Iced coffee concentrate

[lbrault]

I am trying to market to local bakeries and corner shops in resort towns a "turnkey" iced coffee "facility" I guess you would call it. I sell specialty coffee (Vietnamese blended coffee, Arabica, Robusta, Chari, Catimor) and it seems a good opportunity to get this in places where a gourmet iced coffee is an impulse purchase.

I am undecided between cold brew or other method of making concentrate. The cold brewers I can find (Toddy in particular) only make enough for about 25 cups and they take all night to brew. I am not sure that simply adding on multiple brewers would be a solution for these people. Also, it would be nice to have the coffee displayed somehow in a cooler. But most coolers circulate the liquid so much I fear a lot of degradation of flavor from exposure to air.

Hot brewing seems to emphasis the bitter elements when cooled and then also is awkward because of the cooling delay or the dilution factor if you pour over ice before it's cooled.

And, I question whether the grind of my coffee is appropriate for cold brewing (medium-coarse) - see http://www.trung-nguyen-online.com.

I do have a couple Toddy systems on order and will try those but I want to know what else is out there, and how other people do this.

I would appreciate any advice from people who have worked in places where they serve iced coffee regularly, on how they brew it, prepare it, and store it, and how long they think it is appropriate to keep the cooled concentrate (if it is concentrate) before it should be discarded and new stuff brewed.

Thanks in advance--

 

[Parts Guru]

I am trying to market to local bakeries and corner shops in resort towns a "turnkey" iced coffee "facility" I guess you would call it. I sell specialty coffee (Vietnamese blended coffee, Arabica, Robusta, Chari, Catimor) and it seems a good opportunity to get this in places where a gourmet iced coffee is an impulse purchase.

I am undecided between cold brew or other method of making concentrate. The cold brewers I can find (Toddy in particular) only make enough for about 25 cups and they take all night to brew. I am not sure that simply adding on multiple brewers would be a solution for these people. Also, it would be nice to have the coffee displayed somehow in a cooler. But most coolers circulate the liquid so much I fear a lot of degradation of flavor from exposure to air.

Hot brewing seems to emphasis the bitter elements when cooled and then also is awkward because of the cooling delay or the dilution factor if you pour over ice before it's cooled.

And, I question whether the grind of my coffee is appropriate for cold brewing (medium-coarse) - see www.trung-nguyen-online.com.

I do have a couple Toddy systems on order and will try those but I want to know what else is out there, and how other people do this.

I would appreciate any advice from people who have worked in places where they serve iced coffee regularly, on how they brew it, prepare it, and store it, and how long they think it is appropriate to keep the cooled concentrate (if it is concentrate) before it should be discarded and new stuff brewed.

Thanks in advance--

If you are planning to serve cold coffee beverage, forget about the aroma. Focus only on the taste. Coffee, Tea or any other similar drink that is supposed to be aromatic only when hot. There is no aroma when coffee is cold. This being so, just use a simple drip brew method using the best blend and light roast. Hot water extraction brings out aromatic solubles much better than cold water process.

Grind immediatley before brewing. Refrigerate brewed coffee immediately to preserve taste (not Aroma). If you want to brew larger quantities, brew directly over ice by reducing the proportion of water to the quantity of ground coffee. For example if you use 4-oz. ground coffee for 1/2 gallon brewed coffee, then use 2 to 4 oz. water less to compensate for melted ice. There is no degradation of taste if cooling requires circulation. The fountain style spray cooling is not necessary. You can use coolers without fountain spray.

You are absolutely right. Using Espresso will contribute bitter taste. There are very few smart Baristas who know how to extract sweet espresso. With dark oily roast, powdery grind, 25 to 30-lb tamping pressure and 25 to 30 seconds of sustained extraction time, what one can get is unpalatable bitter espresso? Yuk!

I do not recommend using cold brewing method or using espresso.

If you are planning to serve Iced Cappuccino or Frozen coffee drink (Frappe) then use Vanilla flavored sweetened non dairy creamer. Chill in coolers or freeze in granita machines or batch freezers. I do not recommend using Milk because it is perishable and it is mandatory to clean machines daily for compliance of health regulations.

Good luck.