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Are you looking for the best coffee beans for cold brew? You're in luck. Cold brew is refreshing, delicious, and relatively easy to make once you find the right ingredients.
Like any other coffee recipe, there are subtle techniques you should keep in mind to get the tastiest result. Soaking your beans too long will overextract them, resulting in a sour or funky taste you have to scrape off your tongue. Not soaking them long enough has the opposite effect and will taste too mild.
No more bland, forgettable coffee! We'll list the best coffee beans for cold brew below, then top you off with some prime tips and techniques.
Quick Summary
Don't have time to read? Here are our top 3 picks...
OVALWARE 08 Neptune - Cold Brew, Organic Medium Roast Whole Coffee Bean, Colombia and Brazil Blend (1lb / 16oz)
- Chocolate nutty notes with creamy mouthfeel.
- Low acidity.
Wink Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Whole Bean Coffee, Large 2.2 Pound Bag, 100% Arabica Coffee Beans, Single Origin Colombian Andes, Smooth, Bold & Sweet
- Dash of caramel with hazelnut notes
- Medium-dark roast
- Great for hot brews also
Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee, Strong & Smooth Blend, Low Acid, 100% Arabica, Gourmet Coffee, Whole Bean, Dark Roast, Colombian Single Origin, 1 LB
- Produces classic cold brew flavor
- Almond flavored notes.
What Coffee is Best for Cold Brew?
"Do you need special coffee for cold brew?" is a common question. Espresso, for example, often requires a dark roast to bring out its robust flavor. It makes sense for specific brewing techniques to favor certain types of coffee over the other.
Cold brew has similar demands just like any other recipe. Your beans should be freshly roasted, freshly ground, and used as quickly as possible to preserve flavor. The major differences you should be aware of is the origin, grind level, and the roast, which we'll explore more below.
What Coffee Does Starbucks Use for Their Cold Brew?
Starbucks has a unique flavor some coffee lovers crave in the comfort of their own home. This coffee giant defaults to Colombian origins for their cold brew recipes.
They commit to 100% Arabica beans and a well-balanced medium roast. They also have a few origins from Africa and Latin America to choose from. If you're trying to recreate the Starbucks café inside your kitchen, try to line up these features to get the closest possible flavor.
What Type of Grind is Best for Cold Brew?
Not unlike the French Press, your cold brew will need a very coarse grind. This requirement is due to how the coffee needs to soak for a long period of time.
Your cold brew grind should appear like small wood chips. This is easy to achieve with a manual coffee grinder or an electric model.
If your coffee is too fine, you'll have a treacly, sour mess on your hands.
What Kind of Roast is Best for Cold Brew?
If you want the classic cold brew experience, go for a darker roast. This is a useful default because it eliminates nearly all acidity, which can be tricky to buff out in the final cup.
Medium and medium-dark roasts are also good options, neither being too sweet or too bitter. While lighter roasts are certainly not off the table -- everyone has different tastes! -- they're often far too mild for the soaking process. They also tend to have more acidity and floral notes, which don't pair well with milk half the time.
If you don't drink milk with your coffee, then a light roast won't be a problem at all.
Your mileage will always vary, so review your personal tastes before committing to a purchase.
What Origin of Coffee is Best for Cold Brew?
Colombian is the reigning champion of cold brew coffee. Their consistently fruity, complex, and sweet flavors make each cup absolutely addicting.
Following close behind are Peru and Brazil. Consider experimenting with coffee origins to see which set of flavors you prefer most.
When Should I Use My Cold Brew Coffee Beans?
It's well-known that fresh coffee beans taste much better than old, stale ones. Make sure to use your cold brew coffee beans within two to four weeks to retain as much flavor as possible.
When you're not using your beans, pack them up tight and store them in a cool, dry place.
Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew
This bag caught our eye immediately for its bold cold brew label. OVALWARE puts its best foot forward with a delicious blend filled with sustainable behind-the-scenes details.
Chocolate is a very common flavor note with coffee. It's reliably sweet and bitter, giving you a balanced approach that holds well to different recipes. That said, some coffee lovers can grow tired of this flavor and seek out alternatives. We love how this bag adds a nutty kick to the mix, lending in personality that could've been lacking otherwise.
This coffee blend is certified organic, 100% Arabica, and medium roasted. Even better, the reduced acidity will ensure you can mix in as much milk as you please without affecting the flavor.
Who Should Drink This?
