Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee Acidity Busting Myths

Cold brew vs. iced coffee is the difference in acidity. There is no boiling down in cold brew to help boil it down for your remembrance when you’re confronted on a menu coffee board.

And I break it down even further below. 👇

But first, here is an example of a cold brew (served ice cold) infused with refreshing mint that goes down cooling your body and benefits you and your body ache symptoms. Recipe is below 🌱

But first things first, you probably still may not know what acidity difference makes between cold brew vs. iced coffee when you’re ordering.

If acidity is a concern for you like many people 🙋🏻‍♀️ and you avoid coffee, then maybe this’ll change your mind, and you and your body 😊  can enjoy a cold brew coffee with ice like I do on a warm sticky day… that has added ice at the end.

And that serving is different than iced coffee on most coffee menu boards that is made from regular (warm brew) coffee.

…Can sound a bit like semantics, but it’s not as complicated as it sounds!

And in my life and when sharing with others, I like to break things down to simplicity…

So basically in cold brew vs. iced coffee, the acidity difference boils down to the process… it’s in and is the process.

…And that’s all you really need to know and remember the next time you have a coffee decision to make. ☕️

There’s no boiling or heat in cold brew (that remember is the process).

So when you make or order a cold brew coffee, you’re getting less chlorogenic acid in your drink cup that’s an antioxidant (🎉).

But the catch is, that’s where the acidity is high.

…So it’s only not-so-good if acidity bothers you and your body.

If it does, then it’s a double edged sword. Otherwise plain regular warm caffeinated coffee is plant-based 🌱 good for the body.

Lucky for us coffee drinkers. 🍀

And how this works is…

In warm brewed coffee, the heat tends to bring out the acidity.

And in the cold brew (process) there is no heat… (except it’s fired up ☄️in today’s popularity).

In a regular warm brewed coffee cup made from coffeemakers (like you’ve probably seen poured in orange rimmed coffee pots at diners)… those grounds could be made from the same grinds as in a cold brew coffee cup, but you’re getting more overall acidity.

And it’s not just the warm-ing vs. cold process…

The coffee roast matters too.

…Makes sense intuitively.

Some coffees are more acidic than others.

But what doesn’t make sense is…

Myth #1: that you can taste different types of acids.

Because we can’t really pick those up with our taste buds.

And coffee has many acid types…

There’s acetic, lactic, quinic, gluconic, malic and citric acid to name some.

In a light roast coffee study, the research shows that citric acid is the only one distinguishable to the human tongue… where Brazil coffee was stronger in citric acid than the Bolivian and Kenyan coffee roasts to the same taste testers.

So what does this mean for you?

Besides cold brew vs. iced coffee, picking the right roast matters for acidity.

And it’s still not what you’d naturally think…

Ahh, this second myth is interesting too…

A dark roast can be less acidic than a light roast.

When I’m out drinking coffee, I order a dark roast that has less chlorogenic, malic, and citric acids than the lighter kind.

A dark roast at Starbucks suits me and my acidic self fine. 😊

…Even though the Blonde light roasts may sound like they are less acidic.

But light doesn’t mean less acidic.

If you tend to get heartburn or have a sensitive coffee stomach where you need food to cushion before drinking 🙋🏻‍♀️, then a dark cold brew could be your best choice.

And if it’s hot out or you’re feeling hot (Pitta 😡), add some ice!

…Where cubes are added at the end 🧊

At home a neat trick is to make coffee ice cubes so you don’t get watered down coffee.

You can use traditional ice cube trays, but a fun way is to add coffee to a coffee cup and then freeze the cup for an hour or two.

From the frozen coffee, you’ll get icicle shavings with scraping from a silverware utensil.

You can add those icicle shavings to your coffee that won’t be like the big clumsy ice cubes that almost always end up sliding down your cold brew coffee glass with coffee running down your face. 😁

And at home, my morning routine is making fresh organic cold brew coffee to eliminate the acidity factor especially good before I’ve had food in my stomach. Maybe you have sensitive stomach too? 

That’s how my cold brew coffee journey started… I learned to make my first batch of cold brew in Florence, Italy where mind you, delicious (acidic) coffee ☕️ is on every corner.

I saved my 1 euro coins and from that day on haven’t stopped my new calming morning cold brew practice. 🧡

Since then, I’ve learned a trick or two…

Like… these days, I use organic ground coffee mostly that’s generally even less acidic.

And when you add the tips above, you get a much lower acidic coffee.

So when you put all the smarts together, you can make and drink organic dark roast cold brew.

And what I love most about a morning cold brew coffee is that you can mix in flavors without the heat changing the flavor profile.

…Like the mint cold brew coffee ingredients below

Or… for a fruity twist you can add fruity flavors like peach that’s one mellow smooth coffee flavor.

That will give a fragrant note, and pleasant-light sweet taste instead of a bitter coffee after taste.

…I think it would make a light perfume to wear good for sticky days 💭

And on other idea notes… if you have extra peaches, you can also make refreshing fresh peach juice.

Another good cold brew  drinking juice idea is a watermelon coffee idea you can sip on…  that goes really well on a warmish afternoon like iced tea.

That’s the only good coffee watered down I’d recommend. 🍉 And an even better idea, add mint to your watermelon coffee or make a pure mint iced cold brew coffee like this one here.