For Sweltering Days in the Concrete Jungle.

Cold-brew coffee has become a cult favorite, but making it yourself takes half a day or more of steeping ground coffee in room-temperature water to obtain a concentrated brew that is smoother and less acidic than hot-brewed coffee. Gorilla Coffee, the popular coffee bar and roaster in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has introduced sealed aseptic Tetra Paks of full-bodied coffee from Rwandan and Brazilian beans that is ready to drink without diluting. (It is not a concentrate like regular cold-brew.) Each 11-ounce box yields two servings. The boxes are shelf stable, can be resealed with a screw top, and are especially handy to keep in the refrigerator for iced coffee. For hot coffee, the packages cannot be microwaved; it is best to pour the drink into a mug first, then heat. You can also throw a few packs into the freezer and use them first as chillers for a picnic basket, and then to drink. Gorilla Cold Brew is sold at Gorilla Coffee, 97 Fifth Avenue (Park Place), Park Slope, Brooklyn; at Union Markets in Brooklyn (and soon in Manhattan); and at Whole Foods, $4 to $4.25. From gorillacoffee.com, a case of 12 is $44 plus shipping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]