Cold brew coffee isn’t iced coffee. And while awareness of that difference used to be a “when you know, you know,” situation, cold brew has become more ubiquitous at coffee shops of both the artisanal and chain varieties. That’s likely because cold brew offers a smoother, richer drinking experience than watered-down iced coffee, as well as, in some cases less acidic effects on your digestion. So for cold coffee connoisseurs who like to control every aspect of their cup or folks who just want to batch-produce a pitcher of concentrate to enjoy on their way out the door, below we’ve rounded up the best cold brew coffee makers we’ve tried.
The best cold brew coffee maker: Oxo Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Oxo Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker,Black
Pros
- Small size is easy to store
- Rainmaker showerhead disperses water evenly
Cons
- A lot of pieces to keep track of
Oxo had already impressed us with their larger cold brew system, so when this one with a much smaller footprint arrived in 2019, we were thrilled to find out it offered the same robust, cold brew concentrate in a more space-saving and apartment-friendly size.
What we love about the Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of weighing or measuring your coffee and water (you probably should, but we get it), setting up the brewing process is easy, thanks to handy guide marks for how much coffee and water you should add. Using its “Rainmaker” drip system, water gradually saturates the grounds from above. After 12 to 24 hours on the countertop or 20 to 24 hours in the fridge (we think it works best at room temperature than in the refrigerator), brewing is finished. Set the reservoir on top of the carafe and it opens a valve and drains out, allowing you to store just a small flask of concentrate (stopper included), ready to be diluted to your taste, though a 1:2 or 1:3 coffee-to-water ratio is recommended.
As mentioned, we also like the size of this cold brew coffee maker, especially when compared to its bigger cousin, the Oxo Good Grips Cold Brew Maker (see below), not just because of its overall footprint, but with a 24-ounce carafe, we think it’s the better option for making batches of coffee concentrate for just one or two people, i.e. the normal number of people you’re likely making cold brew for. You can get proprietary paper filters, but the built-in mesh did an impressive enough job keeping coffee grounds out that we don’t think you need them. Finally, when it’s time to put it away, all of the parts stack inside the reservoir, meaning this cold brew maker takes up very little space when not in use.
There are more than a few pieces to keep track of, from lids for both the reservoir and carafe, to the three-part filtration system. But the instructions outline everything well, so we never felt confused by all of the parts involved. We also wish more of the apparatus was dishwasher safe — only the glass carafe is. (We get that organic materials make things seem more rustic, but the cork stopper could be made of something dishwasher-friendly.) Finally, the flask-style carafe could benefit from a pour spout.
Size: 5.2″ x 5.3″ x 8.6″
Capacity: 24 oz.
Materials: Borosilicate glass carafe, cork and silicone stopper, plastic brewing container and rainmaker showerhead, stainless steel mesh filter
What is cold brew coffee (and how is it different from iced coffee)?
In short, iced coffee is coffee that is brewed as hot coffee (or occassionally espresso), then cooled down or poured over ice. Cold brew uses room temperature water (you can use cold water, but it will take longer) throughout the entire process, and requires a more extraction time, sometimes up to two days. The result is a richer, smoother, and less-diluted coffee concentrate that can be watered down or mixed with milk to your liking, while preserving the flavor of that coffee you paid good money for.
A simple immersion brewing methods is similar to making iced tea: Coarse coffee grounds get exposed to cold water over a long period of time — you could even just do this in a French press if you wanted. But a few methods, including our winner, use gravity to gradually expose the water to the coffee grounds before filtering. We tend to prefer the latter because most of the “steeping” methods rely on mesh or perforated metal filters that leave some unpleasant silt in your cup at best and, at worst, produce weak or bitter coffee.
Frequently the directions that come with these cold brew makers produce cold brew concentrate (like for our winning Oxo pick), which can be watered down or mixed with milk to your preferred strength and liking, like a shot of hot espresso might be turned into an Americano or latte. You can adjust that yourself though by using different coffee-to-water ratios. You’ll have to figure out what works best for you, but a coffee-to-water ratio of around 1:4 for concentrate and 1:10 for ready to drink coffee are good places to start.
