[keevie]

Sure, taste is subjective, but that doesn't mean certain cooking techniques are better than others.

Cold brew oxidizes, and doesn't extract many of the flavor compounds from coffee. That's why it always tastes kind of stale and flat. Now, you might like that, but I'm sure you can see why many people would say that it's a worse way to make iced coffee.

Similarly with roasting beans---lighter roasts preserve more of the flavor of the beans. So, if you have really high quality beans, dark roasts are just a waste. That's not to say that dark roast coffee can't be delicious, but it's less complex.

Similarly, sangria is delicious, but you probably shouldn't mix your 1982 chateau lafite with orange juice.

[bathMarm0t]

Well said. Your roast should complement your bean. Single origin ethiopian yirgacheffe/harar? Don't you dare roast that bean past light brown. The whole point of selecting where your coffee comes from is lost if you do something in the process to mask it's origin individuality (heavy roast / adding sugar etc). Some beans complement dark roasts well (I'm thinking like sumatras or heavy "dirt" flavored coffee), where dark, burnt earth tobacco flavors are awesome and complement very well, but most beans that you would care to spend the extra bucks won't.

[spraak]

Cold brew doesn't make iced coffee. If you add ice to your cold brew, sure, but it can also be warmed like regular hot coffee.