PureGusto Coffee Company on Cold Brew Coffee

Welcome to the PureGusto Coffee Company blog. At PureGusto, you can enjoy every brew knowing you are in the best possible hands. In today's post, we talk about delicious cold brew coffee. Ahh, cold brew coffee, one of our favorite dark brown beverages. We're sure you’ve seen it in your local high street coffee shop and many of you reading this have probably even tried it. Have you? Yes, it’s true, cold brew coffee is taking over the world, well maybe not, but the likes of Starbucks and other well-known coffee chains have an entire menu devoted to just iced coffee, it’s big business.

However, with the increased popularity of this cold coffee beverage comes a higher price for the consumer which is probably justified with all of the crazy towering amounts of whipped cream, syrups and other toppings baristas try and squeeze on top of your coffee; handfuls of sugar on top of sugar with extra sugar ain’t cheap!

To be honest, there’s no reason why you can’t make a great tasting cold brew at home, there’s no hidden secret, nor does it require the skill of a seasoned trained barista in order to master. You don’t even need to dig deep into your pockets to buy any special equipment beyond a large container and a strainer.  If you’re completely new to cold brew coffee and have a thirst for some knowledge on this popular iced beverage keep on reading.

What is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is known for its lower acidity levels as well as containing lower amounts of caffeine when compared to its hot coffee equivalent. Caffeine, fatty acids, and other oils are much more soluble when brewed at high temperatures.

What’s The Difference Between Cold Brew And Iced Coffee.

Cold Brew Coffee. Some coffee lovers say that cold brew tastes crisper and more refreshing, and, say it’s also stronger than regular iced coffee. This cold coffee brewing process takes the longest of the two, and there are two common ways of doing this, slow drip and Immersion. Making a cold brew with the immersion method is the most common. Typically you would steep (immerse) fresh medium-to-coarse ground coffee in room temperature (or sometimes iced) water, anywhere from 8 to 12 hours or longer!

Once your coffee has steeped, you then filter out the coffee grounds, leaving you with a clean filtered cup of coffee. Unlike other ways to prepare coffee, cold brew is never exposed to any heat and utilizes time rather than temperature to extract the caffeine, sugars, and oils from the coffee.

Iced Coffee. Iced coffee is typically what would be served if you ordered a cold iced coffee from a coffee shop, such as Starbucks. Iced coffee starts off just like any other regular coffee and is brewed hot. The hot coffee is then allowed to cool, then it’s poured over ice which can then be enjoyed with milk, sugar, or anything else you’d like to add. Sometimes you’ll find that the coffee isn’t allowed to cool sufficiently and is poured directly over iced which causes the ice to melt, more ice is then added (busy high-street coffee shops often do this). This leaves you with a diluted, iced watered-down coffee. Yuk!

There you go.

PureGusto Coffee Company believes that human connection is why we are here and it’s the important relationships we create that steer us on the right path when we veer off course. We realise that sometimes it’s as simple as connecting two people with coffee over a couple of flat whites.  Check out PureGusto's best brewing equipment and great coffee beans on Amazon here. Connect with PureGusto Coffee Company Linkedin page here. Get more coffee inspiring news and brewing advice on our PureGusto Twitter page here.

PureGusto Coffee Company talks about Coffee Grinding

Welcome to the PureGusto Coffee Company blog. PureGusto Coffee Company has been making everything on site since day one, and continue to work with local suppliers in our drive for quality. Our coffee is roasted with transparency in mind, we prefer the quality to speak for itself and strive to accentuate its inherent flavors. In today's blog, we talk about grinding coffee beans which is probably one of the most over-looked steps when it comes to making a great cup of coffee. But since you're here and you want to learn how to grind coffee beans, my sense is that you already knew this. Additionally, if you had previously been brewing your coffee with pre-ground coffee (i.e. coffee that you bought in its ground form) or god forbid, K-cups, then grinding your own coffee beans is going to be a game-changer for you.

