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The 7 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, According to Our Tests

Make barista-quality cold brew at home with these top picks.

travel cold brew maker

In This Article

  • Our Top Picks

Our Favorite Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Our favorite cold brew mix, how we tested cold brew coffee makers, other cold brew makers we tested, factors to consider, our expertise.

Food & Wine / Erica Snyder

Sometimes a steaming cup of coffee from your espresso machine or pour-over coffee maker isn't the right choice in the morning. Maybe there's a heat wave, you're afraid to burn your tongue, or you want something refreshing: Cold brew is your answer. Cold brew uses time rather than temperature to extract flavor from coffee beans, resulting in a sweeter and gentler beverage that still packs plenty of caffeine and flavor.

Cold brew is a popular choice at coffee shops (and among baristas), but it's no harder to make at home than "regular" coffee, provided you have the right tools. To find the best cold brew coffee makers, we tested 24 models, making batch after batch to rate and review their performance. If you love iced coffee, we've found the best cold brew makers for every kitchen.

Best Overall

Mueller cold brew coffee maker.

This inexpensive device makes lots of cold brew with no fuss and little mess.

There's not much opportunity to customize your brew, and the pitcher isn't dishwasher-safe.

Despite its plastic material and bargain price, the Mueller cold brew maker is well-built. The parts screw together firmly, with no leaks detected in testing, and the cylindrical filter basket was quite effective in keeping the final product clear.

Everything's made to keep the mess to a minimum: You can fill the detachable basket with grounds in the sink or use a small funnel, then it twists into the handle, which you then screw onto the pitcher filled with water. A lid screws on top of that to seal everything up for steeping in the fridge. When the cold brew is ready, you remove the filter basket and are left with a pitcher that fits perfectly in the fridge door, just like a water filter pitcher . The bottom of the filter basket even unscrews to get the used grounds out with just a tap against the compost bin or trash can.

All the parts are dishwasher-safe — except, for some reason, the pitcher itself. It kind of defeats the purpose of running the rest of the pieces through the dishwasher if you have to hand-wash the largest one, but it's not a difficult task. Our other complaint about the Mueller is that it doesn't offer a lot of opportunities for customizing your brew. It won't work very well with anything besides a full load of coffee and water.

Capacity: 64 ounces | Dimensions: 12 x 8 x 5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Partially

Food & Wine / Jason Horn

Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker

This inexpensive device makes lots of cold brew with the simple press of a plunger.

Its finished brew is less concentrated than other models, and it's a bit of a pain to clean.

Bodum makes two of our favorite French press models, so it's no surprise that its French press–style cold brew maker also scored high. You add coffee and water to the wide-mouth carafe, fit the flat sealing lid for 12 to 24 hours of steeping, and then switch to the plunger lid to filter out the grounds. The plunger lid also has a press-to-pour trigger that helps avoid spills. This was the single cheapest machine we tested, but its results (and looks) were far from the bottom of our list. The filter did a very good job at keeping out sediment, for a clear, clean-tasting brew.

We have a few complaints, but they're fairly minor. It was a bit of a pain to scoop the used grounds out of the Bodum, though all the parts were dishwasher-safe after that. We'd also advise using more coffee than the manual recommends. It calls for double what you'd use for hot coffee, which made for a rather weak cold brew.

Capacity: 51 ounces | Dimensions: 7.88 x 4.75 x 9.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

Food & Wine / Maggie Goldsmith

Best Splurge

De'longhi 3-in-1 specialty coffee maker.

This multitasker can make drip coffee, pour-over, or cold brew.

It's pretty expensive, and its cold brew isn't quite as concentrated as with the traditional method.

Do you like variety in your caffeinated beverages? De'Longhi's machine combines a cold brew maker with a traditional drip coffee machine and an automated device for making pour-over. You add water and coffee, then push the button for your chosen brew method, and it does the rest. Our test batches came out very tasty, with the signature lack of bitterness of cold brew despite its concentrated flavor.

Technically, though, this isn't exactly a cold brew maker. It makes extra-strong drip coffee over a pitcher full of ice, that's ready to drink as-is. The process only takes a few minutes compared to many hours, but the coffee essentially comes out pre-diluted. The machine is pricy for someone who wants the same cold brew every day, but it could be a good choice for the coffee adventurer. If you like to try many different beans brewed many different ways, it's an all-in-one machine to satisfy your cravings.

Capacity: 42 ounces | Dimensions: 7.4 x 11 x 13 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Carafe only

Food & Wine / Isaac Nunn

Best for Beginners

Oxo good grips cold brew coffee maker.

Extensive instructions and a simple setup let anybody churn out mess-free batches using this machine.

Its capacity is somewhat small, and we don't love the look.

If you're used to a different brewing method, cold brew can take some getting used to. The steps are different, there are a lot of coffee grounds to deal with, and they're prone to splashing messily onto the counter if you're not careful while pouring water. The OXO Good Grips maker solves those issues, with a large receptacle for grounds and a built-in filter, plus a perforated "Rainmaker" lid that sits on top to prevent spills and distribute the water evenly as you pour.

After the cold brew is done (the instructions recommend 12 to 24 hours of steeping, depending on your taste), you sit the brewing basket atop the included carafe and flip a switch to drain the liquid. The carafe's stopper even doubles as a measuring cup to portion out ingredients. The whole setup looks large and awkward with everything stacked up for straining, but the pieces usually stay separate — the brewer and carafe don't need to go in the fridge at the same time, and they nest together for storage when not in use. The grounds are easy to remove, and, though nothing is dishwasher-safe, everything was easy to hand-wash.

It's nearly impossible to mess up making cold brew thanks to the OXO's design, but this model has a fairly small capacity. The brewer holds up to 40 ounces of water, which yields about 28 ounces of cold brew at maximum. That's a few days' supply, but it's smaller than other models on our list. We also don't love the look of this gadget: The grey-brown plastic is pretty blah. (If you're looking for a travel-sized cold brew maker, the extra-tiny OXO Compact Cold Brew Maker has a similar design to this one and did well in testing.)

Capacity: 40 ounces | Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 14.7 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No

Food & Wine / Marisa Viglione

Best with Tap

Kitchenaid cold brew coffee maker.

An especially fine filter creates ultra-clear cold brew in this eye-catching machine.

It's fairly expensive, especially given its small capacity.

KitchenAid's cold brew maker has a stainless steel filter basket we found especially effective at removing all traces of cloudiness and grit from the finished product. Nonetheless, the cold brew had a full, concentrated flavor we enjoyed with lots of milk. The tap is a unique and convenient feature that lets a house full of coffee drinkers dispense exactly what they need — and makes for a lovely brunch tablescape if you set it on a cute stand.

The main downside of this model is its high cost. The KitchenAid is one of the best-looking cold brew makers out there, and it's priced to match. It's especially expensive considering the relatively small capacity. This is the larger of KitchenAid's two cold brew options but holds only 38 ounces. (The smaller one holds a mere 28 ounces.)

Capacity: 38 ounces | Dimensions: 7.2 x 8 x 8.48 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No

Food & Wine / Riddley Schirm

Best Quick-Brewing

Instant cold brewer.

This clever device can make real-deal cold brew in just 20 minutes, in three different batch sizes.

The coffee has to be ground to just the right texture for best results.

It's a cold brew drinker's worst nightmare: You wake up and go to the fridge, only to find that you forgot to start the steeping process last night. This device, from the company that accelerated slow cooking with the Instant Pot , cleverly speeds up the cold brew–making process. A spinning agitator inside the filter basket — it's a bit like a washing machine — keeps grounds and water moving to get full flavor extraction in 20 minutes. You'll never have to worry about setting up cold brew ahead of time again.

The Instant's 20-minute cycle produced authentically concentrated cold brew in our testing. And as a bonus, it can make a 16-, 24-, or 32-ounce batch with equal effectiveness. The downside of the quick brew is that you need the exactly perfect grind for the best results. With beans on the slightly fine side of medium, we got a cloudy and gritty cold brew, but when we tried again with more coarsely ground beans, the results were weak. Once we got the texture dialed in, though, it was delicious.

Capacity: 32 ounces | Dimensions: 6.7 x 7.9 x 9.8 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

Food & Wine / Doris Brunnette

Best on Nitro

Growlerwerks coffee maker.

This gadget brings creamy, frothy nitrogen-infused cold brew to your countertop.

It's expensive, complicated to use, and requires separate nitrogen canisters and filters.

The secret to the fine bubbles and creamy texture of a properly poured pint of Guinness? Nitrogen . Offering stouts and other dark beers "on nitro" has been popular for decades in bars, and many coffee shops have found that the process also works wonderfully with concentrated cold brew. The uKeg brings nitro cold brew home, using nitrogen cartridges to pressurize water and coffee grounds during infusion, as well as to dispense the finished product with that signature cascade of froth.

It's pretty incredible to be able to make nitro cold brew on your countertop, provided you really like nitro cold brew. The uKeg is quite expensive to start with, and you'll have to buy nitrogen chargers and refill kits as you continue to use it. Our test results were delicious, but we also found it pretty complicated to use. The machine doesn't come with any instructions, and we had to search the website to find the manual and watch multiple how-to videos about setting it up properly.

Capacity: 50 ounces | Dimensions: 5.2 x 8.2 x 10.9 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No

Food & Wine / Frances Crouter

After extensive testing, the Mueller Cold Brew Coffee Maker earned our top rating thanks to its combination of simplicity and value. It's easy to set up, easy to clean up, and convenient to use, at a reasonable price point.

Partners Coffee Partners Rockaway Cold Brew Pouches

If you're headed out of town for a mini-vacation, beach trip, or camping adventure, sometimes you simply don't have space in your carry-on bag to pack a full cold brew coffee maker setup. For making cold brew on the fly, we love these ready-to-steep Rockaway Cold Brew Pouches from Brooklyn-based (and editor-loved coffee brand ) Partners.

Just pop one of the biodegradable filter pouches filled with pre-ground coffee into a large Mason jar or vessel of your choice, add 24 ounces of cold filtered water, stir, and let your cold brew steep in the fridge. The next day, you'll have a full batch of smooth, rich, medium-roast cold brew to take with you to the office, beach, park, or pool. No single-use plastic here.

Includes: 4 (3-ounce) pouches, enough for 96 ounces of cold brew

We chose a total of 24 cold brew coffee makers to assess for this story, including top performers from previous rounds of testing and new machines we'd never tried before. Using a coffee whose flavor we were already familiar with, we brewed multiple batches and rated a variety of factors.

  • Brew tests: Following the included directions for the amount of coffee, grind texture, amount of water, and brew time, we made a batch of cold brew concentrate. (If the directions did not specify, we used 12 ounces of coarsely ground beans per 2 liters of water, steeped for 12 to 14 hours.) After that first round, we made additional batches, attempting to optimize results by adjusting the coffee amount, grind texture, and steeping time. We also noted any issues with setup, assembly, dripping spouts, or other design aspects.
  • Taste tests: We tasted each batch of cold brew concentrate undiluted, diluted with cold water, and diluted with a milk product (dairy or non-dairy, depending on each taster's usual preference). We rated the flavor overall and compared it to the same coffee brewed hot. The ratings also took texture into account, taking off points for grit or sediment in the final product.
  • Cleaning test: Between test brews, we disassembled and washed each cold brew maker, following the included directions and using a dishwasher for any dishwasher-safe parts. We rated how easy it was to get each machine fully clean, whether disassembly was complicated or not, and whether there was an easy way to empty the used grounds without spilling.

After completing all the tests above, we revealed the retail prices of each cold brew maker to consider value. At the time of testing, the 24 models ranged from $20 to $250, with an average of $66.

Strong Contenders

Bean Envy Cold Brew Coffee Maker

With a similar design to our top-rated Mueller, this brewer is easy to use and makes very tasty coffee. It's also roughly the same price, but it's half the size.

Baraiser Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The single largest-capacity model we tested, the Baraiser can make 3 quarts of cold brew at once but still fits well in the fridge. We wish it had more room for coffee, though; a full basket of grounds still made a somewhat weak brew.

Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker

Using "VacuPress technology," this gadget can create a cold brew in 9 minutes or less. It passed our taste test, giving similar results to overnight steeping. But it costs twice as much as the Instant model above, which also produces excellent cold brew in only a few minutes longer.

