What Kind of Roasts are Perfect for a Specialty Cold Brew

Selecting the right roast and blend is crucial when making cold-brew coffee. Some coffee roasts have flavors that are subtle and cannot easily be revealed by brewing coffee using standard techniques, thus through cold brewing, you get to discover these profiles. 

From those who like their coffee strong and intense to others who drink coffee with tones, the roast level contributes a lot to influencing the ultimate taste of the brewed coffee.

Here, we dive deeper into the best roast for cold brew—from light to dark—and how they can complement your cold brew.

1. Medium Dark Roast 

• Flavour - The flavor profile of the medium dark roast is quite balanced with a good amount of richness and smoothness and a hint of sweetness. In this roast, you may also find a few notes of nutty, chocolate, caramel, nuts and precise sweetness
• Why it is Preferred - The medium dark roast is quite a balanced roast between the high acidity lighter roast and the strong, intense flavor of the dark roast. In the brewing of this roast, the rich and smooth are extracted keeping in check the bitterness at a minimum 
• Best suitable beans - The best suitable beans for this roast type come from central and South American countries such as Brazil and Colombia 

2.  Dark Roast

• Why it is Preferred - The dark roast is less acidic than the other roasts and is usually liked by people who prefer a strong and intense coffee experience. The cold brew process reduces the bitterness associated with dark roast thus producing a rich and intense flavor that is perfect for strong coffee lovers.
• Best suitable beans - The best suitable beans for this first type are Kenyan or Ethiopian beans as they have a fruiter profile as compared to other beans, which makes them the perfect choice for this roast 

3. Medium Roast

Medium roast gives a balanced taste which has moderate acidity and a clean finish on the pallet. This roast has some fruity and caramel notes with a nutty overtone, enabling it to balance a rich, full flavor with a bright aftertaste.

Why it is Preferred: The medium roast enjoys popularity because of its moderate taste, it is not too mild and not too intense. For people who are looking for a tasty coffee beverage served cold but do not enjoy the bitterness characteristic of deeper roast types, it makes an excellent choice.

Best Suitable Beans: Generally, beans originating from Central America, especially Guatemala or Costa Rica should be medium roasted because of their rich flavor.

4. Light Roast

Flavor: Light roast is closer to the characteristics of the actual beans and tends to be highly acidic, bouquet, and perhaps even fruit-like. It usually has more intensity and is more spirited showing a clean profile that enhances the flavors of the coffee beans.

Why it is Preferred: If you prefer subtle flavors in your cold brews, then light roast is your best bet. Due to its higher acidity and lighter body, it is ideal for drinking during the warm season, when people prefer icy cold beer.

Best Suitable Beans: Ethiopian and Kenyan beans are perfect for light roast because in cold brew their fruity and floral notes stand out. 

5. Medium Light Roast

Flavor: It has a light acidity compared to the light roast but not as full-bodied as the medium roast. The taste is particularly mild, with a hint of sweetness and notes of fruit and flowers, which can be considered quite lingering and rather complex.

Why it is Preferred: This roast will be perfect to start your cold brew with a little more darkness than the light roast but you would still want some fruity taste making it one of the best roasts for cold brew. In terms of balance, it’s perfect for those who don’t like very strong cold brew with all their heart but want something closer to it.

Best Suitable Beans: Ethiopian or Colombian beans are the best suited for this roast level; the sweetness accompanied by a deep note complements cold brew.

Single-Origin vs. Blend

• Single-origin - specific characteristic of where the beans are grown is highlighted by the single-origin beans. They are the most preferred choice for specialty cold brew as they offer different flavor profiles.

• The flavor profile of the single origin is quite distinctive and known for its different flavor profiles which imitate the land of their origin.
• Due to the limited supply of single origin, it is quite expensive.
• The single origins are quite seasonal and are harvested during specific times of the year 

• Blends - DIfferent kinds of flavors can be balanced with the help of blends and it is also used to create a more consistent cold brew. some of the popular blends are Latin American blend, African, and South American blends, and Central American and Indonesian Blend

• The flavor profile of the coffee blends is quite rounded and appeals to a broader range of audience as compared to the single-origin 
• The coffee blends are quite affordable compared to the single-origin 
• The coffee blends are available throughout the year

Additional tips while making specialty cold brew 

• Grind Size - A coarse grind is necessary to avoid over-extraction and get the smoothest flavor of your cold brew.
• Brewing Time - the brewing time impacts the flavor and the taste of the cold brew, cold brew is generally brewed for around 12 - 24 hours. You can experiment with different brewing times to know which is best for you 
• Quality of Water - The cold brew is made up of water so you should go with high-quality water if you want to have a good final flavor of the coffee

Choosing the best roast for cold brew is a process that depends on finding the balance that is going to be perfect for your taste. 

Whether a dark roast with its heavy and strong, almost bitter taste or a light roast that consists of sweet and floral tones, each of the roast levels provides its take on cold brewing. 

Once you know what roast is best for a cold brew and how the characteristics associated with the varying roasts affect your cold brew, you can come up with a nice and tasty coffee that is perfect for every season.

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