Cold off the Presses

By: Katie Kadue | April 24 2010
Posted in Find It - Minneapolis

I consider myself relatively unaddicted to coffee, but after a few subzero days with my Minnesotan kin back in January (love you guys!), I was tired…and cold. So I set off in search of Common Roots, a café-restaurant serving locally grown food and, of more pressing interest, steaming cups of locally ground Peace Coffee.

Photo: Katie Kadue

As a coffee neophyte, I was cautious: the last thing I wanted on a family vacation was bitterness, jitters, and headaches. So I was intrigued by something called “cold press”; it seemed cleaner, somehow. The cashier explained the beans were soaked for 24 hours, rather than brewed, which made them less acidic. I assumed the “cold” referred to some step in the bean processing far preceding the final product, which would naturally be served piping hot (it was 15 below outside). But when my cup of cold press arrived, I was horrified: the ice cubes in the tall, cold glass were disturbingly reminiscent of the sidewalk outside.

I guess it makes sense that cold-pressed coffee would be served cold. It just didn’t occur to me that anyone would serve an iced beverage when temperatures dipped that far below freezing. But things started to heat up when the caffeine rush and taste-bud arousal kicked in — and I couldn’t help but warm up to the fact that Peace Coffee is based in Minneapolis and adheres to fair-trade practices with growers.

Later, I enjoyed another glass of cold press after dinner at Barbette, where I (wisely, I think) passed up on the Crack Press (cold press with sugar and condensed milk) and Tree Hugger (with maple syrup and soymilk). Verdict? Equally rich, smooth, and, yes, cold. So, lesson learned: cold-pressed coffee is cold, but it’s also delicious, and I may be on to a hot trend in my nascent coffee-drinking career.