Food & Wine/Taysha Murtaugh

Hario "Mizudashi" Cold Brew Coffee Pot

Japanese brand Hario makes a variety of gorgeous coffee gear, and its glass cold brew pitcher is no exception — especially with its low price. It worked well in testing, but we were annoyed by the tall, narrow shape that might not fit on a refrigerator shelf despite holding just a liter.

Ohom Sio Cold Brew Pitcher

This is another brewer with an eye-catching look, and it would make an amazing gift for any coffee lover. In terms of actual performance, however, it's no bigger and no better at making cold brew than other models that cost less.

What Didn't Make the List

There were several cold brew makers with similar designs and prices that all made pretty good coffee in our test; the ones we left off the set of winners were the smaller-capacity models, and ones that were tough to fill or empty without making a mess. An ineffective filter was another common issue: Multiple models failed to remove sediment or allowed bits of grounds to get into the finished brew.

Food & Wine / Mary Claire Lagroue

There are cold brew makers that can make a single cup, and ones that can make a gallon or more at a time. If you're a serious coffee drinker, you can go big: Cold brew will last for a week or more in the fridge. Keep in mind, though, that cold brew is a concentrate, meant to be diluted with milk, ice, or both. While a mug of hot coffee is 8 to 12 ounces, a single serving of cold brew is more like 4 ounces.

As with most clear kitchenware, cold brew makers generally come in glass or plastic. Plastic is cheaper, glass looks nicer, and neither material is better than the other at holding and steeping coffee. That's mostly up to personal preference and budget. Material matters more for the filter, though. Thicker stainless steel mesh seemed to work better than thin. All the brewers we tested include a reusable metal filter, but some offer the option to add a disposable paper one for extra-fine clarification.

Versatility

Pretty much any cold brew coffee maker will also work with tea — the steeping and filtering process is basically the same. Some can also handle hot water for brewing coffee or tea the traditional way, but you should check the instructions for your model's maximum temperature before you start. Many of the electric machines we tested are also multitaskers, with hot and cold brew modes and various other automatic functions.

Frequently Asked Questions

As with making drip coffee in a regular coffee maker , making a flavorful cold brew starts with choosing the right beans — a light or medium roast is generally better than dark — and grinding them coarsely. Next you add water and let the mix soak overnight (or longer), then filter out the grounds.

A cold brew maker simplifies the process by combining pitcher and filter in one convenient gadget. Most models will have a recommended amount of coffee and water to use; you should follow the instructions for your first batch and then can adjust to your taste from there. As a general guideline, we advise a ratio of 12 ounces of coffee beans to 2 liters of water, with a brewing time of 12 to 14 hours.

"There's no such thing as instant cold brew," says Victoria Ratermanis, a barista at Edy's Grocer in Brooklyn, New York. "The beauty of the flavor and concentrate of cold brew is a timed thing, and that's what makes it different, both in its process and flavor."

The manual makers we tested recommended steep times anywhere from the vague "overnight" to a full 24 hours. A longer soak will lead to a more intensely flavored brew in general, but different sets of flavors — fruity versus buttery versus roasty — also tend to dominate after different amounts of time. You'll get a sense of your preferred brewing time once you make a few batches.

Electric cold brew makers shorten the process by agitating water and grounds to get rapid infusion in as little as 5 or 10 minutes. This will get you decent cold brew on demand, but for the most complex and flavorful results, even electric models recommend additional hours of steeping after the initial brew process.

Iced coffee is brewed in the traditional way with hot water, then chilled and poured over ice afterward. With cold brew, the coffee grounds spend a lot longer in contact with water that's lower in temperature. Water temperature and brewing time make a big difference for both flavor and caffeine content, so iced coffee and cold brew made from the same beans will wind up quite different.

Sweeter, fruitier, and milder notes tend to dominate in cold brew, but you should keep in mind that it's high in caffeine and quite concentrated, designed to be diluted with ice and water or milk. Iced coffee offers more acidity and roasty-toasty notes, but adding ice to hot coffee can over-dilute the drink and dull the flavors.

Besides just drinking it, you can use cold brew in lots of ways in the kitchen. The extra-concentrated flavor makes it a great choice for coffee cocktails . "If you're making a cocktail, you don't want an already diluted coffee, because then your cocktail will be diluted," says Jovanni Luna, barista at Gertie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Cold brew is great for baking. You can substitute it for some of the water or milk in many cakes, cupcakes, or other desserts to turn chocolate into mocha or vanilla into café au lait. Another fun option is to freeze cold brew into ice cubes, which you can drop into a glass of milk, a pour of whiskey, or a white Russian .

The simplest way to dispose of used coffee grounds is to compost them, whether that's in a backyard bin or via municipal pickup. Coffee decomposes quickly and adds crucial plant nutrients like nitrogen to the finished compost. You can also sprinkle used grounds directly into potted plants to act as fertilizer, but be sparing — no more than a tablespoon or two every few months. Another way to repurpose coffee grounds is to use them in a DIY exfoliating face and body scrub. There are lots of recipes available online, but they generally mix grounds with coconut oil and other skin-softening ingredients.

  • Erin Johnson is a commerce editor who's researched, tested, and reviewed home products for outlets including Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and Southern Living. She previously covered plants, gardening, home decor, and DIY trends for Apartment Therapy, and worked as a professional organizer for more than 2 years.
  • Jason Horn updated this story with additional testing data. Food & Wine's senior updates writer, he has a master's degree in journalism and has spent nearly 20 years writing about food and drinks, for outlets including Playboy, Robb Report, Serious Eats, and Liquor.com.

Related Articles

Advertisement

The Best Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

By Wirecutter Staff

You don’t have to go to a coffee shop to get a great cup of cold-brew coffee. We’ve found that the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker is the best vessel for making smooth, delicious iced coffee at home.

This model makes cold coffee with balanced acidity, and it has a stronger aroma and a cleaner finish than brews from the 16 other coffee makers we’ve tested. On top of that, the OXO Good Grips brewer is the easiest to use and clean.

Everything we recommend

travel cold brew maker

OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The best cold-brew coffee maker.

This cold-brew coffee maker produced the strongest, boldest brew of any model we tested. It’s also easier to assemble and use than the competition.

Buying Options

travel cold brew maker

Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer

Great-tasting coffee in larger batches.

This well-constructed brewer makes a mellower coffee than the OXO Good Grips. But its many parts can be cumbersome to assemble and store.

travel cold brew maker

OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

For smaller batches.

This petite coffee maker is best for those with limited storage space or those who want to brew smaller batches.

Compared with other cold-brew coffee makers, the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker produced a more consistent, flavorful cup of coffee, likely thanks to its metal mesh filter. It’s easier to set up and clean than other brewers we tested, and it drains neatly with the flip of a switch.

It also looks sleek and comes with an attractive (if delicate) glass carafe. And since this is an appliance that lives on your counter, looks matter.

Like all of our picks, this brewer produces a coffee concentrate that needs to be diluted with water or milk. We found that about 2 ounces of concentrate from any of our picks was enough for a full glass of cold brew. So a full, 24- to 28-ounce batch of concentrate from this model yields about 12 to 14 servings of coffee.

If you can’t get our top pick, the Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer is a solid option. It’s larger (yielding about 32 ounces of concentrate) and nearly as easy to use. And it produces coffee that’s tasty but not as strong as the OXO’s brew.

It also comes with a tall plastic carafe that’s more durable than OXO’s glass ones, though it’s potentially trickier to fit in the fridge.

However, the Filtron’s felt filter can get moldy if you store it improperly. The black plastic brewer is not much to look at, and draining it on top of the carafe is a bit precarious. The drainage hole also seals with a simple rubber stopper, which is messy to remove and a little more leak-prone than the seal on the OXO brewers.

The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a smaller version of our OXO top pick, yielding about 16 ounces of concentrate, and it’s just as easy to use. Its coffee tastes stronger and less balanced, but you can always dilute the brew to your liking.

This coffee maker takes up less counter space than our other picks. And it packs into a neat, self-contained package for storage, so it’s a better option for smaller kitchens.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, how we picked and tested, our pick: oxo good grips cold brew coffee maker, runner-up: filtron cold water coffee concentrate brewer, also great: oxo compact cold brew coffee maker, the competition.

Since we first published this guide, in 2016, we’ve hosted multiple tasting panels. And we’ve consulted numerous coffee experts ; this included making in-person visits to coffee professionals such as Jesse Crouse, of Tipico Coffee , and Clinton Hodnett and Sam Scarcello, then of Public Espresso .

Writer Anna Perling, who’s covered a wide variety of kitchen gear for Wirecutter, conducted the most recent rounds of testing and tasting for this guide. Wirecutter contributors and coffee lovers Nick Guy, Kevin Purdy, and Daniel Varghese all tested, researched, and wrote previous versions.

If you want to make iced coffee at home, you may find that a dedicated brewer produces the best-tasting results and is easier to use and clean than any other method (like using a nut milk bag or French press).

You might also be wondering whether a cold-brew setup is worth the money—or the space in your kitchen—if you already have tools for brewing hot coffee . If you’re a frequent cold-brew drinker (even part of the year), the short answer is yes.

Cold brewing produces a coffee concentrate that, combined with ice and water, milk, or cream (dairy or plant-based), offers considerably better flavor than you’d get from pouring hot coffee over ice. Brewing with slow, cold exposure results in a sweeter, smoother, milder-tasting coffee that’s low on bitterness and acidity.

For that reason, cold brewing can also be more economical than making hot coffee. You can get better-tasting results out of cheaper coffee, and you can even brew the same batch of grounds twice. (Filtron, the maker of one of our picks , explicitly recommends this).

Every cold-brewing method works the same way: Start with a lot of ground coffee (more than you’d use to brew a pot of drip coffee), add water, let the mixture sit for eight to 24 hours, and then filter it. The resulting liquid is a concentrate that you generally dilute (a common ratio is two or three parts water or milk to one part concentrate).

Coffee-filled carafes from the Filtron, the OXO Good Grips, and the OXO Compact coffee makers.

Since we first published this guide, in 2016, we’ve streamlined our testing to focus on what matters most: the flavor of the coffee and how easy it is to use each machine.

After originally testing a wide range of brewers, we’ve found that a few styles just don’t meet those basic criteria. The pitcher-style brewers we tested, like this Hario pot , all brewed watery coffee, and they were messy. Methods that use a bag like a coffee sock are also messy and can produce muddy results. DIY methods with items you might already have at home, like Mason jars and French press coffee makers, didn’t work great either.

We no longer test those styles, and instead we’ve focused on brewers that produce clean, sweet, strong coffee concentrate in quantities large enough to serve one or two people for a week.

In our initial round of testing, we brewed multiple batches in each machine, following the instructions and water-to-coffee ratios provided by the manufacturers. And we used pre-ground supermarket coffee and higher-end beans. We invited coffee professionals, enthusiasts, and casual drinkers to rank those samples for taste, acidity, and body, and we noted how simple or difficult it was to clean each model.

We retested our top-performing models using a consistent water-to-coffee ratio (4.5:1, averaged from all three brewers’ instructions) for 24 hours each, and we diluted the concentrates 3:1. The results of the blind tastings closely matched our original findings, confirming that it’s not the recipe but the brewer itself that most impacts the flavor of the coffee.

Based on that conclusion, in subsequent tests, we tested cold-brew makers using the recipe included with each coffee maker, since that’s what most users are likely to do anyway. We’ve kept the 24-hour brew time consistent across the board and used pre-ground, good-quality supermarket coffee.

The OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker shown making coffee.

Of all the brewers we tried, the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker produced the most flavorful and consistent coffee, with the least amount of hassle. It also has the most thoughtful features for brewing and storing your coffee with ease.

Some panelists weren’t fond of certain flavors this model brought out, but others named this brewer’s coffee their favorite.

The perforated lid of the OXO brewer.

It makes strong, flavorful cold brew. In tests using two different water-to-coffee ratios ( OXO’s recipe and a standard recipe ), the panelists mostly agreed that coffee from this model tasted stronger than coffee from all of the other brewers we tested.

One taster noted that the OXO’s coffee had “bigger body” than the other brews, while others described it as being “punchy” and “vegetal and earthy.”

Using only the metal-mesh filter (instead of the included, but optional, paper filters) seemed to produce a more-robust flavor.

It’s the easiest to use. Of the cold brewers we tested, this model has the tidiest design, especially when it comes to draining the concentrate into the carafe.

