On a hot summer day, you’re more likely to choose a cold cup of joe over a steaming caffeinated beverage. In the matter of chilled coffee drinks, nothing can beat the cold brew for your morning jolt or afternoon pick-me-up.
Instead of using hot water to draw out the flavor and caffeine of coffee beans, cold brew coffee is steeped for up to 24 hours in room temperature water.
This method makes the drink taste sweeter, less acidic, and a lot sweeter than hot coffee.
Cold-brew success also lies in the art of choosing the right beans. A wide range of coffee beans can be used to make the cold brew. But which one should you choose to achieve the perfect tasty cold brew?
Read on to discover the best coffee beans for cold brew.
At A Glance. View Our Top-Picks!
- Best Coffee For Cold Brew – Stone Street Cold Brew Blend
- The Runner-Up – Tiny Footprint Cold Press Elixir
- Ready To Drink – Cold Brew Organic Colombian Supremo
- Best Whole Bean – Coffee Bros, Cold Brew Blend
- Best Pre Grounded – Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee
- Best Single-Origin – Intelligentsia Frequency Blend
- Best Cold Brew Blend – Volcanica Whole Bean Coffee
Meet The Cold Brew
What makes the cold brew different from iced coffee? It’s all in the method. Though it is a chilled coffee drink usually served over ice, it’s not iced coffee. In fact, cold brew coffee never comes in contact with water.
Cold-brew is the coarse ground coffee steeped for up to 24 hours at room temperature in some water. This water gives it a lot better flavor and a lot smoother, and a lot less acidic. Here is how it works. When we make use of cold water instead of hot, it makes the extraction process much slower and relatively more selective. That’s why cold brew at the right brew time ends up tasting a lot sweeter and a lot less acidic.
Making cold brew coffee is no great secret. All you need is best-selected coffee grounds, cold water, and a Vessel to brew them together.
Whereas, Iced coffee is just drip coffee that is cooled and poured over ice.
History Of Cold Brew?
The story of the cold brew started in the 17th-century in Japan when Dutch traders passed on their method. The earliest evidence of cold-brew coffee is Kyoto-style coffee. Japanese learned about it from Dutch traders who carried steeped brew on their ships to keep them caffeinated.
Cold brew coffee has gained a lot of popularity among coffee fanatics in recent years and is continuously growing day after day. According to Statista, the Cold brew coffee market size in the United States stood at around 166 Million dollars in 2017.
Why Try Cold Brew?
Besides being a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day, the cold brew also holds other benefits. Drinking cold brew coffee may make it easier to lose or maintain weight by boosting your metabolism. The higher the metabolic rate, the more calories your body burns at rest. It may also improve your heart health, lift your mood, and improve brain function.
Cold brew coffee is generally less acidic than hot coffee and boasts a high amount of antioxidants, making it easily consumed by sensitive individuals.
Best Coffee For Cold Brew To Buy In 2022
Ready to give cold brew coffee a try?
Here’s our detailed guide for the best cold brew coffee beans in 2022, with the pros and cons of each.
1. Stone Street Cold Brew Blend – Best Coffee for Cold Brew
Specs: Brand: Stone Street Coffee Company | Roast Level: Dark Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
If you are from New York, you must be familiar with the Stone Street Coffee Company. This small-batch roastery started 12 years ago as a small Brooklyn outpost; it has since expanded to a full-on coffee empire. One thing which I liked is that the company offers beans specifically for cold brew. Although, cold brew coffee isn’t any specific bean type. However, it’s great when they give you a clue, right?
This Specific Cold Brew type by Stone Street is a dark roast and arrives coarsely grounded. As the beans are coarsely grounded, hence can be soaked inside the steeper without any trouble. Moreover, the blend is made with 100% high-quality Colombian Supremo beans and is dark roasted to produce a slightly sweet, smooth, well-balanced, and bold coffee flavor. For those who don’t know, Colombian Supremo beans have a delicious chocolaty essence in their flavor and are characterized among the best beans in the world.
It has a safe, ultra-reliable packaging with a special foil installed in between all its 3 layers. In addition, the bag can be closed again for max protection against air, light, heat, etc. It is also an excellent choice for Coffee aficionados with sensitive stomachs because these beans are naturally low in acidity.
To sum up, I’d say Stone Street Cold Brew Reserve Coffee is a great place to start your cold brew adventure.
Reasons to buy
- Smooth, Well-balanced taste
- 100% Colombian Supremo beans
- Available as whole bean & ground
Reasons to avoid
- Prices can be lowered
- Caffeine content is relatively low
2. Tiny Footprint Cold Press Elixir – The Runner-Up
Specs: Brand: Tiny Footprint Coffee | Roast Level: Medium Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
Tiny Footprint Coffee is a U.S. based roastery known for producing the world’s first ‘Carbon Negative‘ coffee. For every bag of coffee they sell, a portion of that profit is donated for the reforestation in Ecuador’s cloud forest. Over time it is expected that these trees will remove 54 lbs. of CO2 from the atmosphere. It’s an excellent choice if you care about mother nature as much as you care about your cup of joe.
