Coffee SHOP Talk

[jf-08]

@jf-08 is a cold brew simply coffee on ice or are things added to make it sweeter?

Here's a good article explaining the differences:

Cold Brew vs. Hot Brew: All the Differences You Need to Know

Learn about the differences between cold brew vs. hot brew, how much caffeine is in each, what to expect from taste, and so much more!

yourdreamcoffee.com

Cold brew vs. hot brew: the flavor difference​

Cold brew coffee is known for its smooth, chocolatey flavor. This is because cold water extracts more complex flavors from the beans than hot water does.

Additionally, since no heat is used in the cold brewing process, there is less bitterness and acidity in the final product.

 

[WaywardFan]

Okay, thanks. I'll try that and dirty chai next!

 

[Devilmaycare]

Thanks to @BirdGangThing, will stay away from Starbucks and will definitely try a dirty chai.
Thanks to @ASUCHRIS, will try milk. There are also creamers and half and half, right?
@Dback Jon I've used a chai mix for year (never found anything I liked as much as this brand) so I don't really add anything to it.
@jf-08 is a cold brew simply coffee on ice or are things added to make it sweeter?
Thanks, @puckhead.

So, I went to Wawa yesterday and got some medium roast. I tried it straight, and found that I probably wouldn't like it by itself. To start, I added some sugar. That helped some but just as that I don't think I could drink with any regularity. I guess I need to start with milk or creamers or flavored coffee. Maybe lighter roasts?

I don't need the caffeine, old age gets me up early enough.

I did buy some gourmet hot chocolate which came yesterday so I'm going to try that. I'm not sure that's a long term replacement but at least I'm shaking things up.

I avoid the creamers and half and half and use real cream instead. Creamers are usually non-dairy and have HFCS as their top item. That's a hard pass in my book. Half and half is watered down cream so I go for the real thing and only need a dash of it.

On cold brew vs hot, Joel gave an explaination. I'd say try both though. You might like one over the other. I drink hot coffee but can't stand cold brew. It usually gives me an upset stomach.

Since you like Chi Tea have you looked at branching out into other teas? I'm a big tea fan and it's crazy some of the flavors and combos you can get at a good tea store. It might be a good rabbit hole for you to go down. If you get heavy into it the Breville Tea Makers are pricey but great. I've had one for about a decade now. They're great since you get the correct temp for brewing the type of tea that you're making and then the auto-steeping gives the right brew time.

 

[gimpy]

Cold brew is a "process", I guess similar to steeping(?) tea? Coffee grinds are soaked in water (room temperature) for up to 20-24 hours or so. Nothing is added to it (sweetner) unless you order something put in it afterwards. Ice is added afterwards.

 

[gimpy]

Sooooo, I've never had coffee. I used to think the smell was horrible. I tried it once in college and thought it tasted like tires.

For decades now I have chai tea in the morning as much a ritual thing than anything else. Everyone at work would get their morning coffee and I would make my chai.

But honestly, I'm bored as hell with the chai and I can't have hot chocolate 5 or more times a week. Since my tastes have seemingly evolved somewhat (see whiskey thread) I wonder if I should try coffee. I might like it now.

However, I don't want to go out and buy a coffee machine and just jump into it. I'd like to try it and see if I like and then what I like. So my question here is, how do I start?

Can I go to DD, or Wawa, or Starbucks and order something basic and plain and see if I like basic and plain (hint, I probably won't)? Or get plain and start to add cream and sugar and stuff? What types of coffee should I start with? I tried to find a local cafe that does coffee flights and have so far been unsuccessful.

A work friend suggested blond roast and I guess that's at Starbucks.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

If you haven't ever tried coffee, any of those places would do, just to get a taste of it. Most people don't think of those places as having "good" coffee, though. An espresso is a different kind of a coffee drink altogether. It's made under pressure and is a very stronger coffee. You only get one or two ounces or so to drink.

The "blonde" at *$ refers to the roast level of the roasted espresso beans. If you look at Starbucks' and most other places roasted espresso beans, you will see that they are almost all are dark brown, almost black in color, with a shiny oil sheen to them. The blonde refers to a lighter roast level than the normal roast.

Generally, your coffee nerds say Starbucks roasts are way over roasted. Most of the individual bean growing areas flavors are cooked out of them. The flavor you are then tasting is the roast level, not the different sweetness, flavors of the beans.

I do drink straight shots of espresso. For a change of pace, I will drink *$ caramel machiatto and I also drink cold brew.

Your first couple of cups may take some getting used to