Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed one of the biggest trends in coffee: Cold Brew. It’s everywhere. You can’t escape it. It’s at Starbucks, it’s on tap at your local coffee shop, it stares at you while you’re in the checkout line at Whole Foods.
The allure of this coffee style du jour probably has something to do with the fact that saying you’re enjoying a Cold Brew sounds a touch more sophisticated than saying you’re getting an Iced Coffee. After all, Cold Brewing is a craft. Iced coffee is made by unceremoniously scooping ice into your cup of joe.
And there it is, Cold Brew: Cool. Trendy. All over Brooklyn.
There’s no doubt that Cold Brew is having a moment right now. What you probably didn’t realize is that, in fact, people have been enjoying it for hundreds of years: like many other beloved cravings, this story starts in Asia
In the 17th century, as the story goes, Dutch traders selling coffee from the islands of Indonesia to Japan needed to figure out a way to brew large quantities of coffee that wouldn’t expire during long sea voyages — but avoiding open flames that might set their wooden ships alight. Cold brewing did the trick quite well, since the method is so incredibly simple: steep roasted ground coffee in water for about 24 hours, and enjoy. Eventually, the Japanese adopted this method for themselves, which created the legendary Kyoto-drip method of coffee brewing, which is still popular today.
Sounds like a great cure for sea legs and not getting conflagrated.
Like every generation, we seem to always think that we’re at the heart of every discovery. Little did you know, Cold Brew is some next level old school (maybe even vintage). Next time you pick up a Cold Brew, appreciate the gift that it is — and rejoice that someone long ago wanted coffee badly enough while sailing the Pacific ocean to make it all happen.