Cold Brew Chicory Iced Coffee

New Orleans-style cold coffee is made from roasted chicory coffee and is one of my favorite summertime drinks! It’s super refreshing, and you can easily have one made whenever you crave it! One of my rituals in the morning is to enjoy a cup of black coffee! Ever since I was 15, I have enjoyed a cup of coffee every day. Now I don’t remember a single day passing where I didn’t have coffee! 

I was introduced to New Orleans Chicory Coffee while my staff and I were training at Blue Bottle Headquarters roastery in San Francisco. I was in the process of changing the coffee that I served at the Cafe, and Bluebottle was still new. At the time, everyone was crazy about the new Pour Over Method, and I was committed to serving my customer the best! 

What is New Orleans Coffee? 

New Orleans-style coffee is a cold brew made with roasted chicory. The chicory gives the coffee beans a unique sweetness that complements the rich flavor of the coffee. New Orleans Coffee is made by steeping the coffee beans in cold filtered water for 12 hours. 

What is Chicory?

Chicory is a root of a blue flowering perennial plant cultivated for thousands of years! It was used on its own in tea or medicinal remedies! Some sources believe that the coffee chicory mixture began in Holland! During the American Civil war, Louisianans added chicory root to their coffee to stretch out the supply of coffee. Now, it has become a super popular coffee for the summer.  

What to Add to Cold Brew?

Of course, you can always enjoy the coffee black and just add some ice. This is the healthiest option as it has low calories and no sugar. But of course, not everyone can stomach black coffee. So if you want to make it sweet and creamy, you can add simple syrup and some cream. You can use any creamer you want, including heavy cream, almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk. If you want to skip the creamer, you can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to get the desired milky consistency. 

Is Cold Coffee Stronger Than Regular Hot Coffee?

Cold brews tend to use more coffee beans than other kinds of coffee, but that doesn’t necessarily make it stronger. Compared to hot coffee, cold brew has slightly less caffeine. This is because cold water is unable to extract as much caffeine as hot water. While a 16 oz serving of cold brew would have around 205 mg of caffeine, a 16oz cup of hot coffee would have around 210-360 mg of caffeine. If you are looking for a highly caffeinated drink to keep you up, hot coffee is definitely the way to go. 

Tips for The Best Results

• Start with good coffee beans that you can ground yourself coarsely as if making a French press. You can use any kind of dark roast – it is entirely up to your preferences.  
• Use cold filtered water for the best results.  
• Be patient when you steep the coffee. Chicory takes a long time to step, it takes up to 12 hours.  
• use a scale to weigh the coffee and chicory. The measurements are by weight, not volume
• use a fine mesh to filter the coffee concenter into a jar, I used a nut milk bag, and it worked perfectly 
• The thump-up rule is to mix equal amounts of coffee mixture with the cream, but you could adjust it to be however you like. It’s your drink! 
• To make the coffee last longer, keep the simple syrup and the cream separate. Then add it in when you are ready to enjoy a refreshing cup of cold brew!