Cold Brewing is...HOT!

I recently learned about cold brewing coffee.  For a long-time Pacific Northwest coffee drinker, it just took just one sip of the cold brew to reveal its potential.  Because, you see, I'm one of those avid coffee drinkers who often has an upset stomach come afternoon.  I've come to the conclusion that this is because of the acids created by hot brewing; cold brewing produces a much less acidic brew.  Anyway, I really took my new Filtron coffee maker and enjoyed using it to create concentrated cold brew to use throughout the week.

There are a couple tweaks or hacks, though, that you might consider for improved flavor and convenience.  The flavor of straight cold brewing is rich, yet somewhat flat.  I was curious how one might combine cold brewing with regular brewing for a kind of hybrid approach.  In case you're interested, here's what I have been doing.  It's easy and the resulting coffee is a little better in flavor, and cleanup is much simpler.

First, fill-up your coffee maker's carafe with enough water for a full pot, then use this water to fill-up a pitcher (like the Filtron one pictured above).  Add enough water to bring the water level up to between one-half and three-quarters.  Next, add the same amount of coffee you typically use for a pot of coffee into the pitcher, tighten the lid, and briefly shake to mix the contents and start the cold brewing.  Pour the remainder of the water from the coffee pot into the coffee maker's reservoir for the morning.  (The total water used, then, should equal a regular pot.)  Now, just let the coffee in the pitcher sit on the counter until the following morning.  

When you cheerfully wake early the following morning, lightly shake the coffee pitcher--making sure the lid is still on.  Pour the contents into the filter compartment of your coffee maker, but don't turn on the power yet.  (Remember to use the same filter method--e.g.paper or gold mesh--that you do ordinarily.)  Once the cold brew coffee is all into the basket and mostly drained into the pot, turn on the coffee maker.  The hot water extracts a pleasant hint of the rich acidic notes, which are ordinarily missing from regular cold brew coffee.  I think you'll agree that this hybrid approach is a little simpler and creates a really good cup of Joe.  Enjoy--and spread the word!