Some notes on cold brew coffee testing

try, try again

We’ve been at this Substack thing for a little over a month now and it’s exciting to see this little project stumble out into the world. I wanted to drop a quick note of appreciation in here and thank you for following along on this fun (if awkward) journey!

Coffee Blossom, aluminum silver print by William Louis Henry Skeen

I like good coffee, but I’m not super snobby about it. Mostly, I just want a medium-dark roast that brews up on the strong side without being acidic. For years, my go-to has been the Mocha Java Blend from Equator. What makes my coffee feel like “mine” is the addition of cardamom. Everyone who knows me knows this is my favorite sweet spice. I always add some to the grinder along with my beans. That way, the cardamom seeds get freshly ground along with the coffee.

To be clear: I’m hardly the first to add cardamom to her coffee! For hundreds of years, people across the Middle East and Southeast Asia have been adding cardamom (and other warm spices) to their coffee. You can find cardamom coffee at most Yemeni coffee shops, and rich, unfiltered Turkish coffee is often flavored with cardamom, too.

While I like my coffee hot and milky in the colder months, in summer I prefer a cold brew over ice. I still remember becoming a cold brew convert after reading this article and brewing my first batch. I’ve been trying to perfect my homemade cold brew ever since.

Usually, genuine curiosity in an ingredient or technique or some form of nostalgia inspires my recipe development. But my interest in cold brew is mostly economic and environmental—I want a cheaper, more convenient alternative to buying dozens of disposable, $6 cups of the stuff every summer.

I can never predict how long it’ll take me to perfect a recipe. Sometimes I get it right on the first try. Other times, it can take months, or even years! I’ve also been known to abandon a recipe after realizing I’d never get it to work, and I truly never thought I’d still be tweaking the way I make iced coffee for 18 years running! But here we are.

Back in 2007, I started with this New York Times recipe, and when it didn’t taste as rich as I hoped, I moved on to this more detailed walkthrough for New Orleans style iced-coffee from Blue Bottle. I’ve made it replacing cardamom for chicory, with the chicory, without the chicory, with the simple syrup, without the simple syrup… I’ve also tried this recipe. And yes, I’ve spent untold hours on the cold brew coffee subreddit (would not recommend).

Even when a recipe uses just two ingredients (three, if you add cardamom), all sorts of variables can affect the outcome. Here, the coffee beans are something of a wild card. The size of the grind, the ratio of coffee to water, the precise variety or blend of the beans, as well as the depth and freshness of their roast will all affect the smoothness and strength of the final brew. Additionally, there’s the length of the steep. Twelve hours or twenty four? At room temperature or in the fridge? Each one of these choices will affect the flavor.

very important bits of tape + scraps of paper

Unfortunately, for someone as opinionated as I am, I’m not very patient or methodical. The “correct” way to test any recipe mirrors the scientific method: Start with a “control,” then change only one variable at a time to compare results. But each year, when summer hits, I want my coffee, not endless trial and error! So I’ll dig up the previous year’s notes (which were likely scribbled on bits of tape and scraps of paper) and begin tweaking. I’ll make a batch. When it’s inevitably not quite right—too weak, strong, or bitter—instead of changing just one variable, I’ll change everything, throwing the whole process into a state of complete chaos. The frenzy and mostly-mediocre coffee endures until autumn arrives when, with a sigh of relief, I start brewing hot coffee again.

It feels a little vulnerable to share something this unfinished and indeed unsuccessful, but I think there are some good lessons here. Honestly, dear friends, I’m asking for your help! Do you have a favorite cold brew recipe or method? What’s worked for you? Do you add cardamom to your coffee? (If not, I urge you to give it a try.) Have you ever spent 18 years trying, and repeatedly failing, to achieve something? Please share your experiences! I’d love to feel a little less alone here. And maybe this can serve an an opportunity for us to start building something of a shared resource library here? It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the intelligent, generous, supportive community that Anne Helen has fostered over at Culture Study, and I’d love for us to create something similar with each other. 🩷

And, just in case, here are a few of my favorite sources for cardamom: Oaktown Spice Shop, Diaspora Spice Co., Kalustyan’s, and Burlap and Barrel. Finally, while I usually make my cold brew in a pot or large mason jar, then strain it through cheesecloth and a coffee filter, I’ve also tried using an Aeropress and a few inexpensive (and largely ineffective) cold brew makers. Let me know if you have any better tools or methods to suggest!

P.S. I'll be joining my dear friend Laurel Braitman for an interactive virtual discussion this Wednesday, from 5:30-7pm PT/8:30pm-10pm ET. The program is open to all, and attendees will have the chance to ask questions and write in responses to prompts inspired by their work. I’ll be discussing how to best articulate taste (and other sense memories) on the page; my path to publication; best practices for writing about health and healing; how to become your own best editor; the pluses/minuses of various media from podcasting to columns to books to documentary; tips for successful pitches; how I know a good idea when I sees it and how you might too; and much, much more!

This and all sessions will be recorded for anyone who cannot join live. You can sign up here.