There are several factors to consider when choosing the best coffee beans for cold brew. One important factor is the roast level. It is generally recommended to use a medium to dark roast for cold brew as these roasts have a richer and bolder flavor that can hold up well in a cold brew. This is because dark roasts are less bitter, and a coarse grind reduces the surface area in the brewing process. Light roasts tend to be more acidic and have a brighter flavor profile, which can be overwhelming.

To make cold brew coffee, it’s important to use a coarse grind of coffee. This is because a coarse grind allows the flavors to be extracted more slowly, which results in a smoother, less bitter final product. It also has a lower surface area than coffee of a finer grind, which will reduce over-extraction & bitterness.

A coarse grind is similar to a French press grind and larger than you would use for a typical drip coffee maker. It’s important not to use finely ground coffee for cold brew because it will result in over-extraction and bitter coffee. Not to mention, coarse coffee is a lot easier to grind and filter.

Best Beans For Cold Brew

1: Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee, Strong & Smooth Blend, Low Acid

Stone Street Coffee is our go to pick because they bring a dark roast that is specifically coarsely ground for cold brew. Made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, this dark roast Colombian supremo is some of the largest and highest quality beans from Colombia. Freshly roasted in Brooklyn, New York this coffee brings smooth and consistent flavor that is also low in acidity and bitterness. Definitely some of the best coffee for cold brew coffee.

Perfected for cold brew
Balanced flavor
Low Acid

2: Papua New Guinea Dark Roast Coffee Reserve

Sourced from Papua New Guinea is this complex Dark Roast Reserve with pungent mango and papaya fruitiness in a very clean full-bodied coffee. With an incredible aroma, the reserve is sweet and floral. Other flavor notes include toffee, lemon, brown sugar, and molasses. Volcanica prides itself on their roasting facilities in Atlanta Georgia, which roasts the coffee and quickly seals it for shipping generally within one business day. This ensures the freshest coffee arriving to your doorstep, and makes the cold brew that much better. This coffee is certified Kosher and one of the best coffee beans for cold brew.

Dark roast
Sweet & Floral
Toffee, lemon, brown sugar, molasses
Roasted in the USA
Fair trade certified
Certified Kosher

3: Peet’s Luminosa Breakfast Blend

This Luminosa Breakfast Blend is one of Peet’s lightest and brightest roasts that comes from Colombia and Ethiopia. The Colombian flavors include a subtle sweetness while the Ethiopian floral aromatics bring together a delicious signature blend.

These beans are known for their smooth flavor and sweet character. Other flavor notes include passion flower, stone fruit, and cacao. While you can get this coffee ground however you like, we recommend using either a manual burr grinder or an automatic burr grinder for consistently coarse grinding.

Excellent light roast bean
Passion flower, stone fruit, cacao flavor notes
Breakfast blend makes for an excellent cold brew

4: Peet’s Uzuri African Blend

From East Africa, Peet’s brings the Uzuri African Blend, a Dark Roasted coffee with flavor notes of orange blossom, and black cherry. These are the best coffee beans for cold brew because of the silky smooth body gives this coffee an exquisite and juicy flavor. Using the washed-process, you can rest easy that you’re getting the freshest coffee possible from Peet’s. With different grind options on their site, we recommend buying the whole beans and grinding them with either a manual burr grinder or an automatic burr grinder for consistency. This will help lock in the flavor of the bean until the last moment, and thus preserve the flavor for your cold brew. They roast this coffee 5 days a week, it’s sealed immediately after roasting, and it ships out directly to your doorstep so there is no middle man or warehouse time.

Signature blend
East African
Washed process
Helps small-scale farmers

5: Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee

Bizzy organic cold brew coffee is another top choice when it comes to cold brew coffee. Medium roasted, coarsely ground, sustainably sourced, Bizzy brings smooth and sweet to the forefront with notes of caramel and hazelnut. Bizzy coffee is made up of 100% Arabica coffee beans that are sourced from organic farms in Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua. The coffee is also certified organic and non-GMO, making it an appealing option for health-conscious coffee drinkers.

