Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
Why we choose cold brew over iced coffee
If you’ve ever come to Tala looking to order an iced coffee, you were likely met with something along the lines of, “Unfortunately, we don’t carry iced coffee. Is cold brew okay?” At Tala, we empathize with the fact that having to change up your daily order can be jarring. But if you enjoy your coffee cold and black, we believe we're doing you a favor with our singular option.
Traditionally, iced coffee is brewed normally and then served chilled, over ice. In many coffee shops, it's common practice to brew it at a higher strength to compensate for the melting ice. If Tala were to serve iced coffee, for example, we would likely brew a full batch of ground Ruca with a half batch of water and then dilute it with ice. While the result would still be a delicious and refreshing beverage, it wouldn’t fully showcase the sweet, caramel flavors that we know and love in our Tala beans. That’s where we bring in cold brew.
What is Cold Brew?
Cold brew is made by steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in chilled water for an extended period, often between 12 to 24 hours. Usually this process is done in a Toddy or similar cold brewing systems. Afterward, paper filters are used to extract the grounds from the concentrate, resulting in a beverage with both more caffeine and less acidity. This is because beans contain fatty acids, oils, and caffeine that dissolve more readily at higher temperatures. As a result, cold brew has a significantly different taste, and we believe that difference is everything when it comes to enjoying your cold coffee experience.
At Tala, you may have noticed our keg tap handles labeled Cannonball (our traditional cold brew), Nitro, and Fancy Water. Beneath them, we have a cold brew keg connected to a nitrogen tank, which "charges" the beverage as it is pulled, creating our nitro cold brew. The key difference with nitrogen-infused cold brew is its smoother, richer texture. Small nitrogen bubbles create a cream-like flavor, making it a perfect alternative for those looking to cut back on dairy. To preserve its structure, nitro is served without ice, which also means it contains more caffeine per ounce when served.
(And for those wondering, fancy water is carbonated water, charged with C02; we’ve got a whole science lab back here!)
The goal of cold brew is to highlight the sweet, beautiful flavors roasted into our beans without diluting them for the sake of chilling. We hope this bit of information helps ease the disappointment of all the iced coffee lovers out there and encourages you to give our cold brew a try. We look forward to seeing you on the other side of the counter!
Mel Kreppein
Meet Mel, a Gurnee native that has a passion for people, planet, and coffee. Crafting at the Libertyville cafe, she spends her free time going on walks, doing art, and hanging out with her cat Prudence.