But first, coffee. It’s many people’s mantra and we’re sticking to it through the warmer weather. Luckily we can choose to have an iced coffee or a cold brew coffee, which in fact, according to Google Trends data, searches for cold brew were nearly non-existent in 2013 and increased by 200% from 2014 to 2015. What changed? Last year Starbucks introduced its small-batch cold brew coffee, providing customers across the country with more access to this relatively “indie” beverage.
So cold brew has been around for a while but many people still don't quite understand the difference from iced coffee. So what is it? Iced coffee is just a regular ol' pot of joe, sometimes brewed at double strength, which is then poured over ice. Cold-brew, on the other hand, is made when a barista freshly grinds special Starbucks Cold Brew Blend, which incorporates African and Latin American coffees, and steeps the coffee in cool water for 20 hours. This results in a concentrated coffee with a flavour profile of light chocolate balanced by citrus notes. When carefully measured and combined with water and ice it creates a naturally sweet, smooth cold brew coffee.
Since the cold brew process doesn’t involve heat, it extracts compounds differently, leading to a much mellower, smoother, less bitter coffee taste. In addition to that, the lengthy cold brew process extracts different chemicals that produce a bolder, richer, and sweeter flavor. I’m personally a fan of brewed coffee because I can drink it straight - without tons of high-calorie creamers and flavour shots. But most importantly, cold brew coffee has much higher caffeine content, without the added sugar of an energy drink. While the buzz varies depending on how much water is added in the dilution process, a cup of cold brew coffee can contain up to twice the amount of caffeine than the average brew!
So next time you’re in need of an energy boost and craving for a cup of joe, try a Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee. But keep in mind that you need to get it while it's fresh (or cold, haha) because the coffee is brewed in small batches so once Starbucks runs out, they're out of cold brew for the day.
If it’s your cheat day and you’re looking for something extra sweet, the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee looks amazing.