Other models, such as the Filtron , have a reservoir that sits on top of a carafe to drain, but the OXO reservoir has its own, elevated stand. When it’s time to drain the concentrate, you simply place the carafe beneath the brewer and flip a switch to drain the coffee through the filter. So you avoid the messiness of pulling a cork, as you must do with the Filtron brewer.

You can even flip the switch back up midstream, to pause and pour yourself some concentrate before it fully drains.

And it’s easy to take care of. The brewer’s reservoir unscrews from the stand, and the mesh filter pops out for easy cleaning. (Note, however, that everything but the glass carafe must be hand-washed.)

This brewer is also covered by OXO’s Better Guarantee , and the company has a reputation for great customer service. So if you have any issues under normal household use, you can get a replacement or refund promptly.

It brews enough coffee for the week. According to the instructions, the brewer produces 24 to 28 ounces of coffee concentrate (though we’ve sometimes gotten closer to 33) from 10 ounces of grounds.

OXO suggests diluting 2 ounces of concentrate with 4 to 6 ounces of water or milk, yielding 12 to 14 servings per batch. (If you want a machine that makes more, the Filtron, our runner-up , brews twice as many servings.)

It’s well designed and attractive . The OXO Good Grips brewer’s sleek, rounded edges make it a better-looking model than the more-utilitarian Filtron. Measuring about 15 inches tall when it’s fully set up, this brewer fits on the counter under most cabinets.

The carafe is made from thermal-shock-resistant borosilicate glass and has a spout for drip-free pouring. It looks and feels nicer than a plastic carafe (like the Filtron’s), and it fits better in the refrigerator than the taller jugs of many competing models . It also has clear volume markings, to easily measure water.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

  • During our tests, the optional paper filters blocked the flow of the brew. The manual does recommend using coarsely ground coffee, so following that instruction (rather than using pre-ground coffee) may prevent the issue. But we got the best results using the mesh filter on its own, even though OXO says the filters help create a smoother brew with less silt at the bottom.
  • Not everyone loved the strong flavor of this coffee. If you think you’d prefer a smoother, mellower brew, consider getting the Filtron brewer instead.
  • The carafe is breakable . Glass is admittedly less durable than plastic. But if your carafe breaks, you can purchase a replacement for about $25. Or you could drain your cold brew into any vessel that’s large enough and that will fit under the reservoir.

The Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer shown making coffee.

The Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer consistently produced great-tasting coffee concentrate in our tests, with most tasters ranking its brew first or second.

This brewer is not quite as easy to set up and drain as our top pick, but the process is simple compared with that of nearly every other model we tested .

It looks clunky, but it still stores compactly. And the black plastic doesn’t discolor the way clear or white plastic does. It also happens to be a darling of craft-minded coffee shops .

It makes reliably good coffee . The Filtron produced a smooth, mellow brew every time, regardless of the beans we used. Multiple baristas on our panel noted the Filtron coffee’s “mild body.” One also remarked on its “well-balanced sweetness and acidity.”

We thought this brewer made slightly flatter-tasting coffee than the brighter brews from our top pick, but some people might appreciate the mellower flavor.

For an even cleaner brew (and for easier cleanup), you can use Filtron’s optional paper filters , but we thought the coffee was great even without them. And they’re hard to find in stores.

The grounds guard and filter for the Filtron model.

It’s straightforward to use . The Filtron system is far simpler to set up and empty, compared with more-involved methods, like the Toddy system or the CoffeeSock . (However, we still found the OXO brewers to be the easiest to use.)

After your brew has finished steeping, you place the black plastic reservoir directly on top of the carafe, yank the rubber stopper out of the drain hole, and let your coffee drain through a felt filter in the bottom of the reservoir.

But the drainage process is a little accident-prone. While the OXO brewers are pretty foolproof, you need to be sure that you tightly jam the rubber stopper into the drain hole; otherwise, you might wake up to a slow leak all over your kitchen counter.

You also have to do some quick maneuvering to remove the stopper without dribbling coffee on your hand.

Plus, since the heavy reservoir rests on top of the tall, narrow carafe, the Filtron is more susceptible to being knocked over while it drains.

Caring for the filter can be a chore . The felt filter must be rinsed out (never use soap) and stored in a container of water in the fridge to prevent mold—a step someone could easily forget. And eventually the filter will need to be replaced, but replacements are inexpensive and readily available on Filtron’s website .

Other than that, maintenance is easy. The Filtron disassembles into just a few parts, which you can quickly wash by hand.

It has a higher yield. The Filtron system makes about 32 ounces of concentrate, which you then dilute with water.

Filtron suggests a ratio of 6 ounces water to 1 ounce concentrate; this is enough for about 32 servings of cold brew. But we found that ratio to be a little weak, and we preferred just using the ratio OXO recommends for its brewers: 2 ounces of concentrate to 4 to 6 ounces of water. This yields at least 16 servings.

Filtron also says you can resteep the grounds, something OXO doesn’t explicitly recommend (though we’re sure you could).

The tops of our three cold brew coffee maker picks shown without their carafes.

It isn’t the prettiest or the most streamlined model. The Filtron doesn’t look as stylish or pack away as neatly as our other picks. But its black plastic is less likely to show coffee stains over time, and the plastic carafe is more durable than its glass counterparts.

Though the Filtron stands 19 inches tall when you’ve set it up to drip into the carafe, it’s much lower while it’s brewing and should fit fine on a kitchen counter. It also stows compactly, taking up the space of a medium mixing bowl in a cupboard, but it doesn’t fit together as well as the OXO Good Grips.

The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker shown making coffee.

The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a smaller version of our top pick. Although it (of course) brews less coffee (about 16 ounces) than the OXO Good Grips, the flavor of the concentrate is stronger yet still well balanced.

We also found the Compact even easier to use than our other picks because it has fewer parts and a more streamlined design, and it takes up less counter space.

It’s the simplest to use and clean. Preparing cold brew in the Compact is intuitive, thanks to a reservoir with a fill line for grounds and a carafe that allows you to measure water for brewing. A perforated lid, like the one on the larger OXO, distributes water evenly over the grounds.

To transfer the cold brew, just place the reservoir on the carafe to depress a mechanism that drains the coffee.

Then unscrew the base, dump the grounds, and wash the mesh filter and various parts.

Unlike our other picks, the OXO Compact doesn’t include (or work with) paper filters, but we didn’t miss them.

The lid of the OXO Compact cold brew coffee maker.

It takes up less real estate. When fully assembled, the Compact is 11 inches tall (reservoir on top of carafe), which is 4 inches lower than the Good Grips. The carafe also nests inside the reservoir for storage.

It looks cute. The whole brewer is streamlined and stylish, and the borosilicate glass carafe is particularly nice. It has a cork lid lined with silicone, which is a stylish touch compared with the plastic stopper on the larger model.

The Compact’s carafe doesn’t have as many measurement markings as the larger version that comes with our top pick. Though this would be useful if you wanted to tinker with your recipe, we think the suggested recipe works well enough.

Just try not to break the carafe. If you do, the cost to replace it is almost as much as for the entire brewer.

Alternatively, you could just use another vessel you have at home, but you’ll need to find something with an opening narrow enough for the reservoir to sit on. Even the Mason jars we tried were too wide to depress the drain mechanism, but it did work with the Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Bottle .

This is not a comprehensive list of everything we tested in previous iterations of this guide, just what’s currently available.

The Espro Cold Brew Maker is a handsome brewer with a functional design, but its coffee scored at the bottom of our taste tests. It also comes with only five of its required paper filters, and they’re expensive to replace .

The Brim Smart Valve Cold Brew Coffee Maker spilled all of its contents the first time we used it. When we were able to brew a malfunction-free batch, the results were weak and flavorless, plus a piece of the flimsy glass broke during cleaning.

We found the KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker harder to use than our picks, since you have to balance the basket of grounds at an angle to drain it. The coffee was also gritty and lacking in flavor.

The Toddy Cold Brew System looks and works similar to the Filtron, but the white plastic bucket stains easily, it’s more complicated to use, and the coffee is not as flavorful.

A CoffeeSock seems to offer an easy way to make iced coffee, but the cleanup is messy and complicated, and the coffee itself was unimpressive.

The Cold Bruer Drip Coffee Maker B1 is the most expensive system we tested, and it makes only 20 ounces of drinkable cold brew (not concentrate) at a time. It’s also difficult to set up and doesn’t drain properly.

We found that devices with a tall, cylindrical brewing basket (like the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot , Primula’s Cold Brew Glass Carafe Brewing System , and Takeya’s Cold Brew Coffee Maker ) were hard to set up and prone to messes, and they produced watery coffee.

This article was edited by Lizzy Briskin, Gabriella Gershenson, and Marguerite Preston.

Natalie Wolchover, Why Does Room-Temperature Coffee Taste So Bad? , Live Science , March 26, 2012

Tony Naylor, Coffee: how cold-brew became the hot new thing , The Guardian , September 9, 2014

Lisa McManus, Cold Brew Coffee Makers (subscription required) , Cook’s Illustrated , July 1, 2015

Anjali Athavaley, Why Making Iced Coffee at Home Is Such a Grind (subscription required) , The Wall Street Journal , August 11, 2010

Laura Moser, Iced-Coffee Makers (subscription required) , The Wall Street Journal , September 18, 2012

Cold Brewer Round-Up , Stumptown Coffee Roasters , August 24, 2015

Jeremy Glass, Trader Joe’s Coffees, Ranked by Coffee Snobs , Thrillist , September 27, 2022

Cold Brew Bottle , Blue Bottle Coffee

The Brew Guide Filtron , Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Jesse Crouse, owner of Tipico Coffee , interview

Meet your guide

Wirecutter Staff

Further reading

A close-up of a person pouring coffee into a coffee cup held by another person.

The Best Coffee Makers

by Wirecutter Staff

We think the easiest way to make good coffee is with the Bonavita Enthusiast 8-Cup Coffee Brewer . We also have picks for a budget option, an espresso machine, and more.

A large carafe filled with coffee, with a tall glass of ice to the right of it, and a small glass of cream to the right of the glass of ice. A spoon sits in front of the coffee carafe. All are sitting on top of a wooden tray outside.

The Best DIY Cold Brew (Technically Isn’t Cold Brew)

by Rose Maura Lorre

Cold brew can taste overly intense, take too long to steep, and be messy to make. Here’s why you might prefer Japanese-style iced coffee instead.

Three coffee mug warmers side by side.

The 3 Mug Warmers We Love for Keeping Our Coffee (and Tea) Hot

by Haley Perry

If you rarely get to enjoy your coffee or tea before it gets cold, we can relate. Here are a few great ways to make sure every sip is a warm one.

An illustration of a tiny clay microwave oven next to a tiny coffee mug that is turned over, spilling coffee on the floor.

Ask Wirecutter: How Do I Get My Partner to Stop Serving Me Lukewarm Coffee?

by Annemarie Conte

Chemex coffee makers produce a great cup of coffee, just not a hot one. Here’s how to keep your Chemex coffee out of the dreaded microwave.

Coffee Affection is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

10 Best Travel Coffee Makers in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

A travel coffee maker mounted to a hiking backpack

There are countless travel and portable coffee makers on the market, but we’ve handpicked the best ones to make your life easier. You may prefer a particular coffee-brewing method, and just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice coffee made the way you like it. No matter what you’re looking for in a travel coffee maker, from espresso machines to French presses, we’ve got you covered. Read on for our list of the 10 best.

  • A Quick Summary of Our Favorites in 2024

The 10 Best Travel Coffee Makers

  • 1. AeroPress Portable Coffee Maker – Best Overall

The AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker is everything you want in a travel coffee maker. It’s extremely lightweight (only 13 ounces) and compact, so it won’t take up much space in your bag. It makes coffee fast, with less than two minutes to brew a cup, which is perfect for when you’re on the go. It’s easy to use and easy to clean. Best of all, it’s completely manual. It doesn’t require electricity, so you only need access to hot water. This makes it ideal for any travel situation: hotels, beach houses, your friend’s house, or even camping and backpacking .

The only issue is that it can only make one cup of coffee at a time. If you want more than one cup, or if you want to impress your friends with your coffee-brewing skills, you have to go through the process all over again.

All in all, we think this is the best travel coffee maker of the year.

By the way… you can read our full review of the AeroPress coffee maker here !

