Speciality Food Magazine May 2024

in cold brew is opening up new opportunities – which he thinks could lead to cafes opening later, bridging the gap in the late afternoon before customers head to bars or restaurants, as is the case in many parts of Europe. “At Silo [one of Amir’s cafes], we had a lot of requests for iced drinks in 2023,” he says. “In the UK we are having longer and warmer summers compared to five years ago. That means we are selling more cold coffees.” Amir is also finding his wholesale clients are expanding their cold coffee and coffee-based drink menus in response to customer demand. There are different ways to cold brew, Amir says, mentioning the ‘Three Ts’ - temperature, turbulence and time. “If you increase any of these three your extraction will be faster, and you will get more from your coffee.” He prefers to brew in cold water over a longer time, which brings out the properties and essence of the raw ingredient in the purest way. “I’ve found it highlights the brightness and acidity of the coffee, rather than the body. It means you can get a slightly different experience from the same coffee than if it was served hot.” Amir prepares cold brew using a higher ratio of coffee to water (1:3 or 1:4). “The result is a very concentrated extract. When you want to serve it, you need to dilute it and that’s what I like about it. Dilute it with cold milk to give you a great iced latte. In America they use half and half, which is half cream, half milk, and that would give even more texture, similar to having a flat white.” He prefers to brew a concentrate because of the different options it opens up, and its longevity, with the ability to keep it in the fridge for up to a week. For the best results “choose a single origin coffee which has a specific character, rather than a generic espresso blend. Blends can muddy the flavour and the joy of a cold brew,” Amir says. “For example, if you’re using a beautiful coffee from Kenya, you will have all those fruity notes specific to the country and region. It will taste like raspberries or some sort of red fruit. I find that more interesting.” 13 becoming increasingly prolific in both home and retail/cafe settings as consumers look to reduce the amount of sugar in their diets. “Sometimes water on its own can be a bit boring. Cold brew tea is a fabulous way to hydrate your body. My herbal tea can taste like a sweeter drink, with no sugar, so it makes a great alternative.” Thinking outside the box Ryan Moore of Blendsmiths, which crafts premium hot chocolates, chai, matcha, and superfood blends, says being creative, and thinking of new ways to prepare and present drinks traditionally associated with the colder months, can open a window for cafe operators to add value to their offering. “It’s about being able to show the versatility of hot drinks all-year- round. We’re finding a lot of people, especially younger people on social media, are using our products cold, and maybe topping themwith yoghurt, or adding fruit.” You “put the powder in a jug with milk and steam it, but you can do exactly the same process and make them cold, blending themwith ice for the most amazing iced latte, iced chocolate or iced matcha. I would say 5% of our customers are making our drinks cold, but I still get asked a lot if you can do it, and I’m like ‘yeah’!” Ryan is about to launch new drinks tapping into the cold market, based on colour, and using ingredients such as blue pea flower extract. He says it’s critical not to stand still as there’s strong demand every year for the ‘next big thing’. “With migration, and people moving around and living and travelling all over the world, there is an expectation to have something different. Consumers know their chai and matcha and turmeric lattes, and they’re looking for something exciting, and expecting to see things they’ve never had before – and that’s where these drinks come into play.” Opening later for latte Amir Montazar of Etude Coffee is excited by the way interest STOCK CHECK S P E C I A L I T Y F O O D M A G A Z I N E * 2 0 2 4 * WATERMELON & HIBISCUS COLD BREW TEAPIGS A sunshine-filled taste of the Med in a cup. Only three calories per serving, with a naturally light, sweet, fruity flavour. teapigs.co.uk COLD BREWCOFFEE CONCENTRATE UNION The expert roasters have done all the hard work for you with this double strength, 24-hour steeped cold brew, made with single-origin coffee from the Asprotimana Cooperative in Colombia. unionroasted.com CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE COLD BREWCOFFEE TRUESTART COFFEE Small batch brewed coffee, made with carefully selected Colombian Arabica beans. Bursting with chocolatey notes, but completely sugar free. truestartcoffee.com PEACH & TURMERIC KOMBUCHA SUMA An organic kombucha with a base of green tea, with added turmeric and ginseng, and the fresh, bright taste of ripe peach. suma-store.coop SUMMER OF LOVE BIRD & BLEND Ideal for cold brewing. A colourful combination of green tea, chamomile, lavender, calendula, and red and blue cornflowers. birdandblendtea.com NITRO COLD BREWMOCHA MINOR FIGURES A natural source of energy. The finest single-origin coffee, brewed for 18 hours. Dairy and sugar free, with a silky mouthfeel. minorfigures.com BEETROOT & GINGER BLEND BLENDSMITHS A bright, colourful addition to your drinks line-up, combining delicately sweet beetroot with aromatic cinnamon, star anise, ginger and black pepper. blendsmiths.com ICED OAT LATTE GRIND The brand’s signature house blend, steeped slowly in cold water and combined with oat milk for a creamy smooth, rich finish. grind.co.uk PISTACHIO, CARDAMOM, SAFFRON AND 23 CARAT GOLD DRINKING CHOCOLATE THE CHOCOLATIER An opulent, rich chocolate drink that is utterly indulgent served cooled. With edible gold, floral saffron and aromatic pistachios and cardamom. the-chocolatier.co.uk COLD BREW GROUND COFFEE NO. 9 RAVE Designed specifically for cold brewing, with nutty, chocolatey notes. One 300g pack makes 3lts of cold brew coffee ready to use in iced drinks or cocktails. ravecoffee.co.uk specialityfoodmagazine.com These brews lend themselves naturally to espresso martinis and other mixed beverages which are, says Amir, taking off in a big way. “It’s much more difficult to do a martini with a hot brew coffee, and the reason is that hot brew coffee changes character as it cools down. Very quickly your window of using it in a mixer drink is limited, and that’s the reason high-end bars prepare an espresso martini with cold brew.” He’s seeing “some really interesting things, like chocolate espresso tonic on social media, and mixologists developing more coffee-based cold drinks.” And Amir believes interest will only grow, with more cafes looking to become licensed in future, offering low and no-alcohol cold brew options. In fact, he’s so confident, he’s looking at licensing his own premises. “In a speciality coffee shop the cocktails they would serve would be very focused on the taste rather than alcohol content,” Amir says. “Because of operating times, they would be open only, I think, until 7pm or 8pm. Somewhere you can go to enjoy the afternoon and early evening with a couple of nice, interesting alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.” Amir believes the growth of premium decaf coffee options will contribute to specialist cafes serving drinks later in the day. “Decaf coffee has improved a lot. We now have really tasty speciality decaf, which is a great option to be added to mixer drinks in the evening without the caffeine to interrupt your night. From a business perspective, with a view to having longer operating times, it makes a lot of sense to apply for a license, and I think we’ll see more of that. I’m asked a lot by customers to open later!” I think it’s a great, cost-effective way of selling tea and herbal infusions, and a healthier alternative to a soft drink CANDICE MASON, MOTHER CUPPA