The Best Coffee For Cold Brew: Everything You Should Know

BEST VALUE

Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory

PREMIUM PICK

Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee

BEST CHOICE

best beans for cold brew
best coffee beans for cold brew

Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew

Looking for a new coffee drinking experience? Check out this complete reviews and buying guide to help you choose the best coffee for cold brew.

Why You Should Cool Off With Cold Brew Coffee

Everybody loves iced drinks when it’s summertime. Imagine visiting the beach with a bottle of chilled lemon tea, or have apple juice at the end of dinner. But did you know that there is a unique caffeinated drink for summer?

You may be surprised to know that you have seen this drink on the menu when you visit the everyday coffee shop. You just did not notice it. It is the cold brew coffee.

Cold brew coffee is the ideal summertime drink because you can freshen up with your favorite coffee flavor, however, it is not too strong that you might have trouble sleeping later.

​At first, cold brew coffee may sound like a high-end drink that you can only get at the shops. The good news is that you can actually make this drink at home with a surprisingly simple method, plus you can find the ingredients anywhere.

To start the process of making an amazing cold brew right now, continue reading this article to learn everything about choosing the best coffee beans for cold brew. We have included the top 3 products hand-picked by our experts, along with a detailed comparison.

​How To Make The Best Cold Brew Coffee At Home

To make cold brew, you will steep ground coffee in cold water from 12 hours to anywhere up to 24 hours. The perfect cold brew coffee ratio is 1 cup of ground coffee to 8 cups of cold water.

The water can be between 70 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re more careful, you can use the thermometer to determine the exact number. The water should have room temperature to give you the best flavor.

After you’ve finished pouring in the water, cover the jug with its lid. In the case you’re using a large container, you can cover it up with a cheesecloth.

When you’re done with sealing the container, the only thing left to do is to be patient.

​During the time from 12 to 24 hours, the water will extract the flavors of the coffee ground. The final brew will have remarkable taste and concentration.

When the wait is over, you can filter the coffee to get a smooth and clear drink.

Haven’t finished drinking to the last drop in one day? You can store the brew in the refrigerator and continue using it from 7 to up to 14 days.

Read more: ​The Best Coffee Grinder For Cold Brew Review

​The Benefits Of Cold Brew

best beans for cold brew coffee

Enhanced caffeinated flavor:

This method creates a smooth drink flavor that is also very robust.

This is because cold brew coffee has a higher level of caffeine than regular coffee:

  • ​A regular cup of coffee has about 95mg. of caffeine.
  • A cup of cold brew has from 100 to 200 mg. of caffeine.

The flavor will not change throughout the time you keep the coffee in the refrigerator.

​Less bitterness:

Non-coffee drinkers will love this detail. Cold brew coffee offers a mild taste that comes with eye-catching color.

Less acidity:

​In the traditional coffee making method, when the coffee ground meets intense heat, oils from the ground will release acidic compounds.

This will affect the chemical profile gets affected, and as a result, it will produce the drink with a much higher level of acidity.

However, this is not the case when you use cold water. In fact, a study shows that cold brew is 67% less acidity than regular iced coffee.

A coffee drink with less acidity is smooth and mellow to the stomach. Lower acidity also plays an important part in lowering the bitterness.

​No need to put ice in your coffee:

Sometimes, you might not be able to decide if you should put ice in your coffee. The melted ice will give you a watery drink which will dilute the taste. That is no longer the problem.

​After 12 or 24 hours, you will have a brew that already has cold or room temperature so you can enjoy the drink with ease.

We have created the following table, to sum up, the benefits of cold brew coffee:

FEATURES DETAILS
Enhanced caffeinated flavor A cup of cold brew has from 100 to 200 mg. of caffeine.
Less bitterness A mild taste that even non-coffee drinkers will love.
Less acidity Cold brew is 67% less acidity than regular iced coffee, making the drink much less harmful for the stomach.
No watery drink The coffee drink already has a cold or room temperature so you will not need to add ice.