Why grind coffee beans?
Coffee is a relatively fragile and perishable good. Just like the fruit, the coffee bean grows in, exposure to the elements (air, moisture, light, etc.) makes the roasted coffee bean lose a lot of its original aromas and flavors. This is especially true once the coffee bean has been ground, thus shrinking the surface area of the bean into hundreds and thousands of small particles.

The elements do much quicker work on these small ground coffee particles, and because of this, the longer you wait to brew the coffee, the less of its original aroma and flavor will remain in your final cup. Your local café grinds your coffee fresh before brewing for this very reason. If you want to replicate or improve the coffee you're drinking from the café, you'll need to grind the coffee right before you brew.

When to grind coffee beans
The optimal time to grind your coffee beans is immediately before brewing your coffee. In other words, the less time that passes between when the water makes contact with the freshly ground coffee, the better. This is especially true when brewing espresso, since the finer grinds that are required for brewing espresso oxidize much faster than their coarse counterparts.

Many coffee pros claim that ground coffee loses its aroma and flavors within minutes of being ground, but you should experiment with the timing to see what works best for you. In the end, brewing your coffee soon after grinding doesn't negatively impact anything, so you don't have anything to lose by grinding your coffee right before brewing.​


How to grind coffee beans. 
Before you press that button, you're going to want to ask yourself a few questions:

• How much coffee are you going to be brewing?
• What roast are the beans you are grinding? Dark? Medium? Light?
• What kind of coffee maker are you going to be brewing the coffee with?

The last question is especially important because different brewing methods call for different grind sizes. Espresso (you know, the drink that your latte is made from) for example, requires a much finer grind than french press. In fact, a blade grinder is not going to be able to grind finely enough for espresso, so if that's the drink you're trying to brew, you should upgrade to a burr grinder ASAP. Still, you can grind coarser or finer with a blade grinder by controlling the amount of time you grind.
e.g. grinding for 5 seconds will produce a coarser grind than grinding for 20 seconds would.

Step 1:Measure 1 tablespoon of coffee beans for every 6oz of brewed coffee you plan to make. This is a good starting point for a standard brew ratio that a lot of coffee companies recommend. You likely won't be able to fit more than a couple tablespoons of coffee into your blade grinder, so if you plan to make more than a couple cups of coffee, you'll likely have to grind in batches.

Step 2: Carefully add your coffee beans to the grinder chamber where the blade sits.

Step 3: Determine Target Grind Size. Most people who use blade grinders will simply press the start button for a random amount of time and hope for the best. A better approach is to first decide on your target grind size for the brew method you're using, then start grinding.

Another thing to keep in mind is your coffee's roast. I generally like to use a coarser grind than I normally would for dark roasts, and a finer grind for light roasts. Medium roasts typically have better balance in their flavor profiles, so no need to over-analyze your grind for this roast level.

Step 4: Grind and Shake
Now, you can start grinding. But take it slow, especially if you're targeting a coarser grind. Press the start button for about 2-3 seconds, pause, then shake the grinder. Repeat this a couple of times, then carefully remove the grinder's lid to check on your grind size and grind consistency. If the grind looks to be ideal size and consistency, you're all set! Just add the ground coffee to your coffee brewer and get ready to brew.

 If the grind looks too coarse, repeat the grind and shake process. Too fine? Don't beat yourself up about it. Either use more water than you typically would, or reduce your total brew time (if your coffeemaker allows you to control it).

I hope this was helpful.

Let me know what you think about this guide by leaving a comment below, I'd love your feedback. Also, if you have any specific questions about grinding the coffee, you can leave those below.

PureGusto Coffee Company is built on relationships. Our success is down to the success of the people we choose to partner with – from our first coffee customer to our staff around the world. Learn more about PureGusto Coffee Company online here. Discover more about PureGusto Coffee Company reviews from happy customers on our Yell page here. More home hacks you can use to grind coffee without a grinder on our PureGusto Coffee Company Twitter page here.