Sideyard Coffee: June 17 - Peru 🇵🇪 + Japanese Iced Coffee! 🧊☕️
Hello Sideyard Friends,
Even in the heat of the summer I like a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. The second cup though? Japanese style iced coffee! Thankfully, it requires zero forethought and works with just about any brewer. The no-planning part is why I got into it in the first place, but it also tastes better (IMHO)! Win win.
Brewing with cold water suppresses acidity (both the actual pH acidity levels as well as the palette acidity) which in turn makes for coffee that tends to taste a little flatter. This is why most cafes use a dark roast for their cold brew–the flavor profile of a dark coffee (roasty/bold/intense) comes through just fine when brewed with cold water. If you're looking for a fresher/more lively tasting cold coffee, try this:
Use the same amounts of coffee and water you normally do, but swap out half of your water for ice. If you normally brew with, say, 16oz of water, only brew with 8oz, directly over 8oz of ice. Because you're pouring less hot water through the coffee, you'll want to grind the coffee quite a bit finer than you normally would. This helps keep the total brewing time from getting too short (aim for 3-4 minutes total with a manual pour over). Add some extra ice and a splash of cream and Bob's your uncle (and Fanny's your aunt).
This week's Peru is hitting the spot as both a hot brew and iced. We're tasting s'mores, turbinado sugar, and honey on the front end and a light fruited accent on the finish.
Cheers,
Ryan
p.s. Check out Serious Eats or Bon Appétit's Japanese iced coffee recipes for more detailed instructions.