THE 10 BEST COFFEES FOR COLD BREW OF 2022

IN THIS POST

Coffee is mostly associated with a hot temperature, nice smell. At work, you don’t drink cold brew. A nice cup of hot black coffee is what people drink each morning, at home, at work. We won’t cover this topic today. We will talk about this brewing method and what coffee is best for cold brew.

Cold brew is becoming more and more popular and is easy to make. Yes I know, a beer or soda is also a great choice, but drinking cold brew on a hot summer day is something a lot of people don’t do because they don’t know cold brew. Drinking it during cold days in the winter can also be a good choice. There are a lot of false assumptions about this brewing method. It has its pros and cons. You don’t need heat to brew coffee!

We at Golden Sin have reviewed about 10 of the best coffees for a cold brew and give you our top pick.

Don’t want to read the whole article? We at Golden Sin Coffee have reviewed the best coffee for a cold brew and suggest you try Death Wish Coffee. This dark roast will do perfectly for a nice cold brew! Click here for the link to Amazon!

THE 10 BEST COFFEES FOR COLD BREW OF 2022

You can click on subtitles to view the products on Amazon.

#1. Intelligentsia Frequency Blend

This brand is becoming very popular. They invest in direct relationships with their farmers and try to cut costs by doing this. They also have more control by doing this.

This blend is sourced from El Salvador and is a combination of Brazilian and Zambian beans. It’s a medium roast that has a lot of dark flavors like almond and milk chocolate (Brazilian part). They have blended in beans (Zambian) that add a fruity taste to your coffee. This is a good starting coffee for anyone.

This coffee is great on its own, black, but also great with milk or other sweeteners that pair nicely with the taste of the bean.

It comes in 12 oz bags (340 g).

#2. Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hair Bender Whole Bean Coffee

Stumptown are founded in 1999 and comes with the Hair Bender blend. This blend is one of the most popular they have.

They value sustainability and have achieved B Corporation certification. Stumptown contributes heavily to the environment, producers, and the community. They roast daily and add the roast date and best-by dates on their products. Especially the roast date is important, coffee can be held fresh, if unopened and sealed well, for about 90 days.

This blend has tastes of dark chocolate and citrus. It’s fairly dark and thus suited for cold brew.

It comes in 12 oz bags (340 g).

#3. Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Coffee Blend

The Italian blend Lavazza comes back in our lists from time to time. That means they’re doing good things with coffee right?

They come with a medium roast with super crema flavor. It’s a more espresso roast with darker notes of hazelnuts and brown sugar. We think it’s a nice fit for a cold brew and don’t think you’ll need extra milk for this one.

It comes in a bag of 2.2 lb (1000 g).

#4. Kicking Horse Coffee, Smart Ass, Medium Roast, Whole Bean

Horsepower, that’s promising. Kicking Horse Coffee is known for its deep and dark tastes. This Smart Ass is a medium roast, roasted in Canada and has Arabica beans from Africa, Central & South America. Their coffee is fair trade and organic.

Cold-brew is suited because of the honey and chocolate taste.

It comes in bags of 10 oz (284 g).

#5. Java Planet, Organic Coffee Beans, Peru Single Origin

These beans from Java Planet are 100 % organic certified Arabica beans. They’re a family business and are founded in 2009.

They come with the Peru Organic, a medium-dark roast with sweet floral undertones, full-body, and a smooth flavor. They only sell whole beans, because they believe that you have to grind it yourself to have that great cup of coffee.

It comes in a bag of 1 lb (16 oz or 404 g).

#6. Mayorga Organics Café Cubano Roast, Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee

Mayorga is known for organic coffee, direct and fair trade. They come with a dark roast, in a Cuban style, and added hints of vanilla and syrupy smokiness. They’re made of 100% Arabica beans from Peru, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Ideal for cold brew, even it’s a specialty.

They come in bags of 2 lb (907 g).

#7. Kicking Horse Coffee, 454 Horse Power, Dark Roast

Another one from Kicking Horse in our list. The 454 Horse Power is a dark roast and has a rich taste with tasty notes of dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar, and roasted hazelnuts.

It comes in bags of 2.2 lb (1000 g).

#8. DEATH WISH COFFEE Whole Bean Coffee

This is a brand that has a cool logo with the skull and 2 bones under it. They say their coffee is very strong, it’s a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans and gives a nice bold taste. They source their coffee sustainably and organic. It has a bitter cherry and chocolate taste. This is a very good pick for cold brew.

It comes in bags of 1 lb ( 454 g).

#9. Camerons Organic Velvet Moon Whole Bean Coffee

As the name “Velvet Moon” suggests, this is a specialty coffee. They source their coffee beans sustainably, caring for the coffee, farmers, and environment. This is a medium-dark roast that tastes always smooth and never bitter. They roast it in specially designed European-style roasters. It’s handcrafted and roasted in small batches.

It comes in bags of 32 oz (907 g).

#10. Eight O’Clock Whole Bean Coffee, Central Highlands

Eight o’clock is a very popular US brand and comes with the “Central Highlands” coffee. It’s a dark roast and as the name suggests, you taste earthy flavors like cocoa. It has a lot of acidity, subtle cocoa notes, and a spicy finish. It’s a 100% Arabica blend and is the beans that grow in the high mountains of Central America. The coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified.

It comes in 11 oz bags (311 g).

WHAT EXACTLY IS COLD BREW?

The definition speaks for itself, right? People often think that cold brew is a cold coffee drink, just like soft drinks, but that’s not true at all.

