The Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew: Everything You Should Know Coffee on a desk

There are very few things quite as tasty and as satisfying as having a cup of cold coffee on a sweltering hot summer afternoon.

However, if you have the best coffee beans for cold brew, you don’t have to limit yourself to summer months; you can have a delicious cup of cold brew at any time.

Some people erroneously think that a cup of cold brew is just hot coffee cooled down in the refrigerator or left out in the open. The truth is that when you do this, your coffee is going to start losing some of its flavors after about 30-minutes. By the time you get to it, not only will it be less tasty, but it will also be slightly acidic. Both are by-products of letting your coffee sit for too long. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts (see at the end of this page for our other posts) cold brew coffee is made without any heat at all.

However, you still need to start with good coffee beans for the delicious tasting cold brew.

Why Buy the Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew?

If you are an avid coffee drinker, you know, the kind that loves their cup steaming hot, you might be wondering, why in all of coffee-loving Earth would you want to have a cold cup of coffee? Here are some reasons why those who love cold coffee brews swear by it:

• In the summer heat, having a cold cup of coffee is a wonderful alternative to lemonades and water.
• If you want to have a cold cup of coffee, using the best coffee beans for cold brew is an excellent alternative to drowning your hot cup of coffee in a ton of ice cubes, diluting it in the process.
• Unlike regular coffee that is brewed by applying heat, cold brew coffee doesn’t go bad at the same rate. In this case, the rate is much slower, which means that your coffee can keep for a little longer. This is perfect for people who like to brew a large pot at the beginning of the week, keep it refrigerated, and keep coming back to it every morning for that delicious taste. Doing this is an excellent way to shave off about 10 minutes from your morning routines.
• It’s extremely easy to make and even easier to take since you don’t have to wait for it to cool.

Disadvantages of Cold Brew Coffee

As wonderful as cold brew coffee sounds, there are a few disadvantages that come with the process. These include:

• You will have to use up more coffee beans than you would have used had you gone the hot brew route.
• Cold brew coffee doesn’t always bring out all the minute flavors hidden within that can only be accessed via heat. That, however, doesn’t mean that it’s not tasty – cold brew coffee does have a different kind of rich taste and is worth a try.
• You have to buy the best coffee beans for a cold brew; unlike hot coffee, not every type of coffee bean can be steeped in cold water for hours without ruining the taste or not getting the results you want.
• One of the biggest disadvantages of making cold coffee brews is finding a highly efficient system for straining all the coffee. This often includes using a fine mesh that allows you to sieve out the entire concoction or use something like a tea steeper. Unfortunately, this process makes it a bit more cumbersome for some people.

What Equipment Do You Need for the Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew?

For hot coffee, you need to have a coffee maker; for espresso, you need to have an espresso machine…for cold coffee, on the other hand, you don’t need to have any specialized kind of machine at all.

In fact, all you need is something that can hold cold water and your coffee beans. That is by far one of the most notable advantages of enjoying cold coffee brews – it’s a nonfussy process.

It is, however, advisable to have something with a spout for convenience. If you are really keen on buying something for your cold brewing process, you can find extremely affordable cold brew systems such as the Toddy Cold Brew System, which has over 3000 reviews on Amazon. We’ve also previously reviewed the Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker that is a good choice for cold brew coffee.

How to Make Cold Coffee Brew: Simple and Fast Recipe

Before we get into the best coffee beans for cold brew, let’s take a quick look at the simple cold coffee brewing process that will not only make your life much easier but also more efficient. We’ve covered the topic in a bit more detail in this post Cold Brew Coffee Ratio. Briefly, a reasonable first approach is to use a 1:4 ratio (1-part coffee to every 4-part water). Here’s what you need to do:

• Grind up your choice of best coffee beans for cold brew. Be sure to use a coarse grind to avoid courting over-extraction.
• Put the grinds in your preferred pitcher and then add the corresponding amount of water at 1:4 ratios as mentioned above.
• Cover the pitcher.
• You can either leave it out or put it in your fridge (the choice is yours).
• Leave it for at least 12 hours.

That’s it! After 12 hours, you will have a pitcher of delicious cold coffee waiting for you.

Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew

As you have probably noticed, cold coffee brewing has some differences from hot coffee brewing.

One similarity, however, is that there are several options when it comes to the kind of cold brew coffee beans you will get on the market today. Much like hot coffee brewing, cold coffee brewing often comes down to personal preference.

The best part is that with cold coffee, you don’t have to worry about acidity levels. That being said, here are some of the best coffee beans for the cold brew you can start sampling today.

1. Koffee Kult Dark Roast

If you are a dark roast coffee fan, you will love this Koffee Kult Dark Roast for your cold brew.

Not only does it have a strong taste, but it’s also quite smooth and full of bold flavors. In addition, it’s not bitter at all and one of the best choices for gourmet coffee.

This roast comes from Guatemala, Columbia, and Sumatra, where they use nothing but the best organically rich soil to produce these full-bodied coffee beans.

Note, this bag has an assortment of blended coffee beans from around the globe. However, it only features the most flavorful and rain forest friendly coffee beans that offer you the best and most unique quality and freshness. It is perfect for any coffee lover.

