Cold brew is overrated and my $12 French press proved it
I know this whole group loves their cold brew and I get it, smooth and less acid and all that, but I tried making it at home for about 3 months and honestly it was just... fine. I used a coarse grind from the shop on 5th, let it sit 18 hours in the fridge, filtered it through a nut milk bag, the whole routine. What I got was a drink so flat I had to add cream and sugar just to taste anything, which defeats the whole point. Then my French press broke and I grabbed a $12 replacement at the grocery store on a whim, did a 4 minute steep with water I let cool for 30 seconds off the boil, and it was like night and day. The oils and the little bits that stay in there, that is the coffee. I read somewhere that cold brew can lose up to 70 percent of the aromatic stuff because heat is what pulls it out, and my taste buds agree with the science. So yeah, I will take a slightly more acidic cup that actually tastes like something over a smooth glass of brown water. Am I the only one who thinks cold brew is just weak iced coffee for people who do not really like coffee?