Cold-brew refers to the brewing method, not the temperate of the drink itself. It’s not coffee and ice blocks in it. Cold brew coffee is coffee that has never touched hot water or heat (hot brew). Cold-brew is generally prepared by soaking coffee grounds for a while in the water. This process can take up to 24 hours. That water has a temperature between 70 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 1 degree Celsius). After this, the coffee grounds are filtered, giving you a full-bodied, robust flavor. This coffee doesn’t have the same amount of acidity and can be a blessing for people’s stomaches! It also contains more caffeine.

A lot of people confuse cold brew with iced coffee. Iced coffee is made like other regular hot coffee, that is poured over ice blocks to cool down.

The downsides are that you’ll need more grounds and time to brew your cup of black gold!

CONSIDERATIONS TO BREWING COLD BREW

#1. BUDGET

When brewing cold brew, you’ll need much more coffee grounds compared to brewing with hot water (hot brew). Remember, brewing your coffee cold brew, has less acidity and is easier on your stomach. This is also a method that requires more time.

#2. EQUIPMENT

Cold brewing coffee doesn’t require that much equipment. You just need something that can hold your beans and water for some time. The important thing is that you can cover it with a lid. There are pitchers suited for cold brewing and they aren’t that expensive.

#3. ROAST TYPE?

What type of roast should I use? That’s one of the most asked questions when brewing coffee. It’s hard to say. We at Golden Sin can’t know your personal preferences, there’s only one that can answer that question: you.

So there isn’t the best type of roast for cold brew. Let’s look at the brewing method itself. The temperature influences the taste. We all know that hot brew extracts coffee between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit (91 – 96 degrees Celsius). A lot of the acids and floral notes are extracted at higher temperatures. That’s why opting for a darker roast can be a good choice, you’ll taste darker flavors like nuts and chocolate. Generally, the lighter your roast, the more difficult it is to extract when brewing cold. The darker your roast is, the more likely you’ll add milk or other sweeteners to your coffee.

When the bean is roasted, water will leave the bean and it will become less dense. This means that they will increase in volume but decrease in weight. Bags of dark roasted beans will therefore have fewer beans when compared to bags of lightly roasted beans.

Go and try different roasts to see what your personal preferences are.

#4. GRIND SIZE

Size does matter after all right? You may have bought the best beans, you can do a lot of damage to your great cup of coffee when opting the wrong grind size. Brewing coffee is greater than the sum of the components.

If you opt for fine grinds, you’ll see that the water stays above the grounds because it’s too dense. There’s also a risk for bitter tastes because there will be a lot of extraction.

Generally, the coarser your grind is, the better for cold brew. The water will get through easily.

#5. SINGLE-ORIGIN OR BLEND

You opt for a single-origin or blend because you want a specific taste to keep and it’s more suited for your favored brewing method. When cold brewing, you’ll be able to taste the subtle notes of the bean and thus it’s important to see where the bean is grown.

Blends are more suited for espresso or other coffee, where you must find the right ratio between bitterness, acidity, and sweetness. You can always add sweeteners to your coffee as well. Cold brewing has far less acidity and bitterness because of the low temperature.

You must know that there are specialty coffee beans that are made or roasted for a specific taste and they won’t reach their full potential when brewing cold instead of hot. Think about those fruity tastes, the darker and richer tastes will generally win in the end so why invest in these types of beans?

Again, cold brew makes life easy. Always remember why you’re cold brewing or hot brewing. There is always a reason for everything. If your cold brew for having refreshing summer days, then that’s it. Brewing cold is about convenience and an old way of making your coffee.

Trial and error!

#6. GROUNDS VS WHOLE BEANS

This comes back a lot in our lists, meaning it’s very important. Grounds are cheaper and don’t require extra time to grind. We at Golden Sin always state that if you have the time and motivation to grind the beans yourself, by all means, do it! It can contribute greatly to the taste of your cup of black gold!

Whole beans are more expensive than grounds and you’ll have to invest in a grinder and some of your time. There’s a lot of grinders out there. See if you need a manual grinder here. Go for at least a conical burr grinder.

F.A.Q.

WHAT IS THE BEST ROAST FOR COLD BREW?

It’s hard to answer these questions because this is different for everyone. Generally, because of the specific brewing method of cold brew, it’s less acidic and bitter when compared to hot brew and has more caffeine. You don’t have to aim for a balance between acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. The darker your roast is, you’ll taste richer flavors like chocolate, nuts and the more likely you’ll add milk or other sweeteners. The lighter your roast, the more time you must brew to gain those flavors. Go and try for yourself.

CAN YOU USE GROUNDS FOR COLD BREW?

Yes, you can, as for every brewing method by the way. One of the main advantages of grinding beans yourself is control. You can control the grind size and aim for coarser grind size. There’s also a risk that your grounds are too fine. This is great for other brewing methods like Pour Over and Espresso.

IS COLD BREW THE SAME AS ICED COFFEE?

In short, NO! The difference is in the way of brewing. There’s no heat involved in the brewing process. Iced coffee is coffee that is brewed hot and cooled of by putting ice cubes, blocks in it, or pouring over ice cubes. That’s a big difference.

CONCLUSION

Making a choice is always personal. There’s a lot of coffee brands and products in the world and it’s hard to pick a list of 10 good coffees in general, this is the same for cold brew. There are of course other great coffees out there, go and try them.

We at Golden Sin have reviewed the 10 best coffees for a cold brew and suggest you start with the coffee of Death Wish Coffee. This is one of the strongest coffees in the world and will do the job fine! It’ll make for a nice fresh drink in the summer.

Enjoy your coffee!