<h1>Cold Brew Coffee - A Brief look at Flavor Profiles</h1>

<p>My company builds flavor profiling and quality control tools for the craft beverage industry, using machine learning, data science, and analytical chemistry - let's use some of our 20,000+ coffee reviews to answer this question with <strong>data</strong>.</p>

<p>It has been claimed for some time that cold brew as a method of extracting coffee only exists to minimize the amount of acidity in the flavor profile. This is only a third of the story, and may not be true for the coffee you brew or consume! </p>

<p>So what is the full story? Read on! </p>

<hr>

<h2>Acidity in Cold Brewed vs Hot Brewed Coffee</h2>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lVwmT.png" alt="Sour &amp; Acidity in Cold Vs Hot Brewed Coffee"></p>

<p>These two beautiful graphs show the difference in sour &amp; acidity in cold Vs hot brewed coffee. The graphs show that hot brewed coffee has a much larger range in the perception of acidity - and is on average <em>more</em> acidic than its cold brewed counter part. </p>

<hr>

<h2>Differences in Average Flavor Profile</h2>

<p>But what about the rest of the flavor profile? Are people really planning to cold brew for hours in advance just for marginally less sour acids in the brew? </p>

<p>No. Higher-end cafes and roasters are producing cold brew coffee to target consumers who want a different flavor profile- optimized for consumption at a different temperature. </p>

<p>For this section of the analysis, I will be using the Gastrograph to communicate complex flavor profiles consistently and simply. On the Gastrograph, the intensity is shown ranging from 0, the center of the graph, to 5 (the outer most point).  </p>

<p>Let's look at the difference in flavor profiles below: </p>

<p><strong>Full Immersion Cold Brew Coffee</strong>
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BHdhv.png" alt="Average Cold Brew Full Immersion Coffee">
This is the Gastrograph of the average Cold Brew Full Immersion Coffee. </p>

<p><strong>Full Immersion Hot Brew Coffee</strong>
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NdOob.png" alt="Average Hot Brew Full Immersion Coffee">
This is the Gastrograph of the average Hot Brew Full Immersion Coffee. </p>

<p>As you can see, these coffees differ on a much greater number of axis than simply sour and 
acidity - the goal is to make a different product with its own unique flavor profile, not to simply reduce acidity.</p>

<hr>

<h2>Differences in Flavor Profile by Brewing Method</h2>

<p>Finally, Cold Brew is actually an entire class of production methods that involve infusing coffee into cold water. There are 2 primary types: </p>

<p>(<strong>Reminder:</strong> Coffee brewed with hot water, and then iced is <em>not</em> Cold Brew coffee.) </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Full Immersion Cold Brew</p>

<ul>
<li>Fresh </li>
<li>CO2 Draft</li>
<li>Nitrogen Draft </li>
<li>Bottled </li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>Ice Drip </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Let's look at the 2 most interesting types of cold brews from the list above:</p>

<p><strong>Stumptown Draft Cold Brew</strong> </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xyNjr.png" alt="Cold Brew Draft">
 This coffee is served from a beer keg and pressurized with CO2. </p>

<p><strong>Stumptown Nitro Cold Brew</strong> </p>

<p>This coffee is served from a beer keg and pressurized with nitrogen; the effect is a much smoother and fuller coffee, with a very thick and present mouth feel. 
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PR6CJ.png" alt="Nitro Cold Brew"></p>

<p>The cold brew coffee you make at home will be much closer to the average cold brew shown in the previous section, as I suspect few of the readers here will be making batches large enough to keg! </p>

<hr>

<h3>Update: Very Short Chemical Analysis</h3>

<p><strong>How do the concentration of compounds salicylic acid, phenolic acids, and amino acids differ between cold brew and hot brewed coffee?</strong></p>

<p>It is not so much concentration that matters - it's perception. For example, phenolic acids are mostly volatile; in hot coffee more are evaporating, thus you can more easily perceive them. The same is true for salicylic acid (a precursor to aspirin, which is acetylsalicylic acid). </p>

<p>Also, These acids are more readily soluble and easier to extract in hotter environments. In cold brew not only do you extract fewer molecules of the acid, but the ones that you do extract will trigger a less potent olfactory response.</p>

