- The elegant design is both beautiful and functional
- Larger capacity makes a great option for families and batch brewing
- Adjustable valve allows you to control the rate of extraction
- High-quality glass parts
- Reusable ceramic filter
- Pricey when compared to other cold brew coffee makers
- Not suitable for families with young children or pets
- Takes up a fair amount of counter space
- Needs quite a bit of clearance as the product is 44.5″ tall
This Yama Glass cold brew coffee maker makes great cold brew and is practically guaranteed to be a conversation piece at your next dinner party.
This cold brew tower consists of 3 tiers.
- Top: Holds your water and ice
- Middle: Holds your coffee grounds and water
- Bottom: Holds the extracted cold brew
Constructed from high-quality glass, water drips down from the top glass beaker, onto a paper filter, into the coffee grounds, through the ceramic filter, and finally into the serving carafe below.
Additionally, the brass valves are adjustable, so the home barista can customize the rate of the water passing through the grounds.
Though it’s a bit spendy for the average home barista looking for a quick cold brew, it’s perfect for the coffee connoisseur looking for that perfect cup.
Though the default setting for this model extracts coffee in 12 hours, you can control both the rate of water passing through the grounds and the amount of coffee in the middle carafe.
If you fill the center carafe with one pound of coffee and adjust the valve to release one drop per second, you’ll end up with a more concentrated cold brew.
While this cold brew coffee tower wins brownie points for being cool to watch, it is definitely not the right fit for every household. Homes with pets, children, and clumsy adults like myself may cause any one of the glass beakers to shatter, which would then render this beautiful work of art useless.
Additionally, the 25-cup capacity only applies to 25, 4 oz cups. However, if your cold brew is concentrated enough, you could probably get away with filling your mug the rest of the way with cold water, creamer, or milk.
Cold brew coffee is brewed using room temperature or cold water, which prevents extraction of the bitter, organic acids one normally gets with hot brewing.
The result is a flavorful, smooth cup of iced coffee.
I’ve done it myself and if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d make it all the time!
Even though there are many ways to do it, the easiest is using a proper cold brew coffee maker. It’s like a regular plastic bottle but with a special filter compartment in the inside which stores the coffee grounds.
This Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brew Coffee Maker makes immersion easy and comes in 2 sizes:
- 34 oz
- 51 oz
All you do is add your coffee grounds to the filter compartment, add cold water to the bottle, put both parts together and wait 12-24 hours for the coffee to fully brew.
I know that’s a long time to wait for coffee, but you can make it in batches and it’s well worth the wait!
- 56 oz capacity is perfect for families and batch brewing
- Proven method for making the best cold brew
- Dual filtration and classic methods allow for some customization and tweaking
- Reusable filters and filter bags make the process clean and hassle-free
- Poorly-designed brewing chamber makes it awkward to pour coffee concentrate into the carafe
- The 56 oz capacity may be too much for someone looking to make one or two servings at a time
First developed in 1964, the Toddy Cold Brew System is the original cold brew coffee maker.
Todd Simpson, a Cornell chemical engineering graduate, developed this patented method after trying a Peruvian coffee made from liquid coffee concentrate.
Unlike similar systems, there are two main brewing methods:
- Toddy Dual Filtration
- Toddy Classic
Both methods will yield a great cup of cold brew, but the dual filtration method tends to be easier and less messy.
For both of these methods, you can steep the cold brew for up to 24 hours for a rich coffee concentrate. When it’s done steeping, carefully remove the stopper over the included glass carafe, dilute as needed, and enjoy.
Overall, the Toddy Cold Brew System is an affordable but customizable option. It makes a great cup of cold brew and holds a reasonable amount of concentrate without taking up too much space.
My only gripe is that the process of removing the stopper and pouring the coffee into the decanter can get messy and awkward. Since the stopper is at the bottom of the brewing chamber, you’ll have to find a way of pulling off the stopper without getting cold brew all over your counter and missing the decanter entirely.
