Mastering the Art of Cold Brew Coffee: A Home Brewing Guide

Introduction:

In recent years, cold brew coffee has gained immense popularity for its smooth and rich flavour profile. Its simple brewing process and versatility make it a favourite among coffee aficionados. 

While it may seem daunting to make cold brew at home, fear not! With the right ingredients, equipment, and a bit of patience, you can become a cold brew connoisseur in no time. Let's dive into the steps to successfully craft this refreshing beverage in the comfort of your own home.

Choose Your Beans:

Quality coffee beans are the foundation of any great cold brew. Opt for a medium to dark roast with flavor notes that you enjoy. Experiment with different origins and blends to find the perfect balance for your palate. Ensure that the beans are freshly ground to preserve their aromatic oils and flavours.

Grind Consistently:

For cold brew, a coarse grind is key. Aim for a consistency similar to that of breadcrumbs. Grinding too fine can result in over-extraction and a harsh, bitter taste. If possible, use a burr grinder for more consistent particle size, but a blade grinder will suffice if that's what you have on hand.

Ratio Matters:

The coffee-to-water ratio plays a crucial role in determining the strength of your cold brew. An ideal starting point is a 1:4 ratio coffee to water. For example, for every 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee, use 4 cups of cold, filtered water. Adjust the ratio according to your preference for stronger or milder coffee brews. You know your own tastes, so aim to achieve flavours that you will like.

Steep Time and Patience:

Patience is the key factor when it comes to cold brewing coffee. Unlike hot brewing methods which are known for quickly extracting flavours, cold brewing requires time to gently coax out the coffee's nuances. Steep your coffee grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Experiment with different steeping times to find the optimal balance of flavour and strength.

Strain and Filter:

Once the steeping period is complete, it's time to strain the coffee to remove the grounds. Use a fine-mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or a dedicated cold brew filter bag to separate the liquid from the solids. For a clearer brew, you can double strain using a coffee filter or paper towel-lined sieve.

Dilute and Enjoy:

Cold brew concentrate is strong, so it's typically diluted before serving. Mix equal parts cold brew concentrate and water over ice for a classic cold brew, or customise to your liking with milk, cream, or sweeteners. Cold brew can also be enjoyed hot by heating the concentrate and mixing it with hot water.

Storage:

Store your cold brew concentrate in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For longer storage, consider freezing portions in ice cube trays for future use. Remember to label your container with the brewing date for freshness tracking.

Mastering the art of cold brew coffee at home is a rewarding experience that allows you to tailor the flavor to your liking. With high quality beans, proper grinding, patience, and a few simple steps, you can enjoy a delicious cup of cold brew whenever the craving strikes. Experiment with different techniques and ratios to discover your perfect brew, and savour the smooth, bold flavours of homemade cold brew coffee. Cheers to your brewing adventures!

Kaytea Leads the Iced Tea Charge With a New White Peach and a Re-Energised Sparkling Rosay

Hot on the heels of its NEW game-changing Sainsbury's, Deliveroo, M&S, Zapp & Spinneys listings, Kaytea coldbrew teas drinks is fulfilling its 2023 pledge to not only continue innovating but move 100% from glass to aluminium.

June 23 will see the arrival of a NEW flavour:

WHITE PEACH (new): Showcasing green tea's unheralded prowess as the perfect light yet refreshing setting for white peach to prosper.

N.B. Did you know white peach is more delicate than yellow peach & blends seamlessly with our sublime cold brewed green tea

SPARKLING ROSAY (repackage): There's also a TASTEFUL repackage for Sparkling Rosay, quite possibly the most sophisticated iced tea within the Kaytea stable! Inspired by the unique flavour profile of a well-balanced Rose; Rosay is a 95% rose tea infusion that combines with pink guava and cherry, apple, radish and sweet potato concentrate to create an effortlessly effervescent iced tea.

According to Kaytea founder, Kevin Tang, 'Having underpinned our reputation as a perfect 'soft drink that can pair with delicate foods (tie-ups with Sainsbury's & M&S's sushi counters), we've now backing our urban listings with a move from glass to aluminium which is better suited to more urban focused retailers like Zapp, WeWork & Deliveroo.