​What You Should Look For When Buying Coffee Beans For Cold Brew

We understand that the wide variety of products on the market might confuse you. In this part, we’re going to walk you through the detailed guide on how you can choose the best coffee beans for cold brew.

​You should keep these three criteria in mind when it comes to selecting the coffee ground:

  • The form of coffee: whole beans vs. ground coffee.
  • The size of the grind: coarse vs. fine grind.
  • The formula: origin vs. blend.
  • The roast factor: light vs. medium vs. dark

Read more: Best Coffee On Amazon

Whole Beans Or Ground Coffee?

best coffee beans for cold brew

Buying whole beans can be a brilliant idea for DIY lovers. You will have time to try different techniques with a coffee grinder and might even come up with the recipe of your own.

How you store the coffee beans at home will not cause much trouble. Just keep the bags in a cool, dry place, avoid direct sunlight and you can leave them there for a long time.

But if you’re not into making everything on your own, then ground coffee is no doubt the best choice. They are convenient because you can go through the simple step of pouring the ground coffee in the jar or slow drip machine, then wait for the cold brew to be ready.

However, ground coffee has one major drawback. The moisture from the surroundings can dilute the oils in the coffee, decreasing the quality of the flavors.

While manufacturers have added the ziplock to the bags, for some packaging that doesn't have this feature, we highly recommend you use an extra cover and store it in the cool, dry place.

Read more: ​The Best Coffee Scale

​Coarse Or Fine Grind?

While choosing a trustworthy brand is important, you should also consider the size of the grind. The right size can add a bonus to the flavors.

The coarse grind may not seem like the best ideal since you can feel the rough texture between your fingers. But when it comes to making cold brew, then a coarse grind is the preferable size.

It is also suitable for all kinds of equipment you’re using to make cold brew, especially the slow drip machine. You can see the coffee flow easily through the drip.

On the contrary, the situation can become a nightmare if you're using a fine grind. The coffee will become too dense and get trapped at the drip, which will bring you trouble when cleaning the machine. Plus, fine grind produces a harsh bitter flavor.

​Which Recipe Is Better?

Don’t miss out this factor when you’re reading the product labels. If you classify the products based on the recipe, then you will have two categories: single-origin and blend.

From the name, you can learn that single-origin means the coffee ground is made of 100% pure coffee. It does not have any type of sweetener or extra ingredients that affect its flavor and profile. Blend grind is convenient when you're making artisanal drinks.

You will create a drink that is balanced in bitterness, acidity, and sweetness. For example, cappuccino, latte or macchiato require blend grind. Remember that the main purpose of the cold brew method is to appreciate the original coffee flavor.

This is the reason why you choose the single-origin product. On the other hand, cold brew will extract the bitterness and acidity of the blend anyway so it would be a waste of money if you use the blend grind.

​The Roast Factor

There are three levels of roast: light, medium, and dark roast.

Dark roast is the most common type of coffee for cold brew because it gives you the rich flavor, which can have notes of chocolate, nuts or earthiness.

When steeped in cold water, dark roast requires a shorter extraction time than light or medium roast. Moreover, the dark roast has a more affordable price.

Then what about the other types of roast?

Light or medium roast has floral and fruity notes, and they cost a considerable amount more than dark roast coffee.

Note that the cold brew can create the floral and fruity notes, so it’s unnecessary for you to choose the light or medium roast.

Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew Reviews

#1 – Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory [BEST]

best coffee beans for cold brew Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory, 15-Ounce (Pack of 3)

This ground coffee from Café Du Monde preserves the authentic flavor with a touch of chicory roots to lower the bitterness.

​You can say that Café Du Monde is one of the oldest members of the industry.

This French coffee shop first came to New Orleans in 1862. They have been serving the ultimate combo of hot coffee with milk and delicious French doughnuts 24 hours a day, all year round. But the best part doesn’t stop there.

