Cold Brew vs. Cold Drip: The Difference
Cold extracted: soft or lively?
A glass with ice on the balcony, the coffee set up overnight in the fridge: cold-extracted coffee tastes different — milder, sweeter, less acidity-driven. But cold brew and cold drip are not the same thing. Play through here how method, ratio, grind size, time and roast shape the result.
The sliders: method (cold brew or cold drip), coffee in grams, ratio (grams of water per gram of coffee), grind size on a scale without a unit, time in hours as an ingredient of your recipe, roast medium or dark.
The results: EstimateIndicators from 0 to 100 out of our model — not measured values. «Caffeine» is not a content in milligrams but the progress of extraction.
The basis: two measured studies on cold extraction (Fuller & Rao), plus set time curves and weights. No guarantee — details right underneath the tool.
In more detail: sliders, model and sources
The sliders in detail: Method is a switch between cold brew (immersion: the coffee sits in the water) and cold drip (percolation: water drips through). Coffee 20–200 g. Ratio runs from 1:4 to 1:16 in half steps and means grams of water per gram of coffee — at 60 g and 1:8 that is 480 g of water, and the tool works it out for you next to it. Grind size is a relative scale from coarse to fine without a unit: no micrometres. Time has a real unit: 2 to 24 hours. The slider ends at 24 h, and that is deliberate — 24 h is also the upper end of what we recommend (12 to 24 h). Time here is an ingredient of your recipe, not a target: with immersion you decide when to filter; with cold drip you set how long it takes via the drip rate. Roast knows only two levels, medium and dark; there is no light roast in this tool.
The results in detail: Strength, acidity, body, aromatics and caffeine extraction are indicators from 0 to 100, not measured values and not lab results. That applies above all to one line: «Caffeine extraction» is not a caffeine content. The number does not tell you how many milligrams of caffeine are in the glass but how far the caffeine extraction has progressed: 0 means «almost nothing dissolved yet», 100 means «got out what there is to get out». A thin 1:16 batch and a thick 1:4 concentrate can both stand at 100 and still be completely different in strength. How strong your drink really gets is in the line Strength.
The basis — and two corrections: That caffeine and chlorogenic acid reach their equilibrium at room temperature after about 6 to 7 hours is measured (Fuller & Rao 2017). The curves the tool uses to trace that are modelled on it but not derived from it: for immersion it works with a saturation curve that stands at around 63 % after 6 h, around 86 % after 12 h and around 95 % after 18 h; for cold drip with a straight rise from 30 % at the start to 100 % after 12 h. These time constants are set and not documented. First correction: the old version worked with two different time curves for cold drip (one for strength, one for caffeine, which reached 100 % after 9 h) — now one curve applies to both. Second correction: the old version deducted 10 % caffeine for dark roasts. That is only true if you dose by volume — dark beans are lighter, less fits in the same spoon. This tool works by weight, which is why «dark» no longer changes the caffeine bar. The 63, the 86 and the 95 percent are therefore model values: estimated, not measured. A model that shows the direction — and it shows that reliably.
The cold brew simulator is loading … If nothing appears, please reload the page — or have a look at cold brew equipment.
This is a simulator. It works with a simplified model and shows you how things relate — no measured values and no assurance. What ends up in your cup depends on your machine, your water, your beans and the way you work.
Our recommendations are based on experience from consultations, courses and the showroom. They are non-binding and come with no guarantee. We accept no liability for damage arising from their use. When in doubt, what your manufacturer writes in the user manual applies.
Cold-brewed coffee is never heated. Peer-reviewedPolanco-Estibález et al. 2023 (Foods) summarise: pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria or E. coli can survive in cold brew for days to weeks, even in the fridge — according to a report from Oregon State University (Daeschel, Armbrust & Vieru 2017; Report not peer-reviewed) with detections after 7, 10 and 14 days at 4 °C; and stored at room temperature, untreated cold brew reached high microbial counts after 7 days (Bellumori et al. 2021, Peer-reviewed).
Our practice, not a measured value: In-house practicevessel, filter and hands clean, beans fresh, set up in the fridge or chill immediately after filtering, keep sealed and drink within two to three days. Anyone bottling commercially needs a hygiene concept — this note does not replace that.
EstimateStraight to the bars above: strength, acidity, body, aromatics and caffeine extraction are indicators from 0 to 100 out of our model — estimated, not measured, and not a lab result for your batch. «Caffeine» here is not a caffeine content in milligrams but the progress of caffeine extraction. The numbers show you the direction your drink is moving in — not how it will taste.