  • Very lightweight
  • Makes coffee fast
  • Inexpensive
  • Easy to use
  • Easy cleanup
  • No electricity needed
  • Only makes a single cup of coffee at a time
  • 2. Bodum TravelPress – Best French Press Coffee Maker for Travel

We chose the Bodum Travel Press as the best french press coffee maker for travel, as it’s incredibly convenient. The travel cup comes with a plunger and filter, so you brew your coffee right in your travel cup. This means you don’t have to pack a separate coffee maker or paper filters, saving valuable space in your luggage. It’s made of a stainless steel double-wall design that keeps coffee piping hot, so be careful! It’s quick and easy to use, which is great for travel. It even comes in a few bold color choices.

On the negative side, this isn’t the best cup for daily use. That’s fine if you plan to use it just for travel, but the durability is questionable. The filter breaks down over time, and the lid tends to be flimsy.

To conclude, we think this is the best portable French press coffee maker. Take it on your next trip and see what you think!

RELATED READ:  There’s a new French press in town.. and it’s solar-powered!

  • Brews in a travel cup
  • Insulated stainless steel cup keeps coffee hot
  • Available in various colors
  • Quick and easy to use
  • Not as durable; breaks down over time
  • 3. Black+Decker Portable Single Serve Coffee Maker – Best Value

The Black + Decker Single Serve is another great portable coffee maker that brews right in the travel cup. It’s an auto-drip maker, but its compact design makes it ideal for travel and small spaces ( like a dorm room ). A permanent filter is included, so you don’t have to worry about disposing of or buying paper filters. It’s also very inexpensive.

It does have a couple of problems, however. It comes with a plastic travel cup, which won’t keep your coffee hot for long. You can upgrade to any 16-ounce travel mug, but that’s an added expense. It’s also not very durable and shouldn’t be used for daily use.

  • Compact design
  • Permanent filter
  • Plastic travel cup
  • Not very durable

NOTE:  You can see a breakdown of the best travel-friendly ESPRESSO makers here

  • 4. Keurig K-Mini – Best Travel K-Cup Coffee Maker

Keurig is the manufacturer of popular K-Cup makers , so it makes sense to include their most travel-friendly model on this list. The Keurig K-Mini is extremely compact and lightweight; it’s only 4.5 inches wide, and it weighs a little less than five pounds. It comes in a variety of colors, and it has a compartment for K-Cup storage. For more potent cups of coffee, it has a strong brew option.

If you’re the type of person who likes more than one cup of coffee in the morning, then this design might get a little tedious, since the water reservoir can only hold up to 12 ounces. Other than the strong brew option and a couple of size options, this brewer doesn’t have any extra features.

Read our full review of the Keurig Mini here!

  • Extremely compact and lightweight
  • Available in several colors
  • Strong brew option
  • Only enough water for one cup of coffee
  • No extra features
  • 5. GSI Portable Portable Pour-Over Coffee Brewer

The GSI Outdoors Java Drip is a great option for backpacking, camping, or boating. It collapses almost completely flat and is made of durable silicone. Fewer parts mean easy cleanup, and it’s easy to use. Just insert a paper filter, place the silicone disc over your mug or travel cup, and use the pour-over coffee-making method with hot water. It’s big enough to use a regular-size coffee filter, so it can handle up to twelve cups of coffee.

Even though the silicone makes it durable and easy to clean, it has a detectable smell, especially right out of the box. This can affect the taste of your coffee. You’ll also need paper filters, which are another thing to purchase, take up space in your bag, and dispose of.

  • Collapsible, lightweight design
  • Easy to clean and use
  • Brews 1-12 cups of coffee
  • Silicone can affect the taste of coffee
  • Paper filters needed
  • 6. Wacaco Minipresso Portable Travel Espresso Maker

If you can’t live without espresso while you’re traveling, especially in situations where you won’t have access to electricity, the Wacaco Minipresso is a great choice. All of its parts stack together into one unit, so it’s very compact. It comes in at 0.8 lbs, which is very light. It’s entirely manually operated via a pumping mechanism, so you don’t have to worry about batteries or finding an outlet.

However, with eight BARs of pressure, it’s just under the nine BARs needed for espresso. This means that the grounds are a bit under-extracted. Quite a bit of hand strength is needed for the pump, and even though the company’s video shows it being operated with only one hand, many people will need to use both. All those parts also mean it’s harder to clean, and some will require air-drying.

Read our full review of the Wacaco Minipresso here! (We loved it).

  • Compact and lightweight
  • Manually operated
  • Harder to clean
  • Espresso is under-extracted
  • Hand strength required
  • 7. Coffee Gator Travel Pour-Over Coffee Brewer Mug

The Coffee Gator Pour Over Brewer Mug is another option for pour-over brewing, where you can brew directly into the included travel mug. It’s made of vacuum-insulated stainless steel, and it has a copper lining to keep your coffee hotter longer. The metal filter means you don’t have to buy paper filters or have them take up space in your luggage. It comes in a range of colors, and it’s easy to use.

There are a few things that keep it from the top of the list, however. It has a flimsy lid, so the durability is questionable. The lid also has a few small parts, making it difficult to clean. This wouldn’t be a good choice for daily use, as the filter appeared to break down over time.

  • Brews right in the travel mug
  • Made of quality materials to keep coffee hot
  • Metal filter
  • Available in a variety of colors
  • Difficult to clean
  • Questionable durability
  • Filter breaks down over time
  • 8. Bialetti Portable Stovetop Coffee Maker

This is the compact, travel-friendly version of the Bialetti Moka pot you love. It’s extremely portable because it’s entirely self-contained. Just add ground coffee and water. The brew time is fast at under five minutes, and it’s easy to clean.

One major issue, however, is that you’ll need access to a stovetop or campfire. That’s not a problem if you’re staying in a hotel suite with a kitchen or traveling in an RV , but it wouldn’t be the best travel coffee maker choice for a regular hotel room, for example. It’s also a bit heavier than some of the other options, at a little more than a pound. It only makes one small cup, so it’s a bit of a pain if you want multiple cups of coffee.

  • Entirely self-contained
  • Easy to clean
  • Fast brew time
  • Requires access to a stovetop or fire
  • On the heavier side
  • Only makes one small cup
  • 9. Presto MyJo Single Cup Travel Coffee-Maker

The Presto MyJo is another good choice for camping, backpacking, or other traveling activity where you don’t have access to electricity. If you love the convenience of a K-Cup brewer, this is the travel coffee maker for you. It uses K-Cups, but it also comes with a reusable coffee filter that you can fill with your own ground coffee. The design is extremely compact, and it weighs less than a pound.

Unfortunately, the reusable filter is also pretty delicate, and it’s custom-made by Presto, so you have to order it from the company. The MyJo isn’t very durable, and the gasket leaks easily if you don’t have it properly sealed. It may also be convenient that no electricity is needed, but it requires a lot of force to pump the water through.

  • Extremely compact design
  • K-Cup compatible
  • Reusable coffee filter included
  • Reusable coffee filter is delicate
  • Tends to leak
  • Takes a lot of force to pump water
  • 10. Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker

Can’t live without your iced coffee , even when traveling? Then the Takeya Cold Brew is the coffee maker for you. It’s easy to use; you only need coffee grounds and cold water. This design is especially compact and lightweight, at just under 10 ounces.

However, the handle is flimsy, and the lid tends to leak if you aren’t careful. The filter also never forms a perfect seal, so grounds always manage to escape into the coffee. Because of this, the overall design doesn’t seem very durable. It’s fine for occasional travel use, but it wouldn’t be a good choice for daily use.

  • Lightweight
  • Filter allows coffee grounds to escape
  • Tends to be flimsy
  • Prone to leaks
  • Final Thoughts – Finding the Best Travel Coffee Maker

We think Aeropress is the best travel coffee maker of the year. It’s lightweight and compact enough for air travel, and the fact that it doesn’t require electricity makes it ideal for camping. It makes both American-style coffee and espresso, so it can suit the tastes of almost everyone.

If you can’t leave home without your French press, then the Bodum Travel Press is the best for travel. The fact that it brews directly in the travel mug makes it great for travel, and it won’t take up much space in your luggage.

If you’re on a budget, Black + Decker’s Single-Serve Coffeemaker is inexpensive and also brews right in the travel mug. This is an auto-drip model that’s easy to use and familiar to just about everyone.

For those who love the convenience and efficiency of a K-Cup coffee maker, the Keurig K-Mini is perfect to take along. Its compact design ensures it won’t take up much space, while still giving you the speed and efficiency you’ve come to expect from a single-serve coffee maker.

Whether you prefer a cup of espresso or love the convenience of a K-Cup, we hope our reviews helped you find the travel coffee maker to suit your needs. We truly hope that our guide helps you find the best portable coffee maker for your tastebuds. Happy brewing!

WORTH READING:

  • Can you bring coffee beans on a plane?
  • Airplane Coffee Guide: What Kind of Coffee Do Airlines Serve?

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  • Coffee Makers

I Tested 13 Cold Brew Coffee Makers to Find Three Favorites

My top picks come from OXO and Toddy.

travel cold brew maker

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Serious Eats / Ashley Rodriguez

The Winners, at a Glance

  • What Is Cold Brew?

Is an Instant Cold Brewer Worth It?

The criteria: what to look for in a cold brew coffee maker, the testing, the best cold brew coffee makers, the competition.

  • Why We're the Experts

Straight to the Point

The best cold brew coffee maker is the  OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker . It's simple to use and easy to store and it makes fantastic cold brew.

In the early 2000s, cold brew coffee was a niche item, a drink for those in the know who sought it out in specialty coffee shops or combed through online forums trying to perfect their at-home brews. When I first learned about cold brew, it defied everything I thought I knew about coffee. It even sounded sort of silly to describe to someone else. “You just throw coffee grounds in cold water and just...let it sit there?” In the nascent days of cold brew, it would have been easy to write off the trendy new drink as a fad.

But it's now clear that cold brew is here to stay, and there are hundreds of gizmos and gadgets that promise to help you make the best cold brew coffee at home. After hours of rigorous testing, brewing, and drinking, here are my three favorite cold brewers to make the perfect cup in the comfort of your kitchen.

The Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Oxo compact cold brew coffee maker.

The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker consistently produced the most delicious cold brew and, unlike many of the other brewers I tested, was dead simple to use. Its compact size also means it’s easy to store and makes a great gift . Plus, it comes with an attractive glass carafe for pouring. 

The Most Versatile, Large-Batch Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Toddy cold brew coffee maker system.

The Toddy Cold Brew System is as ubiquitous in cafes as espresso machines. It makes a liter of cold brew, which is enough to last even the most insatiable cold brew drinkers at least a few days. The Toddy uses both a paper filter and a felt disc to produce an ultra-clean cup that's nuanced and smooth and can hold up well to the additions of milk and sugar. Although it’s a little finicky to use, once you get the hang of it, the Toddy cold brewer makes a superb beverage. 

The Best French Press-Style Cold Brewer

Coffee gator 34-ounce french press coffee maker.

You don’t need special equipment to make a delicious cup of cold brew and can probably make a decent cup with objects you already own. We tried a few brewers that use mesh filters but I found that I could get a really unctuous and heavy-bodied cup by using my French press with a few simple hacks. 

What Is Cold Brew? 

What makes cold brew unique is the slow extraction process. Coffee is brewed for a long period of time (usually between 12-24 hours) in cold or room temperature water, strained, and served either cut with water or straight up (if you’re feeling wild and under-caffeinated).

A full day to make coffee might seem complicated, but cold brew is the “set it and forget it” of all coffee-brewing techniques and you don’t need much to make it great, so small details really make a huge impact. (If you'd like to read more about cold brew, this explainer covers all the basics.)

We found (after testing) that some instant cold brew makers did not produce a true cold brew concentrate. Rather, they made coffee at drinking strength. "Cold brew" technically refers to the style of brewing and not the drink itself, and most instant cold brewers produce weaker, cold coffee and aren't worth it.

Serious Eats / Ashley Rodriguez / Grace Kelly

A great cold brew coffee maker has two jobs: it has to make great coffee, and it has to be simple to use. While cold brew is easy to make, it can be incredibly messy, so a brewer that’s easy to clean is a necessity.

I ultimately found that the design of the brewer had a significant effect on the coffee’s final flavor. Most of the cold brewers I tested fell into two categories: a full immersion brewer that allows water and ground coffee to interact freely or a glass carafe with a cone-shaped basket to hold grounds. I also tested a slow-drip brewer.

