Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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54 Fresh Cup Magazine | freshcup.com COLD BREW: TINKERING WITH TODDY The same philosophy is at the heart of Birch Coffee's cold-brew program. The Manhattan roaster-retailer began cold brewing more than four years ago, pouring its half Brazilian, half Honduran blend in house and selling it in sixty-four-ounce growlers. The coffee was such a hit that Birch soon came up with a third option—bicycle delivery. Three days a week every spring and summer, Manhattanites can call up Birch, order cold brew over the phone, and have growlers deliv- ered to their office or home via one of the company's custom-built tricycles. Some weeks the roaster goes through more than one hundred pounds of cold-brew-dedicated beans. "Cold-brewed coffee is an experi- ence," says Birch co-founder Jeremy Lyman. "Simply taking hot coffee and pouring it over ice is a mere after- thought. We craft our cold brew with the same care and attention that we put into every shot of espresso we pull and every Aeropress we push." Shifting that experience from a time- consuming and space-hogging process to a lucrative menu option can be tricky, but cafes and roasters are finding creative ways to make cold brew work in-house. One option is to purchase cold-brew in kegs, from companies like Chameleon or Stumptown Coffee Roasters; Verve hopes to begin dis- tributing cold-brew kegs to their retail accounts in the coming months. Joyride Coffee, which started as a food truck in New York City, specializes in installing cold-brew kegerators in offices. Opting for cold brew on tap allows retailers to keep the beverage fresh, it frees up fridge space, and it highlights the prod- uct in a way that excites customers. As Verve and several other roast- ers have discovered, nitrogenated cold brew takes the concept one step further and sets retailers apart from competitors. "The flavor of this, the texture of this, and the nature of this are three things that catapult [nitro cold brew] into a product line that people really want to come inside and experience," says Jesse at Verve. Bottled cold-brew concentrates like Chameleon's, where water is added before serving, also take up less space, so there is less chance of running out on sweltering days. Meanwhile RTD cold brew is finding its way into cafés and grocery stores, with brands com- peting for edge with new takes on the drink (like cold brew blended with almond milk and chocolate-flavored cold brew). Stumptown's kegged cold brew can even be found in bars, where it is enjoyed in cocktails. Lest we forget, there is always the old-fashioned way to brew. Though it takes time, preparing big batches to brew overnight says a lot about your dedication to your customer's tastes. So invest in a durable brewing container and paper or cotton filters, and brew as many gallons as you need in-house. Toddy is one of the original cold-brew brands, with a legacy that dates back to the 1960s. They offer devices, tools, and directions for exact cold brewing. Part of the fun is choosing which roasts cold brew best. As some will work much better than others, experi- mentation is a proud part of bringing cold brew into the café. (Though your coffee roaster may carry a cold-brew- specific blend.) But never fear: cold brew is a drink category with lots of wiggle-room, as its continuous evolu- tion has proved. HOT BLOOM Texas-based Cuvee CoffeeÕs cold brew, Black & Blue, begins by brewing hot and finishes by brewing cold. By using a short ( f o r t y - f i v e t o 1 2 0 s e c o n d ) extraction, or Òbloom,Ó Cuvee extracts more fruit and florals than the average iced coffee. They then immediately add cold water, and the coffee steeps for about twelve hours. After filtering, Black & Blue gets kegged, then nitrogenated for good measure. The result is a complex, creamy version of this versatile drink. NYCÕs Birch Coffee delivers cold brew by bike. VerveÕs nitro cold brew. P H O T O S C LO C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F B I R C H C O F F E E ; C O U R T E S Y O F V E R V E C O F F E E R O A S T E R S ; C O U R T E S Y O F C U V E E C O F F E E May14_magazine.indd 54 4/18/14 10:45 AM