Food - Drink
Why You Should Never Let Your Cold Brew Coffee Steep Over 24 Hours
By ERIN SHAW
American citizens' desire for coffee took off in the late 18th century, and new coffee beverages and ways to brew a cup seem to multiply every day. The cold brew coffee method entered the mainstream around 2007 and has remained popular, due to its ease and the resulting coffee's less bitter flavor, but things can go wrong when making it at home.
Cold brewing is simple, but timing really matters. The process involves slowly steeping beans in cold water, but just because this method is gentler than hot-brewing doesn't mean you can do it forever; the "safe" window for the cold brewing process is 12-24 hours, and more than 24 can make your coffee taste bitter, dusty, and woody.
Cold brew does not give off the rich aroma of hot coffee, but those aromas are still present in the beans when the coffee hits your tongue, resulting in "a truckload of vibrant floral flavors" and virtually no bitterness, as said by Java Presse. However, cold brew that is steeped for too long has no aroma, a strong bitterness, and should simply be avoided.
