How To Brew White Coffee – 6 Methods Detailed!

Learning how to brew white coffee in a number of brewing methods will help you to get a truly great coffee that you can enjoy in many different ways and dozens when you can make a perfect espresso shot that you can enjoy as it is or as the base for many other drinks.

…Not to mention a delicious cold brew that is truly with a reduced acidity and well-rounded nutty taste.

Keep reading to learn 6 different brewing methods for brewing white coffee.

How To Brew White Coffee The Best Way

White coffee is often referred to as being half roasted due to the roasting process that produces a coffee that is a light roast, the lightest in the category, and much lighter than a blonde roast.

Due to the beans being less porous and a very dense bean when compared to regular beans, they are ground for you as they will break all commercially available grinders, be it a ceramic burr or metal burr grinder.

Take that as a warning not to grind white coffee beans at home, or even try to make pre-ground smaller by grinding them. You need an industrial grinder.

The best way of brewing white coffee is by using a method that involves pressure. This gives you three options, an Aeropress, Moka Pot and, of course, an espresso machine. All three brewing methods will result in an excellent cup of pressure brewed coffee.

Read: Does white coffee have more caffeine?

How To Make White Coffee – Espresso Machine Method

Many people that love white coffee espresso are adamant that the reason is due to the pressure and heat from the espresso machine helps to develop a rich body and deep flavor.

Being able to make a shot of espresso, be it a single shot or double shot, gives you the option of getting very creative with the white coffee shots that you brew.

You can enjoy them straight or experiment and make all the regular and normal espresso based drinks like a cappuccino, a flat white, cortado, latte, mocha, or macchiato with the shots that you have brewed and make beverages that not even the best artisan coffee shops have.

Ensuring that you have grounds that are of a fine grind and perfect for an espresso. using a coffee to water ratio of 1:1.5 weigh 20 grams of white coffee grounds, and as odd this may sound, don’t tamp your grounds when they are in your portafilter.

Brew a single shot, and discard it – you can try it, it will not be what you are expecting. Run a second shot as these rather light grounds need more encouragement to get the full flavor to come out of them. This second shot you will notice is much better, with more flavor, a better, more nutty taste.

Moka Pot And Aeropress Brewing

Both an Aeropress and Moka Pot use pressure and work reasonably well. You do need to experiment a bit with both a moka pot and aeropress to get the best flavor out of the beans. Keep it in your mind the white coffee tastes very different from regular coffee beans and does not have a traditional coffee taste.

If it doesn’t taste quite right, take your brew, and run it through a second time. With your moka pot you have two options:

• 1. Take your brewed coffee and put it in the water chamber and make a moka pot double brew.
• 2. Discard your first round of coffee and fill your water chamber with water and rebrew with the same grounds.

With the first option you can either use the same grounds or replace them with fresh grounds for the second round of brewing.

Coffee is a very personal thing, it is difficult for me to say which you will find best as your tastes will be different from mine. Stick with it and experiment until you get a brew that hits the spot for you.

With an Aeropress I strongly advise that you consider using a metal filter as they will leave all the coffee oils and flavors in your cup of coffee.

Similar to an espresso machine, you might need to discard the first shot and use the second. I advise that, like the moka pot technique, that you consider double brewing, experimenting with both fresh grounds and reusing the old ones.

I expect that you will need to experiment with both the Aeropress and moka pot to get a taste that suits you perfectly.

Read: What Is white espresso?

Making A Cold Brew White Coffee

To make a cold brew white coffee and to get the greatest taste out of your very lightly roasted beans it is best that you familiarize yourself with how a white coffee should taste.

Knowing how it is expected to taste with the distinctive nutty flavor being very prominent and taking into account how a cold brew coffee normally tastes with a reduced acidity and well-rounded flavor.

For this cold brew coffee, ensure that where you are buying your grounds from provides you with an even coarsely ground beans.

Due to the peculiarity of white coffee, I suggest that you make a small test batch the first time that you make a cold brew white coffee.

Using a 1:8 coffee to water ratio and making enough for just a test cup of coffee, use 1.5 ounces (45 grams) of coffee and 12 ounces (360 ml) of mineral water or filtered water.

Add your coffee grounds to a glass airtight container and then add your ice-cold mineral water or ice-cold filtered water. Put your container with your water and coffee in your fridge to extract and brew.

The point of using ice-cold water and brewing in your fridge is to extract the low temperature compounds, which is the whole point of cold brew. Keeping it in your fridge ensures your brewing takes place at a low temperature and away from bright lights.

Extraction will take approximately 12 to 24 hours. Test your brew after 12 hours to find if it is to your liking. If it is not, leave it to brew for a few more hours and taste test it again. Keep repeating this process until it hits the spot for you.

When you get the taste that you love – using a fine mesh sieve or metal coffee filter, remove the coffee grounds from your coffee. It is essential that you remove your coffee grounds as they will continue to extract and eventually will spoil your coffee.

How To Make White Coffee Without Machine

Three of the greatest ways of making white coffee without a machine is by making a cold brew, which the instructions are above, or by using your French press coffee maker or by making a pour over coffee.

