Why You Shouldn't Sweeten Your Cold Brew With Granulated Sugar

While there's always the option to make your own cold brew at home, there's just something about the kind from your favorite coffee shop that somehow tastes better. You might assume it's due to the quality of the coffee, the cup that it's in, or the fact that it was made by an actual barista, but more likely than not, it's because of the sugar.

When you make cold brew at home, chances are you sweeten it with granulated sugar. Granulated sugar works perfectly fine with hot coffee, but according to Bon Appétit, it's not the most ideal option for cold brew. As the publication explains, granulated sugar is unable to fully dissolve in a cold liquid. That means when you add it to cold brew, you won't get the full effect of its sweetness. Instead, Bon Appétit suggests, opt for simple syrup. Simple syrup mixes in with your cold brew more effectively, ultimately making your drink taste better.

Just as its name suggests, simple syrup is easy to make. The recipe consists of only two components: sugar and water. Typically the ratio is one part sugar to one part water, so you can easily adjust it depending on how much cold brew you made. Coffee chain Starbucks alters this slightly to make it sweeter, so If you want your cold brew to taste as close as possible to the store-bought kind, Starbucks's version may be the way to go.

Coffee at Three's copycat recipe, which goes by "Classic Syrup" in-house, calls for one and a half parts white granulated sugar to one part filtered water. Just add both into a saucepan over low heat, and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once it cools you can transfer it into an airtight container — it's as easy as that. Then when you're ready for some cold brew, stir it in your drink and enjoy.