Cold brew vs hot pour over - I used to be team hot only until last summer

I always made hot pour overs with my Chemex every morning for years, but then a heatwave hit in July and I caved and tried cold brew for the first time. Now I'm hooked on the smoothness and can't decide if I should stick with cold or go back to hot for flavor complexity. Has anyone else made the switch and ended up regretting it or loving it more?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamieperez9d ago

Pretty much what Jason112 said about different compounds really clicked for me. I started doing both during the summer, keeping a pitcher of cold brew in the fridge for the hot days but still making my pour over on cooler mornings. Now I just switch depending on the weather and how I'm feeling that day, never felt like I had to choose one over the other.

patriciamoore9d ago

Ha, funny how that heatwave shook up your whole routine like that lol.

jason1129d ago

Read somewhere that cold brew actually extracts different compounds than hot brew because of the temperature, so it's not just about dilution. Heard a coffee scientist say hot water pulls out more of the volatile aromatic oils that give you those bright floral notes, while cold brew steeps longer and grabs more of the mellow chocolatey stuff. Personally I think both have their place, hot for mornings when you want flavor complexity and cold for afternoons when you just need something smooth without the bitterness. No regrets here, just more options now.