Take a break from hot cuppas and make your own cold brew

After walking in the sveltering sun from Lower Parel station to Mathuradas Mill Compound, we manage to reach ahead of time. We are at a cafe to meet Ashish D'Abreo, founder-partner at flyingsquirrel.in. For the past four years, their Bengaluru-based artisanal coffee brand has sold homegrown, roasted coffee from their farms in Pollibetta, Karnataka, online.

Ashish D'Abreo

He's in Mumbai with a bag of tools to put his latest summer cold brew coffee - which is a blend of Honey Sun Dried Arabica and some Arabica Peaberry amongst other beans - to use. He opens his wares and sets the table with a pour-over glass, a paper filter, a jug of cold water, a pack of summer brew coffee from their latest collection. "You can do a cold brew with any coffee powder. Ensure the ground size is a few notches finer than French press," he says.
D'Abreo takes us through the steps:

• Take a litre of cold water in a glass container. (Try not to use metal as it can impart a steely taste to the water).
• Add 250 grams of coffee powder and stir it well. Refrigerate for 14 hours. Your coffee is going to give out carbon dioxide within the first hour, and it will form a crust on top which you can release with a quick stir.
• If you have a pour-over set up (pictured) use it. Clean out the filter (paper) every time it fills up, wash it and place it back on the pour-over to continue filtering. Another option is to use a muslin cloth. Placed it over the jug, tie a rubber band around it. Don't force the coffee though; let it filter with gravity only.

Once done, the coffee concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week. D'Abreo takes a glass and tops it with ice, and pours the cold brew over it. We take a small sip expecting a bitter shock, but the coffee is chilled, and leaves a sweet aftertaste. "You could add sugar if you like. People even flavour it with coconut milk, condensed milk, chocolate and even add fruit flavours."