Toddy, Inc. sold its millionth cold brewing coffee system last month. Could a Toddy coffee maker be the revival of an archaic coffee brewing method in your modern kitchen?

The millionth Toddy coffee maker item went to Seattle's Best Coffee cafe at the beginning of this Holiday season, with a special mark on the pack to certify its anniversary nature.

The news is even more important as this December Toddy, Inc. celebrates 40 years of "cool coffee making".

This may be as well the best moment to rediscover the benefits of brewing a cold cup of coffee instead of the usual hot. This brewing method is not very popular yet, but might become soon.

Apparently, the cold-brewed coffee was brought to America for the first time back in 1847, but the sources speak only about the ready-made coffee-essence that was sold in bottles. Not many people knew how to prepare it.

In 1964, Todd Simpson, a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell University, came back from a trip to Guatemala strongly impressed with the coffee he had been served there. He then created a device to prepare his home coffee in a similar way, analyzed its composition, and further decided to sell his invention.

The Toddy Coffee Maker extracts the flavor from coffee in a unique way, using cold water and a special filtration system. At first sight it may seem more elaborate to brew coffee "the cold way": you have to pour cold & pure water over ground coffee and keep it steady through 10-12 hours, then pass it through the filter and refrigerate it. But this coffee is about 67% less acid than the traditionally brewed coffee. The flavors are extracted from the ground coffee, but the bitter oils and fatty acids that are not soluble in cold temperature, are left behind.

The difference, in the opinion of those who enjoy this brewing method, is first noticed in its taste, that is smooth and flavored. If refrigerated, the coffee-essence can be kept fresh for fourteen days (longer when frozen). For preparation, the coffee-essence submits to a wide range of recipes. You can add water (steaming-hot or ice-cold), milk, sugar and various flavours to your taste.

Brewing cold results in less caffeine extracted, about 2/3 than with regular hot-brewing. This is not as bad news as it may sound, even for those who live for their strong "pick-me-ups" in the morning. The coffee strength can be easily adjusted through a more coffee-essence, less water recipe.

Still, cold brewed coffee was adopted at a slow pace, probably due to convenience. The fortieth year of life for the Toddy coffee maker could be the turn around the corner, establishing a new trend in the way we people enjoy our daily coffee cup.