This Cold Press Elixir is a unique blend of organic light & dark roast bean produced specifically with cold brewing in mind. They have a sweet, silky aroma with notes of cocoa, nuts, fruits, and flowers. The whole beans are made from shade-grown Arabica blended with Ethiopian high-end coffees.
For each pound you buy, you’ll get 1.5 gallons of ready-to-drink cold brew. At the same time, the recommendation for coffee to water ratio is 1:6 for brewing and 1:1 for dilution.
Last but not least, by benefitting nature you are gaining a quality product. Indeed.
Reasons to buy
- Affordable beans
- Smooth, silky flavor
- Environmentally-friendly roastery
Reasons to avoid
- Bitter taste observed
- It’s a blend instead of single-origin beans
3. Cold Brew Organic Colombian Supremo Coffee – Ready To Drink
Specs: Brand: Cold Brew Lab | Roast Level: Dark Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
Cold Brew Lab is a brand that crafts its coffee explicitly to cold brew. All coffee blends are produced with 100% Arabica organic Colombian coffee – which is why they have a bold and robust taste with well-rounded, smooth, low acidic, & full-bodied flavor.
In addition to that, the beans are also USDA organic certified pesticide-free. All of the beans are roasted in New York City. This Colombian Supremo Blend is made with premium medium and dark roast beans so you can create a robust coffee perfect for cold brewing.
Cold Brew Lab coffee comes with 1-2 pound bags and is available in both whole beans and pre-grounded options. However, we recommend getting the whole beans option and then manually grinding the beans with a Burr Grinder (View at Amazon).
Reasons to buy
- Organic Arabica beans
- Smooth, consistent flavor
- Freshly roasted in NYC
Reasons to avoid
- Reports of Burnt Taste
4. Coffee Bros, Cold Brew Blend – Best Whole Bean Option
Specs: Brand: Coffee Bros | Roast Level: Medium Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
With the passion of bringing high-quality coffee to Amazon, two young brothers named Nick and Dan Hunnewell founded Coffee Bros in the year 2019. One thing that sets them apart from other coffee companies is their devotion to ‘quality sourcing‘ and ‘small-batch roasting‘, ensuring that each roast gets the attention and care it deserves.
This Medium Roast Cold Brew Blend features deep notes of chocolate, crisp berry, and brown sugar. It contains the finest Arabica Beans sourced from the world’s leading coffee-growing regions, i.e., Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Roasting is the process to which Coffee Bros. paid close attention to. Special roasting techniques are used to achieve a more intense sweetness and avoid any over roasted or bitter notes. The result is a smooth, chocolaty flavor with hints of cherry.
With the Coffee Bros. Cold Brew Blend, you can easily enjoy café style cold brew at your home!
Reasons to buy
- Item is shipped freshly roasted
- Beans are 100% Arabica
- Sweet and smooth flavor profile
Reasons to avoid
- Intense smell
- Pre-ground option isn’t available
5. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee – Best Pre-Grounded
Specs: Brand: Bizzy Store | Roast Level: Medium Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
You cannot leave Bizzy out of the discussion of the best coffee for cold brew. Their beans are cold brew optimized to give you a consistent, extra smooth cold brew. According to Bizzy, they have spent 5 years making the perfect cold brew blend.
The flavor profile that these beans incorporate is smooth, sweet, bold, and dark, with slight notes of caramel and hazelnut. Their beans are 100% Arabica and USDA certified sourced ethically from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua central and south America.
Bizzy organic cold brew coffee arrives pre-grounded and has the following available sizes, i.e., 12 oz, 1 pound, and 2 pounds bags. Simply add more water if you want your cold brew to be less strong and vice versa. The price tag this coffee comes with is also reasonable as well.
To conclude, It’s just another great kick-ass cup of cold brew.
Reasons to buy
- Sweet and smooth flavor
- Natural low acidity
- Ethically sourced Arabica beans
Reasons to avoid
- Pre-ground option only
6. Intelligentsia Frequency Blend – Best Single-Origin
Specs: Brand: Intelligentsia | Roast Level: Medium Roast | Caffeine Content: Regular
From humble Chicago roots to a company driven by curiosity, Intelligentsia is one of the pioneers of modern American coffee. Their beans are hand-picked by the best farmers around the globe. This Frequency Blend by Intelligentsia is a classic all-rounder. It is a medium-dark roast offering a classical feel and flavor.
Furthermore, the company follows direct trade principles and partners with only trustworthy growers to secure ‘high-quality‘ and ‘fair business‘ practices. One thing worth pointing out is that these beans are labeled as a blend, but in reality, they are single-origin coffee beans from Brazil.
