Why does everyone think cold brew is just cold coffee?

I was at my local cafe in Portland yesterday and heard three people order cold brew thinking it's just their regular coffee poured over ice. Cold brew is steeped for 12 to 24 hours and has a completely different flavor, less acidic and smoother. Am I the only one who gets annoyed when people mix up these two very different drinks?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielmason1d ago

Three people in a row ordering cold brew like it's just iced coffee? That's wild to me. Especially in Portland, where you'd think people would know better. I mean, cold brew is literally a completely different process, you know? It's like saying a steak and a hamburger are the same thing just because they both come from a cow. The 12 to 24 hour steep time is the whole point, and without that you're just getting watered down diner coffee with ice cubes in it. Honestly, it kind of hurts my soul a little bit.

the_nina1d ago

Look, I'm the kind of person who once ordered a "cold brew" at a coffee shop and they handed me a cup of hot coffee with ice thrown in, and I just said "thanks" and walked away, so maybe I'm not the best judge here. Honestly, half the time I can't even tell the difference between cold brew and just old coffee that's been sitting out, so I'm probably drinking the wrong thing anyway. But yeah, I get what you mean about the process thing. I guess some people just want cold caffeine without caring how it got there, kind of like how I'll eat a burger from a gas station and call it a steak dinner.