This flavor profile is geared toward old-fashioned drinkers who want a mild twist on the usual. Chocolate, nutty, and creamy, 08 Neptune will prove seriously addicting.
Toss in some ice cubes in your cold brew or add a splash of milk to enhance the mouthfeel.
Do you hate when ice cubes dilute the flavor of your coffee? Create some cold brew ice cubes and store them for later: problem solved!
Should you go medium or dark with your cold brew coffee? With the Wink Coffee Cold Brew, you don't have to pick: this medium-dark bag is a shoo-in for our top spot.
High quality Colombian single origin beans? Check. Fantastic roast level to give you the best of both worlds? Check. These flavor notes fondly remind us of sweet pastries: expect a nutty hazelnut kick with a dash of caramel in your final cup. If you're sensitive to bitterness, you likely won't need any syrup or sugar to balance these beans out.
Vegans and paleo dieters alike will appreciate Wink Coffee's cold brew staple. This bag's larger size also means you won't have to refresh your cabinet anytime soon, even if you're a daily coffee drinker.
Who Should Drink This?
Don't default to a dark roast if it's not your style. This medium-dark coffee bag is a smooth, candied experience you'll want to revisit time and time again.
While this bag will no doubt make a delightful hot coffee, it's designed to create the silkiest cold brew concentrate.
Now to dive into the heaviest roasts you can use in a cold brew. Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee is also a Colombian origin, but goes straight to the dark end of the spectrum.
The deeper the roast, the more you bring out chocolatey and smoky flavors. Low acidity makes it easy to blend in other ingredients and avoid the dreaded weird aftertaste that acidic coffees have. There's a subtle nutty kick to this bag that keeps it interesting, though you might not taste it if you mix in sugar.
If you miss the coffee shop, here's some more good news. This bag is from the specialty coffee space, which means it's gone through a rigorous testing process to be deemed the best of the best.
Not only does this bag boast some of the best coffee for cold brew recipes, it translates well into iced coffee form. When making iced coffee, we prefer to mix in the milk and ice before adding shots. Espresso shots are quite delicate, so be careful not to mix your ingredients willy-nilly. This can kill the flavor and increase bitterness in your final cup.
Who Should Drink This?
You don't get much more classically cold brew than Stone Street's entry. This dark roast coffee blends rich chocolate with a slight nuttiness, ideal for simpler cups.
Consider avoiding syrup or sugar so you can taste the almond-like flavor notes.
At the risk of sounding redundant, this blend is also one of the best cold brew entries around. It offers a wider variety of flavor notes you don't usually find in this niche.
The molasses-like sweetness of brown sugar is complemented with tart berries and sumptuous chocolate. Mouth starting to water yet? Be sure to grind this coffee immediately upon arrival, because the subtlety on display relies on peak freshness. While not a hard rule-of-thumb, it's best to use up your coffee within two to four weeks.
100% Arabica beans and a specialty label round out this memorable package. One detail that impressed us was the roaster's commitment to customer satisfaction. They're so confident you'll love your cold brew they'll happily talk with you one-on-one if you're not happy.
Who Should Drink This?
Complex coffee often has several flavor notes, with some of them almost contradictory. If you want more than a classic coffee experience, give this bag a try.
Sometimes you just don't have the energy to whip up a complex coffee drink. Fumbling with syrups, sauces, and milk carafes is far too much effort for your busy day.
Pre-flavored coffee is much more difficult to make than it looks. Roasters have to be mindful not to drown out the original coffee flavor, especially when they put in the effort to source Arabica beans. They also have to ensure that each cup consistently tastes the same. Adding too much flavor will come off as sugary and overpowering.
This cold brew blend goes for dulcet, savory baking spices, mixing in classic vanilla with tasty hazelnut. This result in a cold brew that already tastes like you just walked out of the cafe. Mix in a little milk or drink it straight: you won't find a bitter note anywhere.
Cameron's Vanilla Hazelnut Cold Brew Blend is also allergen-free and gluten-free, so drink without worry!
Who Should Drink This?
Coffee drinkers with a sweet tooth will gravitate to this bag. The flavors are classic and tasty, with few surprises.
These ground coffee beans are also a nice purchase for brewers who love to mix up coffee drinks, but don't have the energy for it.
It's too cold to go camping (unless you've got a very thick skin), so recreate the campfire with this bag. This succulent and toasty bag is comforting in any form, whether in a cold brew or a hot latte.
