EAT & DRINK

Cold Coffee on Tap at Timbertrain

The days are longer now. Spring is here, the sun is warm and Gastown is alive. The time for cold brew coffee has arrived.

Cold Coffee on Tap at Timbertrain

For coffee lovers, a strong brew made from good quality beans is essential. There are those too, who in the heat of day or the fall of night, enjoy a refreshing cold coffee.

There are a number of different methods in procuring cold coffee.

Brew Over Ice Method

Commonly served, is the concentrated brew over ice method which uses any hot brewing method to produce a concentrate that is poured over ice. This method uses less water to brew the coffee because of the added volume from the ice.

Cold Drip Method

This method allows slowly dripping room temperature water to percolate over a bed of finely ground coffee for a period of 6 to 8 hours. The flow of the dripping water is controlled by an apparatus, which is vital as the flow of the drips affect the flavor of the final beverage.

For Timbertrain, the cold brew method is the best.

Cold Brew or “Toddy” Method

Cold brewing is a process that involves soaking coarsely ground coffee in cold water for an prolonged period of time, often overnight for use the following day.

The grounds are then filtered out the coffee is served cold. Some coffee houses choose to brew at double strength and pour the final product over ice or add chilled milk to achieve a flavor balance. The acidity is reduced by about 70% using the cold brew method as the brew does not use heat. Cold brew has a resonable shelf life and needs to be kept refrigerated. It loses it’s shine after a few days and is best served as fresh as possible.

Capturing the complicated and robust flavours of coffee in its chilled form is both an art and science, indeed one that Timbertrain Coffee Roasters has achieved. The flavour lost in most cold brews is enhanced through its secret brewing process so that even the most sophisticated coffee connoisseur will appreciate how Timbertrain has tamed the beast of cold brewing.

Timbertrain uses a variety of coffee origins. Currently, they use single origins like Ethiopia Sidamo Guji, Brazil Vale da Grama, or Colombia Cauca. Their Ethiopian is known for its dark berries and cinnamon, the Brazilian has notes of peanut and marmalade or jam, and their Colombian has orange and pomegranate notes. The Colombian undergoes a pulped natural process that provides an extra level of complexity. These will change however, as different regions begin their harvest, and other regions finish their harvest season.

Timbertrain’s Cold Brew is referred to as Nitro Cold Brew. With the added nitrogen,the pressure forces the coffee through a disk with small holes in it, creating the frothy beautiful cold brew that comes out of the taps. This creates a cold brew coffee with a silky texture and creaminess reminiscent of a stout like Guinness. It’s best taken black, remaining bold but balanced. Cold brews have a lot more caffeine therefore, prudence is a virtue, dear coffee lovers when partaking from the desirable Timbertrain cold taps.