Tools for making cold brew coffee at home: Cold brew, like any coffee, is only as good as the the coffee beans you use to make it, so grab a quality bag before you brew. A coffee grinder is non-negotiable here. You need very coarsely ground coffee for cold brew and you won’t get that from pre-ground coffee unless you ask specifically for it from the roaster. The cooler water will extract flavor better from coarser coffee and there will be less sediment in your cup at the end. Also a kitchen scale or coffee scale is helpful for precise measurements of both grounds and water.
If you’re interested in nitro cold brew — which adds tiny bubbles and creamy texture into the mix — that’s tougher. You can attempt to make it at home with a nitrous oxide-powered whipped cream dispenser, but more realistically you just have to hit up your local coffee shop where it’s usually on tap.
Finally, if you’re reading all of this and realizing you don’t have the time or patience for hours of brewing, consider the Cumulus Coffee Machine, a single-serve cold brew maker which utilizes Nespresso-like pods for surprisingly good cold brew, including nitro.
How we tested cold brew coffee makers
Using the same beans and filtered water, we followed the brewing process instructions, grind recommendation, and measurements for each individual coffee maker. We then brewed each system in the refrigerator for a full 24 hours (with the exception of the Hario which specified eight hours and the larger Oxo which wouldn’t fit and specifies room temperature brewing anyway). For a second round of testing, we brewed every system on the countertop at room temp for 18 hours. We tasted all of the resulting cold brew black and diluted with water, and also had a barista/coffee roaster taste each unlabeled batch black, with water, and with cream.
What we looked for in cold brew coffee makers
This relates to multiple factors, like setup, brewing instructions, cleaning, and how generally fiddly all the pieces are to put together and take apart. We also noted whether the recommended ratios and measurements produced good coffee, or whether we had to tinker with the formula, something we didn’t think beginners should have to worry about.
The point of cold brew is to achieve a rich, smooth coffee. We noted anything bitter or otherwise unpleasant.
Not only should the cold brew system feel sturdy, it should also stand up to repeat washings and, ideally, avoid small, easily breakable components.
Does the pitcher or system look attractive, or is it more utilitarian? How much counter or cabinet space does it take up?
Other cold brew coffee makers we tested and liked
Oxo Brew Cold Brew Coffee Maker
This cold brew system is the larger cousin to our top pick, and its sheer size is its only real drawback. In addition to its footprint, it’s not the most attractive thing to keep around on your counter, looking more like a classroom science experiment than cool tech. We also wish the “Rainmaker” reservoir had a top on it to keep stuff out of the water. But it makes good coffee. If you’re consistently making cold brew for a bunch of people (or you need a bunch of cold brew to get through your day — we’re not judging), this larger capacity, 32-ounce coffee maker will fit the bill.
Takeya Deluxe
It doesn’t do a great job with concentrate, but this model is a good option for iced coffee people who want a simple and, dare we say, attractive way to make cold coffee at home. The mesh filter system consistently gave us balanced and creamy cold brew, if a little on the weaker side, but we found it was best enjoyed black or with milk. Given its decent performance and sleek and lightweight design, combined with the fact that it closes up tight with a silicone seal to avoid leaks and drips (you could probably even travel with it), it’s a great option for people who might not love the intensity of cold brew, but still like having a pitcher of iced coffee in their fridge.
Cold Bruer
Unlike the larger Oxo, Cold Bruer’s fancy, hourglass-shaped system looks like the kind of science experiment we’d be proud to display on our kitchen counter. Frankly, its drip-style brewing is almost meditative. But while it is an exceptional cold brew maker, we’d say it is better suited for the coffee gear geek who enjoys poring over instructions and doesn’t care about price as long as they’re getting the best cup of coffee possible. Whether that’s worth the higher price tag than the Oxo is up to you.
Kaffé KF9020 Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Despite its vague instructions and slight bit of sediment left in our coffee, Kaffé’s KF9020 is a decent pitcher-style cold brew coffee system. It uses a metal mesh insert for infusion and features a leakproof lid, shatter resistant borosilicate glass carafe with 44-ounce capacity, and dishwasher-safe components, all for under $30.
