Cold Drip preparation
With cold drip preparation, the water drips slowly onto the coffee. This is not only relaxing to watch, but also has a noticeable effect on the taste. The long extraction process makes the coffee milder and less astringent. At the same time, fruity, floral and complex notes can develop particularly well in the coffee. Special equipment is required for cold drip. In this guide, we show you how to cold drip with the Hario Drip Tower – one of the best-known makers for this method. You can also find cool instructions online for homemade cold drip makers, such as this onewith copper pipes from Instructables. Don’t have this kind of equipment but still want to enjoy cold coffee? Then just check out our cold brew guide! With both methods, you’ll definitely get a coffee that makes you want summer!
But what is the difference between cold drip and cold brew? Here is a brief overview:
Cold Brew = Immersion
- Water and coffee are mixed together
- 12 – 24 hours
- strong, full body
- Beginner-friendly, little equipment and expertise required
Cold Drip = Pour Over
- Constant dripping on the coffee
- 2 – 6 hours
- very clean, complex, more acidity and fruit
- Particularly clear, clean, complex-tasting result
Hario Water Dripper
Step 1 Grind coffee
Coarsely grind the coffee. The ground coffee should feel like sand or granulated sugar/semolina. Add 300 ml of water to 45 g of coffee.
Pour the coffee into the coffee container. The powder should be evenly distributed, but not pressed down!
Step 2 Water
Moisten the surface of the coffee powder with water for an even extraction. Then briefly rinse the paper filter with water and place it on the coffee.
Pour the water into the water tank and set the valve to approx. 1 – 2 drops/second.
PRO tip: Always check whether the water is still running at the right speed and adjust the valve if necessary.
Step 3 Enjoy your coffee
Once all the water has flowed through, the coffee is ready to drink. As this is a slightly stronger recipe, it can be diluted as desired.
Pro tip: Customize recipes
With the cold drip methods, you can vary the grind, extraction time and amount of water to find the perfect recipe for your own taste.
The most important tip here is: start from the basic recipe, keep notes (grind, time, amount of water – taste) and adjust the variables depending on the result. It is best to change only one variable at a time, otherwise it will be difficult to determine what the change in taste is due to. So here’s a quick guide:
Water quantity
The less water on coffee, the stronger and more concentrated the bitter substances and acidity.
Basically, tap water of 5 – 8°dKH can be used. Particularly hard water is not ideal for Cold Brew, as the coffee acids are neutralized and the already somewhat lighter coffee tastes very flat as a result. It is better to use a water filter or suitable still mineral water.
Grinding degree
- coarse, sand/crystal sugar-like
- too fine: flat, stale, little acidity
- too coarse: bitter
Extraction time
- Too short: flat taste, underdeveloped
- Too long: bitter taste, astringent
Coffee for cold drip preparation
Lighter roasts are particularly suitable for cold drip preparation due to their fruity notes. Since coffee and water are in contact for a very long time, milder varieties with less acidity are recommended – which is why Arabica varieties tend to be more popular. Here are our recommendations for cold drip:
Paradise Island Inndie Beans
Vom Checker geprüft – Das ist unser Fazit:
Paradise Island von Inndie Beans ist ein milder Single Origin aus Papua Neuginea mit rescher Säure. Komplex-fruchtig mit Aromen nach Vanille, tropischen Früchten und Zitrus, gerne im Filter.
Espresso Giuseppe Caffè Gemelli
Vom Checker geprüft – Das ist unser Fazit:
Espresso Giuseppe von Caffè Gemelli ist ein typischer, italienischer Espresso mit komplexer Säure und ausgewogener Bitterkeit. Diese Eigenschaften ergeben nicht nur einen intensiven, vollmundigen Espresso, sondern auch einen kräftigen Verlängerten. Im Siebträger entfaltet Giuseppe seine ausgewogenen, dunklen Aromen nach feiner Schokolade und einem Hauch Limette.
Nice to know
„Giuseppe“ ist das italienische Pendant zu Josef – einem der Gründer von Caffè Gemelli.
PRO tip: As a test, we would simply prepare our favorite coffee as a cold drip – this is the best way to determine how the preparation brings out different characteristics of the coffee, e.g. acidity and fruitiness.
Cold drip preparation check – conclusion
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to prepare (can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks) | Slow preparation method (2-6h) |
| low acidity/bitterness | requires special makers such as the Hario Drip Tower |
| Particularly clear and fruity taste |
Incidentally, although cold drip seems like a new trend drink, cold coffee has been around since the 17th century! Dutch traveling salesmen developed the method so as not to be dependent on heat sources for preparation and to store the coffee more easily. On their travels, they brought the method to Japan, where it was perfected, and to the USA around 2010. From there, cold drip preparation came back to Europe. So cold drip not only has a special history, but also a very special taste – definitely worth a try!
