Cold Brew
Taste 5: Cold Brew
What we loved: Lost Coast Black Cold Brew Coffee
Cold Brew has become a popular category of caffeine intake, a way of steeping coffee grounds in water for a chunk of time that results in a strong, highly caffeinated drink that’s become lately de rigueur. You can order it at Starbucks or other coffee shops, but increasingly you’re also likely to find a wealth of options in cans and bottles in cold cases across stores.
Food & Wine noticed the trend, writing last year how there was a distinct moment of time when cold brew went from something no one had heard of before to the thing people wouldn’t stop talking about. They tied that moment to the year 2015, when people went from ordering iced coffee to cold brew.
The publication also noted that cold brew doesn’t involve brewing per se, more of an infusion, a steeping of coarse coffee grounds with cold or room-temp water, letting the coffee release flavor over a day or half a day. The process tends to result in a lot more caffeine, especially since most cold brewis often sold concentrated.
Our number one selection, Lost Coast Black Cold Brew Coffee, is made from coffee grown in Nicaragua with all the bonafides – shade grown, biodiverse farms, small-batch roasted, etc. It even says “Climate Positive” on the label.
Lost Coast is run by two sets of brothers, who explain that cold brew had become of interest to them because “health-conscious people are becoming aware of the importance of a well-balanced pH. Many studies have shown a number of ailments that can be avoided by maintaining a body with a high pH (alkaline).”
Hot coffee generally has a pH around 4, they say, making it acidic. Lost Coast’s cold brew maintains a pH level of 6, making it more alkaline, and, according to them, “less likely to negatively affect our health and well-being.”
They also claim to use better water that is put through a filtering system. Okay, sounds good. There’s always been a back and forth in our culture about whether coffee itself is good or bad for you. I say it’s good. The alkaline versus acidic stuff? Hmm. Maybe. But I believe it when they say there are lots of consumers all about maintaining a high pH. I’ve never given it a thought.
Lost Coast’s flavored options include Latté, Vanilla and Mocha, but for this Taste Five, we went with traditional black, the better to taste it against
competitors like Stumptown Original Cold Brew, which was our second-best.
If you want to treat yourself – but not go too crazy – Lost Coast offers a recipe for a Vegan Black Almond Smoothie. It blends 1 frozen banana, 4 dates, ¼ cup almond butter, 1 tsp cacao powder, 2 tsp Chia seeds and ¼ cup almond milk with ½ cup Lost Coast Black Cold Brew Coffee, blended together and poured over ice. Do it.