A great wake-me-up choco-mint cold brew coffee, with homemade mint syrup and dark chocolate ganache. This is the ultimate summer coffee drink to keep you chilled all summer long. Simple to make with a hint of mint and chocolate and a splash of coconut milk.
Cold brew coffee is more than just cold coffee. This classic coffee alternative is perfect all summer long, but enjoyable in winter, too. Cold brew coffee is a treat for the whole year. But what is cold brew coffee? Cold brew coffee is a refreshing caffeine drink. In contrast to classic ice coffee, instead of being cooked the coffee is extracted from cold water.
In terms of taste, there is a difference between cold brew coffee and classic coffee. This is mainly because of the significantly longer “brewing” or steeping of the coffee. The longer the coffee is in contact with water, the more aroma is extracted. A perfect “brewing” time should be 8-12 hours. Which is obviously longer than preparing a normal coffee.
I used to be a big coffee lover. Then, I got a click and I gave up on it. Now, I must say, I found my new ultimate caffeine drink. I love cold brew coffee. I’ve read and heard about it. And then I’ve tried it. It was a light cold brew coffee with lemon. So good. At the same time, I got a task in school to create two summer drinks (one with coffee and one with tea). As a result, I put together this cold brew coffee with mint, dark chocolate and coconut.
Mint and chocolate? And then also coffee and coconut? Oh my. Yes. This might not sound like a match made in heaven, BUT trust me on this. The flavours pair amazingly together.
More, mint and chocolate are a great combo. Think of After Eight chocolates. Firstly, I made my own mint syrup. It is super easy and quick to make. Water, sugar and a mountain of fresh mint leaves is all you need. Despite the amount of mint, the minty note is mild but present and it is not overpowering the coffee flavour. Also, the syrup is sweet but not too sweet. You can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Secondly, regarding choco ganache, well I simply think it tastes better than “plain” chocolate. Wink. And, it melts nicely and slowly, even in a cold drink. Consequently, it makes the coffee sweet and chocolatey. Yummy!
Make your own cold brew coffee
Cold brew coffee has plenty of advantages. One, you can regulate the strength of coffee, by diluting it with more water (the opposite to this coffee rush Dalgona coffee). Two, it has a long shelf life. You can store the cold brew coffee easily for up to 10 days. Three, it’s a wonderful cold coffee-to-go, which tastes sweeter and smoother.
But the biggest positive point is its low acidity. In fact, there’s more than 60 per cent less acidic than in normal coffee. All because the coffee beans are exposed to cold instead of hot water. Therefore, those of you, who have stomach problems after drinking coffee, should definitely try cold brew coffee.
There are also disadvantages, such as long brewing time (8-15 hours) and the coffee is cold. Yes, that’s it. Wink. It’s all worth waiting. Well, you are actually sleeping while the coffee is steeping. Therefore, you can say, there are no disadvantages at all. Right?
Ingredients for 1 glass of choco-mint cold brew coffee:
- 200 ml cold brew coffee
- ice cubes
- 2-3 tsp of chocolate ganache
- 2 Tbsp of mint syrup
- 3-4 tsp of coconut milk or cream
Ingredients for ca 1 liter of cold brew coffee:
- 1 l cold water
- 100 g coffee (coarsely grounded coffee beans)
- a piece of cheesecloth
Ingredients for a glass of homemade mint syrup:
- 250 ml water
- 150 g sugar
- a bunch of fresh mint
Ingredients for one glass of chocolate ganache:
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 100 ml whipping cream (full fat, not whipped)
To begin, pop the grounded coffee beans in a glass pitcher, add the cold water, stir, cover and let it steep at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.
Then, prepare the mint syrup. In a smaller saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a light boil. Add the fresh mint leaves and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. At this point, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. Once the syrup is cool, strain it out into a glass jar and store it in the fridge.
Next, chop the dark chocolate and heat the cream. Put the chocolate in a small bowl. After the cream gets hot, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then, stir from the middle towards outside until melted and well combined. Leave it in the bowl or pour it into a glass and store it in the fridge.
After the coffee has been steeping the whole night, pour it through a filter (I used a cheesecloth) into another pitcher. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use and for up to ten days.
Finally, add some of the chocolate ganache inside the walls of a glass (or simply at the bottom of the glass), fill the glass with ice cubes and add the minty syrup. Last but not least, add the cold brew coffee, a splash of coconut milk or cream and top with some fresh mint.
This choco-mint cold brew coffee is an amazingly refreshing drink and a great wake-me-up to enjoy every morning.
Enjoy!