A French press is not a coffee machine as such in my opinion as it is not a machine like an espresso machine.

How To Brew White Coffee With A French Press

Making a French press coffee is very easy, but with white coffee beans it requires a little more patience.

You will need to ensure that the beans that you have bought have been pre-ground to a coarse, even grind size.

Using a 1:12 coffee to water ratio, use 30 grams (1 ounce) of coffee ground and 360 ml (12 ounces) of fresh, filtered water or mineral water.

The better the quality of your water, the better your coffee will be. 98% to 99% of coffee is water, and thus it makes sense that the better the quality of your water, the tastier your coffee will be.

Step 1: Add Your Coffee Grounds

Add your coffee grounds to your French press and while it is on a flat surface, shake it lightly to ensure an even distribution of your coffee grounds.

Step 2: Add Your Water And Bloom

Heat your water to 96C (205F) and slowly add your water until your grounds are wet and slightly submerged in water. Typically, use twice as much water as there is coffee (30 grams of water, 60 grams of water) and wait 30 to 40 seconds for your grounds to bloom.

Step 3: Pour The Rest of Your Water

Pour the rest of your water evenly and steadily. When you are finished pouring, stir your water with a long spoon gently for a minute. Push down on your plunger until it is just below the surface of the water.

Step 4: Let It Brew

Read: What is white coffee?

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Brew White Coffee

How Do You Make A White Coffee?

Making a white coffee is not as simple as brewing a cup of coffee and adding milk, or brewing up a flat white. A white coffee is coffee beans that have been roasted at a lower roasting temperature and for a shorter period of time than other roast profiles and are  white in color – more accurately an off-white color.

To brew a white coffee and get the distinctive nutty flavor you can use any of the common brewing methods, including drip coffee, French press and pour over. An espresso usually does not turn out so well as the grind size is too large, it is a coffee that you need to buy pre-ground since the density of the beans makes them harder and will break your grinder.

You will get great results when you experiment and get it hitting the spot for you. Double brewing with the pour over brewing process works incredibly for me for white coffee brewing, especially when you use a metal filter.

Can You Make Drip White Coffee?

Yes, you can make drip coffee with white coffee. Ground white coffee has a distinctive scent of peanuts and has a rather tasty nutty flavor, a very different taste from regular coffee. Drip coffee, when you use a metal filter you will get the best results as you will get all the flavors and coffee oils into your cup of coffee.

 It is much more flavorful than regular coffee.

How Long Do You Steep White Coffee?

Using the full immersion brewing technique for white coffee brewing, I suggest you consider the French press method. While using a high brewing temperature of 96° C (205° F) and a good quality even coarse grind size and a coffee to water ratio of 1:12. Let your white coffee steep, while fully insulated to maintain the temperature, for 7 to 10 minutes to extract a top quality flavor.

Unlike darker roasts, brewing white coffee for so long will not start to go bitter.

How Do You Make Coffee With White Coffee Beans?

Making coffee with white coffee beans is easy and is not difficult, but requires some minor adjustments to get the best out of the nutty flavor profile.

A fine example is when brewing an espresso shot, I advise you don’t tamp your grounds and allow your grounds to expand. If you don’t have an espresso grind, which is unlikely, you might have to discard the first shot and pull a second with the same grounds.

Pour over, to get a very distinct coffee flavor associated with white beans you will need to double brew your coffee with fresh grounds each time. Use a metal filter for the best results.

French press, you will get the best results when you use a brewing temperature that is at the higher end of the recommended perfect brewing temperature and extend the brew time while insulating your French press to minimize the temperature loss.

Is White Coffee Just With Milk?

No, even though in many English-speaking nations and cultures the term white coffee is in reference to black coffee with milk, cream or coffee whitener. In other cultures and to serious coffee lovers, white coffee is a specific roast which is lighter than a blonde roast. White coffee is roasted at a lower temperature and for a shorter period of time than other roasts.

Do You Add Milk To White Coffee?

The choice to add milk to white coffee is entirely your own choice and taste preference. Personally, if you have never tried or brewed with white coffee beans or grounds, I strongly suggest that you enjoy it without anything added. If it is not to your liking, add a little milk and or sugar.

Can You Brew White Coffee?

Yes, you can brew white coffee. White coffee is denser than regular ground coffee. To brew white coffee it is best that you use methods that use pressure, which include espresso machine, aeropress and moka pot coffee brewing methods.

Why Is White Coffee So Good?

White coffee is so good due to being roasted at a low temperature. One that is much lower than even a blonde roast. Expect a sweet taste profile with hints of nuts.

Final Thoughts – How To Brew White Coffee

You now know how to brew white coffee using at least 6 different and popular brewing techniques and methods.

White coffee is difficult to get right due to the very different taste produced and may take you a few attempts to get it right. Be patient, practice and adjust until you get it perfect, as it is worth it.

Did you brew a white coffee?

Which brewing methods did you try?

Which was best for you?

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location