At the end of the day, the brewers that made the best cups of coffee won out. I tested all samples without knowing which was which: I made coffees on each brewer, drained the concentrate (every cold brewer yielded a “concentrate” that was meant to be diluted once ready to drink), and labeled each concentrate in a mason jar with a number. Then, my partner, Jesse , who also works in coffee (and was the commerce writer for Serious Eats), diluted each sample and randomly arranged them by letter. We sampled the first two test batches and then brought in another friend, who owns a local coffee shop in the neighborhood, to test the final batch with us. Everyone recorded their impressions silently and then we talked about the results once we all tasted and made our determinations. 

As a control, I bought cold brew from a local shop and picked up a bottle of ready-made cold brew to test alongside the samples.

I put each of my brewers through two rounds of randomized testing. Once I eliminated my least favorite brewers, I then designed a third test, broken up into two parts. Finally, I considered usability and ease of cleaning.

Test 1: Standardized Brewing

For this test, I wanted to brew every coffee exactly the same, regardless of the instructions that came with each machine. Based on Stumptown Coffee's Brent Wolczynski’s recommendations in this cold brew FAQ , I used the ratio of 12 ounces of coffee (a standard retail bag size) to 64 ounces of water (for easy math, that ratio is 1:5.33, so if you know how much coffee you’re using, just multiply by 5.33), and scaled this up and down based on the capacity of the brewer. 

I didn’t agitate any of the ground coffee when brewing, so I did notice that some of the brewers had dry spots that weren’t fully saturated. Some of the brewers specifically say not to agitate—the Filtron and the OXO brewers both have a perforated lid with dozens of tiny holes meant to drop water on the coffee almost like rainwater, so for this first round I didn’t agitate. 

I brewed each sample for 16 hours at room temperature with filtered water and used a coffee readily available in my grocery store ( Wonderstate Coffee’s Driftless Blend , which is usually made up of a rotating selection of coffees—as of this writing, it’s actually composed solely of a coffee from Mexico. They give each coffee a rating based on how light or dark the coffee is roasted, one being light and five being dark roasted, and this received a 4/5). I let the brewers drain, put the coffee in the fridge for two hours, and then labeled each one from 1-12 in identical Mason jars. I also bought ready-made cold brew from the store and cold brew from my local coffee shop to use as controls. 

Then I asked Jesse to randomly assign each jar a letter and relabel them, noting which letter corresponded to each number—he didn’t know what the numbers meant, and I didn’t know how the samples were arranged once we switched to letters. We diluted each sample with a 1:1 ratio—each glass got two ounces of cold brew concentrate and two ounces of filtered water—and we added two ice cubes to each drink. We cupped the coffees separately, took notes, and then, together, shared our favorite samples. 

I held onto these samples and tasted them a week later to see how the flavor changed and degraded over time. Wolczynski recommends hanging onto cold brew for about a week, and I noticed that brewers with paper filters made coffee that retained its original complexity and deliciousness, which is likely because paper filters are better at removing oils that can quickly go rancid.

Test 2: Sampling Based on Instructions

For the second test, I used the same coffee and employed each brewer’s instruction manual to make coffee. We kept some things uniform for the sake of consistency: we brewed for 16 hours this time (almost every instruction manual gave a 12- to 24-hour time frame). We also diluted each sample based on the manual’s suggestions. 

We recorded our results and, combined with our impressions from Test 1, we whittled down the field to our four favorites. 

Test #3: Maximize the Potential

Once I settled on our four favorite brewers, I decided that this test should maximize the potential of each brewer. However, I still wanted to do some of the testing without knowing which brewer produced which coffee, so I broke up the testing into two phases. 

Phase 1: I used a different coffee—a light-roasted single-origin coffee from Ethiopia—to determine how well each brewer would work with a range of roast profiles and origins. I followed the protocol set in Test 2, then sampled each coffee and evaluated the results. 

Phase 2: Once I knew which coffee was from which brewer, I experimented with dilution. I tried to achieve the most balanced cup possible.

Usability and Ease of Cleaning

Cold brew is a messy game because you have to transfer ground coffee once the brewing process is done. There’s nothing worse than dropping a bag of cold, wet grounds on the floor, and even if you’re careful, you’re likely dripping cold brew somewhere. 

Removing the grounds from your finished product was incredibly easy with some brewers and a logistical nightmare with others. I also took into account the size of each brewer, how easily it sat on my counter, and what extras it came with. 

What we liked: Compact? Check. Easy to use? Check. Affordable price? Check. Makes delicious coffee? Check. The OXO compact brewer ticks every box. 

The OXO is deceptively simple. You don’t need a scale to measure out coffee—the brewer has a dot on the front to indicate where you fill your coffee up to. It also comes with a carafe that has a dot to indicate how much water to use, and the carafe doubles as a depository for your concentrate once you’re done brewing. There’s even a cute lid with a silicone seal to keep your coffee fresh. 

Design-wise, the OXO brewer has two key features that differentiate it from the rest of the brewers I tested: the rainmaker showerhead and a spring-loaded base that only dispenses cold brew when nestled on top of the carafe. Is this rainmaker essential? No, but what it does is ensure that your coffee grounds are saturated evenly.

The spring-loaded valve release is so wonderfully clever that I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw this function on other cold brewers in the future. All you have to do to dispense cold brew is to place the carafe below the brewer….and walk away. It takes about 10 minutes to fully dispense, and you don’t have to awkwardly hold a bag of grounds over your brewer to get every last drop of cold brew.

Coffee from the OXO performed consistently well. The first coffee I tried tasted like chocolate, which is a classic cold brew note, and it had a nice balance between flavor clarity and body. It also stood out in Test 2, and I was pleased with the recommended dilution instructions (OXO recommends a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio of coffee to water, and I think somewhere in the middle was the right amount). On Test 3, the Toddy and the Filtron allowed the flavors of Ethiopian coffee to shine more than the OXO, but it still produced a fun and exciting drink. 

What we didn't like: The OXO brewer doesn't have a paper filter, but the mesh screen built into the base does a great job filtering out most silt and grit. Some coffee oils will end up in your final brew—this was fine initially, but when I tried the brewed coffee a week later, I noticed some funkiness; I much preferred older cold brew produced by brewers with a paper filter. However, the OXO compact brewer only makes about 16 ounces of cold brew concentrate, so I imagine most people would work through that amount in a week or less.

  • Capacity: 24 ounces (3 cups)
  • Yield: 16 ounces of concentrate
  • Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Filter style: Reusable stainless steel
  • Accessories included: Rainmaker shower head, glass carafe with lid

What we liked: If you’ve worked in a cafe or ordered cold brew from one, you’ve likely had a Toddy-brewed coffee. The home version of the Toddy cold brewer works exactly like its industrial counterpart and produces clean and sweet coffee that holds well over time. 

The Filtron and Toddy performed similarly and feature a lot of the same design elements: They’re both plastic buckets with a hole at the bottom for coffee to drain out of, and they both have a place for a felt screen to help with filtration. Both come with their own comically sized proprietary paper filters, which contribute to the cleanness of each cup. 

I picked the Toddy because its parts are easier to replace. The Toddy brewer came with four felt screens, two stoppers, and three proprietary paper filters. The Filtron came with one felt screen, one stopper, and three filters. I also googled “order more Toddy filters” and “order more Filtron filters” and got way more hits for Toddy filters than Filtron ones. 

Jesse didn’t pick out the Toddy on the first test, but I did, and I’m glad because the coffee brewed on the Toddy was vastly improved by one simple step: agitating the grounds. I didn’t agitate them on Test 1 as per the protocol, but I did in Test 2 and found the coffee to be much fuller and richer in flavor. The Toddy brew held up well as it sat in my fridge and reacted well to the single-origin coffee, displaying the most balance and showcasing the high notes of stone fruit and sugar candy sweetness. 

What we didn't like: The Toddy makes enough cold brew for a crowd (a full liter), but it can be annoying to clean. If you’re into a zero-waste brewing experience, the paper filter can be kind of a bummer, but the Toddy gives you instructions on how to brew with and without the filter (spoiler alert: they’re essentially identical, you just don't use the filter).

  • Capacity: 48 ounces (6 cups)
  • Yield: 32 ounces of concentrate
  • Weight: 1.5 pounds
  • Filter style: Reusable felt filters
  • Accessories included: Glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 silicone stopper, silicone brewer lid

What we liked: As a person who’s never been a huge fan of French-pressed coffee (I prefer filter coffee), I am constantly surprised by how versatile the French press can be. This was the wildcard out of our picks, but, as Jesse pointed out, the French press is just a less fancy version of all the immersion brewers we loved. 

The French press as a cold brewer is vastly improved with just a few tricks. When I tasted the French press after Test 1, I noted a pronounced heaviness. For Test 2, since the French press didn’t come with cold brewing instructions, I used a Stumptown recipe from Wolczynski’s FAQ. Per his recommendation, I decided to run the final brew through a paper filter to pick up some of the grit at the bottom of the cup. I also agitated the grounds and made sure they were well mixed with the water. 

I think the flavor of coffee made in the OXO and the Toddy (and the Filtron) was slightly more nuanced, but the French press performed far and away better than any of the brewers that used a cylinder mesh or metal filter. 

What we didn't like: The mechanics of a French press aren’t much different than most cold brewers. The only noticeable difference is that it takes forever to run the final brew through a paper filter—I set up my Kalita brewer with a paper filter, poured the concentrate, and was still waiting for the final dregs to drain out an hour later.

  • Capacity: 34 ounces (4.25 cups)
  • Yield: 20 ounces of concentrate
  • Weight: 2.3 pounds
  • Accessories included: None
  • Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot : The manufacturer’s instructions say to let the coffee steep in the refrigerator. However, the cold brew maker was too tall to easily fit in a standard-size fridge. The lid also didn’t create a perfect seal, so it couldn’t be stored on its side. The finished cold brew after six hours was pretty weak, lacking flavor and body. If you use the Mizudashi, just brew at room temperature.
  • Hario Cold Brew Coffee Wine Bottle : The Hario bottle’s tasting results were almost exactly the same as the Hario Mizudashi. It appears they use the same type of material for their filters and a similar brewing process. The silicone top was flimsy and didn’t form a perfect seal. A screw-on lid would be preferable.
  • Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker : This device works exactly like a French press , meaning when the brewing is finished, the grounds get pushed to the bottom of the chamber. To fully separate the grounds from the cold brew, the coffee needed to be poured into another pitcher, requiring you to have a separate container on hand. Overall, it did a fine job, but we recommend just getting the Coffee Gator French Press Coffee Maker, which operates the same way but is also insulated, making it a good match for hot coffee, too.
  • Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewing System : If I had to rank all the brewers in terms of taste, the Filtron would have won—but just barely. The differences in flavor were so minute and weren’t worth how finicky it was to source and find parts. 
  • TAKEYA Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker : This is one of the most popular devices on Amazon, but its design resulted in under-extracted coffee and it was a pain to clean. 
  • OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker : If I had to describe the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker, I’d say it’s like they took the best parts of the Filtron and made them more functional and prettier to look at. But it simply didn’t pass the taste test, and its compact counterpart brewed a superior cup. 
  • KitchenAid KCM5912SX Cold Brew Coffee Maker : I had high hopes for the KitchenAid KCM5912SX Cold Brew Coffee Maker because it looked like it was designed to fit in the fridge and the spigot for dispensing coffee seemed clever, but its mesh screen was difficult to remove (and heavy—you had to hold it over the top to let cold brew drain) and the coffee it produced was mouth-puckeringly bitter and strange. 
  • County Line Kitchen Durable Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker : The County Line Kitchen Durable Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker had the same flaws as the TAKEYA—it was under-extracted and weak.
  • Ovalware Airtight Cold Brew Coffee Maker : Out of all the brewers with a cone-shaped mesh or metal filter, the Ovalware is the most attractive and doubles as a brewer and pitcher, but it suffered the same problems as other brewers with similar designs. 
  • Bruer Cold Drip Coffee System : This uses a slow drip to make cold brew, but it’s difficult to use and makes a very distinctive cup of coffee—one that I enjoyed a few sips of but found to be overwhelming.

How do you make cold brew coffee?

We have a guide to making cold brew coffee here , including what to do, what kind of coffee to use, and how to make cold brew in a French press.

Does cold brew have more caffeine than hot coffee?

