coffee. That’s why no matter what the coffee snobs say, don’t be afraid to try decaf cold brew. With our recipe and tips above, you can enjoy the same taste and flavor without the usual drawbacks of caffeine.
FAQs
Can Decaf Coffee Be Smooth and Chocolaty?
Regardless of what you’ve heard about decaf coffee, it can actually be as delicious, silky, and chocolaty as any regular cup of coffee. You simply need to identify beans sourced and roasted by experts and follow the recipe above.
Which Type of Coffee Is Best for Decaf Cold Brew?
Arabica and Robusta are the two main types of coffee beans, and most prefer the former for the best decaf cold brew. It has a much lower caffeine content and tastes better than Robusta beans, which are slightly more rubbery.
How Long Can You Store Decaf Cold Brew Concentrate?
If refrigerated well, a batch of cold brew concentrate stays good for up to two weeks. With that being said, for the original freshness and flavors, use it as soon as you can.