Bennett’s now serving cold-brew

Bennett’s Fresh Roast has added a new coffee beverage to its menu that is designed to please the younger generation and people who want to beat the heat. Cold-brew will now be served at both of their locations in Forty Myers and Sanibel.
“I don’t think I ever introduced anything so quick,” Bob Grissinger, owner of Bennett’s Fresh Roast, said.
Iced coffee is similar to cold-brew, but the tastes are quite different. The procedures to make cold-brew are also different than that of iced coffee.
“(Cold-brew) is cold from the very start to the very end,” Grissinger said. “Everything is done cold and the reason we do that is it maintains the smoothness of the cold-brew. The iced coffee is brewed hot and cooled down to room temperature. When you ice it, it gets bitter.”
According to the procedure, cold-brew is never heated. It takes 12 to 18 hours and a large amount of ground coffee to brew. The bean-to-water ratio gives it that caffeine kick.
This new addition came with a bit of an investment. New equipment was needed to start brewing cold-brew. The main equipment needed was a nitrogen infused kegerator, which is similar to a beer keg.
“Most of everybody is using pine syrup from somebody to make their cold-brew out of that,” Grissinger said. “But, we have to go in it with every bit of quality concerning minds. What we brew today, we just roasted yesterday.”
Coffee drinkers have requested cold-brew at Bennett’s Fresh Roast. The requests mostly came from the Sanibel location from vacationers. Between 2014 and 2015, cold-brew sales went up 115 percent according to Consumer Reports, which proves the want is there.
“The popularity of cold-brew is tied in to the caffeine levels in it and I think it is a drink which the younger generation is hot on right now,” Grissinger said.
He enjoys this addition to his menu because he wouldn’t serve it if he wouldn’t drink it.
“If you like coffee flavor that is the thing to drink,” Grissinger added.
Cold-brew at each location costs $3.50 for a 16 oz. and $4.20 for a 20 oz.
Bennett’s has a variety of coffee and food on their menu. From hand-made donuts to breakfast sandwiches, Bennett’s has a little bit of everything.
Bennett’s Fresh Roast is located at 1020 Periwinkle Way.