When Did Cold Brew Coffee Start? Tracing the Beginnings of Cold Brew Coffee in Japan & Beyond

Introduction

When did cold brew coffee start? The honest answer is that cold-brew coffee does not have one universally accepted beginning. People have prepared coffee without heat for centuries, but the modern drink emerged gradually as cold extraction methods, Japanese coffee equipment, American experimentation, and the specialty coffee movement influenced one another.

Early accounts often connect cold coffee to Japan, particularly to a supposed Kyoto iced coffee dating to the 1740s. The documentary evidence for that precise story is incomplete, so historians generally treat it as a tradition or precursor rather than a proven “invention.” By the mid-20th century, Japanese drip systems were clearly using prolonged cold-water extraction. Decades later, coffee drinkers in the United States helped turn the idea into a distinct modern category.

Understanding the history requires separating three questions: when people first made coffee without heat, when commercial cold-extraction systems appeared, and when cold brew became a widely recognized coffee category. Each milestone tells a different part of the story.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Short Answer
• What Is Cold Brew Coffee?
• Cold Brew’s Early History in Japan
• How the Modern American Style Developed
• How Cold Brew Spread Globally
• Timeline and Comparison of Major Methods
• How to Make Cold Brew at Home
• Best Practices and Common Mistakes
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Short Answer

Cold-brew coffee likely began as a form of cold preparation in the 18th century, with Japan preserving some of its earliest traditions. A frequently repeated story places Kyoto iced coffee in the 1740s, but the evidence is not strong enough to identify that date as the exact invention of cold brew. By the 19th century, iced coffee and cold-infused coffee were familiar in some parts of the world.

The most important documented development for modern cold brew occurred in Japan during the mid-20th century. Japanese systems such as the Tetsukawa-style apparatus and other cold-water drip towers used filtration and controlled extraction to produce a smooth, concentrated coffee. In the early 1980s, American coffee specialist Todd Carmichael and his business partner Tom Riis developed their own cold-brew approach after finding the coffee they encountered during travels in Guatemala unsatisfactory. They introduced and promoted the method in the United States beginning in the mid-1980s.

That does not mean Carmichael and Riis invented every form of cold coffee. Other cultures had prepared unheated coffee for generations. Their major contribution was to popularize a clearly defined, repeatable modern style. During the 2000s and especially the 2010s, specialty cafés, home brewers, convenience stores, and international chains helped turn cold brew into a global beverage category.

So, when did cold brew coffee start? Its roots reach back at least to the 18th century, its documented commercial development occurred in 20th-century Japan, and its modern American identity emerged through experiments made in the early 1980s.

What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew is coffee extracted primarily with cool or room-temperature water instead of boiling or near-boiling water. The grounds are normally steeped in water for several hours, often between 12 and 18 hours at home, and then filtered. Some commercial systems use controlled gravity flow, pressure, or recirculation rather than a simple pitcher.

The term describes an extraction method, not a single flavor profile. Cold brew tends to be lower in perceived acidity and often feels smooth, sweet, and slightly heavier, but the result depends on the coffee, water, grind, extraction time, temperature, and filtration process. A light-roast Ethiopia prepared quickly may taste bright and fruit-like, while a dark-roast Latin American blend steeped for 18 hours may taste bittersweet and chocolatey.

Cold brew should also be distinguished from three related drinks:

• Flash-chilled coffee: Hot coffee is rapidly cooled to preserve flavor, but it was already brewed with heat.
• Iced coffee: A broad category that can include hot-brewed coffee poured over ice or coffee prepared without heat.
• “Slow-drip” or throwdown coffee: A large batch made by combining hot coffee and ice. It is traditionally associated with New Orleans, but it is not cold brew.

This distinction matters because the history of cold brew is sometimes confused with the longer history of iced coffee. Coffee itself reached Japan in the 17th century, became more widely available in the 19th century, and was eventually adapted to local preferences and equipment. As drinking coffee expanded from elite or specialist use into cafés and homes, consumers also discovered that some brewed coffee tasted better when cooled.

