Best Cold Brew Coffee: A Cool Take on Your Hot Favorites
Can’t start your day without a favorite caffeinated brew? Need an afternoon pick me up but can’t always get to a barista? Like to sample different quality coffees and enjoy them both hot and cold? If so, you might want to consider a cold brew coffee and concentrate option to keep your favorite beverage on hand at all times.
Below, we explore the awesomeness that is cold brew coffee and explain why it might just be the most flavorful cup you ever have. Take a look at some of our favorite best cold brew coffee brands to find your perfect match.
Rank | Product | Highlights |
#1 | Jot Concentrated Coffee |
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#2 | Javy Coffee Microdose 30X Liquid Coffee Concentrate |
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#3 | JAVA HOUSE Cold Brew Coffee |
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#4 | Cappio Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate |
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#5 | RISE Brewing Co. Original Black Cold Brew |
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#6 | OneBy Coffee Make Cold Brew |
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#7 | Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee |
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#8 | Grady’s Cold Brew Coffee |
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Table Of Contents
- Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
- How Cold Brew is Made, and Other Pressing Questions
- Benefits of Cold Brew Coffee
- Our Favorite Top Cold Brew Coffee Picks
- 1. Jot Concentrated Coffee
- 2. Javy Coffee Microdose 30X Liquid Coffee Concentrate
- 3. JAVA HOUSE Cold Brew Coffee, Colombian 4:1 Liquid Concentrate
- 4. Cappio Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
- 5. RISE Brewing Co. | Original Black Cold Brew
- 6. OneBy Coffee | Make Cold Brew, Hot or Iced Coffee in Seconds
- 7. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee
- 8. Grady’s Cold Brew Coffee
- Conclusion
Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
Cold brew coffee is not to be confused with iced coffee, which is simply regularly hot brewed coffee that is cooled and then poured over ice. It is a faster process, but is more acidic and bitter tasting, and is a less expensive option overall. Iced coffee can also be poured directly over ice after brewing, and while still hot, but this often results in a more watered down version, so it is often best to double up the amount of grounds used to help offset the melted ice and still keep a more rich brew taste.
Cold brew describes the process of how the coffee is actually brewed. It takes longer but results in a more smooth taste with a lower acidity. It can also result in a concentrate that can be used for both hot and cold beverages.
How Cold Brew is Made, and Other Pressing Questions
Cold brew coffee is made with room temperature or cold water and coarse ground coffee beans. The process can take anywhere between 6 and 24 hours, and results in a concentrate that can be mixed directly with hot or cold milk or water.
This process results in a lower acidity brew, which by some estimates average up to 67% less acid compared to a hot brew cup. However, this is a more expensive process as it takes more time to make, and once it is gone, it is gone. Plus, it’s only fresh tasting for 24 to 48 hours, so making too much can result in waste.
Cold brew is generally sold as either a concentrate that you can use to make your own favorite hot or cold beverage, or you can brew your own with a specially prepared, coarse ground bean and cold brew coffee maker.
Benefits of Cold Brew Coffee
Cold Brew coffee offers some surprising benefits and might be a better option for heavy coffee drinkers. Like regular coffee, it may boost metabolism and provides a higher calorie burn due to the caffeine content. Caffeine also helps enhance your mood, and stimulates your energy – plus, Cold brew coffee contains compounds that may reduce your risk of heart disease, including phenolic compounds, magnesium, trigonelline, quinides, and lignans.
The lower acidity of a cold brew coffee is easier on your stomach, and helps keep heartburn and indigestion from becoming a problem. Also, the content of crude polysaccharides helps boost the immunity of your digestive system, making it an overall more gentle brew for your system.
Our Favorite Top Cold Brew Coffee Picks
The following top picks are our absolute favorites and provide a great selection from which you can choose from to either stock up on concentrate, or brew your own. Mix with your favorite milks for the perfect latte or water and ice for cold coffee beverage.
1. Jot Concentrated Coffee
SPECS:
- Type: Concentrate
- Amount: 200 ml = 14 cups
- Roast: Medium roast
Editor’s Top Pick
Jot offers a pure organic coffee concentrate that is sourced from quality organic and sustainable coffee beans grown on Central and South America. The blend is a 20x liquid option to provide a smooth flavor when you mix only 1 Tablespoon into 8 ounces of water or milk. Each serving provides 150 mg of caffeine, and allows you to weaken it, or strengthen it as you desire. Each 200 ml provides 14+ cups of coffee, and they even offer a 100% money back guarantee!
