Top spots in New York City to grab a gourmet cold brew coffee based on unique flavor, complexity and overall taste.
Cold Brew coffee has been taking off lately. Serious coffee shops in New York now offer a version of this chilled-out pick-me-up. But not all are created equal. Actually most cold brews that I tasted kinda suck.
I want to remember a cold brew coffee like I remember a great glass of wine. The flavor should stand out. It shouldn’t just taste like coffee or worse, it shouldn’t taste like really bitter concentrated black stuff. And this stuff is expensive!
What is Cold Brew Coffee
Cold Brew Coffee is produced by placing ground coffee in a vessel of water to steep. I like to brew mine at room temperature. It should never touch a traditional coffee machine or be exposed to heat. My recipe>
When a beverage gets cold
the flavor profile changes.
Tasting Cold Brew Coffee
Without breaking out the notes from wine tasting courses I completed, you should know one thing about tasting beverages, in general: When a beverage gets cold the flavor profile changes. Your favorite hot coffee will totally fall apart at an ice-cold temperature.
That’s why a great Bordeaux is recommended to drink around 61 degrees fahrenheit. Too cold and the subtle flavors are masked. Too warm and you’re overwhelmed with tannin. So the cold brewista should understand how the ice cold temperature will change the flavor profile of the finished product.
Our Process
I sampled dozens of cold brews this summer, mainly around Greenwich Village and SoHo (that’s where I work and live). I drink my cold brew black over a full glass of ice but if it is on point, you can drink it any way you want. All of my picks will taste great with milk, sweetener or natural flavoring. The beverage is balanced. That’s all we are looking for in our tastings (and in life): balance.
We try to feature slightly under-the-radar finds at The Gourmet Bachelor and we also pick a couple trendy new hot spots that are worth the hype. Tweet out your favorite cold brew spot with hashtag #TGBColdBrew and we will try to stop by for a taste.