Café Du Monde has created the recipe to make their own trademark chicory coffee. This special process involves cooking, grinding chicory roots and mix the blend with the dark roast coffee ground. Chicory roots help reduce bitterness.

This is the reason why their trademark chicory coffee makes an outstanding cold brew.

You will get the coffee drink that holds a mild bitterness level, mellow flavors. The smoky aroma will awaken all your senses to help you have the fullest experience of the unforgettable drink.

The high level of flavors amazed our team during the test. We’ve tried brewing the coffee ground with heat and found out the result is still as wonderful as the cold brew.

If you have questions about whether you should trust this brand, then there is one more reason that will let you know the answer: Café Du Monde Coffee Chicory comes with the cheapest price. Beginners will love to try out different recipes without worrying about the budget.

​What makes Café Du Monde stands out in the market is that you can have a tasty coffee drink when you work with both hot and cold brew.

PROS Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory

  • ​Most affordable price compared with other products.
  • Maintains the strong flavor even with the heat.
  • Dark roast from the coffee roasters dated back in the 1860s.

CONS Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory

  • Packaging can get damaged easily during shipment.

#2 – Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee

best coffee beans for cold brew Whole Bean Arabica Coffee

Farmer’s Market Jo takes pride in the top quality of their products. The artisan roaster begins with careful steps to choose the raw Arabica coffee directly from the reliable source around the world.

​Organic whole bean coffee from Farmer’s Market Jo that comes with gluten-free ingredients to bring you a healthy cold brew experience.

​When you work with whole beans, you will have the chance to mess around with the coffee grinder and have interesting experiments. The greatest benefit is that you can learn from the basics of making a wonderful cup of cold brew, which starts with the grinding part.

This light-medium roast will produce a cold brew with nutty and sweet flavors. You can add fresh cream to complete the cooling summer beverage.

​In the shipping process, the environment temperature can make the beans become dry, resulting in the lowered original flavors.

PROS Of Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee

  • Offers mid-price.
  • Healthy formula.
  • Good for beginners or baristas in skills practicing.

CONS Of Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee

  • The beans can be dry and lack flavor.

#3 – Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee

best beans for cold brew

The best feature of this coffee ground is the essence of single-origin Columbian beans is packed in the dark roast.

​Stone Street came in the industry at a late timing: it wasn’t until 2009 that they introduced the first product.

But this brand stays strong up until this day because they have the ultimate weapon in their hands: the Colombian coffee beans.

Experts have recognized this as one of the few coffees in the world that has the richest flavors. The manufacturer maintains a consistent formula: the coffee ground is 100% single-origin.

When you’re using Stone Street ground coffee with the cold brew method, the water will extract the authentic flavors of the beans.

From the first sip of the cold brew, you will get energized with the bold lingering taste combined with notes of chocolate. Not to mention the warm aroma from the beans will enhance the flavors. The experience can’t be compared with anything else.

Although this coffee ground has a relatively higher price than other products, the experience is definitely worth the try.

​Stone Street might have high-quality coffee beans, but that doesn't mean there's no flaw in the producing stages. Our editors have had a few bad experiences of cold brew that taste burnt.

PROS Of Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew

  • Came from authentic coffee farms and growing regions.
  • Coarse ground for slow flavor extraction.
  • Also available in fresh whole beans.

CONS Of Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew

  • Expensive price.
  • Some of the batches can taste burnt.

​Comparisons Of The Best Ground Coffee For Cold Brew

​At this point, you have read through our reviews and learned about the three coffees that we recommend using:

​#1 – Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory

#2 – Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee

#3 – Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee

In the next part, we’re going to compare them based on 4 criteria to help you decide on the best one you need:

​1 – The quality of the roast

2 – Flavor

3 – Ingredients

4 – Price

​The Quality Of The Roast

Since dark roast is the perfect choice for cold brew, it is no doubt that Café Du Monde wins the top place.

