The heat of Singapore makes a cold brew coffee the perfect beverage for this coffee lover. My first bottle of cold brew coffee was discovered while rushing from one part of town to the other. No time to wait or sit down, I decided to grab a bottle of the dark liquid and on first taste, I fell in love. I really hadn’t understood what all the fuss was about until that very point.
The next time I saw a cold brew contraption for sale under $50, I bought it! It was the Iwaki Water Drip and I got it on the Grouphunt Marketplace. Now that Grouphunt is no longer around, you can buy it on Amazon. If you’re in Singapore, find it on Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee.
Once I had my hands on my Iwaki Water Drip, I was ready to go. In my over-eagerness, I stacked everything in the wrong order the first time. A look on the box quickly fixed the situation.
Once properly stacked, I started my first ever water drip (cold brew) coffee and watched in anticipation as it started to drip through. It went at a rate of about one drip per three seconds! Realising that this could take hours, I popped it into my fridge and went out for the day. I came back a few hours later, hot, sweaty and thirsty! You can only imagine how beautiful my first “cold brewed” coffee tasted. It was icy cold, refreshing, beautifully smooth and wonderfully tasty.
What is cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee, by definition, is actually an immersive process where you steep the coffee grounds in water for 18 hours or more. The liquid is then strained to remove the grounds. Anyone can do this with a bucket, jar or jug, water, coffee grounds and a fridge. An iced coffee apparently is the method where coffee is brewed the normal way and then chilled.
So… the Iwaki Water Drip (Iwaki) is not exactly a cold brewed coffee maker. Nor is it an iced coffee – not the way I prepared it. The Iwaki drips water through the grounds slowly and as such is a different process. This novice really doesn’t know the difference between the chemical process of either method, but I do know that I love a good cold brew or iced coffee on a hot and muggy day. This gave me excellently flavoured cold coffee!
From left, clockwise: Water tank, coffee server (or jug), coffee grounds, water (pictured in the white jug), coffee tank, outer lid (for water tank) and lid (for coffee server)
What you’ll need:
- Everything that comes in your Iwaki box
- Water, filtered is preferred (I bet the water we used in our water tasting would produce an exceptional brew)
- Coffee grounds, freshly ground if possible (I use a medium grind for this)
Yes, it really is as simple as that!
This is how to do it:
- Insert the coffee tank into the Iwaki coffee server (or jug).
Pictured is the full stack before coffee or water is added. The coffee tank sits inside the coffee server.
- Pour in freshly ground coffee up to the line (this is about 8 to 10 grams)
- Set the water tank on top and fill with water up to the little downward facing arrow (this is about 450 – 500 grams of water). The water will start its slow drip almost immediately.
- Place it in the fridge and allow all the liquid to drip through. This should take about three to four hours.
Seriously, that’s all you need to do!
But if you’re like me, and think it’s a bit weird that not all the grounds are saturated before popping it into the fridge, go ahead and pour a tablespoon of water over the top of the grounds to saturate before you put the water tank on top.
I have also heard that placing an Aeropress filter over the top of the coffee grounds will help ensure better saturation. I haven’t tried this myself because after I wrote my Novice Guide: Aeropress, I loaned my Aeropress out to my brother.
With the Iwaki, once all the liquid has dripped through, your coffee is ready to drink and can be left in the fridge for a week! Mine never lasts more than a day or two. 🙂
This is what the grounds look like after the water has dripped through.
I love my cold brew on a hot day!
If you have an Iwaki Water Drip or any of the devices I’ve talked about in my Novice Guides, please share your tips, tricks and advice. This novice is still learning and hopefully, I’ve inspired some of you to have a stab at brewing your own coffee at home.
Don’t forget to read our other coffee articles below!
- Flavour Notes: Coffee Cupping with the Pros at Perk Coffee
- Novice Guide: Instant Coffee vs Homebrew (Alternative Brew) Coffee
- Novice Guide: Homebrewing Coffee Basics with the Mr Clever Dripper
- Novice Guide: Homebrewing Coffee Basics with the Aeropress
This happens to be the last of my Novice Guides on coffee and I feel kind of sad! The only thing to do will be to find more coffee gadgets to try out and write about. Also, always feel free to share your experiences with us by commenting below or on Facebook.
Enjoy your coffee!
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