Cold Brew’s Early History in Japan

The Kyoto Iced Coffee Story

One of the most frequently cited accounts says that Kyoto iced coffee originated in the 1740s. According to the popular version of the story, a Japanese traveler returned from China with a method for preparing coffee over ice. Because written documentation is fragmentary, it is difficult to verify every detail or name involved.

This account should not be dismissed, but neither should it be presented as conclusively proven. The safest historical interpretation is that Japan had an early iced-coffee tradition by the 18th century. The familiar 1740s date identifies a possible origin point, not necessarily the day on which cold brew was invented.

Japanese coffee culture did not immediately become part of everyday life. Coffee was uncommon compared with tea, and available beans, equipment, and serving methods were quite different from those in Europe. Nevertheless, the idea of extracting coffee with cold water could be preserved and revisited long before today’s equipment became available. (See Also:Make Pumpkin Spice Creamer Coffee)

Mid-20th-Century Japanese Extraction Systems

By the 1960s, Japan had developed a stronger documented connection to cold-brew extraction. Manufacturers created tall, gravity-fed systems in which water moved slowly through columns of ground coffee. These machines separated grounds from the finished liquid without heating the brewing water.

The best-known representative is the Tetsukawa system, introduced by Snow Brand Coffee during the 1960s. In a Tetsukawa system, water travels downward through a large quantity of coffee grounds. A receiving container collects the extracted coffee at the bottom. The long contact time and low temperature produced a comparatively smooth, low-acid drink.

Japanese makers also produced glass drip towers and later compact cold-brew systems. Some used plastic columns, while traditional versions often used glass or metal components. These machines differed from today’s small pitchers and home brewers, but their central principle was recognizable: extract coffee with cool water over an extended period.

This mid-century period is often the strongest answer when modern Japanese cold brew origins are discussed. The Kyoto story may be older and culturally significant, but the industrial systems provide clearer evidence that cold-water extraction was being practiced deliberately as a commercial coffee method.

How the Modern American Style Developed

Americans had long consumed iced coffee, particularly in warm climates, diners, and households. Some recipes involved steeping coffee in cold water, while others simply cooled a conventional brew. Despite these earlier examples, a unified “cold brew” category had not yet formed.

The widely recognized modern American origin story begins with Todd Carmichael and Tom Riis. During travel in Guatemala in the early 1980s, they found the coffee available to them unsatisfying. Carmichael had earlier encountered immersion brewing in Haiti and became interested in extracting coffee without heat.

After returning to the United States, the pair experimented with coarsely ground coffee steeped in cool water. The process produced a sweet, smooth coffee without the harshness they perceived in some local brews. They began promoting cold brew through a related business and public demonstrations in the mid-1980s. Their approach helped give the drink a recognizable name, a method, and an identity distinct from ordinary iced coffee.

This story is important, but it should not erase earlier work. Cold-water coffee had existed before the United States, and the Giambelli family is often mentioned in connection with a patented cold-brew process in 1964. The commercial use of “cold brew” in Japan also predates the American movement. Carmichael and Riis are best described as major modernizers and popularizers, not sole inventors of all cold coffee.

For several years, cold brew remained more visible at coffee competitions, specialty events, and adventurous cafés than in mainstream cafés. That changed as coffee culture became more specialized and consumers began looking for less bitter, lower-acid alternatives. Ready-to-drink cans, concentrate bottles, and café options expanded its reach.

How Cold Brew Spread Globally

Cold brew’s global popularity did not follow one simple route. Different regions already had iced coffee traditions, but the modern cold-brew category traveled through specialty coffee, franchising, convenience retail, and social media.

In the United States, cafés promoted cold brew as a seasonal drink suitable for hot weather. In Australia and parts of Europe, consumers also encountered cold coffee through specialty cafés and international chains. Producers developed concentrate products that could be mixed with milk or water, making the category convenient for supermarket shelves and refrigerated retail.