Usually, cold brew does have more caffeine than hot coffee. This is because cold brew is made with a much higher ratio of coffee to water than drip coffee. (This is also why you dilute cold brew prior to drinking it.)

What's the difference between iced coffee and cold brew?

Iced coffee can be hot coffee that's chilled and/or just poured over ice, while cold brew is brewed for a long period of time (at least overnight) with cold or room temperature water. This results in a concentrate that's often diluted with water prior to drinking.

How do I choose a cold brew coffee maker?

The best cold brew makers are easy to use and clean and brew delicious coffee. Our favorite overall cold brew coffee maker is from OXO . However, it is on the small side, so if you want to brew a large batch of concentrate you're better off getting something larger, like this system from Toddy.

What's nitro cold brew?

Nitro cold brew is infused with nitrogen gas (it's usually served out of a tap, which is what dispenses the gas into the coffee). This results in coffee with more bubbles, a creamy top (like beer !), and a somewhat hoppier taste.

How do you use a cold brew coffee maker?

Cold brew coffee makers are simple to use, and most work in the same way. The first step is to set up your filter—most have a reusable filter pad that sits at the bottom of the brewer. The next step is to add your coffee. Many brewers have recommended brew ratios, but an easy, go-to cold brew ratio is one pound of coffee for every gallon of water. Pour the water over the coffee, make sure everything is saturated, and then let it brew for at least 12 hours. Once you drain it, you'll need to dilute the cold brew concentrate to taste.

How long does it take to make cold brew coffee?

Many cold brewers come with specific brewing instructions and steep times, but, on average, most recipes call for 12- to 18-hour brew times. Cold brew strength and flavor reach full saturation around 12 hours and there's a wide window before the coffee starts to take on acrid flavors (usually around the 24-hour mark). The best practice is to think about cold brew as overnight coffee: set it up just before dinner, then filter it in the morning.

Why We're the Experts

  • For this review, we tested 13 cold brew coffee makers. We also recently retested more cold brewers (including the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot and Hario Cold Brew Coffee Wine Bottle ) against our top picks. Our favorites still stood out as the very best, which means they've held up to more than two years of consistent review.
  • Ashley Rodriguez has made hundreds of gallons of cold brew in her 10 years behind the bar.
  • Ashley has written many of Serious Eats' coffee reviews, including on espresso machines and milk frothers .
  • Dylan Ettinger  helped to update this review, testing some newer cold brewers. Dylan is a contributor with more than a decade of experience working in the specialty coffee industry.

travel cold brew maker

More Serious Eats Recipes

6 Best Cold Brew Makers, Tested by Coffee Experts

If you drink it cold year-round, these coffee makers are for you.

best cold brew coffee makers

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

When evaluating cold brew coffee makers , we measured the amount of coffee extracted, conducted a blind taste test and considered factors like filter type, material and size. We used our years of testing every type of coffee maker to narrow down these top-tested picks below. After our recommendations, you can learn more about how we test in our Lab, as well as answers to your coffee-related questions — including the difference between cold brew and iced coffee because, yes, there is a difference.

OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Cold Brew Coffee Maker

OXO's best-selling model made standout java with a smooth, balanced, chocolatey flavor. Our testers loved how simple it was to use: Just add coarsely ground coffee and pour water through the perforated "rainmaker" lid, which is designed to distribute the water evenly over the grounds. Let your grounds sit for 12 to 24 hours and strain. The 32-ounce carafe holds enough coffee concentrate for about 14 cups. We appreciate that the appliance has a built-in feature to prevent messes: If the carafe moves out of place, the drip will stop.

While many experts say cold brew is best within a week of brewing, this particular model brews coffee concentrate that can be enjoyed for up to two weeks, thanks to a lid with a silicone seal that helps keep the beverage fresher for longer. However, we wish the model included a lid for the brewing reservoir too.

And though this pick is largely plastic, our testers rated the cleaning process a near-perfect 4 out of 5, thanks to an easy-clean reusable stainless steel filter and a dishwasher-safe glass carafe. "It cleaned up quickly and thoroughly without any issues," reported one tester. Our pros liked the measurement markings on the carafe (helpful for dosing your water before brewing and your coffee after) — and found it was easy to make space for in the fridge. Testers also loved the convenience of this large capacity model — you'll likely have to brew only about once per week, even for two people.

Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 14.75 inches | Weight: 4 pounds | Material: Plastic, glass | Capacity: 32 ounces

Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker doesn't sacrifice quality for its affordable price. The pitcher-style cold brew maker received near-perfect scores across all areas of usability. The manual is exceptionally clear and helpful, but we found the device is overall very intuitive and easy to use. All parts are simple to clean, and it's dishwasher safe.

The fine mesh filter is similar to a tea infuser; it ensures the cold brew maker churns out a smooth, rich concentrate devoid of sediment. (It can also be used as an iced tea maker .) Overall, our testers were pleased with the flavor profile, especially given the price.

The design is thoughtful too. Choose from 1-quart or 2-quart sizes. Each is sized like a similar-capacity standard pitcher, so you can pop the whole thing in the fridge and easily pour portions. Just note: There are no measurements on the side of the carafe, so you'll have to eyeball it or use a separate measuring cup if you want precision.

Dimensions: 5 x 7.5 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 9.6 ounces | Material: Plastic | Capacity: 33.8 ounces

OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

For those who prefer to make a smaller batch of cold brew or have less space to spare in their fridge for a big carafe, OXO also offers a compact model that's just as effective and easy to clean as its bigger sister. In fact, one of our Lab directors uses this Amazon's Choice cold brew maker at home. Not only does she find it small enough to store in her pantry or fridge, but "The parts all nest, too, which is nice when you’re storing away."

The same expert found the model easy to pour and enjoyed the strong, rich brew the coffee maker produced and noted no sediment. While you would need to prepare multiple rounds of cold brew for a crowd, it is an ideal option when you have fewer coffee drinkers at home. It's also a great option if you live in a college dorm and can't part with fresh cold brew in the morning before class. It's also around $17 less expensive than our best overall, which makes it a more affordable buy.

Dimensions: 5.2 x 5.3 x 8.6 inches | Weight: 1.4 pounds | Material: Stainless steel, glass | Capacity: 23.7 ounces

Toddy Cold Brew System

Cold Brew System

The Toddy Cold Brew system may not be the prettiest cold brew coffee maker out there — the top is bulky and appears to defy gravity — but our experts say it is one of the best for your money.

The instructions, which earned a perfect score for being easy to follow throughout the entire setup, brewing and cleaning process, call for a coffee-to-water ratio that results in a deep, rich and silky-smooth concentrate . This pick is designed to help prevent sediment: It uses both a felt filter and a paper filter. The felt filters are reusable, which is cost-effective and eco-friendly. Meanwhile, the paper filters cost around $1 each and provide easy clean-up.

We also appreciated the output of the Toddy: A brewing mixture of 12 ounces of coffee and approximately 54 ounces of water yields nearly 4 full cups of concentrate — enough to easily make eight servings.

Dimensions: 7.25 x 7.25 x 12.5 inches | Weight: 2.51 pounds | Material: Plastic, glass | Capacity: 33.8 ounces

Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker

Rapid Cold Brew Maker

While this Dash model is on the more expensive side, our kitchen appliance analyst found that it produced cold brew with a bold flavor. If you are a cold brew connoisseur, then you may relate to the uneven texture and unappealing flavor that can result when sediment spreads throughout the brew. There was minimal sediment when using the Dash, compared to other cold brew makers tested in the Lab. One tester even raved: "This little machine is a beast and has improved my iced coffee game immensely!"

Testers also appreciated the quick brew time, consistent flavor and helpful users' guide. However, they did wish it had a smaller footprint for better storage and more markings on the side of the carafe besides a "max" line. Still, we like that you can also brew tea with this model, extending its overall value. A reusable filter also cuts down on costs as you won't have to buy single-use paper filters.

Dimensions: 8 x 7.5 x 16 inches | Weight: 6 pounds | Material: Glass | Capacity: 2.5 pounds

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The stainless steel and glass construction of this KitchenAid cold brew coffee maker gives it an elevated aesthetic — we think it looks great on the counter or in the refrigerator. Our testers found it exceptionally intuitive and easy to use. The users' guide includes illustrations, clear step-by-step instructions and recipes for using the concentrate. The lid has an oversized knob that allows you to lift it off with minimal effort, and the reservoir has a fill guideline for coffee, so you don't have to spend time measuring in another container. One caveat is that our tester found the fill line wasn't entirely precise — the measured grounds sat just above the line (which is a reminder to use a kitchen scale for exact results since all grounds can vary in size).

After 12 hours of steeping, the results were smooth and had good flavor. Our tester had no trouble using the spout, which flowed at a moderate pace that was easy to control. They found the concentrate enjoyable over ice as well as with hot water. You can also use this pick for brewing tea. The unit isn't dishwasher safe, and it can be a little tricky to clean since it has lots of crevices.

Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 6.9 inches | Weight: 5.5 pounds | Material: Glass, stainless steel | Capacity: 28 ounces

How we test cold brew coffee makers

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When we evaluated cold brew coffee makers in the Lab, we put 13 of the most popular models to the test, reviewing all different kinds, including ones with paper filters, wire filters, French press designs and electric models.

For each model, we conducted the following tests to see how easy each cold brew maker was to operate and how well its brew tasted.

  • Functionality: We brewed the same type of coffee in each model and followed the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the brewing process was complete, we measured and recorded the temperature of the coffee and the amount of coffee extracted.
  • Taste test: Our test kitchen pros conducted a blind taste test to see which brewers produced the smoothest, richest cold brew. We deducted points for brews that had more sediment, a weak flavor or were a bit too strong, almost like burnt coffee.
  • Usability: Throughout the entire process, we also took notes on usability, assessing things like how helpful the manual is, what the setup process is like and how easy (or cumbersome) cleanup is. We also rely on feedback from consumer testers who report on how the models perform at home.
  • Features: While some cold brew makers may be pretty basic, most have extra features that may increase the overall cost, but also improve ease of use. From lids for storage and dishwasher-safe components to the ability to brew coffee (and even tea) quickly, we evaluated higher-tech options to discern whether they are worth the splurge.

Other cold brew coffee makers to consider

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While these models didn't make the A-list, they still deserve a callout for aspects we appreciated during testing.

  • Country Line Kitchen Cold Brew Coffee Maker : This under-$30 pick has some notable features including dishwasher-safe components and a helpful mason jar that's perfect for storing your brew. While we noted an easy brewing method during testing, our experts found that the cold brew was a little weak.
  • Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker : Top-rack dishwasher-safe, the Primula is designed to be easy to use. While it has an ergonomic handle, the glass carafe doesn't have any measurement markings. In Lab testing, we found that there was some sediment in the cold brew and that it tasted a little watery.
  • Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker : We have included Cuisinart kitchen gear and appliances in many of our shopping guides and are often testing its products in our Lab. While we appreciate that this electric maker has a mesh filter and can brew 7 cups of coffee quickly, we observed some sediment in Lab testing.
  • Instant Cold Brewer : Our pros road-tested this cold brew maker, but didn't feel as confident in recommending the model to our readers. We liked its removable glass pitcher and user-friendly operation and appreciated that it can make cold brew in under 20 minutes. However, it had an unideal murky appearance during taste testing.

What to consider when shopping for cold brew coffee makers

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✔️ Style: There are two main types of cold brew coffee makers: non-electric and electric.

  • Non-electric is the most common and traditional, and under this umbrella, there are two main ways to brew: immersion and slow drip. In immersion-style cold brew coffee makers, like the Takeya and Kitchenaid, the grounds sit within a filter submerged in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. In slow drip-style cold brew coffee makers, like Oxo and Toddy, the cold water and grounds first soak together and then the infused water, a.k.a. cold brew coffee, drains into a separate container, upon the user releasing a stopper.
  • Electric cold brew coffee makers aim to speed up the slow brewing process by steeping the grounds and agitating them to extract flavor faster, in as little as 5 to 45 minutes. (They don't typically use heat to do this.) While time-saving, our testers found that electric cold brew makers fell short in creating the deeply robust flavors that the non-electric methods did.

✔️ Type of filter: Some cold brew coffee makers require paper filters; others use mesh stainless steel filters. While both can yield a quality cold brew, paper is easier to clean up — simply toss it when you're done. That said, replacements require regular investment and are not as eco-friendly as their metal counterparts. Just be aware: While stainless steel mesh has longevity on its side, it can be harder to clean.

