March 28, 2024

The Top 10 Cold Brews Of 2013

I don’t drink craft beers. I’m straight edge. I don’t drink tea. I can’t stand the taste. But I love coffee and novelty beverages. To me, cold brew coffee began in the novelty beverage department. I’d been a diehard espresso drink (with soy) for years when I stumbled across cold brew a year or two back. But this was the year that the dam broke open. This was the year the cold brew really made a splash in the US. So without further ado (and yes, I know this isn’t exactly your typical vegan fare, I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I do), here’s the top 10 homemade brews and bottled cold brews.

Homemade Cold Brew

First, my setups. I have two current methods currently. I have a Toddy system and a Hario Mizudashi system (not even sure if that’s the manufacturer or the system name. All the directions are in Japanese). When I get the beans ground by a pro, I use the toddy. When I want a smaller batch, or a fresh grind, I use my burr grinder and the Hario. Now the list.

  1. Birch Coffee Cold Brew – This was seriously delicious. The best I had all year, hands down.
  2. Stumptown Hair Bender
  3. Reanimator Indonesia
  4. Green Street Coffee Roasters Mexicat
  5. Sightglass Banner Dark
  6. Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend – don’t laugh. This makes an amazing cold brew in the Toddy
  7. Gracenote Kenya Githemebe
  8. Karma Coffee Ethiopian Sidamo
  9. Trader Joe’s Ltd Peaberry From Ethiopia – again, don’t scoff. Coffee snobs can hang with this one too

Bottled or Prepared Cold Brew

  1. Slingshot Cold Brew
  2. La Colombe Pure Black
  3. Chameleon Coffee – Original Cold-Brew
  4. Stumptown Stubby
  5. Grady’s Cold Brew
  6. Coffee By Design Rebel Brew – traditional cold brew. Straight out of Portland! Maine, that is. Love this shop, love these beans. Tasty, rich brew.
  7. George Howell Coffee – La Bella from Guatemala
  8. Haute Coffee Burundi – hot bloom
  9. Secret Squirrel Cold Brew. I wasn’t actually over the moon over this product. Maybe my batch was stale, I don’t know. But it didn’t floor me. It was rather flat.

Bottles & Roasters I will Track Down in 2014

  1. Chilmark Coffee Cold Brew. Only problem? You can only buy it on Martha’s Vineyard. Looks like I’ll need to take a ferry ride soon.
  2. Gorilla Coffee Cold Brew tetrapack
  3. Barefoot Coffee Roasters Cold Brew
  4. Timeless Coffee – You will be mine!

2 thoughts on “The Top 10 Cold Brews Of 2013

  1. this is an honest question, if someone is straightedge, then wouldn’t caffeine be considered a stimulant? if you are staying clear of even things like aspirin, then i feel caffeine shouldn’t’ be exempt as a mind altering substance, even thought the altering is minimum to unnoticeable in most cases.

    1. Straight edge, to me, is about making rational, clear minded choices. Caffeine does not cloud my vision, nor fog my mind. Neither does aspirin.

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