Japan continued to influence the category through its long history of cold extraction and dedicated brewing systems. Latin American and Caribbean coffee-growing communities, meanwhile, contributed knowledge of coffee production even if the origins of the American-style modern method were not local to those regions. (See Also:Use One Cup Coffee Maker)

During the 2010s, nitro cold brew became especially visible. Nitrogen infusion creates a cascading, cream-like effect and a texture closer to draft beer than traditional filtered coffee. The format demonstrated that “cold brew” did not have to mean a single flavor or serving style.

By the 2020s, cold brew had become a standard menu and retail category in many markets. That modern popularity can make its history look recent, but cold water was being used to extract coffee long before the term appeared on café chalkboards.

Timeline and Comparison of Major Methods

The following timeline separates traditional claims from better-documented developments. Exact “firsts” are difficult to prove because recipes passed informally and cold coffee appeared under names such as iced coffee, cold infusion, and cold-water extraction.

Cold Brew Compared with Related Coffee Methods

How to Make Cold Brew at Home

Making cold brew at home is the most direct way to understand the historical method. Unlike tea, coffee grounds do not release their soluble compounds as readily in cool water, so a coarse grind and sufficient resting time are important.

1. Choose a suitable coffee. Start with a medium or dark roast for a smooth, familiar result. A light roast can also work, but it is more likely to taste bright, delicate, or sparse if the extraction is short.
2. Grind the coffee coarsely. Use particles resembling coarse sand or sea salt. A fine grind creates more surface area, increases clogging, and can make the drink bitter or harsh even when the water temperature is low.
3. Use the correct ratio. A dependable starting point is 100 grams of coffee for 1 liter of water, or about 10 grams per 100 milliliters. Adjust later according to taste. Richer brews generally need more coffee; lighter brews need less.
4. Add cool filtered water. Room temperature works well. Refrigeration produces a slower extraction and a smoother result, but the sealed container should not be left near anything that prevents full immersion. Very cold water and long storage together can create muddy flavors.
5. Stir and steep. Mix the grounds and water, cover, and wait approximately 12 to 18 hours. Stir once after the first hour if the grounds have not settled. Some robust coffees taste balanced at 12 hours; others continue extracting for 18 hours or longer.
6. Strain in stages. Pass the brew through a fine-mesh strainer, then a paper filter or second strainer. This reduces sediment and produces a cleaner finish. Never strain hot brew through a paper filter after rinsing it with hot water, because the filter can absorb the coffee’s aroma.
7. Serve immediately or chill it. Drink the brew over ice with milk, add cold filtered water, or use it as a concentrate. Filtered cold brew keeps better than a gritty, fully immersive batch because some of the oils and fine particles have already been removed.

A basic recipe produces approximately four servings, although serving size and dilution change the result. If it tastes thin, use more coffee next time. If it is bitter, grind more coarsely, shorten the steep, or use slightly cooler water. If it is sour, allow more time or increase the coffee-to-water ratio.

Clean cold-brew containers and filters reduce off-flavors. Leftover coffee should be refrigerated promptly, but keeping it for many days will not reverse the oxidation that begins soon after brewing. Fresh small batches usually provide the best flavor.

Best Practices and Common Mistakes

Best Practices

• Match the grind to the filter. Immersion brewers tolerate medium-coarse grounds, while paper-filter systems generally need a slightly finer grind. Adjust the particle size instead of assuming the timer will correct a poor grind.
• Use good water. Filtered water with moderate mineral content usually reveals flavor more clearly than distilled water, which can taste flat, or heavily softened water, which may make extraction difficult.
• Change one variable at a time. If adjusting the recipe, first change grind size or time while keeping the ratio stable. This makes it easier to understand what improved the result.
• Treat thin light roasts carefully. They may taste sharp or under-extracted because compounds responsible for sweetness and body do not dissolve as readily in cool water. More coffee, longer steeping, or a slightly warmer brew can help.
• Dilute intentionally. A strong concentrate can be useful, but very dark cold brew is not always meant for direct drinking. Cold filtered water, sparkling water, or milk can restore balance.
• Compare preparation times. Brew the same coffee for 12 and 18 hours. Side-by-side tasting reveals whether additional time improves sweetness or simply extracts harsher compounds.

