Cold Brew überholt Iced Coffee (und nicht nur den)

Die Begriffe «Iced Coffee» und «Cold Brew» werden häufig gleichbedeutend verwendet, dabei unterschieden sich die kalten Kaffeegetränke wesentlich. Iced Coffee – seit Jahrzehnten die beliebteste Art, kalten Kaffee zu geniessen – wird heiss zubereitet, anschliessend abgekühlt und auf Eis serviert. Cold Brew hingegen wird traditionell durch Aufgiessen von gemahlenem Kaffee mit Wasser in Raumtemperatur hergestellt.

Cold Brew hat in den letzten Jahren stark an Popularität gewonnen, aber seine Wurzeln reichen bereits Jahrhunderte zurück – bis ins 17. Jahrhundert, als holländische Händler den Kaffee nach Japan brachten. Die Einheimischen beschlossen, den Kaffee derselben Prozedur zu unterziehen wie Teeblätter: Sie liessen den gemahlenen Kaffee in kaltem Flusswasser einweichen. Schon bald kam das Getränk in Kyoto gross in Mode. Passend dazu weisen die frühesten Aufzeichnungen über Cold Brew darauf hin, dass das Getränk den gleichen Namen wie die Stadt trug.

Was ist ein Cold Brew?

Anders als andere geeiste Kaffees erfordert ein klassischer Cold Brew eine (mindestens) zwölfstündige Extraktion. Durch dieses Verfahren entsteht ein Getränk, das deutlich weniger säurehaltig und bitter ist als heisser und eisgekühlter Kaffee. Deshalb schmeckt Cold Brew im Allgemeinen milder als Iced Coffee und behält dabei ein hohes Mass an natürlicher Süsse , so dass viele auf die Zugabe von Süssungsmitteln verzichten können (dann hat Cold Brew auch fast keine Kalorien). Die blumigen Aromen der Bohnen bleiben während der Cold-Brew-Extraktion erhalten und bringen Nuancen zum Vorschein, die während des heissen Aufbrühens nicht entstehen.

Cold Brew ticks all the boxes

Lower in acidity than traditional hot coffee, Cold Brew is gentler on sensitive stomachs and many ready-to-drink Cold Brews contain natural ingredients, appealing to those who avoid artificial flavours or preservatives.

In addition, the drink is versatile: it can be enjoyed on its own or serve as a base for drinks, such as a Cold Brew Latte, or cocktails. Cold Brew’s popularity has increased thanks to specialty coffee shops and even national chains offering it, and it’s since become a favourite of millennials, who sip it on various occasions from coffee shop gatherings to backyard barbecues.

The numbers don’t lie: we love Cold Brew

One of the major coffee shop chains reported in August 2022 that cold beverages accounted for 75% of its drink sales from April through June.*

Even in the dead of winter, cold drinks accounted for 60% of Starbucks’ beverage sales. Consumption of these cold beverages has even moved from the morning to midday and late evening.

While the company attributed the popularity of iced drinks to its Gen Z customers, a confluence of factors has also contributed to Cold Brew’s explosive growth.

De’Longhi surveyed coffee lovers worldwide, and Cold Brew ranked in the top three coffee drinks and not just as a seasonal fad (half of cold coffee lovers sip it when the mercury drops). If Cold Brew weren’t available, half of those who consume the ready-to-drink versions would opt for juice and a soft drink in its place. This is a testament to how Cold Brew benefits overall health and well-being– a healthier alternative to sugary beverages, Cold Brew’s calorie count totals less than the said beverages.

Cold Brew at home

Coffee’s fourth wave, one centred around at-home coffee preparation, arrived by dint of the pandemic. With higher living costs and an increasing number of remote workers, consumers have started enhancing their experiences at home, including their coffee routines.

As indicated by the abundance of early adopter products, like powders and pods, on the market, manufacturers of home coffee products compete with cafes to offer the “experience” of going out to buy an iced coffee. As the curiosity surrounding Cold Brew grows and the drink’s popularity surges, coffee lovers have started to consume it at home–yet the 12-hour time commitment deters many from actually preparing it. But new technology has changed the game.

Cold Brew at home in less than five minutes? Yes, indeed

Whipping up Cold Brew at home just got easier with De’Longhi’s exclusive brand-new Cold Extraction Technology, the first of its kind for preparing Cold Brew at home. “De’Longhi is the first brand to present this technology for both an automatic machine and a range of manual machines using coffee beans,” says Plamena Stavreva, De’Longhi’s Global Category Lead.

The brand new fully automatic Eletta Explore and La Specialista Maestro, a bean-to-cup manual machine, feature the technology. No more 12-hour wait: coffee lovers can enjoy a Cold Brew at home in under 5 minutes. And when stored in the fridge, Cold Brew maintains its distinct flavour profile for up to 10 days.

As Cold Brew’s popularity continues to surge, coffee lovers can emulate their favourite barista creations at home by styling the beverage according to their preferences, gearing up Cold Brew as the next “even bigger” thing.