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Heard someone at the roastery say cold brew is just lazy iced coffee and I kinda see their point
This guy claimed hot brewing then chilling gives you way more flavor depth. I tried it side by side with my usual 12 hour steep and man, the hot brew actually had brighter notes coming through. Does the long steep really bring anything worth the wait or are we all just fooling ourselves?
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sam_thomas4mo ago
Yeah, @alex307 nailed it with the hot bloom thing. I tried that method side by side with my usual 12 hour steep and the hot bloom gave way more bright, fruity notes without any of the bitterness. The long steep just ends up flattening everything out, like you traded flavor for convenience.
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alice894mo ago
Oh, I heard that brewing hot then chilling actually extracts more oils (something about chemistry, you know?).
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alex3074mo ago
Take that idea even further - the hot part actually breaks down cell walls in the coffee grounds, so more of the oils and flavor compounds get released into the water. Then chilling it doesn't just cool it down, it also slows down the extraction process so you don't get that bitter, over-extracted taste. I've done side-by-side tests with a regular cold brew and a hot bloom then cold steep method, and the hot bloom one ALWAYS comes out way smoother and has this sweet, almost chocolatey finish. It's like you get the best parts of hot brewing (the deep flavor) without the harshness, then cold brewing keeps it clean. Definitely the way to go if you want a richer cold brew without needing to let it sit for 24 hours.
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