The Unexpected Ingredient To Give Your Cold Brew A Unique Tang

Cold brew coffee fans will be glad to hear analysts predict this coffee drink is here to stay, according to Coffee Affection. Cold brew has been part of the modern American coffee-drinking scene for several decades but really took off in the 2010s when it showed up on the menus of chains like Starbucks and Dunkin'. Since then, it has become a caffeine lover's favorite go-to. In fact, according to a press release, Technavio did some research and projects that the cold brew coffee market will expand to $1.37 billion between 2020 and 2025.

What exactly is cold brew? As Serious Eats describes it, cold brew involves steeping coffee in cold water during a prolonged process that can last between 12 and 24 hours. It may seem like an extravagant amount of time to make a cup of coffee, but Coffee Affection says the taste is worth the wait. Brewing coffee cold draws out more flavor from those coffee grounds. In fact, cold brew coffee is typically stronger than your normal cup of joe made in your Mr. Coffee Maker. But what helps cold brew stand out is all the ways to customize it and make it your own. As Coffee Desk notes, you can add fruit, spices, or herbs to this chilled drink to make the flavor pop. But if you really want to give your cold brew a unique tang, you may want to try an unexpected ingredient.

According to Saveur, if you want to really turn your cold brew into a true masterpiece for your taste buds, you should try brewing it with balsamic vinegar. The site explained that when steeping your cold brew, you want to use half balsamic vinegar, maybe a little more, and half water. After about seven hours it should be ready to drink. Saveur suggests using some maple syrup to add a touch of sugary sweetness and to "top" it off with some bubbly water.

It sounds like a non-alcoholic caffeinated cocktail, but per Cooking Light, the taste is actually reminiscent of cherry juice. If the thought of vinegar in your cold brew is intriguing, you can also try what Charleston Coffee Roasters calls a coffee shrub or drinking vinegar. This drink is very similar, only the cold brew is steeped using water and instead, a "shrub" syrup using fruit, vinegar, and sweeteners is created and added to the cold brew, which is then finished off with seltzer water. The end product is simply delish.