It’s impossible to ignore the cold brew and it’s even harder to dismiss its new-wave variants. Flavoured cold brews are big crowd-pleasers, Asian varieties, boozy cold brews, concentrated versions have also found many takers. An efficient alternative to the unpredictable hot coffee (that changes taste at different temperatures), cold brew is not just more adaptable but its overall stability makes it easier to be sold as a pre-bottled, ready-to-drink order or to store its nitrogenised versions as tapped coffee.
Cold brews usually taste less acidic than a regular cold or iced coffee making it more pairable with dairy, and thus a more versatile brunch option. Most emerging cafes in Kolkata have an entire segment dedicated to its many cold brews, while some joints have signature blends that they are known for. Here are some of the most sought-after novelty cold brews in the city:
Classic roasts at Blue Tokai
Blue Tokai usually brings in flavoured varieties such as vanilla cold brew or cascara for their limited-time, seasonal menus. Their regular menu offers a fruity light roast and a nutty bold roast, the latter being ideal for dairy users.
The light roast uses a blend of 70% Seethargundu Estate coffee beans and 30% Varadymullai Estate beans, while the bold roast uses 70% Baarbara Estate beans. Blue Tokai’s nitrogen-flushed, single-serve cold brew bags are also widely loved and are available for purchase virtually and at their outlets.
Alt milk-friendly brews at Sienna Store & Cafe
Sienna’s cold brews use single-origin ground arabica coffee steeped in cold water for several hours. Their menu has a classic cold brew, and two other options served with vanilla milk and hazelnut milk; plant-based milk varieties are better suited to cold brews than traditional dairy considering their overall subtlety.
Nitro cold brew at 8th Day Cafe & Bakery
8th Day Cafe introduced the nitro cold brew in 2017. It’s basically cold brew coffee that is infused with nitrogen through a pressurised valve; the tiny nitrogen bubbles give the coffee its signature velvety finish, along with a creamier density, and a robust after-taste. 8th Day also offers a classic cold brew and a quirky spiced cold brew.
Sweet and sour cold brews at Starbucks
Starbucks was of course a first mover in the cold brew market and the current menu offers four distinct slow-steeped, flavoured brews. The Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is by far the most popular owing to its balanced profile and is topped with a house-made vanilla sweet cream. The artisanal Cold Brew Black may not be for everyone; the stark, unsweetened brew is steeped for 48 hours and uses the Starbucks Kenya coffee.
Starbucks also offers a Citrus Cold Brew (hint of lemonade and ruby grapefruit), a Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew and a Vietnamese Cold Brew (a take on the beloved Vietnamese Iced Coffee).
Fruity cold brews at Marbella
Marbella is all for tropical flavours and along with vanilla, lemonade and ice cream soda blend, the joint is serving passionfruit and tender coconut-infused cold brews. The sangria cold brew is infused with seasonal fruits and juices. The Marbella X Jigsaw Coffee collaborative line offers overnight brews made with 100% single origin arabica and are available in bottles.
Cold brew cascara at Roastery Coffee House
Roastery’s cascara cold brews have found popularity in Kolkata; the cinnamon, pomegranate and apple cider cascaras are made with the sun-dried husk of coffee cherry brewed in cold water and fruit for 24 hours. Roastery also offers coconut and guava varieties along with drip and immersion cold brews that are steeped for 16-18 hours for achieving a clean finish and mild acidity.
Roastery also sells the widely popular Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot which allows even concentration, a perfectly smooth blend and a small spout for controlled pouring (available on their website).