✔️ Material: Cold brew coffee makers are generally made of glass, plastic or a combination of the two. While overall construction doesn't necessarily impact the quality of coffee produced, it may be worth considering when shopping. Glass is heavier and more stable than plastic, but it can be thin and more prone to breakage. While plastic is highly durable, it isn't as resistant to staining and odor-absorption. Also, glass cold brew makers are typically dishwasher-safe, a nice convenience factor.

✔️ Size: Cold brew coffee makers come in various sizes, though most are relatively compact since they're designed to fit in the refrigerator. If size is important to you, look for the ones similar to a water pitcher or even a Mason jar. If you prefer to make a larger batch of coffee that will last you a week or more, you can find larger cold brew makers that make more than a few cups at a time — just be prepared to sacrifice the space for these bulkier options.

How to make cold brew coffee

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Making cold brew coffee at home is easy and cost-effective, and it allows you the flexibility to finesse the process to suit your preferences. And, luckily, cold brew coffee makers make the process a breeze. Here's what to do:

  • Choose your grounds. Select whatever roast suits your tastes, but note that single-origin beans are great for cold brew, since it's a gentle process. Either buy whole beans and grind them on the coarse setting yourself, or purchase coarsely ground beans. Smaller grinds aren't ideal, because flavor extraction can happen too quickly, yielding a more bitter coffee. And if you go too fine, the grounds will clump and may even create sediment. It may feel like you're blowing through coffee, but remember: You're making a concentrate that's meant to be heavily diluted with water, ice and/or milk.
  • Use the right ratio of water. Because you're making a coffee concentrate, you'll use less water to coffee than you would when brewing hot coffee. For every 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of coffee, use 1 cup of water (about 16 tablespoons), or a ratio of 1:4. (Pro tip: When brewing, use fresh, cold water for the purest taste, or fresh, cold water that has been brought to room temperature.)
  • Steep. Follow manufacturer directions for the specific model you're using, but generally, you should budget anywhere from 12 to 24 hours for non-electric cold brew coffee makers and 5 to 45 minutes for electric varieties.
  • Serve. Once your cold brew is done steeping, strain it and store the concentrate in the fridge to maintain freshness. Consume it within a few days or up to two weeks for optimal flavor. When ready to serve, a concentration of equal parts coffee and milk or water is ideal.

What is the difference between cold brew and nitro cold brew?

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While both have "cold brew" in their name, there is a difference between the two drinks. As outlined above, cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in water and then straining to produce a bold concentrate. Meanwhile, "Nitro cold brew is brewed with pressure. It tends to open the flavors of the coffee more," explains our coffee expert.

What is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?

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You may also order these two interchangeably, but cold brew and iced coffee are inherently two different beverages. Cold brewing is a slow process without heat . The result is a coffee concentrate with lower acidity and a smoother, richer taste than coffee brewed with hot water. Iced coffee, on the other hand, is typically brewed the same way hot coffee is — just at double the concentration, so it won't dilute too much upon chilling over ice. Still, it's typically lighter-bodied than cold brew.

More coffee content

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  • The Best Coffee and Espresso Makers, Tested by Our Kitchen Lab
  • The Best Espresso Machines, According to Expert Testing
  • The Best Dual Coffee Makers, According to Testing
  • The Best High-End Coffee Makers of 2024
  • The Best Coffee Makers With Grinders, Tested by Experts
  • The Best Latte Machines of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
  • The Best Portable Coffee Makers for Camping
  • The Best Coffee Grinders, Tested by Experts

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

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As Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, Nicole Papant oniou has tested more than a dozen cold brew coffee makers, plus dozens of other coffee makers, including French presses , espresso machines and single-serve coffee makers .

Brigitt Earley is a contributor with years of experience testing and writing about consumer products, including cold brew coffee makers, iced tea makers and other kitchen accessories and gadgets. She holds a degree in Professional Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute (now the Institute of Culinary Education).

Headshot of Brigitt Earley

Brigitt is a writer, editor and craft stylist with nearly 15 years of experience. She specializes in lifestyle topics, including home, health, parenting, beauty, style, food, entertaining, travel and weddings. She has written for Glamour, People, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and more.

Headshot of Nicole Papantoniou

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute 's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal .

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Best overall

Best budget, best for ready-to-drink, best compact.

  • What to look for
  • How we tested

The 4 best cold-brew coffee makers of 2024, tested and reviewed

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If you can wait 24 hours, making cold brew is one of the simplest ways to brew coffee. The increased brew time and lack of heat make the brewing process more forgiving than using the best espresso machine or even a simple french press . The only things you'll really need are good beans, time, and the best cold-brew coffee maker.

I've spent a decade behind the scenes of specialty coffee: I helped its cafes troubleshoot their cold-brew systems and deliver truckloads of drinks. Plus, I tested the best coffee makers for Insider, and I drink cold brew all year. The best cold-brew coffee maker we tested is the Toddy Cold Brew System . It's easy to brew strong and rich concentrate and neatly tuck the Toddy System into any fridge. Our top budget pick is the Takeya Cold Brew Maker because it's nearly leakproof and can brew a satisfyingly intense concentrate. 

Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and recommends kitchen products .

Top picks for cold-brew makers

Best overall: Toddy Cold Brew System - See at Amazon

Best budget: Takeya Cold Brew Maker - See at Amazon

Best for ready-to-drink: Coffee Gator Cold Brewer - See at Amazon

Best compact: Toddy Artisan - See at Toddy

travel cold brew maker

The Toddy Cold Brew System makes a strong and flavorful concentrate without any learning curve or trial and error, and up to 28 cups of cold brew when diluted.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Easy to use
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Large batch size
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Makes delicious cold brew
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Low build quality
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Requires a lot of coffee

Of all the brewers I tested, the Toddy Cold Brew System was the best cold-brew coffee maker because of its intuitive design. The first concentrate I brewed turned out perfect without any learning curve or trial and error. 

There are two main components to the Toddy Cold Brew System: The brewer itself consists of a plastic brewing container, a gray silicone lid, and a rubber stopper that fits into the bottom. It also comes with a glass carafe and a plastic lid that seals the carafe tightly. It's the perfect size for storing a full batch of concentrate and fits easily in the fridge. 

The Toddy requires 12 ounces of coffee to brew a full batch, which is a lot (at maximum, it handles seven cups of concentrate). I ground the coffee coarsely, covered it with seven cups of water, left it at room temperature for 24 hours, and came back to a perfectly brewed concentrate that tasted rich and full. One note: Set the Toddy somewhere it won't easily be knocked over. The silicone lid doesn't seal well, and the unit tips easily. 

Felt filters and paper filters are included. When using the paper filter, the coffee grounds are placed in the paper before adding the water; with the felt filter, you put the grounds directly in the tank. I tried both and didn't notice much difference between the drinks, but someone might.

The KitchenAid Cold Brew Maker is also easy and convenient to use. It fits perfectly in my fridge and makes full-sized batches of cold brew. The only downside is the metal filter makes brewing a bit inconsistent. I found the Toddy to produce a more even, cleaner cup of coffee. 

travel cold brew maker

Despite the low price, the build quality of the Takeya is solid — the plastic is durable (though prone to staining after many uses)‚ and the seals are tight so there was no leaking even when brewing on its side.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Affordable
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Available in 1-quart and 2-quart sizes
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Easy to use and clean
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Did not leak
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Clear plastic can become stained after extended use
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Too tall to fit upright in most refrigerators

The Takeya is similar to the Coffee Gator brewer but more affordable and uses a plastic pitcher instead of glass. Plastic and glass don't make a difference in coffee flavor, but glass holds up better over time whereas plastic can become permanently stained after multiple uses. 

The filter basket and cap on the Takeya screw together and then onto the pitcher — it's a secure fit. However, one drawback to this design is that it's hard to make sure all of the grounds are properly steeped if the brewer isn't placed sideways (the 2-quart size I tested was too tall for my refrigerator) or shaken throughout the brewing time. There is about an inch of space between the filter and the lid where grounds may become stuck and not exposed to the water for brewing. The Takeya didn't leak at all, but the grounds settled in the top of the lid and fell out when I tried to clean the brewer, which made a bit of a mess.

After 12 hours of brewing in my refrigerator, I got a tea-like drink. I brewed it for 24 hours and the results were much stronger, but not quite the same level as the concentrate from the Toddy. Overall, the finished cold brew was very well-rounded and balanced, earning it a spot as one of the best cold-brew coffee makers. The Takeya could easily be used to make a stronger concentrate if left to brew at room temperature as well.

For another option, the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Maker works similarly to the Takeya, makes similar-tasting cold brew, and is a few dollars cheaper. However, the Hario is tall and didn't fit easily into my refrigerator. The lid doesn't make a perfect seal, so I couldn't store it on its side. 

Read our full Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker review .

travel cold brew maker

The Coffee Gator Cold Brewer is a great immersion brewer for cold brew. Its no frills design makes it accessible and easy to use while allowing for customization.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Very easy to use and clean
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Drinks can be customized to your preference depending on brew time
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Fits easily in the fridge
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Makes less cold brew than other brewers
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. The metal filter allows more sediment than paper or felt filters

The Coffee Gator has a pretty standard design as far as immersion brewers go, and makes a ready-to-drink cold brew instead of a concentrate for convenience. The design is a glass pitcher with a detachable and reusable filter basket that doubles as a brewer and serving vessel. I was impressed by how sturdy and well-made this brewer is, and how tightly fitted all the pieces were, which helped prevent any leaks. 

It's a bit smaller than comparable products and fits perfectly in the fridge. It disassembles easily and the bottom of the filter basket screws off for easy rinsing, though you want to be a little careful with the thin filter. 

It's also easy to use. Ground coffee goes into the filter basket, then water is poured over the top of the coffee through the hole in the lid. The instructions call for about 2.5 oz (75g) of coffee to 1.1 liters of water, which almost completely fills the brewer. 

The instructions call for a minimum brew time of eight hours, but that wasn't nearly enough time for a strong brew. I sampled a bit of the coffee after the recommended eight hours and found it to be weak and similar to tea. After 12 hours, I was more pleased with the stronger coffee it produced. It was better developed and some more of the fruity flavor notes came through. For my second round of tests, I let the coffee brew for a full 24 hours in the fridge, and it was much stronger but still smooth. The strongest batch was brewed for 12 hours at room temperature. This yielded a well-rounded, sweet and chocolatey cup of cold brew, almost as strong as a concentrate.

travel cold brew maker

If space is at a premium in your apartment or fridge, the Toddy Artisan can make great cold brew without taking up much space. The brewer also serves as a carafe for serving.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Compact and fits in small fridges
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Can make concentrate or ready-to-drink cold brew
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Very easy cleanup
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Requires single-use paper filters
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Silicone lid doesn't form a perfect seal
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Thin glass

The Toddy Artisan is just as easy to use as the full-sized Toddy , the best cold-brew coffee maker overall. Like its larger counterpart, it made great coffee right away with very little need for any adjustment. The brewer is essentially a glass jar with a silicone lid and it comes with 12 paper filter bags, a metal filter basket, and tongs. The brewer itself doubles as a small carafe for easy storage after brewing; it's the smallest brewer I reviewed, slighter than a standard Mason jar. 

The Toddy Artisan isn't the sturdiest product. The glass is a little thin and the silicone lid doesn't form a perfect seal, so be careful not to knock it over while it's brewing. 

This brewer makes concentrate and ready-to-drink cold brew. I brewed my first batch of concentrate according to the instructions for 24 hours at room temperature. It was balanced and slightly chocolatey with low acidity. I also brewed it for eight hours to try the ready-to-drink version, and it also tasted great, just a bit lighter than the concentrate. 

Cleanup couldn't be easier since the grounds are neatly contained in the paper filter bag. Once the coffee is allowed to drip from the bag, you just dump out the filter bag with the grounds, rinse off the metal basket, and serve or store the coffee in the glass brewer itself.

The Toddy Artisan won out on flavor, but the OXO Cold Brew Maker Compact is an affordable alternative that makes a well-developed concentrate that tasted a bit brighter and had slightly more grit. It also has a built-in reusable metal filter.

What to look for in a cold-brew coffee maker

Taste: First and foremost, you want the best cold-brew coffee maker to brew coffee with a strong and smooth flavor. We only recommend cold brew makers that produced delicious coffee under a variety of brewing conditions. We found that the two automatic brewers we tested had less flavorful results, and we tasted slightly more grit in makers with metal filters.