Pros:

• Ground coffee has an enticing aroma while whole and while brewing
• It’s quite affordable
• Has a heavy body
• Hints of cinnamon with a long finish

Cons:

• Blended beans

Koffee Kult has over 6000 customer reviews on Amazon with most customers giving 4 to 5-star ratings.

2. Verena Street 2 Pound Espresso Beans

If you have been looking for an espresso option that allows you to enjoy your cold brew without adding cold milk or ice, you have found it in this Verena Street 2 Pound Espresso Beans. Blended to produce a perfectly sweet and creamy complexity, the taste is smooth.

This is a full roast bag of coffee beans that is perfect for fine-grind espresso, but you could also decide to go the course coffee grind route if you are looking for drip coffee instead. One of the best-selling points is that it’s sustainably sourced from the Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that ensure coffee farmers in these specific regions are protected and the environment and wildlife.

Pros:

• Kosher coffee
• Freshly roasted and packages by a family-owned coffee company
• Sustainably sourced
• Rich and sweet, creamy taste
• Can be fine ground or coarse ground

Cons:

• Not everyone likes espresso

Verena Street has over 3200 customer reviews on Amazon with most customers giving 4 to 5-star ratings.

3. Brooklyn French Roast Whole Bean Coffee

Old Brooklyn is some of the best roasted coffee beans on the market today. That’s mostly because they are roasted in very small batches so that each bag contains the kind of consistency and freshness that you would love.

This bag of Brooklyn French Roast Whole Bean Coffee is shipped in airtight bags, which means that it will get to you while fresh and beautifully aromatic. The fresh coffee beans in this bag are handpicked, making them the best possible variety from Brazil, Columbia, and Guatemala. That, in itself, gives them a unique taste profile for your delicious cold brew.

Pros:

• Full-bodied coffee beans with a unique flavor
• A host of options available for your enjoyment
• Some blends are sweet, strong, and everything in between
• Affordable

Cons:

• Coffee beans seem black with ground

Brooklyn has over 1300 customer reviews on Amazon with most customers giving 4 to 5-star ratings.

4. Kicking Horse Coffee (Medium Roast)

Depending on your personality, you might enjoy a cup of cold coffee brewed from a bag of beans that is bright and chocolatey, and quite cheeky.

This Kicking Horse Coffee is the kind of blend that suits morning people who like to get their day off to a quick start with their game face on. When you cold brew these beans, expect to get a hint of sugar cane, a little milk, some chocolate as well as a honeyed berry body. That alone makes it one of the most unique bags of coffee beans for a cold brew on this list.

The best part is that you have a host of options when it comes to brewing it (aside from cold brewing). You can use these beans in a French press. You can also put them in a drip machine, espresso, and pour over. Like all the top brands, this coffee brand is sustainably sourced from Africa and South and Central America.

Pros:

• Kosher coffee
• Great taste
• Arabica coffee produces some of the tastiest beans
• Sustainably sourced
• Roasted in the Rocky Mountains

Cons:

• This is a deep dark roast which isn’t everyone’s cup of…coffee

Kicking Horse Coffee Beans has over 20,200 customer reviews on Amazon with most customers giving 4 to 5-star ratings. Clearly a winner for taste for many customers on Amazon!

5. Java Planet, Organic Coffee Beans

This list would be incomplete without something from Java. This bag of Java Planet Organic Coffee Beans is exactly what you would expect from an iconic brand such as Java.

Blended and roasted to fit the most selective of gourmet coffee lovers, it’s sourced from Guatemala’s single origin coffee. The single origin coffee is grown in the Huehuetenango region under guava, banana, and plantain trees, ensuring that this blend of coffee offers you nothing but fruity undertones with a caramel and chocolate finish.

Organically farmed, you get nothing but 100% Arabica coffee in this bag of whole beans. The one thing that Java has done, which sets them apart from the pack, is that they always make sure to pack whole cold brew coffee beans in this bag. This gives you the option of grinding them yourself, which, in turn, allows you to get the coffee grind while enjoying that wonderful aroma that comes with the process.

Pros:

• Comes from an iconic and trustworthy coffee brand
• Whole coffee beans for you to grind
• Single sourced
• Grown under fruit trees which gives it a rich, fruity flavor

Cons:

• Not everyone loves the fruity flavor in their coffee

Java Planet Coffee Beans has over 680 customer reviews on Amazon with most customers giving 4 to 5-star ratings.

Conclusion

These are by far some of the best coffee beans for cold brew in the market today. However, as mentioned earlier, when it comes to something like coffee, it often comes down to personal preference. As such, you might need to do a bit of experimenting if you want to find the perfect blend for your specific taste.

That being said, this list of best coffee beans for cold brew offers any coffee enthusiast an excellent place to start looking. If nothing else, you will get to enjoy the wide range of flavors offered here. Another plus is that they are all very affordable options. So, why not try them out?

Other Posts on Cold Brew Coffee

Soulhand Coffee Grinder and Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Cold Brew Coffee Ratio

Cold Brew Coffee Benefits

How to Get the Real Taste of Cold Brew Coffee with a Cold Brew Coffee Maker (Takeya Coffee Maker)

Best Coffee Grounds for Cold Brew (Takeya Coffee Maker)