Farmer’s Market Jo’s coffee ground has the light-medium roast. If you’re into floral notes in the coffee, then you’d prefer this product. Just keep in mind that the flavors won’t be as rich when you’re using the cold brew method.

Unfortunately for Stone Street, their process of roasting coffee has some bad results. You’d want the cold brew to emphasize the flavor, so the burnt taste is not the best result.

RANK PRODUCT THE QUALITY OF THE ROAST RATING
1

Cafe Du Monde

Coffee Chicory

★★★★★
2 Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee  
3 Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee ★★★★

​? Our pick for The Quality of The Roast is Café Du Monde Coffee Chicory

benefits of best coffee beans for cold brew

Flavor

Café Du Monde has the distinctive flavor that is less bitter thanks to the chicory roots. However, it is still a long road to reach the level of Columbian coffee by Stone Street.

For Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee, the notes of floral and nutty add a different experience to the taste. But it is unnecessary because you're using the cold brew method to get the concentrated flavor of the original coffee.

RANK PRODUCT FLAVOR RATING
1 Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee ★★★★★
2 Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory
3 Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee ★★★★

? Our pick for Flavor is Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee.

Whole Bean Arabica Coffee for best beans for cold brew

Ingredients

While Café Du Monde has chicory roots – the main source of fiber in the diet, it can make the consumers become picky because the chicory allergy can get in the way.

Farmer’s Market Jo is a USDA certified organic coffee with gluten-free formula. This means it is the healthiest product on the list.

As for Stone Street, aside from the top-quality coffee beans, there are no extra ingredients that boost the health benefits.

RANK PRODUCT INGREDIENTS RATING
1 Farmers Market Jo Gourmet Coffee ★★★★★
2 Cafe Du Monde
Coffee Chicory
3 Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee ★★★★

? Our pick for Ingredients is Farmers Market Jo Gourmet Coffee.

best coffee grinder for cold brew

Price

Stone Street is in the expensive price range. The only benefit is that you can also get whole coffee beans to make the grind in the way you’d prefer.

You can bring home the Farmer’s Market Jo for a mid-price deal. This product is suitable for barista or coffee drinkers who would love to practice their skills at home.

It is no doubt that Cafe Du Monde is the most affordable brand on the list.

You will not only get authentic coffee from a veteran manufacturer in the market, but you can also try different recipes without worrying about losing the original flavor.

RANK PRODUCT PRICE RANKING
1 Café Du Monde
Coffee Chicory
★★★★★
2 Farmer’s Market Jo Gourmet Coffee
3 Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Single Origin Coarsely Ground Coffee ★★★★

? Our pick for Price is Café Du Monde Coffee Chicory

Cafe Du Monde Coffee, French Roast, 13-Ounce for best coffee beans for cold brew

Which Is The Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew?

We highly recommend Cafe Du Monde Coffee Chicory

​After careful research and numerous experiments, we’ve picked Café Du Monde Coffee Chicory as the winner in the contest of best coffee for cold brew.

  • ​The coarse grind does not clog up the drip.
  • When you use it with the cold brew method, it brings out the most authentic, robust flavor of the coffee.
  • Want to experiment with other recipes?
  • The good news is that you can add milk or cream and the original flavor will stay the same.
  • The value package deal makes it the best cheap coffee for cold brew. The taste is mild enough for even non-coffee drinker.
  • Notes of chocolate to enhance the flavor.
best coffee beans for cold brew

​Conclusion For Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew

The road to your refreshing cup of cold brew coffee in summertime involves choosing the product with high quality. And it is no doubt that finding the right product can be tricky.

We hope that this article can help you in deciding the suitable product, whether it is ground or whole beans.

Our pick for the best coffee beans for cold brew is Café Du Monde Coffee Chicory because it offers a smooth, concentrated flavor that is suitable for everyone. Plus, you can get it without worrying about the price.