Cold brew hype had me doubting, now I get the fuss

For two years I watched friends drop $6 on cold brew at shops near my route and figured it was just overpriced iced coffee for people who liked fancy bottles. Last July in Phoenix, after three straight weeks of 110 degree heat, my regular iced coffee turned bitter halfway through my shift and I caved. The barista handed me a mason jar of stuff that looked like motor oil and I took one sip expecting a gimmick. It tasted smooth, no bite, almost sweet without any sugar, and it actually got me through the last ten blocks without my usual 2 PM crash. I started making my own at home with a cheap mason jar filter and a 12 hour steep, maybe $8 a week in beans versus the $4 daily habit. My only complaint is the cleanup, that filter clogs like a drain full of hair, but the flavor is worth it. Anyone else switch from hot drip to cold brew and never look back, or am I just late to a trend that's already dying?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

mila_flores81mo ago

Running hot water through right after each batch is smart, my mason jar filter clogged all the time until I started doing that same trick.

7

aaron8841mo ago

Buddy of mine swore by his hot drip for years, said cold brew was for people who wanted to feel fancy. Then his office moved and the new place had a cold brew tap in the break room. He tried it just to be nice, and two weeks later he was texting me about steep times and buying a grinder. His wife still gives him a hard time about the whole thing. The cleanup is real though, he runs hot water through his filter right after every batch instead of waiting, says that fixed most of the clogging.

6