I have always associated cold coffee and iced coffee with those coffee chains and their pretentiousness, fancy names, flavorings, and let's not mention the prices. With that said, I hadn't given cold brew coffee a chance. Being in Texas and with our brutally hot and humid summers, especially down here in Houston, cold brew coffee is almost a necessity during those "walking on the sun" days. My first experience to iced coffee was a disaster. On one of those hell on earth days one of the guys ran down to the corner ...
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I have always associated cold coffee and iced coffee with those coffee chains and their pretentiousness, fancy names, flavorings, and let's not mention the prices. With that said, I hadn't given cold brew coffee a chance. Being in Texas and with our brutally hot and humid summers, especially down here in Houston, cold brew coffee is almost a necessity during those "walking on the sun" days. My first experience to iced coffee was a disaster. On one of those hell on earth days one of the guys ran down to the corner convenience store and brought back several cups of iced coffee for the crew. My first impression? Awful, nothing more than a bitter, watered down version of what coffee should be. When I voiced my thoughts, good old Buck said, "What you expect for dollar Texas Jack?" A few days later, over lunch with a friend at a Pho restaurant, I mentioned my experience when asked if I wanted to try a Vietnamese iced coffee. He said, "Give it a chance Texas Jack." So, reluctantly I caved in. I was served this concoction, a tall glass with a caramel looking drink with ice. After my first sip, and much to my amazement, I was sent to another plane of existence, a parallel universe where, for a moment, I was in culinary bliss. It was satisfyingly rich in flavor and sweet but not too sweet, understated yet it had nuances that I have never experienced before. After coming back to reality, I insisted that I meet the sage responsible for creating such a divine drink. I was taken behind the bar where the barista walked me through the process. I felt that the heavens had parted and I was being allowed to gaze upon some esoteric and forbidden knowledge. It was revealed that it was cold brew coffee, coarse ground coffee steeped in cold water then strained into a glass with a tablespoon of sweeten condense milk on the bottom, stirred, and add ice. The barista explained to me how cold brew coffee has a completely different flavor, even though you're using the same coffee beans when compared to hot brew. With a cold brew infusion process, you have less acidity thus making for sweeter taste. Serving it with ice doesn't affect or weaken it as it's already cold. Most iced coffees are made from the hot brew method. This method makes for a more bitter drink as the hot water not only extracts the good qualities of the coffee but also the undesirable aspects. Plus, it needs to be brewed stronger to allow for the dilution caused by the ice. After 15 minutes, I soon realize that besides being so simple and easy to make cold brew coffee, cold brewing is a better way for making a higher quality and better tasting coffee. When I returned to my seat, I was asked what my thoughts about cold brew coffee. I said that I had an epiphany about the greatness of cold brew coffee and needed to share it with the Texas Jack Nation. Thus, the reason for this book. The purpose here is to unlock the door to a new way of experiencing coffee the way it should. Dive in and experiment, put your own twist on these recipes and discover a whole new world out there waiting for you.
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