It comes from America, but it has nothing to do with American coffee, and it is tasted cold, like a drink. It is cold brew, the coffee extracted with a process that varies from 5 up to 24 hours and which made its way through the summer. AND promises to conquer autumn too.
Fresco, less bitter than espresso and to be flavored to taste, perfect on its own or as a base for drinks and aperitifs, cold brew (also known as cold press or toddy coffee) is proposed by a ever-increasing number of venues, at higher prices than the classic cup (between 2,5 and 4 euros).
WHERE YOU FIND IT
A Milan there is the Italo-Brazilian coffee roasting company Cafezal which uses strictly “specialty” blends (single origin and sustainable). TO Palermo the Vabres pastry shop combines cassatina with its cold brew certified by the Specialty Coffee Association. For "slow" tastings a Rome there is the Torrefazione Faro, while the Orso Laboratorio Caffè di Torino specializes in particular extraction methods and the Artisan Company of Firenze even sells the machines to prepare it online .
E Illy clubs are located all over the country offering a long list of cold brews on tap, ranging from Coconut Mojito Cold Brew to vegan Fresco Veg.
HOW IT IS OBTAINED
But the cold brew you can also find it in the bottle to sip when and where you want: it is offered by Hausbrandt, Caffè Vergnano and Nespresso, with two limited editions: Salento Inspiration and Shakerato Inspiration.
Don't imagine, however, the usual shaken coffee or Salento ice coffee. Cold brew is not obtained by cooling a hot espresso, but by filtering the liquid from the coffee powder with a very long cold dripping process (the bars prepare it the night before).
To do it Toddy is used, a column machine with three containers: above there is the one for cold water and ice, in the center the one for the ground coffee with filters and valves that regulate the dripping speed and underneath a jug of about one liter that collects the drink. The coffee is crossed by water one drop at a time.
THE OPINION OF THE NUTRITIONIST
“Thanks to the cold process all aromas (even the most delicate ones) they are exalted, ”explains the doctor Diana Scatozza, specialist in food science. "Furthermore some fatty acids are preserved which in the hot version are lost ".
That's why cold coffee it is very fragrant and less bitter than the hot one. “And it is also less acidic, which is very good for the teeth, which are not attacked. The important thing, however, is not to abuse it: by drinking larger quantities than the classic espresso cup, you risk taking more caffeine without realizing it ".
The cold brew, then, has another advantage: "It retains its flavor and qualities longer, so you can keep it in the refrigerator and consume even after two or three days ", concludes the expert.
