Cold Brew

The weather has been getting a little too warm for comfort, and getting warm and sticky even in my own room in the afternoon has been rather unbearable. So, I started experimenting with cold brew, with the simple equipment I have in my tiny room in college. Cold brew does take a longer time than hot brew, but it yields a more pleasant taste because it lacks the bitter edge commonly found in hot coffee/tea.

Here's my recipe.

Coffee:
1. Add 6-8 scoops of med-coarse ground coffee, preferably medium roast (you can use espresso roast too) to a clean tumblr or flask (450-500ml). You can adjust the amount according to your preference of strength of the beverage.
2. Add water just off the boil and steep for 30 to 60s, just enough to cover the ground coffee. Give it a good stir. This step is to allow the coffee to 'bloom'.
3. Top it up with water at room temperature. Then leave it in the fridge for 12-24 hours, depending on how strong you want the beverage to be.
4. When the time is up, after some waiting, it's time to filter the mixture. For me, I will transfer the mixture from the tumblr to a french press, and follow the normal press procedure. Alternatively, pour it into a filtration system, such as the Hario V60 to allow the coffee to drip.
5. Enjoy, serve with some sugar or milk.

Tea:
1. 4 teabags for 450ml of water, or you can use 3-5 teaspoons of loose tea leaves. All done in a tumblr.
2. Add cold water and allow the tea to steep.
3. Let the tea continue to brew in the fridge, for between 4 to 12 hours.
4. Remove the tea bags (or filter if you're using loose tea leaves)
5. Serve and enjoy.

2 of the simplest recipes for a refreshing and comforting cold beverage. For those who stay in Cinnamon College and do not want to use the common pantry fridges, let me know and I'll gladly let you use mine. Just provide me with your tumblr. I have vanilla tea to offer too :)