Coffee connoisseurs know that there are a seemingly never-ending number of ways to indulge their love of it, and while some are considered the most basic – hot brewed coffee, the kind you drink at breakfast, and some are classic elevations of the brew – an excellent espresso for example – other coffee concoctions are considered newer and trendy. Right now, cold brew coffee is one of them.
As we are a full-service, very well-rounded coffee shop, you can certainly buy cold brew coffee at Pearl Lemon Cafe. We can serve you cold brewed coffee over ice to enjoy as you take a break and enjoy the casual, friendly atmosphere we have cultivated on-premises, or grab a cold brew to go to help fuel and caffeinate your day in a new way. We can even brew up cold brew coffee in bulk, so you can share it with friends, family or co-workers.
If you have yet to buy cold brew coffee, or attempt to make it yourself, you might be wondering just what it is, and why it has become so popular. As we love a great, cooling cup of cold brew, we’re happy to explain.
Unlike ordinary coffee, which is brewed with hot water, cold brew coffee is created using cold water.
Traditional cold brew coffee is prepared by steeping medium to coarser ground coffee in cold or room temperature water for 12 to 24 hours.
The slow drip method is a lesser-known way of making cold brew coffee. Instead of blending all of the coffee and water at once, the water is gradually added to the ground coffee over the course of many hours.
Cold brew coffee demands a long brew time since cold water takes much longer to extract the flavors from the ground coffee.
The drink is typically filtered with a cloth or paper filter once the coffee and water have had enough time to infuse. Cold brew coffee should be kept in the refrigerator, where it will stay good for up to a week.
Cold brew is prepared using extremely high coffee-to-water ratios. The result is a concentrated brew that really should be diluted with water or milk. Cold brew coffee is typically made at a ratio of 1:8 (125g of coffee per litre of water), whereas hot filter coffee is made at a ratio of 1:17 (60g/L). So, if you love strong coffee, if you buy cold brew coffee that is certainly what you’ll get.
Most people wonder just what cold brew coffee tastes like, or what benefits it might have, to merit such a long prep time. After all, hot brewed coffee, no matter which method or machine you use to prepare it, is ready in a matter of minutes at most. Are the hours it takes to make cold brew coffee really worth it?
Cold brew coffee is slightly sweeter, less strong, and less acidic than hot brewed coffee. Its aroma and flavor can be more powerful and dramatic, and it can be an excellent way to showcase the subtler flavour notes of some coffee beans. Its sweet and smooth nature, on the other hand, gives cold brew coffee more flavor and less bitterness than hot brewed coffee, and many find it smoother to drink.
The flavour of cold brew coffee is, of course, very dependent on the coffee used to make it. At Pearl Lemon Cafe, if you buy cold brew coffee you will get a coffee crafted using the freshly coarse ground coffee of your choice. We love the way that cold brew showcases the flavours of our more unusual, exotic coffee beans, and we think you will too.
Some people assume because they are both served cold, that iced coffee and cold brew coffee are the same things. However, that’s not the case at all.
Iced coffee is hot brewed coffee that is allowed to cool and then served over ice. Its flavour profile is unchanged from the one it has while still hot. It’s a great treat on a hot day, and Pearl Lemon Cafe is proud to serve some of the best iced coffee in Fulham, but it is not the same as our cold brew coffee.
If you have read, or heard, anything about it but have yet to buy cold brew coffee you might have come across claims that drinking cold brew coffee can be good for your health. But is that really true?
There are certainly benefits for those who might usually avoid coffee because its acidity upsets their stomach and/or leads to nasty heartburn. When cold brew coffee is brewed the result is a coffee drink that is far less acidic. It’s the heat when brewing standard coffee that increases its acidity, and as that is missing from the equation when preparing cold brew coffee, many people find they can drink it without the need to reach for the Rennies immediately afterward!
As the caffeine levels of cold brew coffee are higher, it will often perk you up even faster than hot brewed coffee too, something that can be a nice boost in the afternoon when your energy levels are starting to flag.
Baristas are often every bit as innovative as a top chef when preparing their coffee drinks, and nitro cold brew, which is also very trendy right now, is a result of this. But what is it?
Nitro cold brew is cold brew coffee that is infused with nitrogen bubbles right before it is served, giving it a head that greatly resembles the one you’d see on top of an expertly poured pint of Guinness.
The resulting taste is smooth and almost creamy, but just how good nitro coffee actually is depends upon the quality of the cold brew coffee used and the skill of the barista pouring it. It can’t be made at home – as the equipment needed is complicated and expensive – but if you want to buy cold brew coffee nitro style you can certainly pop into Pearl Lemon Cafe and try it out for yourself!
Pearl Lemon Café
Unit number #1, building number 250 north end road,
SW6 1NJ, United Kingdom
Mon - Sat : 07:30 - 19:00
Sun : 8:00 - 18:00
Pearl Lemon Café is a part of the Pearl Lemon Group. We also own Bubble Tea, Matcha, and Juice beverage café’s in Fulham
© All Rights Reserved | Company Number: 10411490 | VAT Number: 252 7124 23
