COLD BREW COFFEE-CACAO

{Blog Post #4} COLD BREW coffee-cacao  (graphic or font/estilo de fuente: icicles on COLD BREW) 

A refreshing blend...

There’s nothing like a hot brew in the morning to start your day. But on warmer summer days, a chilled brew is a natural choice. There are good reasons to add cacao to your coffee to make a superior drink. Coffee-cacao cold brews just like coffee but with a rich unique flavour - and with all the benefits cacao can offer (see our blog “Why Brew Coffee and Cacao Together?”).

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• The taste of good quality coffee and cacao together cold should not be bitter or sour. They should tend toward a subtle fruity sweetness. 

• Cacao has less caffeine than coffee and contains theobromine - this soothes the “edge” of coffee’s kick. If you enjoy this drink later in the day, you will feel more relaxed and not feel as anxious about it affecting your sleep.  
• Note that cold brew is different from iced coffee. Cold brew coffee soaks in water for over 12 hours to make a more concentrated brew. Keep in mind iced coffee is hot coffee chilled and diluted with ice and so it is a thinner concoction. If you brew a litre of coffee-cacao, you will end up with 2 litres of beverage by adding water or milk. However, there is no problem to just drink it on the rocks!  

To brew coffee cacao... get your ingredients and equipment together. The process is much simpler than you might think. 

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• Coffee: try to choose a light or medium roast coffee. These coffees have not had many of the flavourful acids roasted away like darker roasts and will brew well in cold water. This doesn’t mean you can’t use a dark roast coffee - it will be a more intense roast flavour if that is what you like. Be aware that lighter and darker roasts have similar amounts of caffeine in the beans - their flavours are what make the difference.
• AKNA Cacao nibs: are fresh roasted to perfection. Cacao has less acidity than coffee and will help balance the flavour. 
• Grind: it is best to grind coffee in either a manual or electric burr grinder for an even grind. Grind the coffee to a coarse grind. It will be in cold water for 12 to 16 hours so extraction should not be a problem in this grind. It is best to grind the cacao nibs coarse BUT in a blade grinder or blender (that tasty fat in the cacao can gum and clog a burr grinder). 
• The equipment: A large carafe - preferably with a lid, a reusable mesh filter. You can buy an integrated cold brew maker or make cold brew DIY. There are filters that especially fit the size of wide mouth Mason jar you wish to use. Check an especially inexpensive and easy cold brew method below. 

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DIY Cold Brew Method…

• Measure 150g of ground coffee and 50g of ground cacao nibs to a litre of water. This is stronger than your morning coffee at a 1:15 ratio. Make 1 to 4 litres depending on your needs - it will last a few weeks in your refrigerator. Put the ground coffee and cacao in the mesh bag, and close the bag with the drawstring trapped under the carafe lid. 
• Brew in your fridge for 12-16 hours - this will make a concentrate.
• Once the coffee and cacao have steeped you are ready to refilter the brew. Wet a pour over paper filter to neutralize the pulpy taste of the paper and place in a pour-over steel cone. Then strain your brew to remove the sediment. 
• Generally, a one to one mix of cold water and ice will give you a great cup of coffee cacao. Substitute water for milk, or almond milk, coconut milk - add honey or brown sugar or whatever you like - and enjoy it cold!