- Perfect capacity for small families
- Great materials and build quality
- Reliable, precision-cut filter ensures there's minimal sludge at the bottom of your cup
- Airtight seal keeps cold brew coffee fres
- Easy-to-read markings
- 32 oz capacity may be too small for large families or office use
- Not much room for customization
this Bean Envy cold brew coffee maker is sleek, made from quality components, and is easy on the eyes and wallet.
The markings on the glass carafe are easy to read, and the mesh filter has been precision-cut to ensure no grounds end up in your cold brew.
To make a batch of coffee, just measure your coffee grounds into the microdot filter, pour the appropriate amount of water into the pitcher, and let it steep for up to 24 hours.
While this coffee maker lacks some of the bells and whistles of some other models we’ve reviewed thus far, it makes a consistently good cup. Plus, the filter works very well, and there is no need to strain it through a paper filter.
However, the 32 oz capacity may not be a good size for those looking to make a large batch of cold brew for the week.
But for the build quality, consistent performance, and ease of use, this Bean Envy is a great choice.
- 32 oz capacity is great for small families
- Ultra fine filter does an excellent job at filtering out coffee silt
- One-touch brew release button is convenient and mess-free
- High-quality glass carafe and stopper keeps cold brew fresh
- Rainmaker lid ensures coffee grounds are evenly saturated
- 32 oz capacity may not be ideal for larger families or larger cold brew batches
- Some units are prone to leakage
This OXO Good Grips cold brew coffee maker is a high-quality but affordable alternative to some of the pricier cold brew drip coffee makers available for purchase.
To make a batch of cold brew with the OXO, do the following:
- Measure your coffee grounds into the conical, ultrafine filter.
- Add cold water to the perforated top in a circular motion.
- Steep the grounds for 12-24 hours.
- Press the brew release button to drain the concentrate into the carafe below.
We like this coffee maker because the Rainmaker lid ensures the ground coffee is evenly saturated with water. Plus, the one-touch brew release button is really convenient and mess-free.
However, the 32 oz capacity may not be enough for larger families or for times when you want to brew a larger batch for the week.
- Great build quality
- Effective, double-walled mesh filter
- Perfect size for taking on-the-go
- Simple brewing process
- Not designed for large families
- Some models of this product are prone to leakage
This portable Asobu cold brew coffee maker consists of a durable BPA-free brewing chamber, a super-fine double-walled 18/8 stainless steel mesh filter, and a double-walled, 32 oz, spill-proof carafe.
Best of all, this system is compact, simple, and portable.
To make a batch of cold brew, measure your grounds into the filter, pour water over the grounds in a circular motion, and let it steep for 12-24 hours.
When you’re ready to drink your cold brew, just remove the seal, press the release button, and decant into the included carafe.
The double-walled, stainless steel carafe does a great job keeping its contents cold.
On the downside, the 32 oz capacity is good-not-great. But are you expecting huge capacity from a product that's designed to be durable and portable?
- Compact, simple design
- Easy-to-clean
- Perfect capacity for small families
- Fewer moving parts yields a more consistent result
- Very economical, making it a great choice for a barista new to cold brew
- Not much room for customization
- Mesh filter does not filter out all coffee grounds from the cold brew concentrate
- Poorly-designed spout leads to leaking while pouring
This Takeya Delux Cold Brew coffee maker is simple, easy to clean, and compact.
To brew a 64 oz batch of cold brew, simply fill the included filter to the top with coarsely-ground coffee. Then fill the pitcher with cold, filtered water for best results. Next, let the coffee steep for 20 hours before pouring.
Though the mesh filter keeps much of the coffee grounds out, you may need to strain the resulting coffee concentrate through a paper filter to remove any coffee grounds.
If used properly, this cold brew coffee maker yields a very sweet, smooth cup.
Furthermore, its simplistic design means you’ll get years of service out of it before you’ll need to replace any parts, making it the most economical choice thus far.
