So I know the accepted practice for cold brew is to do a coarse grind, and to brew somewhere between 8-24 hours depending on whether you’re doing it at room temperature or in the fridge.
But is this really necessary? Could I just use a finer grind and brew for less time? I’m asking because when you grind coarse, you end up having to use a lot more coffee beans (mass) than you would for the equivalent volume of any other type of coffee.
For context, I’m using a coffee sock which is just a glorified reusable coffee filter, so I don’t think that grind size is going to impact filtration that much.
I would argue that it’s just down to a preference. I regularly go between hot brewed, iced coffee, and cold brew, and I would personally say that when I make iced coffee (the exact same way as hot but just leaving it in the fridge until it’s cold), it’s significantly harsher and is missing a lot of nuance.
Cold brew definitely also lacks complexity compared to hot - I think most coffees made as a cold brew will converge towards an oxidized/ chocolate flavor. It’s not really worth it to buy expensive coffees for cold brewing but I think it’s a pretty forgiving and easily-scaled process.
Cold brew is my go to for gifted beans or trying a new roaster/bean that turns out I didn’t terribly enjoy. I’m not wasting the beans and because it lacks complexity (and I’m going to hit it with a little sweetener and cream anyway lol) I can still end up with a very drinkable cup.