This Intelligentsia Frequency Blend is an all-rounder and fits great for all brewing styles, be it French press, Drip-brew, espresso, and most importantly, cold brew(both with or without milk).
Reasons to buy
- Roasted Fresh
- Not too dark
- Single-origin beans
Reasons to avoid
- Only one size available
- No roast date; freshness may vary
7. Volcanica Whole Bean Coffee – Best Cold Brew Blend
Specs: Brand: Volcanica Coffee | Roast Level: Medium Roast | Caffeine Content: Caffeinated
Finally, our list of the best coffee for cold brew has come to an end with the Volcanica Whole Bean Cold Brew coffee.
Established in 2004, Volcanica coffee is a family-owned retailer of organically grown coffee. They are committed to offering the finest-quality beans from volcanic regions around the globe. That’s why they are named Volcanica. All of the beans are freshly roasted at their state-of-the-art roasting facility in Atlanta, Georgia.
This Volcanica Cold Brew Coffee is a unique blend perfect for fellow cold java lovers. This particular blend is a bold Sumatra coffee blended with a special low-acid Arabica Coffee. Also, the roast level is set to medium, allowing the true flavor characteristic to come through for a remarkable taste. It has a smooth chocolaty finish and a rich flavor, ideal for cold brew.
To further assure freshness for the long term, the beans are freshly roasted then packed and sealed. 100% customer satisfaction is guaranteed with the product.
Reasons to buy
- Have Low acidity
- Medium roast cold brew
- Rainforest Alliance Certified
Reasons to avoid
- Only whole bean option available
- Pricey than others
Buyer’s Guide to the Best Coffee for Cold Brew
Not sure how to pick up the best coffee for cold brew? Read our buyer’s guide to find out.
The Roast Factor
There is a heated debate on which roast type is best for cold brew coffee. I believe the best way to figure it out is by experimenting.
To be honest, it’s truly a matter of one’s own preference. There is no right or wrong. However, data suggests that the majority of cold brew lovers tend to be in favor of darker roasts. Dark roasts are more affordable and have a creamy, chocolaty flavor profile.
On the other hand, Light roasts are naturally more acidic and are more costly than medium or dark roasts.
What are your thoughts about it? Comment down below. We’d love to see your opinion.
Grind Size
Whether you’re getting pre-grounded beans or grinding them by yourself, always be aware of the fact that grind size matters a lot. Rule of thumb, the coarse grind is always a goto option for making cold brews. On the other hand, fine grounds, as a result of being over-extracted, typically produce more harsh or bitter flavors.
A few other benefits of using coarse grind are;
- Filtering out coffee grounds from water is way easier
- Coffee grounds are less bitter in taste
- No grainy textures due to fine grounds in water
Single Origin or a Blend?
In simple words, a ‘Blend’ forms with the combination of coffee beans across various regions worldwide to achieve a unique expression that’s both acidic and flavorful. Meanwhile, ‘single-origin’ beans arrive from one specific origin and are raved of their purity and high quality.
In the world of coffee, it’s a common question asked by many individuals that should you opt for single-origin coffee or a blend. I prefer to say single-origin for other brewing methods, but in the case of cold brew, the best choice would probably be a blend. Single-origins offer a brighter, more robust taste and are more towards the pricier side.
Should you add milk or not?
Again, ist a matter of personal preference. Many expert Barsita’s recommend drinking coffee Black as the flavors are already so great that it makes no sense to further weaken them by adding milk.
Additives such as milk or cream work great by breaking down the bitter compartments of your cold brew.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have questions. We have answers.
Consider using an Airtight Container (View at Amazon). Keep this container at room temperature, avoid sunlit areas. Sunlight may ruin the flavors of your coffee.
Always double-check the expiry date and storage recommendations from the manufacturers, if any.
A ratio of 1:8 coarse ground coffee to water will produce a great cold brew after 24 hours at room temperature.
There is nothing known as “special” coffee for cold brew. Consider using coarse ground and medium-dark roast for a better brew. However, companies who make beans, especially for cold brew, can be a goto option.
Typically, your cold brew will stay fresh for about 7-10 days (refrigerated).
Final Notes
Honestly, any freshly roasted ground coffee reviewed listed above will do great as a cold brew. You can expect to make a top-notch cold brew with any of the above-recommended coffee brands. It all matters to your taste.
Nevertheless, we do have some recommendations if you’re really looking to get the most out of your cold brew. Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee is a ‘Blend’ produced specifically for cold brewing. If you’re a dairy lover looking for a cold brew companion, Tiny Footprint Coffee might be the joe for you.
Happy caffeinating, and stay cool!
Taimoor followed his passion to become a coffee connoisseur and now travels the world to visit the most popular coffee shops. His cupboard is also stocked with a collection of brewing gadgets. He loves to drink Death Wish Coffee’s dark roast and highly caffeinated coffee grounds when he needs a boost of energy.