100% organic
Coarse ground
Overwhelmingly positive taste in reviews

6: Tiny Footprint Coffee Organic Cold Brew

Tiny Footprint Coffee’s Organic Cold Brew is a unique coffee product that not only provides a great coffee experience but also has a positive impact on the environment. The company claims that it is “carbon negative,” meaning that it actively removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus reducing its carbon footprint.

Tiny Footprint Coffee Organic Cold Brew is made from 100% certified organic and fair trade coffee beans, which are carefully selected and roasted to perfection. The coffee is also packaged in compostable and biodegradable packaging, further reducing its environmental impact.

Their coffee is silky, sweet, with bright fruit and floral tones with a cocoa body, this coffee is made to please! Medium roast this coffee is shade grown using 100% Arabica coffee beans.

Certified organic
Course grind for the perfect cold brew
Well liked

7: Stone Cold Jo Cold Brew

Stone Cold Jo is a fair trade & USDA organic certified silky smooth dark roast made from high-quality, carefully selected Arabica coffee beans that are roasted to a medium-dark roast to bring out the coffee’s natural sweetness and smoothness. This blend is designed to create a rich, flavorful cold brew coffee with a low acidity and a smooth, velvety finish.

Non-GMO, this coffee is naturally low acid, and ground coarsely so it’s perfect for your next cold brew. With notes of toffee caramel and chocolate grape you’ll know you’re getting a great bean from a good source while supporting a small business.

Organic, non-GMO, Kosher
Unique flavor

8: Inspired Coffee Co Cold Brew (Salted Caramel)

The Inspired Coffee Co Salted Caramel Cold Brew Coffee is made from high-quality, carefully selected Arabica coffee beans that are roasted to perfection and combined with natural caramel and salt flavors. The result is a delicious and smooth cold brew coffee with a sweet and buttery caramel finish and a hint of salt to balance out the sweetness.

This flavored coffee blend is a great option for coffee drinkers who are looking for a sweet and indulgent coffee experience. The salted caramel flavor adds a unique twist to the traditional cold brew coffee, making it a perfect treat for those who enjoy sweet and creamy flavors.

What Is Cold Brew Concentrate?

Cold brew concentrate is a strong, highly-concentrated coffee that is made by steeping ground coffee beans in cold water for an extended period of time, typically between 12-24 hours. The resulting brew is then strained to remove the grounds, resulting in a concentrated coffee that is smooth, rich, and full-bodied with low acidity.

One of the benefits of cold brew concentrate is that it has a longer shelf life than regular brewed coffee, as it is less prone to going stale due to the lack of heat used in the brewing process. Cold brew concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.

Why Cold Brew?

First off, let’s talk about why cold brew has a special place in my heart—and on our menu. Cold brew is more than just coffee; it’s a labor of love. It takes time, patience, and the right beans to get that smooth, low-acidic cup that you can’t help but savor. Plus, you get to experience coffee flavors in a whole new way.

The Best Grinder For Cold Brew

The best grinder for any coffee is going to be adjustable depending on the size of the grind you need. This is why we don’t generally recommend blade grinders, because they are essentially blenders that chop the beans into an inconsistent size. A Burr grinder is going to give a consistent grind because it uses two either stainless steel or ceramic disks that adjust their distance for a consistent grind size. We recommend either this manual grinder or the Ode Brew Grinder.

WE RECOMMEND: Ode Burr Brew Grinder

Conclusion

Finding the best coffee beans for cold brew can take time and require some trial and error because different types of coffee beans have different flavor profiles that can affect the taste of the cold brew. I encourage trying different coffees to see what types and flavors appeal best to you. As cold brew coffee involves so little in preparation, it’s easy to experiment with to figure this out. This can be a time-consuming process, but it can ultimately lead to a more satisfying cold brew experience.

Overall, using coarsely ground coffee in cold brew is beneficial because it leads to a smoother, less bitter and more balanced final product. This is because a coarse grind minimizes the surface area of the coffee grounds that come into contact with the water, which can help prevent over-extraction and result in a smoother, less bitter cold brew. The slower extraction process helps to extract the coffee’s flavors more gently, and the large grind size reduces the amount of sediment in the final brew and gives you more control over the strength of your cold brew coffee.