Automatic Merchandiser

SEP 2015

Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.

Issue link: http://automaticmerchandiser.epubxp.com/i/571501

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 11 of 47

old brew continues to be a popu- lar drink among consumers. At retail coffee shops, cold brew has been a way to slow the seasonal decline brought on by warm weather. Peet's Coffee & Tea, one of the nation's biggest coffee chains, claims cold brew beat last year's iced coffee sales by as much as 70 percent. Even equipment supplier BUNN is talking about cold brew sales, citing research that over- all cold brew coffee consumption has increased 5 percent over the last two years and is now 20 percent of non- hot coffee orders at coffeehouses. It has made its entrance into offce coffee service (OCS) as well with kegs being delivered to offces across the U.S. In this year's SOCI, 25 percent of respondents indicated that cold brew was part of their OCS line up of products and services. While cold brew is a trendy offer- ing, there are some considerations with preparing and handling this type of drink on a large scale. True- brew Outftters, an OCS and vending company in the Chicago, IL, area, has been offering cold brew for more than a year and developed an inter- nal process of delivering it to custom- ers. According to the company's chief operating offcer Jim Carbone, the frst concern about cold brew is pasteuri- zation. Homemade and locally made cold brew will typically last seven to 10 days. A roaster working with brewers with coffee in pony kegs can gener- ally stretch the shelf life of cold brew upwards to around 30 days. With the addition of pasteurization of the coffee, the expiration date is around 90 days. Cold temperatures are a must Another consideration is maintain- ing a constant, cool temperature dur- ing storage and delivery, indicated Carbone. If the cold brew gets warm, it can have a bitter or sour taste. Additionally, if a nitro infused cold brew gets warm, the liquid and nitrogen begin to separate and the nitro brew loses its creamy, smooth texture. The idea of adding nitro to cold brew is an even more recent trend that produces a chocolatey-creamy smooth beverage. Actually, all kegged cold brew is pressurized with nitrogen, says Carbone. All cold brew whether regular, single origin or nitro is pushed with nitrogen to force the liquid out of the keg. The difference with nitrogen infused coffee, sometimes called nitro brew, is that it is infused with nitro- gen prior to being pressurized in the keg. When the nitro brew is poured into the glass you can see the nitrogen and liquid separate causing a beautiful cascade. This is best seen in a wine glass. The nitro brew also requires an aerating tap faucet. This is the faucet that has a long black piece where the liquid is dispensed. The purpose of this faucet is to cause the liquid to pass through at a higher rate to help create the creamy top. Large batches need professional prep The last consideration is consistency. There are lots of variables that go into a batch of cold brew coffee. The grind, steep and dilution percentages all affect the taste. According to Car- bone, it takes professional and scien- tifc attention to detail and process to ensure a uniform product with a taste the customer can count on. C Should You Offer Cold Brew Coffee? By Emily Refermat, Editor Cold brew is heating up coffee sales during the warm season, but operators need to consider how to lengthen shelf-life and ensure consistent taste if they want to add it to their OCS product line. Cold brew: A coffee drink made by steeping ground cof- fee beans in room-temperature water for between 12- 24 hours. It is usually served black in a glass (with or without ice) or nitrogen-infused from a keg. Cold brew can also be an ingredient in iced coffee beverages. iStock 12 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com September 2015 O C S U P D A T E

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Automatic Merchandiser - SEP 2015