2. Javy Coffee Microdose 30X Liquid Coffee Concentrate
SPECS:
- Type: Concentrate
- Amount: 6 oz = 30 cups
- Roast: 100% Arabica
Editor’s Runner Up
Created for convenience, Javy is a 30x concentrate that allows you to use 1 to 2 teaspoons to 8 ounces of milk or water to create a cost effective, flavorful beverage packed with 100 mg of caffeine. Quick and easy to use, your hot and cold caffeine punches just stepped into a new era. The mess free and recyclable bottle is easy to take with you on the go as well.
3. JAVA HOUSE Cold Brew Coffee, Colombian 4:1 Liquid Concentrate
SPECS:
- Type: Concentrate
- Amount: 32 ounces = 20 cups
- Roast: Colombian Medium Roast
Best Cold Brew Flavor Options
This unsweetened concentrated cold brew is brewed to a 4:1 strength for an instant cold brew drink that you can take anywhere. Mix with water or milk at a 1 part concentrate to 4 parts liquid, both hot and cold, for your favorite drink at any time of day. The bold flavor has a molasses, walnut, and cocoa suggestions that are smooth and never bitter. Made with a 12 hour steep in small batches, this quality control provides the perfect brew every time. Comes in 6 flavors.
4. Cappio Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
SPECS:
- Type: Concentrate
- Amount: 16 fl ounce = 32 cups
- Roast: Arabica Medium Roast
Best 2:1 Cold Brew Coffee
When you aren’t interested in constantly measuring for the perfect cold brew concentrate drink, the Cappio Cold Brew Coffee concentrate allows you to quickly mix up a 2 parts water or milk to 1 part concentrate for a rich bold flavor profile. The smooth, low acid option is preferred by many, especially since its strength is amongst the best out there.
5. RISE Brewing Co. | Original Black Cold Brew
SPECS:
- Type: Ready Pour
- Amount: 32 ounce, pack of 6
- Roast: Organic Black
Best Non-Concentrate Cold Brew Coffee
This high caffeine option is not a concentrate and provides a ready pour choice that is made from organically sourced coffee beans. It offers 70% less acid than conventional hot brews, and is made from purified water and coffee concentrate and nothing else. It is also offered in oat milk latte mixes in various flavors.
6. OneBy Coffee | Make Cold Brew, Hot or Iced Coffee in Seconds
SPECS:
- Type: Concentrate
- Amount: 250 ml = 17 cups
- Roast: Puruvian Medium Roast
Best Flavored Cold Brew Coffee
Smooth, nutty, and full flavored with hints of mocha and fruit, this one tablespoon to one cup of coffee concentrate helps you mix a favorite drink in seconds. Low acidity, full flavor, and a 150 mg of caffeine measurement allows you to create the perfect pick-me-up any time of the day. Made only with filtered watered and shade grown, single origin Peruvian coffee, you’d be hard pressed to find a smoother cup of coffee.
7. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee
SPECS:
- Type: Cold Brew Bag
- Amount: 42 Cups
- Roast: Medium Roas
Best Organic Ground Coffee Cold Brew Bags
Course ground for cold brew, these coffee brew bags are made for pitcher packs and provide an extra smooth, medium roast made from Arabica beans. 100% organic and USDA certified, this is an ethically sourced option that provides you the opportunity to brew it as strong, or weak as you like. Hints of caramel and hazelnut provides a nutty flavor without the bitterness to offer you the perfect cup each and very time.
8. Grady’s Cold Brew Coffee
SPECS:
- Type: Cold Brew Bag
- Amount: 12 servings
- Roast: Medium Roast
Best Cold Brew Bean Bags
Available in both regular and decaf, these cold brew bags provide everything you need for a brew it yourself experience. With the ability to brew 12 cups, this offers a New Orleans Style Flavor of coffee, chicory, and spices with a 12 hour cold water steep. It makes a concentrate that is ready to mix with your favorite water or milk.
Conclusion
When you want a quality cold brew coffee beverage, you want one of these options for a quick, ready to go option that simply requires your favorite milk or water to mix over ice. Made from beans sourced from reputable areas, they are roasted with subtle flavors to offer you aeromatic, smooth, and low acidic options that will have you coming back for more.