Kaytea is a leading voice in the UK's growing iced tea movement that is predicted to exceed £285m by 2024.  For all kombucha's chiller cabinet momentum the fact remains that functional drinks are not everyone's cup of tea.

According to Kevin, "I realised long ago that there's a si
gnificant void in the soft drinks aisle that resides between bland sugary pop and overtly worthy functional brews.  Our primary focus has always been our tea prowess, which is why we visited over 250 tea estates to unearth the best providers of quality teas (black, white & green).  Yes, we could have easily added blends of lab made vitamins & minerals to claim some arbitrary health claims but that seemed counter-intuitive to our quest to be known for best-in-class, organic ingredients."

White Peach & Sparkling Rosay move to striking slimline cans will broaden Kaytea's reach and extend its appeal among farmshop & deli,  airlines, catering, vending & festival operators.

Kaytea.co.uk

Both 330ml lines will retail £1.60-£1.80 a can

Kaytea Leads the Charge When It Comes to Tasty, Headturning Coldbrew Teas

For tea enthusiasts with inquisitive taste buds your immersion into coldbrew tea is long overdue as this is a buoyant healthier living category that is forecast to be worth £285m in 2024. 

Iced tea has had to wait its turn behind an Iced Coffee pace setter that appeals to a younger audience looking for a more flavoursome caffeine hit than any sugar saturated energy drink can offer. And also those of us older foodies who are always on the lookout for a new taste sensation.

Coldbrew teas are as the name indicates a flavoursome brews where a top-quality white, green or black tea having been deliberately steeped in cold water and refrigerated is then used as the perfect foundation block for all manner of intriguing flavour marriages to prosper.

Kaytea took the time and trouble to make visits to in excess of 250 or the world's top tea estates to track down the perfect foundation block ingredients!

Kaytea for anyone not already in the know, is a rapidly growing and emerging iced tea hero that is slowly building an impressive head of steam (Abel & Cole, Partridges, M&S, Sainsbury's, Zapp, Dean & Deluca, WeWork, Deliveroo, Spinneys, to name only several.)

Once again, we're talking about a slow brewing idea that made its move during Lockdown when City high flyer, Kevin Tang decided that now was the perfect moment to nudge a deep-rooted love of tea in all its guises into a stylish soft drink alternative. 

Says Kevin, "Whilst I fully appreciate the move that feel-good kombuchas made into discerning chiller fixtures, I just couldn't help feeling a trick was still being missed with regards an all-natural soft drink that positioned itself somewhere between the bland mass market sugary pop that continues to overpower our taste buds and a new generation of overtly attention-seeking functional drinks.  

"Yes, we could have quite easily mixed in some lab created vitamins and minerals to claim some arbitrary health declarations but that seemed counter-intuitive to our commitment to organic, all-natural and ultimately free-trade ingredients."

"We felt that it was important to us to create iced teas that effortlessly paired with one's food as opposed to any cloying, sugary brews that hijack one's taste buds. This is the reason we're listed in both Sainsbury's and M&S stores where sushi is on offer!"

Kaytea, with its distinctive koala in sunglasses brand icon, is all sublime flavour marriages, mixing everyday fruit & botanical heroes (peach, mint, grapefruit and lemons) with some more exotic bedfellas (yazu, pink guava and jasmine)

"Contrary to urban myths there are no Australian ties to our brands, the koala is merely an internal gag around quality sounds like koala tea." 

He went on to say: "The moment for credible, health-conscious alternatives to lazy everyday offerings which is why we wanted to provide head-turning refreshment in conjunction with all-natural, low calorie recipes with only the lightest smidgeon of sweetness.

"Spring 2023 is the moment the last of Kaytea's lines make the inevitable transition from glass to slim aluminium cans, building upon learnings from 'wise owl' buyers and Department of Trade export initiatives (Gulfood) which suggested this range of ambitious British brewed soft drinks was missing out on countless foodservice, vending, hotel & hospitality, festival and airline opportunities, too.

"This means a striking new livery for Kaytea's meticulously balanced Sparking Rosay that was inspired by the unique flavour profile of a well-balanced Rosay, using a fragrant rose tea foundation in tandem with pink guava juice with natural cherry, apple, sweet potato and radish concentrates.  We know it sounds a little left field but quite honestly tasting is believing!"

Kaytea.co.uk