Bones Coffee Company is popular for its commitment to flavorful coffee. This coffee bag keeps the acidity low and the sweet flavor high, so add as much milk as you please. Despite adding flavor, they commit to Arabica so you still get the full complexity of high-quality coffee.
S'morey Time would make a fantastic dessert-like cold brew to sip after a savory dinner.
Who Should Drink This?
Do you like to add a lot of ingredients to your coffee? Are you constantly navigating a sweet tooth when shopping for beans? There's no need to commit to complex recipes with this delightful pre-flavored coffee bag.
Are you a coffee brewer that cares just as much about the behind-the-scenes details? This coffee bag puts a strong foot forward with its name alone: Tiny Footprint.
This roaster is a rare breed indeed: they're a 'carbon negative' coffee brand that actively works against the damage caused in the industry. Every purchase sees a portion of the profit going to reforestation efforts in Ecuador. To top that off, they're certified organic by the USDA and commit to shade-grown coffee.
As for the coffee itself? It has a unique flavor for cold brew, favoring both fruity and floral notes in the final cup. These are common flavor notes for Ethiopian origins. While this means adding milk will create an odd flavor, fans of black coffee will be in heaven with this cold press elixir.
Who Should Drink This?
Coffee drinkers who want to step off the beaten path of dark chocolate or caramel flavors will adore this bag. It's an excellent cold brew with subtle flavors and is no doubt great brewed hot, too.
If you prefer to add sugar or milk to your cup, consider the other options on this list. Zesty, fruity, and floral flavors don't usually mix well with other ingredients.
Step-By-Step Guide on Making Cold Brew Coffee
We've touched on the must-haves for cold brew, but let's simplify things further. Try these tips for your next great cold brew recipe.
Filter Your Water First
Failing to filter your water will make your coffee taste odd, bland, or downright terrible. Hard water is a common phenomenon in modern households and a feature that should be left out of any coffee recipe.
You'll get better results using a water filter pitcher. You can also consider adding a detachable filter to your sink nozzle.
Measure Your Coffee to Water Ratio
Get out your measuring cup! It's best to do one cup of coffee for every six to eight cups of water, though you can adjust this depending on your tastes.
Having a little less water will make your cold brew more concentrated and deliver a bold coffee flavor. On the other hand, having extra water will dilute the flavor. Don't be afraid to experiment a little!
Grind Your Coffee as Coarse as Possible
Just like your French Press, you want your coffee to be coarse and jagged. This increases the surface area for it to soak slowly and consistently.
If you're a beginner, take a few minutes to test out your coffee grounds. Study them by sight, smell, and feel so you can become acquainted with their differences.
Use Room Temperature Water
Cold brew is a slightly deceptive title. While you drink it ice cold, you need to brew it with lukewarm water instead of cold water.
This brewing technique ensures you keep bitterness, acidity, and odd flavors to a minimum. Use a thermometer to keep your water around seventy degrees.
Wait For Eighteen to Twenty Hours
There's a little bit of a range here when it comes to the cold brewing method of steeping. Eighteen hours is a good staple to start with, but you can add or deduct a few hours to adjust the flavor.
Understeeping your cold brew will have your final cup tasting bland. This is because you didn't give the ground beans enough time to release all their flavor chemicals. On the other hand, oversteeping your coffee runs the risk of overextraction. You'll know your coffee has been overextracted when it tastes sour or like cough syrup.
Consider keeping your cold brew out on the counter as it steeps. You can chill it once it's done!
Enjoy Your New Favorite Drink
Now it's time to pour yourself a glass and enjoy your cold brewing results. Try cold brew with milk, syrup, chocolate, caramel, or on its own.
Wrap Up
Cold brew is a refreshing change of pace from hot lattes and classic drip. You can drink it straight or mix in any number of ingredients.
When starting your cold coffee journey, stick to room temperature water and a coarse grind. The sweet spot for steeping cold brew is eighteen to twenty hours. The cold brew coffee beans you should use depends on your favorite flavor notes and what you like to mix in.
If you need help choosing a coffee grinder, reach out to our live chat or send us a message. We're happy to help!
Related Articles:
Best Coffee Beans for Espresso
Best Coffee Beans for Cappuccino
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Tony Barlow, with over a decade of experience in the coffee industry, is the go-to technical sales expert at Majesty Coffee. He's passionate about helping businesses find the right espresso equipment for their needs.
