Coffee is a complex thing. There are more than a thousand compounds and acids and such in roasted coffee. When you brew it, you get equally complex things in the cup.
The problem with coffee that's brewed hot and then chilled quickly, or brewed hot directly over ice (the so-called Japanese method), is that it tastes like cold, hot coffee. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't have the flavor and texture you get from properly prepared cold-brew.
I don't hear anyone complaining that espresso doesn't taste like drip coffee. It's not supposed to -- it's brewed and extracted differently than drip so it's going to taste different too. I like both, they're just not the same drink. It's the same with cold-brew, it's not supposed to taste the same as hot coffee that's been chilled.
There are a lot of theories why this is true -- and precious little actual research -- but the idea is simply that of the myriad compounds in coffee, you extract different ones at different temperatures. Makes sense to me. The empirical result is that long, cold extraction gives less acidity, more sweetness, and more chocolate notes than short, hot extraction. Cold brewing produces a beverage that pairs marvelously with milk or cream and is refreshing black as well.
Last Dance is a collaboration between Mountain City and High Noon Coffee Roasters. Our cold brew is roasted brewed and bottled in our shared facility at 191 Charlotte Street.
