Cold Press Coffee - lose caffeine content over time?

[kpettie]

I love iced coffees (cold-press/cold brewed) and have just started looking into making my own at home.

A few questions:
1) I thought coffee lost it's caffeine content over time (I've heard a rumor that Starbucks employees actually toss out their brewed coffee every two hours to ensure consistent caffeine content). So, if I make cold-brewed coffee, the concentrate result sits in my fridge for a day or two... does that mean that on the second or third day I may be drinking coffee with no caffeine (as a proud coffee/caffeine addict... that would be unacceptable).

2) Anyone have any fantastic hints for brewing the best cold-press coffee?

3) Are there any health benefits/disadvantages to drinking cold-press coffee as opposed to standard brewed coffee?

Thanks for your input!!

 

[Ellie]

kpettie,
1. Coffee does not lose caffeine content over time. SB probably throws out coffee after 2 hours b/c the taste of the coffee starts to change. A quality thing.
2. I absolutely love cold brew coffee. My favorite way to make it is using a Toddy cold brewer. Google it...there are lots of websites that sell it. Alternatively, you could use a large french press. Either way, you allow ground coffee to sit in cold water for 12-24 hrs, then drain the concentrate. Here are some instructions. I prefer an African coffee...Kenya used to be my preference, but now that the price is sky-high, I use another African coffee blend that has a similar acidity.
3. Cold brew coffee is somewhat less acidy, so is a little kinder to your tummy if that's an issue.

Now I'm going to go and make myself a decaf iced coffee!

Ellen