<p>Amino acids are a trickier issue. The chemical nature of amino acids greatly varies (like in polarity and size, functional groups, etc). Most free amino groups will be consumed during roasting via Maillard non-enzymatic browning. On average, the cold brew would extract more, simply because it would have more time to come out of the coffee (during the average 6-hour steep time). </p>

<p>This article is helpful: <a href="https://scienceandfooducla.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/coffee-brewing-chemistry-hot-brew-and-cold-brew/" rel="noreferrer">Coffee Brewing Chemistry: Hot Brew vs. Cold Brew.</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T22:12:17.343Z
I was wondering if there was any info on salysilic acid or caffeine as well?
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T22:25:24.720Z
I've asked my chemist about salysilic acid - I'll update the answer in a few hours with details on that!
JayCo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T23:58:48.207Z
The answer has been updated with a chemical section.
JayCo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-29T05:24:24.787Z
Thank you for the kind words Alex and Alex B! Analytical Flavor Systems is entirely an R shop, and these graphs are made using our ~20,000+ coffee reviews and a bit of ggplot2.
JayCo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T21:33:59.920Z
2016-10-10T11:21:54.137Z
2016-10-10T11:21:54.137Z
JayCo
<p>Generally speaking, what do "<a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew">cold brewed</a>" methods hope to achieve compared to the more traditional hot-water methods of extraction? </p>

<p>Does the amount of caffeine vary between hot brewed and cold brewed coffee?</p>

<p>What about the other compounds such as Salicylic acid, phenolic acids, and amino acids? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T11:55:13.780Z
cold brewed coffee is coffee that is brewed without heated water. Supposedly it contains less or no salicylic acid, which some people care about.  I dont think the question is vague to see if any "coffee experts" can substantiate these rumors. Should the question be reword ed?
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T12:05:26.510Z
And here is this:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T13:30:23.800Z
Question is about chemical differences between hot and cold brewed coffee.  It matters to some people - for example, some Mormons drink cold brewed but not regular coffee due to salicylic acid.  My question is attempting to clarify and explore this and other differences. What would you suggest to fix it such that this was more apparent?
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T16:20:48.590Z
duplicate? http://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/16/how-does-the-temperature-of-the-water-affect-the-taste-of-the-coffee
Justin C
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-28T17:23:09.157Z
Thanks for the edit @robert cartaino. I think this clarifies a bit.
Alex
<cold-brew><extraction>
How will "cold brewed" coffee differ from traditional hot-water extraction methods?
Alex
# How will "cold brewed" coffee differ from traditional hot-water extraction methods?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-01-28)

Generally speaking, what do "[cold brewed](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew)" methods hope to achieve compared to the more traditional hot-water methods of extraction?

Does the amount of caffeine vary between hot brewed and cold brewed coffee?

What about the other compounds such as Salicylic acid, phenolic acids, and amino acids?

**Tags:** cold-brew, extraction

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: cold brewed coffee is coffee that is brewed without heated water. Supposedly it contains less or no salicylic acid, which some people care about.  I dont think the question is vague to see if any "coffee experts" can substantiate these rumors. Should the question be reword ed?  
> **username_0**: And here is this:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew  
> **username_0**: Question is about chemical differences between hot and cold brewed coffee.  It matters to some people - for example, some Mormons drink cold brewed but not regular coffee due to salicylic acid.  My question is attempting to clarify and explore this and other differences. What would you suggest to fix it such that this was more apparent?  
> **username_1**: duplicate? http://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/16/how-does-the-temperature-of-the-water-affect-the-taste-of-the-coffee  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the edit @robert cartaino. I think this clarifies a bit.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-01-28. Score: 37 | Accepted answer

# Cold Brew Coffee - A Brief look at Flavor Profiles

My company builds flavor profiling and quality control tools for the craft beverage industry, using machine learning, data science, and analytical chemistry - let's use some of our 20,000+ coffee reviews to answer this question with **data**.

It has been claimed for some time that cold brew as a method of extracting coffee only exists to minimize the amount of acidity in the flavor profile. This is only a third of the story, and may not be true for the coffee you brew or consume!

So what is the full story? Read on!

