Cold brew is a hot trend

Enjoy a different morning jolt

What do cold brew coffee and kale have in common?

“Like kale, it’s trending up,” said Zach Morris of Green Engine Coffee Co. in Haverford. “All the big players in coffee, they’re all doing some cold brew beverage.”

Unlike a traditional cup of Joe or an iced coffee, which actually starts out hot, cold brew is just that – coarsely ground coffee steeped in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.

“There’s a different chemistry going on,” he explained. “You’re yielding a softer, gentler beverage. It’s not as intense.”

And like kale, “it keeps a long time,” added Morris, a sommelier and former director of education at the Wine School of Philadelphia. “There are a lot of parallels between cold brew and brewing beer, honestly, or making wine.”

He even uses beer-brewing equipment for his cold brew at the coffee shop.

“It’s truly a craft business too. It’s like craft beer,” agreed Matt Adams of Backyard Beans Coffee Company in Lansdale, who produces cold brew at a local winery and sells it in nitro cans.

“Our cold brew pours like a Guinness out of the can,” he described. “It has a nice cascade when you pour it. It results in a frothier, creamier coffee that even has a head on it like a nitrogen beer does.”

Adams begins by roasting his own beans.

“We are at the heart of our business coffee roasters,” he said. “I started roasting on our grill in the backyard. That’s where the name Backyard Beans comes from.”

Adam Jones of Peloton Cold Brew Coffee in West Chester found inspiration during a bike ride, hence the name Peloton — the main pack of cyclists in a race.

After drinking cold brew for the first time, “I thought, ‘I could make it better than this,’” he recalled, so Jones started experimenting and launched a family business.

“We use an Ethiopian-origin (bean). It gives it this delicious chocolatey note and this amazing sweetness,” he said. “It’s very easy on the palate and very smooth to drink without any cream or sugar.”

Try a bottle of original or mighty maple.

“Not all cold brews are created equal,” stressed his brother, Dave Jones. “We’re super passionate about what we do. We’re just trying to create the best cold brew.”

Cold Brew Coffee

For a 1 liter/36-ounce French press, add 75 grams/2 ounces of fresh, coarse-ground coffee and fill the remaining volume with cold water. Stir. Store in the refrigerator for about 12 hours and then press the coffee. To make a stronger extract, just increase the coffee-to-water ratio and then dilute after brewing to the desired strength/intensity. Cold brew coffee keeps very fresh for about 5 days if stored cold and undisturbed.

NOLA-Style Cold Brew

Same recipe but add about 10 grams of chicory (can be bought in Amazon) and then sweeten the finished brew with milk and a dash of sweetener such as maple syrup or simple syrup.

Cold Brew Mocktails

We like to add any type of sweetener to cold brew. Get creative - muddled berries, Fentimans Curiosity Cola, Luxardo maraschino cherries. Or if you wanna make it for adults, oak-aged spirits marry well with coffee (bourbon, Scotch, cognac, etcetera). “We are at the heart of our business coffee roasters. I started roasting on our grill in the backyard. That’s where the name Backyard Beans comes from.” — Matt Adams of Backyard Beans Coffee Company in Lansdale

RECIPES COURTESY OF ZACH MORRIS, GREEN ENGINE COFFEE CO.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BACKYARD BEANS COFFEE COMPANY Matt Adams roasts his own coffee beans.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BACKYARD BEANS COFFEE COMPANY Find Backyard Beans’ cold brew coffee on tap at farmers’ markets.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN You’ll need coarsely ground beans, cold water and a French press to make cold brew coffee at home.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM JONES Brothers Adam and Dave Jones create Peloton Cold Brew Coffee.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM JONES Enjoy Peloton Cold Brew Coffee in original or mighty maple.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BACKYARD BEANS COFFEE COMPANY Backyard Beans sells cold brew coffee in nitro cans.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Try making cold brew coffee at home with a French press.