Brrrrr! Hot Coffee is so Yesterday

While you’ve been sipping away at that hot cup of java in your mug, a new trend and movement has been occurring in the world of teas and coffees. Like a lot of trends, it’s simply the most current version of a long tradition. Call it home-brrrrewed.

Home Brewed Bar, a new coffee-teria in Pasadena, open just two weeks ago, is serving up 20-hour cold brew milk teas, coffees and bobas—the latest manifestations of America’s historic obsession with designer coffee.

“We like to say we celebrate the grassroots culture of collaborative brewing,” says manager Erin Serile. Owner Brian Molina actually founded Lost Souls café in Downtown LA, a longtime LA coffee haunt, but with an eye north, says Serile, “We wanted to bring a home atmosphere and rustic ambiance with cold brewing to Pasadena.”

Cold brewing? Right. Cold brewing is a different way to make coffee—without heat. Coffee is steeped, much like tea, in an overnight 20-hour cold brew, slow-drip process that allows for coffee with up to 67% less acidity. The coffee is served cold, and has a richer, almost chocolate-y flavor.

“It’s not pouring hot coffee over ice,” Serile emphasizes. “This is something different. It’s a pure concentrate. You need less sugar and less milk with this. We’re trying to stay true to the essential flavor of coffee.” The store also serves a pour-over hot coffee, if you must, but for Home Brewed, cold is what’s cool.

Much like a beer brewery, the café features a host of hand-crafted signature brews, including coffees and teas from all over the world, many brewed with local source beans.

Home Brewed Bar is at 39 North Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena. (626)397-2889. www.homebrewedbar.com