---

## Acidity in Cold Brewed vs Hot Brewed Coffee

![Sour & Acidity in Cold Vs Hot Brewed Coffee](https://i.sstatic.net/lVwmT.png)

These two beautiful graphs show the difference in sour & acidity in cold Vs hot brewed coffee. The graphs show that hot brewed coffee has a much larger range in the perception of acidity - and is on average *more* acidic than its cold brewed counter part.

---

## Differences in Average Flavor Profile

But what about the rest of the flavor profile? Are people really planning to cold brew for hours in advance just for marginally less sour acids in the brew?

No. Higher-end cafes and roasters are producing cold brew coffee to target consumers who want a different flavor profile- optimized for consumption at a different temperature.

For this section of the analysis, I will be using the Gastrograph to communicate complex flavor profiles consistently and simply. On the Gastrograph, the intensity is shown ranging from 0, the center of the graph, to 5 (the outer most point).

Let's look at the difference in flavor profiles below:

**Full Immersion Cold Brew Coffee**
![Average Cold Brew Full Immersion Coffee](https://i.sstatic.net/BHdhv.png)
This is the Gastrograph of the average Cold Brew Full Immersion Coffee.

**Full Immersion Hot Brew Coffee**
![Average Hot Brew Full Immersion Coffee](https://i.sstatic.net/NdOob.png)
This is the Gastrograph of the average Hot Brew Full Immersion Coffee.

As you can see, these coffees differ on a much greater number of axis than simply sour and
acidity - the goal is to make a different product with its own unique flavor profile, not to simply reduce acidity.

---

## Differences in Flavor Profile by Brewing Method

Finally, Cold Brew is actually an entire class of production methods that involve infusing coffee into cold water. There are 2 primary types:

(**Reminder:** Coffee brewed with hot water, and then iced is *not* Cold Brew coffee.)

1. Full Immersion Cold Brew

   * Fresh
   * CO2 Draft
   * Nitrogen Draft
   * Bottled
2. Ice Drip

Let's look at the 2 most interesting types of cold brews from the list above:

**Stumptown Draft Cold Brew**

![Cold Brew Draft](https://i.sstatic.net/xyNjr.png)
This coffee is served from a beer keg and pressurized with CO2.

**Stumptown Nitro Cold Brew**

This coffee is served from a beer keg and pressurized with nitrogen; the effect is a much smoother and fuller coffee, with a very thick and present mouth feel.
![Nitro Cold Brew](https://i.sstatic.net/PR6CJ.png)

The cold brew coffee you make at home will be much closer to the average cold brew shown in the previous section, as I suspect few of the readers here will be making batches large enough to keg!

---

### Update: Very Short Chemical Analysis

**How do the concentration of compounds salicylic acid, phenolic acids, and amino acids differ between cold brew and hot brewed coffee?**

It is not so much concentration that matters - it's perception. For example, phenolic acids are mostly volatile; in hot coffee more are evaporating, thus you can more easily perceive them. The same is true for salicylic acid (a precursor to aspirin, which is acetylsalicylic acid).

Also, These acids are more readily soluble and easier to extract in hotter environments. In cold brew not only do you extract fewer molecules of the acid, but the ones that you do extract will trigger a less potent olfactory response.

Amino acids are a trickier issue. The chemical nature of amino acids greatly varies (like in polarity and size, functional groups, etc). Most free amino groups will be consumed during roasting via Maillard non-enzymatic browning. On average, the cold brew would extract more, simply because it would have more time to come out of the coffee (during the average 6-hour steep time).

This article is helpful: [Coffee Brewing Chemistry: Hot Brew vs. Cold Brew.](https://scienceandfooducla.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/coffee-brewing-chemistry-hot-brew-and-cold-brew/)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I was wondering if there was any info on salysilic acid or caffeine as well?  
> **username_2**: I've asked my chemist about salysilic acid - I'll update the answer in a few hours with details on that!  
> **username_2**: The answer has been updated with a chemical section.  
> **username_2**: Thank you for the kind words username_0 and username_0 B! Analytical Flavor Systems is entirely an R shop, and these graphs are made using our ~20,000+ coffee reviews and a bit of ggplot2.  

---

