Got into it with a buddy over cold brew vs iced pour over at Blue Bottle this weekend

He swears cold brew is the only way to go for smoothness, but I think it loses all the bright notes you get from a slow iced pour over. We were at the Blue Bottle in Brooklyn on Saturday and he pointed out their cold brew is 20 hours steeped, which is impressive, but it still tasted flat to me. Does anyone else think cold brew strips out too much of the bean's character, or am I just missing something?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordangibson12d ago

Notice how this same thing happens with other stuff too, like people swearing aged cheese is always better but losing that fresh mozzarella creaminess. There's a trade off between letting something sit to mellow out versus keeping that immediate, bright punch straight from the source. You're not missing anything, it really just depends on what kind of experience you want from your cup and your taste buds that day.

leebrown12d ago

My taste buds are about as refined as a raccoon going through garbage, so I envy you two having this argument in the first place. I've ordered cold brew at Blue Bottle before and spent the whole time wondering if my coffee was supposed to taste like a quiet retirement home for beans. Probably says more about me than the drink though.

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