Real Brewed Coffee. Controlled Extraction.
Cold-Filter Brew is the coffee extraction approach behind NORSE CODE. It was developed to give us greater control over how coffee flavour, aroma, sweetness and bitterness carry into a finished coffee liqueur.
Rather than treating coffee simply as a flavour to add to a spirit, we brew the coffee first and build the liqueur around the character that extraction produces.
Built around the coffee from the beginning.
Cold-Filter Brew is our approach to brewing and refining the coffee used in NORSE CODE. The aim is not simply to extract as much flavour as possible. It is to control the character of the extraction so the finished coffee works once it is combined with spirit, sweetness and the other elements of the liqueur.
Coffee extraction changes what reaches the glass. Aroma, acidity, sweetness, bitterness, body and finish can all shift depending on how coffee is brewed. Those decisions matter in a cup of speciality coffee, and they matter in coffee liqueur too.
Coffee is not an afterthought.
NORSE CODE starts with real brewed coffee. Cold-Filter Brew gives us a repeatable way to control that coffee before it becomes part of the finished liqueur.
Coffee flavour begins before the spirit is added.
Great coffee is not defined by one ingredient alone. Origin, roast, water, brewing method, extraction and balance all influence what we taste.
We apply the same thinking to coffee liqueur. The goal is to produce a coffee extraction with the flavour and structure we want, then balance the rest of the liquid around it.
Flavour Clarity
Controlled brewing helps us shape the coffee character before blending, rather than relying on sweetness to define the finished profile.
Balance
Extraction, sweetness and alcohol need to work together. Changing one changes the way the others are perceived.
Serve Performance
The finished liqueur has to perform in cocktails, where dilution, texture, coffee intensity and sweetness all interact.
The process is about control, not shortcuts.
Cold-Filter Brew combines coffee selection, controlled brewing and filtration as part of a wider production process. The exact recipe remains closely held, but the principle is straightforward: make the coffee properly first, then protect and balance that character through the rest of production.
1. Select
We begin with speciality coffee chosen for the flavour and structure we want in the finished liqueur.
2. Brew
Brewing parameters are controlled to produce the extraction profile required for the product rather than simply maximising strength.
3. Refine
The brewed coffee is filtered and then balanced with the other components of the recipe to create the finished liquid.
That sounds simple. In practice, small changes to extraction, sweetness, dilution, filtration and finishing can alter the way the coffee presents in the bottle and in a cocktail.
Competition-level coffee experience shaped the method.
Cold-Filter Brew was developed with Coffee Spirit Co co-founder Gordon Howell, whose career spans more than two decades in speciality coffee, brewing, training, judging and brewing equipment development.
Gordon won the UK Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in 2013 before placing 3rd at the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. In 2015 he became UK Brewers Cup Champion and went on to finish 7th at the World Brewers Cup.
That combination is unusually relevant to coffee liqueur: Brewers Cup centres on extraction and sensory quality, while Coffee in Good Spirits brings speciality coffee and alcohol together in the glass.
Built by coffee people.
The method behind NORSE CODE grew from coffee brewing and extraction knowledge, then had to prove itself in a finished spirit and in real cocktail serves.
Cold-Filter Brew shapes the NORSE CODE range.
The same coffee-first philosophy can produce very different styles of liqueur. Hel Above and Hel Below are not simply stronger and weaker versions of the same product; they are balanced differently for different flavour profiles and serves.
HEL ABOVE
At 22% ABV, Hel Above has a brighter, cleaner and more structured profile. It is particularly suited to Espresso Martinis and coffee-forward cocktails where coffee clarity and strength matter.
HEL BELOW
At 16% ABV, Hel Below brings greater body, texture and rounded sweetness. It makes a richer style of Espresso Martini and is particularly suited to Baby Guinness and layered serves where density matters.
EX-01
The Exceptional Series explores what happens when distinctive coffee, careful roasting, brewing and spirit selection are treated with equal attention.
The finished liquid has been judged on its own merits.
Our approach to coffee and extraction ultimately has to justify itself in the glass. The NORSE CODE range has since received independent recognition across major drinks and food competitions.
Hel Above
- IWSC 2026 — Gold Medal, 95 points.
- Great Taste 2026 — 1 Star.
- International Spirits Challenge 2025 — Bronze Medal.
Hel Below
- World Liqueur Awards 2026 — Country Winner for England.
- Global Liqueur Masters 2025 — Gold Medal.
Awards do not prove that one production method is universally better than another. They do provide independent recognition of the finished liqueurs produced using ours.
Real coffee deserves to taste like coffee.
Cold-Filter Brew exists because we wanted the coffee in NORSE CODE to remain a defining part of the finished drink rather than disappear behind sweetness or alcohol.
It is one part of a much bigger recipe, but it establishes the principle behind everything we make: understand the coffee, control the extraction and build from there.
REAL BREWED COFFEE. CONTROLLED EXTRACTION.
BUILT BY COFFEE PEOPLE.
Cold-Filter Brew and NORSE CODE.
What is Cold-Filter Brew?
Cold-Filter Brew is the coffee brewing and filtration approach developed for NORSE CODE. It gives us control over the coffee extraction before that coffee is balanced with the other elements of the finished liqueur.
Is Cold-Filter Brew the same as cold brew coffee?
No. Cold brew generally refers to coffee steeped in cool or cold water over an extended period. Cold-Filter Brew is our brewing and filtration approach developed specifically around the requirements of NORSE CODE coffee liqueur.
Is NORSE CODE made with real coffee?
Yes. Real brewed speciality coffee is at the centre of the NORSE CODE range. The coffee is brewed before being incorporated into the finished liqueur.
Why does coffee extraction matter in a liqueur?
Extraction affects aroma, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, body and finish. Those characteristics influence the finished liqueur and how it performs once mixed into cocktails.
Who developed the coffee process behind NORSE CODE?
Cold-Filter Brew was developed by Coffee Spirit Co with co-founder and coffee lead Gordon Howell, UK Brewers Cup Champion and UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion.
Can both Hel Above and Hel Below be used for Espresso Martinis?
Yes. Hel Above gives a brighter, more structured Espresso Martini, while Hel Below produces a richer, rounder style with greater body. Hel Below is also particularly suited to Baby Guinness and layered serves.
Is the complete Cold-Filter Brew recipe public?
No. We explain the principles behind the process, but the complete recipe and production detail remain closely controlled by Coffee Spirit Co.