Coffee Concentrate

Coffee concentrate is a cold brewed, less acidic, alternative to hot brewed coffee. Because of its low-caffeine content, fans of coffee concentrate find it easier to drink later in the day compared to ordinary brewed coffee. Since coffee concentrate is cold-brewed, it stays fresher longer. In addition, some of these concentrates don't require refrigeration, making them a quick and convenient, less-jolting energizer at home or on the go.^[1]

Benefits

Some of the reasons why coffee concentrate is highly recommended by users:^[3]

• Easy to prepare

• You can refrigerate coffee concentrate for up to a week and the flavor does not dull

• Low-calorie (10 calories per serving)

• About 30-cents per 8oz cup

• It isn't as bitter as hot brewed coffee

• A 1-liter container makes about 32 servings

• Coffee concentrate can be served iced or hot

How to make coffee concentrate

You can purchase pre-made coffee concentrate at grocery stores and other retailers that sell food, but you can also make it in your kitchen.

Pre-made coffee concentrate

1. Ground coffee beans are placed in a holding tank

2. Filtered cold water is mixed in (60oz to 80oz of water per pound of coffee)

3. The mixture soaks at room temperature for up to two days

4. All solids are filtered, separating out the liquid concentrate

5. Bottle and seal

Homemade

1. Pour 1 pound of ground coffee beans (chicory or dark roast) into a 1-gallon pitcher

2. Add 3 1/2 quarts of cold water and stir thoroughly

3. Allow to soak at room temperature for 12 hours

4. Pour mixture through a strainer

5. Place a coffee filter in the cleaned strainer and pour in the coffee mixture to separate the concentrate into a pitcher

6. Cover and chill.

7. You can reuse the grounds for a second batch, but only use half the water (1 3/4 quarts)

Coffee concentrate can last for up to one month.

For those who enjoy homemade coffee concentrate, the Filtron coffee concentrate maker has everything you need to create the perfect cold-brew coffee at home.

Coffee concentrate uses

Coffee concentrate

In addition to basic hot and cold coffee, coffee concentrate can be used in a variety of recipes:

• Fudge sauce

• Barbeque sauce

• Smoothies

• Mocha martini

• Coffee cheesecake

• Coffee syrup

Popular brands

Coffee concentrate may have been around since the 19th century, but new products and brewing equipment are hitting shelves for the first time. Right now, two brands are getting a lot of attention:

Cool Brew

Cool Brew, the original cold brewed coffee concentrate, made by New Orleans Coffee Company (NOCC), was developed in 1989 by a pharmacist, the late Phillip McCrory. He was shooting for a less acidic coffee and found it in cold brewing -- a process with a long history in New Orleans.^[5]

There are seven varieties of Cool Brew:

Traditional Unflavored

• Cool Brew Original is characterized by a rich, dark, aromatic flavor

• French Roast is a strong, all natural cold brew flavor

• Cool Brew decaf is made with chicory, making it extremely aromatic and flavorful

Flavored

• Mocha is a rich, dark, aromatic, natural flavor with chicory and a hint of chocolate. Mocha is a top seller

• Vanilla has rich, dark, aromatic taste with chicory and a hint of natural vanilla flavor. It contains less than 1g of sugar

• Hazelnut is rich, natural, and dark. It contains less than 1g of sugar

• Toasted almond tastes rich and dark. It has chicory and a nutty, toasted almond flavor. It contains less than 1g of sugar.

McCrory's sons have carried on the tradition in this family business, and Cool Brew remains a popular and economical choice for coffee concentrate.

EcoUrban, a sustainable landscaping and soil company, has joined forces with NOCC to champion the sustainability cause in New Orleans. Cool Brew provides free coffee grounds to EcoUrban for use in their composted garden soil.^{[4, 5]}

Virginia Dare

Virginia Dare, a flavor and extract company founded in 1835, is based in Brooklyn, New York. By the early 1920s the company was manufacturing flavor additives for a variety of industries, including food, nutritional products, pharmaceuticals, and oral care. Virginia Dare now makes a variety of high quality coffee concentrate flavors in powder and liquid forms. These concentrates can be used as an ingredient in iced coffee, frozen desserts, candy, and other food products. Virginia Dare, which has a worldwide presence, is environmentally conscious, supporting research on recycling feedstock by-products and sustainable energy.^[6]