Cold brew vs. cold drip — the difference
Cold brew (immersion): The coffee sits completely in the cold water the whole time and slowly saturates it. Result: soft, sweet, full-bodied, little acidity. Cold drip / Kyoto (percolation): Cold water drips slowly through the coffee bed, fresh solvent keeps arriving. Result: clearer, livelier, more acidity and aromatic complexity.
Cold also means: slow. At room temperature, caffeine and chlorogenic acid only reach their equilibrium after about 6–7 hours (they rise fastest in the first 3 hours or so). And importantly: cold brew contains less titratable acid than hot-brewed coffee at a comparable pH — which is why it tastes milder. The hours here are an ingredient of your recipe, not a target — the decision is made by concentration, ratio and taste.
One statement that used to be on this page we have to correct: «Medium roasts deliver more caffeine than dark ones.» For chlorogenic acid that is true — it breaks down heavily during roasting, the darker the roast, the less remains. For caffeine it is not true in that form. Caffeine is heat-stable well beyond roasting temperatures and survives roasting almost unchanged. If you dose by weight, the difference between medium and dark is therefore very small: Fuller & Rao 2017 measured, at the same weighed dose (35 g to 350 ml), slightly more caffeine in the medium roast than in the dark one, but the difference was not significant because of measurement scatter. It only becomes noticeable if you dose by volume — with a spoon or measuring cup: dark beans have lost more mass and expanded further, so they are lighter, and less coffee and thus less caffeine fits in the same spoon. The tool above works by weight. That is why «dark» does not change the caffeine bar — the old version deducted 10 %, which only fitted dosing by volume.
Sources (scientific): Fuller & Rao (2017), „The Effect of Time, Roasting Temperature, and Grind Size …", Scientific Reports (kinetics & equilibrium around 6–7 h); Rao & Fuller (2018), „Acidity and Antioxidant Activity of Cold Brew Coffee", Scientific Reports (less titratable acid than hot brew); on the heat stability of caffeine and the density difference between light and dark roasts: roasting chemistry fundamentals, among others Illy and Viani (eds.), Espresso Coffee: The Science of Quality (2nd edition 2005). Food safety: Polanco-Estibález et al. (2023), „High-Pressure Processing for Cold Brew Coffee: Safety and Quality Assessment …", Foods 12(23), 4231 — with the findings summarised there from Daeschel, Armbrust & Vieru 2017 (Oregon State University report, not peer-reviewed) and Bellumori et al. 2021 (accessed 16.10.2026). The time constants and weights in the simulator's calculations are assumptions, not measured values.
What you need
For cold brew (immersion) a vessel such as the Hario Mizudashi, the Varia Cold Brew Bottle or a French press is enough; for cold drip, a drip tower. Both — and the matching filter and cold brew vessels — you will find with us. A Varia grinder delivers the uniformly coarse grind. Plus fresh beans (a medium roast gives more chlorogenic acid than a dark one; for caffeine the difference by weight is small). Questions about the setup are answered by Jackson, our AI advisor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cold brew and cold drip?
Cold brew is an immersion: the coffee sits in the water the whole time — the result is soft, sweet and full-bodied with little acidity. Cold drip (Kyoto) is a percolation: water drips slowly through the bed — the result is clearer, livelier and aromatically more complex.
How long does cold brew need to steep?
Caffeine and chlorogenic acid reach their equilibrium at room temperature after about 6–7 hours. Many still let a concentrate steep for 12–24 hours and dilute it afterwards. There is no right or wrong — dilute to taste. The time slider in the simulator ends at exactly 24 hours, i.e. at the upper end of this recommendation; longer batches cannot be played through there.
Is cold brew less acidic?
Yes. The pH is similar to hot-brewed coffee, but cold brew contains less titratable acid — which is why it seems milder and less acidity-driven.
How long does cold brew keep?
Chilled and sealed, two to three days at most. A report from Oregon State University and studies show that pathogens can survive in cold brew for days to weeks, even refrigerated. Our practice: work clean, set up chilled or chill immediately and drink within two to three days — an experience value, not a measurement.
Which grind size and which roast?
For cold brew a rather coarse grind size is suitable. With the roast it pays to look closely: medium roasts really do deliver more chlorogenic acid — it breaks down heavily in dark roasting. For caffeine that only holds if you dose by volume; by weight the difference is very small, because caffeine survives roasting almost unchanged. Dark roasts, in return, taste rounder and more chocolatey.
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