Cold brew coffee is all the rage and you have to go and get yourself some. But you are wondering what the best cold brew coffee maker is.
Cold brew is a lot more than just brewing over ice (though that’s perfectly fine coffee, too).
We happen to be cold brew experts, and here are reviews of the best cold brew coffee makers out there.
Top Rated Cold Brew Coffee Makers and Reviews
Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffee Machine (DCB-10)
Brewing system: Automatic
Capacity: 7 cups
The Cuisinart Automatic cold brew coffee maker is a pretty interesting take on cold brew because it cuts down the brewing time quite drastically from 12 hours to just 25 minutes.
At this point, you may be raising your eyebrows in doubt, but hear me out. It’s actually quite an interesting concept.
This automatic cold brew system works by spinning the coffee grounds filter in room temperature or cold water to speed up the brewing process without using heat.
Heat, as you know, is what extracts the bitter and acidic flavors from coffee. So by spinning the grounds at moderate speeds, the water gets to interact with the coffee grounds to extract enough flavor and produce the characteristically sweet tasting cold brew that we all love and enjoy.
You can choose three brew strengths: mild, medium, and bold. Each brew strength increases the time to prep by 10 minutes.
Once the brew is complete, the coffee drips through one more filter to get rid of any sediment that may have been left over.
Cuisinart recommends using 13 scoops of coffee grounds for 7 cups. This is closer to the typical drip coffee ratio rather than a cold brew ratio. They probably came up with this because the mechanical spinning helps extract enough flavor anyway.
Things we like
- Quick brewing
- Brew from 1 to 7 cups
- Glass carafe can go into the fridge for storage
Things we don’t like
- Purists may find brew method to be unorthodox
Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Brewing system: Immersion
Capacity: 1.5 liters
The Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker is one of the oldest cold brew coffee makers out there. It’s the brewer of choice for many households and even cafes, where they use the larger industrial version.
Overall, the Toddy system is incredibly simple. You get a brewing chamber, a glass decanter, paper filters, and two felt filters.
The unique thing about the Toddy cold brew system is the double filtration from the paper filters and the felt filter. The result is a very clean, clear cold brew.
To brew using the Toddy system, plug the bottom of the brew chamber with the silicone stopper and place the felt filter on top of it.
Fill coffee grounds and water in the filter and place it in the brew chamber. Then let it steep for 12 to 24 hours as you would any cold brew.
Once the time has elapsed, hold the brew chamber over the decanter and remove the silicone stopper. The water will filter through the felt and into the decanter.
Overall, the Toddy system just adds a tiny bit of convenience to the time-tested method of brewing cold brew coffee. It’s nothing mind-blowing or earth-shattering, but if you’d like specialized equipment for your cold brew, it’s worth picking up.
Toddy recommends making a concentrate with the brewer, but you can just as easily make regular cold brew using a smaller coffee to water ratio.
Things we like
- Dual filtration means very clean coffee
- Makes brewing cold brew convenient
Things we don’t like
- Paper and felt filters are a recurring purchase, though you can get cloth filters
OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Brewing system: Immersion
Capacity: 32 ounces
The OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker is another interesting take on a cold brew system. It’s essentially the same as the Toddy in principle, but the design is a little different.
The OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker is essentially a stand with a top chamber where you add the coffee grounds and water. A filter sits at the bottom of the brew chamber.
After you add the coffee grounds, you add the shower cap and pour water through it. The shower ensures that the coffee grounds are wet evenly.
Once all the water is in, give it a little stir and cap it shut for 12 to 24 hours.
Once the time has elapsed, place the beaker below the stand and use the lever to release the coffee from the top chamber into the bottom chamber. It’s pretty straightforward.
As you can see, most cold brew systems aim for convenience more than revolutionary brewing. There’s only so much innovation you can do on a simple immersion brew!
Things we like
- Showerhead helps evenly wet coffee grounds from the very start
- Filtering is quite effective and produces a clean cup of coffee
- Brew concentrate or straight cold brew
Things we don’t like
- There is occasional leakage
Hario Mizudashi Glass Cold Brew Coffee Pitcher
Brewing system: Immersion
Capacity: 600ml/1 liter
The Hario Mizudashi is different from the other cold brew systems that we’ve seen so far in that it adopts a pitcher design. The entire pitcher is made of glass, which is a huge plus point. Glass does not absorb odors like plastic does, so you could even brew a cold brew, rinse the Hario out, and immediately make some iced tea.
The Hario has a mesh filter where you add coffee grounds, then fill the pitcher and place the filter inside.
Then it’s just a matter of letting it steep for 12 to 24 hours. Once the time has elapsed, you can remove the filter and you have a pitcher of cold brew ready to go. How cool is that(pun intended)!
The mesh filter is quite fine and if you grind your coffee beans coarse enough like you should, there should be no fines leaking into your coffee.
It’s also great to fit in the side door of a fridge once the brew is ready.
Things we like
- Slim profile for easy storage
- Glass construction for best flavor
- Mesh filter is easy to clean
Things we don’t like
- Can’t brew a concentrate
Filtron Large Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Brewing system: Immersion
Capacity: 1.5 liters
The Filtron cold brew system is a large coffee maker great for making big batches of cold brew.
The system is essentially the same as the Todd