Exploring 4 Innovative Methods to Enhance Cold Brew Coffee Experience

Dress up your cold brew with seasonal produce, flavor-packed cold foam, herb-infused ice, and more.

Are you tired of utilizing the same cold-brew recipes every year? The weather in Los Angeles is getting hotter, and it’s obvious that cold brew is here to stay. That’s why today we’re going to discover ways to add a refreshing twist to this popular consume. Whether it’s adding unique citrus and herbal tastes or trying out flavor-packed cold foam, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative. Keep reading to learn some of our favorite ways to make cold brew more exciting.

A barista at a coffee stand with cold brew, glass jars, a hot coffee pot and felt sign.
Filipino-owned Masaya Kapé provides pandan cold brew: coffee cold-brewed with fresh pandan leaves for 24 hours. Photo courtesy of Masaya Kapé. 

Choose the fruits and herbs that remind you of summer and that you love the many.

Please rephrase the following text: “What fruits and herbs make you think of summer? Be imaginative with ingredients like blueberries, mint, citrus, or anything else that symbolizes the season for you. This is an great way to incorporate your own personal narrative and vision into your menu.”

For example, we’re loving cold brew infused with pandan—a plant that’s popular in Southeast Asian cuisine and brings a subtly grassy, vanilla-like aroma to beverages. Filipino-owned Masaya Kapé gives pandan cold brew — kapeng barako coffee brewed with fresh pandan leaves for 24 hours. In Portland, Ore., Portland Cà Phê owner Kim Dam says the shop uses pandan on its summer menu in part because it connects to the memories of the pandan coconut ice cream bars that she ate as a child.

Close up of a cold foam topped cold brew in a plastic cup with spices sprinkled on top and a floating piece of orange fruit.
Teofilo Coffee Company’s calamansi foam. Picture courtesy of Teofilo Coffee Company.

2. Get Creative with Cold Foam

Adding cold foam to your iced beverages is a excellent way to play with texture and bring a more luxurious feel to your drinks. Plus, there’s adequate room to get creative with your cold foam recipes! Try dressing up yours with different tastes and syrups, either bottled ones that you have on hand or house-made ones. I’m obsessed with Teofilo Coffee Company’s calamansi foam—a reference to the owner’s roots in the Philippines.

Experiment with various types of roasts and coffee varieties.

When making cold brew, it’s important to consider the roast and coffee variety that you’re working with. There may be a certain coffee that you enjoy when brewed hot—but the flavors might translate a little bit differently when brewed cold. Experiment with different coffees and see what works, taking into account any other aromas you plan to add to your cold brew recipes (if any).

A hand hold a glass sideways to show off an ice cube shaped like the opening bud of a rose.
Rose ice cubes at L.A.’s Kumquat Coffee. Photo courtesy of Kumquat Coffee.

4. Have Fun with Ice

When it comes to creating excellent café drinks, even the smallest details matter—so why not get creative with ice? There are so the majority of ways to make the ice in your cold beverages more exciting! Try freezing ice cubes with herbs or experimenting with ice trays that create unique shapes, like spheres or roses. Doing so is a wonderful way to add a unique twist to your process and boost its aesthetic appeal, too.

These are literally a handful of ways that you can get creative with cold brew. When it comes to crafting your recipes, think about what you enjoy—which ingredients you enjoy working with, and what stories you want to tell through your menu. Cold brew is a favorite in lots of places around the world, but there are so several ways to infuse it with your unique personality.

Cheers to a summer of playing with tastes and embracing all that the season has to offer!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and drink.

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The post explores innovative methods to enhance cold brew coffee by incorporating seasonal produce, flavor-packed cold foam, herb-infused ice, and more. It starts by acknowledging the popularity of cold brew and the necessity for fresh recipes to maintain its appeal. The writer implies using fruits and herbs that evoke memories of summer to infuse personal narratives and visions into the menu. For instance, pandan, a plant widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine, can impart a subtly grassy, vanilla-like scent to cold brew. Masaya Kapé, a Filipino-owned establishment, provides pandan cold brew, while Portland Cà Phê incorporates pandan into its summer menu to evoke nostalgic childhood reminiscences.

The following text cannot be reworded as it is a specific reference to a product or recipe: “Teofilo Coffee Company’s calamansi foam, which references the owner’s roots in the Philippines, is highlighted as an example.”

The article highlights the significance of taking into account the roast and sort of coffee used in the preparation of cold brew. It is crucial to experiment and find the wonderful combination as different coffees can yield different tastes when crafted cold. The author recommends considering any extra flavors that will be incorporated into the cold brew technique.

Moreover, the post proposes exploring innovative methods involving ice to elevate the pleasure of chilled drinks. Experimenting with freezing herbs within ice cubes or utilizing specialized ice trays to produce distinctive kinds can introduce a fresh factor and enhance the visual allure of the drink.

The article concludes by urging baristas and coffee aficionados to infuse their cold brew recipes with their own distinct personality and imaginative ideas. It highlights the adaptability of cold brew and the chance to convey narratives through the menu. The author motivates readers to fully embrace the summer season and experiment with various flavor pairings.

The article was written by Emily Joy Meneses, a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Meneses shares her hobbies, including foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.

The article likewise highlights the many recent edition of Barista Magazine, which showcases Martin Shabaya from Kenya on the front page. Readers are encouraged to explore the online version or subscribe to keep up-to-date with the latest news and trends in the coffee industry.

This article was first published at Barista Magazine, an online magazine dedicated to baristas and coffee professionals.