Coffee Gator Cold Brewer
Like the Kaffé above, Coffee Gator offers a simple to use, infusion cold brew system that comes in a handy, leak-free pitcher. It even looks a bit sleeker to our eyes, and costs less, too. It comes with some extra components, like a stainless steel coffee scoop and a collapsible funnel for ensuring your grounds get into the filter and not all over your counter. But as for the resulting cold brew itself, it was just OK.
Filtron Cold Brew System
Filtron is an OG in the cold brew space that’s been recommended by baristas for years, and for good reason. With room temperature water, the cold brew from this system was smooth and balanced. But it has more parts than the oxo and is a bit more complicated to use. But with a price tag that’s a few dollars less and similar capacity to the big Oxo, you won’t be disappointed, either.
Cold brew coffee makers we don’t recommend
Kaffé Cold Brew Coffee Maker
The concept — essentially an infusion-style cold brewer that looks like a wine bottle — is attractive. But in practice, this carafe is too prone to leaking from its silicone top which just isn’t as functional for daily pouring as we’d want. It made decent cold brew and was easily cleanable in the dishwasher, but the rest of the features were, unfortunately, lacking.
While this brand is a darling of many baristas, we found a few issues, namely that the models we ordered from Amazon didn’t come with English instructions, only Japanese (which is fine if you speak Japanese, but we won’t assume anyone is bilingual). The English directions we did find online (and only for the 1000 ml, but not the 600 ml) recommended just eight hours of refrigerated brewing, which produced a weak coffee to our taste. They also recommended a medium grind, rather than the usual coarse grounds used to make cold brew. As might be expected, this left more coffee sediment in our cups than we’d like, even with the fine mesh filter. If you’re willing to tinker with brew time, temperature, and coffee grounds texture to find the sweet spot on this maker, it will serve you well. For right-out-of-the-box user-friendliness, it’s not a quick pickup.
We wish the coffee we tasted out of this infusion cold brew pitcher had been better, because there’s a lot to like about the design of this system. Not only does it come in a few cute colors, it features a filter with a removable bottom for emptying grounds and thorough cleaning, as well as a leakproof lid with slots for easy twist-to-pour functionality, ergonomic handle, and heat-tolerant borosilicate glass carafe safely encased in plastic. Ultimately, we just didn’t love the cold brew that came out of it when compared to other systems.
County Line Kitchen Cold Brewer
Despite its positive Amazon reviews, we found this mason jar-style carafe with perforated metal filter to produce lackluster cold brew, even if it is capable of making a lot of it (64 ounces) at a time. For the price, we think you can do better with the Oxo or another pitcher system.
Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker
While it’s admirable to want to help busy coffee drinkers make cold brew fast (which you can do with this pod system), the centrifugal infusion action and 25- to 45-minute runtime on this countertop machine just didn’t live up to expectations. Freshly ground beans lost their nuance in the process, and the setup required too many pieces and too much cleaning to make us want to set it up again for the next batch.
While akin to the Filtron and Oxo systems above, we found we definitely needed an additional paper filter to get this cold brew to our liking. The Toddy system also has a bunch of parts to keep track of, including a reusable flannel filter which online reviews say can get mildewy if not cleaned thoroughly (or it can be stored in the freezer between uses). That, plus the fact that we could already see possible signs of staining in the white plastic reservoir made us prefer the Filtron and Oxo above.
Another hourglass-shaped system, BOD by BodyBrew is essentially an upside-down infusion pitcher that you flip over when it’s done brewing. And as an infusion pitcher, it does a good job of making inoffensive cold brew concentrate. But we found cleanup finicky and few issues with leaking, ultimately bumping it down on our list.
Ovalware Cold Brew Coffee Maker
While its flask-like shape might appeal to folks with a science lab aesthetic, this relatively simplistic system relies on a perforated stainless steel filter and a stopper that doesn’t fit quite as tightly as we’d want it to for longterm fridge storage.
There are, of course, so many ways to make coffee
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