With summer around the corner, it seems like every coffee company is trying to get in on the cold brew coffee trend that is surely taking over.
Everyone knows there is nothing better than driving in the summertime, windows down, music blaring, and an iced coffee in your cup holder. Increasingly popular cold brew coffee has become a competitive addition to coffee companies.
According to Starbucks, “the cold brewing method is unique since it uses time—rather than heat—to extract flavor from the beans.”
Because cold brew is made by soaking beans in room temperature or cold water for around 12 hours, the cold brew produces a less acidic flavor than that of normal drip-coffee. The resulting flavor is naturally sweeter, which can be a draw for those who like more milder brews.
Companies like Starbucks, La Colombe, Stumptown, and Grady’s are on their cold brew game. They differ in their amount of brew time: Stumptown brews for 12 hours, La Colombe brews for 16 hours, Starbucks brews for 20 hours, and Grady’s brews “overnight.”
While La Colombe, Stumptown, and Grady’s sell individual cold brew containers, Starbucks is yet to join that market.
Here at Spoon, we decided to taste test and find out how these four cold brews compare.
Photo by Elana Rubin
4th place: Grady’s
Photo by Elana Rubin
“This is very dark.”
“Tastes like alcohol.”
“I would like this with milk and sugar.”
“Tastes like tree bark; or a little tobacco-y. This tastes just like twigs.”
“Similar flavors to Mezcal.”
3rd place: La Colombe
Photo by Elana Rubin
“Definitely subtler and stronger than hot coffee.”
“It’s easier to take down than hot coffee.”
“Some flavor to it that doesn’t really taste like coffee.”
“It’s got a little dirt in it.”
“Tastes like poorly filtered coffee.”
2nd place: Starbucks
Photo by Elana Rubin
“It’s easy to drink.”
“I like this one the best.”
1st place: Stumptown
Photo by Elana Rubin
“I like this better.”
“Texture is better.”
“I’m into Stumptown and Starbucks mixed.”
“Tastes more like coffee. The other ones were watered down.”
“This has more full body.”
“This tastes more like an iced coffee.”
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