Common Mistakes

• Using a fine grind: More surface area can cause bitterness, siltiness, and a long filtration time. Start coarse, then make small adjustments.
• Assuming cold water eliminates over-extraction: Immersion can still become bitter. Contact time, grind size, and coffee character still matter.
• Confusing cold brew with throwdown coffee: Brewing directly over ice changes dilution and cooling speed. It is quick and convenient, but it is not prolonged cold-water extraction.
• Keeping every batch for a week: Cold brew is stable but not immune to oxidation, microbial growth, or flavor deterioration. Refrigerate it promptly and consume it while fresh.
• Claiming it must always be low-acid: Cold brew is often perceived as less acidic, but actual acidity depends on several production and storage factors. It is inaccurate to call every batch medically or scientifically acid-free.
• Searching for one undisputed inventor: The historical record contains legends, competing claims, and different definitions. Understanding the separate Japanese, European, and American threads is more accurate than assigning everything to one person or date.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the first cold brew coffee made?

No single verified recipe can be identified as the first cold brew. A frequently repeated account places Kyoto iced coffee in the 1740s, but the evidence is incomplete. There is firmer evidence for cold-prepared coffee during the 19th century and for commercial cold-extraction systems in Japan during the mid-20th century.

Did Japan invent cold brew coffee?

Japan has a strong historical claim because of its iced-coffee tradition, nineteenth-century coffee culture, and clearly documented cold-water systems of the 1960s. However, saying Japan single-handedly invented cold brew overstates what is known. Cold coffee and cold infusion existed elsewhere, and modern development also depended on American experimentation and later global commercial innovation.

Did Todd Carmichael invent cold brew?

Todd Carmichael is widely credited with helping create and popularize modern American-style cold brew alongside Tom Riis. They developed their approach in the early 1980s and promoted it commercially in the United States. They were not the first people in history to prepare coffee without heat, but they gave the method a distinct modern identity. (See Also:Much Coffee Mate Make Milk)

Is cold brew less acidic than hot coffee?

Cold brew is commonly perceived as smoother and less acidic, and many batches contain less of the acids associated with bright or sour flavors. It should not automatically be described as acid-free, however. The coffee bean, roast level, water chemistry, storage, and spoilage can all affect the final result.

How long should cold brew steep at home?

A useful starting range is 12 to 18 hours. Some coffees become balanced in 12 hours, while darker or larger-particle grinds may need longer. Fragrance, color, and taste are more reliable guides than the clock. Test a smaller batch before committing to a full container.

Is the oldest cold-brew method a Japanese drip tower?

Drip towers are among the clearest documented early commercial cold-brew methods, but they are not necessarily the oldest. Informal cold-prepared coffee almost certainly existed earlier. The Tetsukawa and related Japanese systems matter because they show controlled cold extraction in a practical, repeatable commercial design.

Conclusion

When did cold brew coffee start? The answer depends on how “start” is defined. Possible Japanese iced-coffee traditions reach back to the 1740s, documented cold preparation appeared in later records, Japanese drip systems made commercial cold extraction more visible in the 1960s, and Todd Carmichael and Tom Riis helped establish modern American-style cold brew in the 1980s.

The practical takeaway is that cold brew did not spring from one inventor, country, or year. It developed through centuries of experimentation, especially in Japan and the United States. Today’s crowded menu—immersion brewers, drip towers, concentrates, and nitro coffee—is the result of that long evolution. The drink is both ancient in its basic principle and modern in its global popularity.