Brew hot, brew cold

Summer is not the best time for a hot drink, but what if you just can't do without your usual dose of caffeine? Targeting this segment is cold brew coffee – a fad believed to have the potential to boost the global coffee market especially in the hot months when demand for the hot brew goes down.

What is cold brew coffee?

It's a method of brewing where heat replaces time. Ground roasted coffee beans are allowed to brew in water anywhere between 12-24 hours at room temperature. The product is then filtered and packed for consumption.

Although the preparation method is basically the same across cafes, the number of brewing hours and the filtration method used varies. Delhi-based cold brew coffee company Sleepy Owl invests about 20 hours in seeping 100 per cent arabica beans from Chikmagalur, Karnataka. This is followed by a one-time sieve filtration method. The coffee comes packed in cartons with a tap and lasts up to a month.

Greenr Cafe, also in Delhi, gets its coffee beans from Chikmagalur too, but brews it for 24 hours and filters it twice – first by cloth and then paper. Labelled Martin, it's cold brew comes in handy glass bottles and lasts three-four days.

On the other hand, Mumbai-based Koinonia Coffee Roasters sources green beans, roasts them in-house, and brews it for 18-24 hours finally filtering it. Served in glass bottles, the brew lasts up to 15 days.

Cold vs hot

The cold brew process, say its proponents, enhances flavour, and decreases the acidity by 60-70% which gives a less bitter concoction. "Heat causes very quick extraction making the hot-brewing method more acidic. The cold brew method, however, takes time resulting in more developed flavours," says Shannon D'Souza, managing director and co-founder, Koinonia Coffee Roasters, who have been offering cold brew coffee since January last year.

Variants of cold brew

Like regular coffee, you could add milk to cold-brew coffee or prepare variants like latte. While Sleepy Owl, which largely does doorstep delivery, lets you experiment at home. Greenr Cafe and Koinonia Coffee Roasters offer several variations at their cafes in addition to delivering their standard ready-to-drink cold brew.

"For those who are very passionate about the original coffee flavour, dark Martin works best, but cold coffee lovers can go for condensed Martin. For the experimental patron, there is citrus Martin, a fizzy drink much like beer, and for vegans, we offer A Date With Martin, which is prepared by blending dates and almonds with the brew," explains Nandini Bansal, co-founder of Martin. Koinonia Coffee Roasters offer infused cinnamon and coconut cold brew variants.

They have also partnered with eateries in Mumbai and Delhi, where cocktails are prepared with their brews. "Bastian in Mumbai offers a cold brew boulevardier cocktail and a Vietnamese spiked with Laphroaig. At The Grammar Room in Delhi, we've developed a chilli cumquat tequila sour with cinnamon cold brew in it," explains D'Souza.

What about demand?

According to the entrepreneurs, it's visibly growing. Sleepy Owl, for instance, became profitable within 12 months of launch, according to co-founder Ajai Thandi. The company also raised Rs 3.26 crore in a seed round founding led by DSG Consumer Partners in April this year. They have also launched dry cold-brew packs – that like teabags are dipped in water – only in this case it is left overnight.