MILAN, Italy — The Coffee Science Foundation (CSF), announced in January of 2020 that it would be embarking on a new research project, “Towards a Deeper Understanding of Cold Brew Coffee” aimed at exploring the parameters of the cold brewing method, including chemical and sensory analysis.
The research plan included, among other cold brew related explorations, a thorough exploration of cold- brewed extraction techniques including temperature during brewing, brewing time, extraction percentage, and concentration, documenting their impact on sensory and chemical attributes using various specialty coffees and roasts.
A new cold brew extraction research project
The Coffee Science Foundation announces a milestone study from the cold brew extraction research project, the publication entitled, “Sensory Analysis of Full Immersion Coffee: Cold Brew Is More Floral, and Less Bitter, Sour, and Rubbery Than Hot Brew” published in the journal, Food.
This project is underwritten by Toddy, LLC and the research related to this publication was performed by a research team led by Dr. Mackenzie Batali at the University of California, Davis.
“We’re intrigued to see some of our long-held beliefs confirmed by rigorous experimentation, especially the conclusion that brew temperature plays a significant role in determining what flavors are expressed from the coffee beans,” says Toddy President and SCA Board of Directors member, Julia Leach. “Historically, there hasn’t been much research dedicated to cold brew, so it’s great to see scientific data that will further our understanding about how cold brewing differs from traditional heat-brewed coffee.”
Although it is widely recognized that the flavor profile of cold-brewed coffee is appreciably different from hot- brewed coffee, cold brew in particular has anecdotally been associated with less acidic and ‘smoother’ flavor profiles. Scientific corroboration of this behavior, however, has been lacking.
This project aimed to comprehensively understand cold-brewed coffee extraction, preparation, and consumer value. This research shed light on how different techniques affect physical and sensory attributes in cold-brewed coffee, and how these are perceived and valued by consumers.
The impact of temperature
William D. Ristenpart, Director of the UC Davis Coffee Center says, “We were motivated to do this research because there are so many passionate debates in the coffee industry about hot brew versus cold brew coffee, but there really has been very little data to inform the debate. I’m proud that the Coffee Center team is generating hard data under very rigorous conditions that reveals the true impact of brew temperature on the sensory qualities of coffee.”
Read the full academic paper in Food, an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal of food science.
The project, “Towards a Deeper Understanding of Cold Brew Coffee,” and other Coffee Science Foundation research projects will be presented at upcoming SCA events, webinars, and publications. To learn more about the Coffee Science Foundation, click here.