Capacity: Cold brew makers range from making ready-to-drink single servings to batch producing concentrate. If you have the fridge space and regularly drink cold brew, go for the larger brewing capacity. For the occasional cup, compact options take up less room and you won't make too much coffee that ends up going to waste.

Brewing method: Immersion brewing is the standard style for some of the best cold-brew coffee makers. Coffee grounds are submerged in room-temperature water for an extended period of time. Drip cold brew makers use the Kyoto Method and are more complex machines; water is slowly dripped over a bed of coffee over 12 or more hours. The quickest method, and often the least flavorful, is the automatic cold-brew maker: a motor spins a filter basket around a water tank, agitating the grounds and creating a batch of cold brew in 25 to 45 minutes.

How we tested cold-brew makers

I worked in specialty coffee for almost a decade and handled countless tasks behind the scenes and behind the bar. I also helped develop the menu for a local coffee shop in my town of Warsaw, Indiana, and I consulted Eileen Rinaldi, founder and CEO of Ritual Coffee , and Ben Helfen, Education Support Specialist from Counter Culture Coffee .

I carefully weighed all the coffee and water using a digital kitchen scale according to the manufacturer's instructions and ground beans with my Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder . To ensure I was using the right amount of beans, I weighed the coffee before grinding based on the amount recommended by each manufacturer. I used coarsely ground coffee for each test unless instructed otherwise by the manufacturer, and tap water filtered with a generic Brita pitcher.

I tested each coffee maker with Ritual Coffee's Featherweight Blend , a bright, juicy blend with a well-developed, roasted sweetness that's suited for cold brew. I used each brewer three times and noted the following:

Ease of use: For the first round of tests, I followed the directions from each brewer and noted the results. I looked at how easy each brewer was to set up, how easy the instructions were to follow, and how intuitive each product was to use. After the initial test, I tried longer brewing times, different brewing temperatures (refrigerator or room temp), and coarser grinds. 

Quality: While testing, I made sure to note how well-made each brewer was or wasn't. I noted the materials and whether the brewers felt durable enough to withstand extended use. I paid attention to the filtration method in each brewer, taking into account if they were reusable and easy to clean. For the brewers that screwed shut, I checked for leaks. I also noted how easy each brewer was to clean after use and whether there was any discoloration in the filters, pitchers, or carafes.

Taste: Most important in my testing was the quality of the cold brew produced. Taste is subjective, of course, and the specific flavors in each batch depend on what kind of coffee you prefer to use. Because of that, I looked at how well-extracted or developed each batch turned out, meaning how deep, strong, and complex the flavor was. The Ritual beans I used responded well to a wide spectrum of tests that yielded coffee of different strengths. I also looked at whether any sediment was left behind in the carafes after each batch was done.

Cold-brew coffee FAQs

What is cold brew.

Cold brew is coffee brewed cold or at room temperature, instead of with hot water.

Rinaldi said making a batch of cold brew can take 12 to 24 hours, depending on your recipe. That is, of course, significantly slower than any hot water method. But in the absence of heat, it takes much longer for all of those delicious organic compounds and oils to become fully extracted from the ground coffee.

This process slightly changes the flavor too. Helfen said, "Oftentimes, the nuance of the coffee is lost in cold brew, but because the sugars in coffee take longer to extract, the extra brew time can increase sweetness." According to Rinaldi, some of the more volatile organic compounds aren't extracted as readily so cold brew can produce a really clean and less acidic flavor profile.

Why should I buy a cold brew maker?

You can make cold brew at home in any jar or jug, but having a specialized cold brew maker certainly makes the process easier. All of the brewers I tested are designed to make the brewing process cleaner and faster. Most importantly, they all provide a dedicated mode of filtration that is geared toward brewing a more clear and refreshing cup of coffee.

What's the difference between cold-brew concentrate and cold brew that's ready-to-drink?

Cold-brew makers can produce cold-brew concentrate or cold brew that is ready to drink. The concentrate is usually a much stronger extraction with higher caffeine content and must be diluted at a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:3 or 1:2.

Ready-to-drink cold brew doesn't require any dilution and can be consumed right away. It's usually lighter in color, and the strength and flavor are more reminiscent of tea. It's a more bright and refreshing drink, whereas concentrate offers a more full-flavored, dark, intense product. Most cold-brew devices are advertised as producing either concentrate or ready-to-drink, but some are flexible enough to do both. In those instances, you can increase the strength of the coffee and create a concentrate by using less water and steeping for longer.

What kind of coffee do you use in a cold brew maker?

There is no "correct" coffee when it comes to cold brew — feel free to use any coffee you like. I used blends for my tests, but single-origin roasts are also commonly used. Rinaldi said, "Darker roasted coffee is more extractable, so you see a lot of espresso roasts being prepared as a cold brew." I've also seen many cafes rotating single-origin blends to provide a variety and different choices to their customers.

What's the best grind coarseness for cold brew?

Coarse grind size — similar to what you'd use for a French press — is usually recommended for cold brew, and what I used in testing.  

The major factor to consider with the grind size is filtration. Helfen said, "Most folks grind coarser for cold brew because of the long brew time and because filtering the liquid out of the grounds doesn't take as long." 

Paper and felt filters tend to filter out more of the fine solids than metal or mesh filters, and a finer grind will pass through more than a coarse one. Too much sediment makes a silty, cloudy cup of coffee, which is not desirable with cold brew. Of course, there are exceptions. Some brewers I tested, like the Cuisinart Automatic, respond well to a finer grind because of the shorter extraction time needed.

What is the proper ratio of coffee to water for cold brew?

The ratio of coffee to water will vary slightly depending on whether you're brewing concentrate or ready-to-drink cold brew, and which coffee maker you use. The ratios we recommend are 1 part coffee to 5 parts water, or a 1:5 ratio, for concentrate and 1:7 for something that's ready to drink. I recommend following the instructions included in your brewer and adjusting the ratio to taste. The one thing that's consistent across all brewers is that cold brew uses way more ground coffee than traditional brewing, so be prepared with your beans. 

Should I steep my cold brew in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

From all of my testing, I found that letting the coffee steep at room temperature produces a much better flavor than leaving it in the fridge for an extended period of time. But Helfen does add one caveat. "I find brewing at room temp quite risky. Unless you're very meticulously sanitizing your brewing equipment, the bacterial growth of coffee brewing at room temp can get out of control pretty easy." If this is a concern, most cold brew devices are dishwasher safe or have removable components that can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

How long does cold brew stay fresh?

Unlike hot coffee, which maintains freshness for no longer than a few minutes, cold brew can maintain its flavor in the fridge for a while. If stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator, it should stay fresh for up to two weeks.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

travel cold brew maker

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The 7 Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers for Better, Cheaper Iced Coffee

Wake up to a rich, refreshing, and potent cup of joe.

best cold brew coffee makers

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Attention coffee shop mavens and Starbucks regulars: You can make rich, strong cold-brew coffee at home for fractions of the price.

Rather than simple drip coffee poured over ice, cold-brew coffee is made by steeping more coffee grounds in cold water for a long period of time—typically at least 24 hours—creating a very strong cup (or, in some cases, a concentrate) that you can mix with water or milk. The cold water and longer steep create a naturally sweeter, richer, and more chocolatey flavor compared to coffee brewed with hot water.

You can achieve this with a simple jar and a fine sieve, but cold-brew coffee makers are a worthwhile investment if you want to brew large, predictably strong batches without spattering dark sludge all over your countertop. We rounded up the best, including several that’ll look nice on your counter or in your fridge.

Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers

  • Best Overall: OXO Good Grips Immersion Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
  • Best Budget: Mueller Home Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
  • Best for Professionals: Toddy Cold-Brew System
  • Best for Travel: Takeya Portable Deluxe Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
  • Best for Nitro Cold-Brew: GrowlerWerks uKeg Nitro Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

What to Consider

Cold-brew is generally made in two different ways: immersion and slow drip. With immersion, you soak coarse grounds in cold water for about 12 to 15 hours and then strain it. Slow drip closely resembles the process of traditional drip coffee, but takes several hours. You'll often hear that immersion results in a more full-bodied flavor.

Nitro cold-brew is a way to spruce up regular cold-brew using nitrogen. Cold-brew coffee infused with nitrogen gas creates frothy-like microbubbles for a smooth pour. This is achieved by charging cold-brew with nitro cartridges after brewing the coffee with either method above.

Are you making cold brew coffee for yourself every week, or will you share your bean water with multiple people on a camping trip? The sizes of crew-brew makers vary significantly, from 16 to 96 ounces. Consider brewing batches to stockpile cold brew in your fridge, where it'll stay fresh from 7 to 10 days, and reach for a larger container to prevent having to brew often. Keep in mind, cold brew requires roughly 12 hours to make, so the less waiting between drinks, the better.

How We Selected

The original author of this guide, Elizabeth Briskin, is a trained chef, food writer, recipe developer, and self-described coffee obsessive. She drinks cold brew in the summer, and used her expertise to select the best cold-brew coffee makers. We also considered the top-performing products from tried-and-true home appliance brands, using critical and consumer reviews, product descriptions, and personal experience to find a range of products that suit various needs at various price points. Our recommendations include only reliable cold-brew coffee makers from companies we’ve grown to trust, and there’s one for every size household, budget, and coffee personality.

OXO Good Grips Immersion Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

Good Grips Immersion Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

This Oxo cold-brew coffee maker ticks all the boxes: it’s reasonably priced, makes rich and robust coffee, and is easy to use. The 32-ounce capacity machine features a “rainmaker” mesh filter top that evenly distributes water over coffee grounds. Let the mixture steep for 12 to 24 hours, and when it’s ready, a switch drains its tank for you to mix with ice and water.

It takes up a relatively modest amount of fridge space, too. While its carafe is glass, the brew tank is plastic for a tough main build. The mesh filter easily pops out, and because it’s dishwasher-safe, it’s even easier to clean (just one of the reasons our staff loves Oxo products ).

Customers and critics love this cold-brew machine for its ease of use and flavor. Some, however, dislike that it brews 10 ounces of coffee instead of 16, as other options on this list can brew more at once.

Mueller Home Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

This inexpensive Mueller pot is an excellent value. The large two-quart cold-brew maker comes with a washable and reusable mesh filter. Though the pitcher is made from plastic, not glass, it does have a great seal and an excellent filter that prevents grounds from finding their way into your glass. That also makes it shatterproof and prevents leaks when you store it in your fridge.

You can brew up to eight cups of coffee at once, which is great for a work week of busy mornings, and you can remove the grounds and use the carafe to store the coffee after brewing. We love the large size of the brew tank, but some customers wish its filter could hold more coffee grounds.

Toddy Cold-Brew System

Cold-Brew System

The Toddy Cold Brew pioneered home cold-brewing in 1964, and it’s been the go-to brand for professionals since. The brew tank is fairly small, only big enough for a few cups of coffee, but its 48-ounce decanter can double up your brew if you add water.

The Toddy uses paper or thick felt filters—the latter results in faster extraction and smoother brewing and requires rinsing before reuse. Both filters, however, are the only ones you can use with a Toddy, which might be a drawback for some.

Customers love that it doesn’t require a plug-in but are less enamored by the Toddy-made filters that cost $1 a pop or $12 for a two-pack of felt .

Takeya Portable Deluxe Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

Portable Deluxe Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

This Takeya cold-brew coffee maker comes in 32- and 64-ounce capacity sizes and is ideal for cold-brew enthusiasts who need a portable, stowable option. The infuser fits 14 to 16 tablespoons of ground coffee, and Takeya recommends shaking the grounds around, then storing it in the fridge for 12 to 36 hours. The result makes one quart of cold-brew.

The cold-brew maker uses a reusable fine-mesh coffee filter to keep grounds out of your coffee. The pitcher—which fits in the door of most fridges—features an airtight lid and non-slip silicone handle.

This large-capacity brewer is perfect for easy brews and bringing coffee on the go, especially with the carry handle, but some users say that its silicone and plastic parts feel flimsy.

GrowlerWerks uKeg Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker

uKeg Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The 12-cup capacity uKeg Nitro creates nitro cold-brew at home. The all-in-one system cold-brews the coffee while infusing it with nitro gas, giving it a creamy mouthfeel.

It’s made with hardy, double-walled stainless steel, which keeps the coffee cold for an entire day. It also doesn’t require electricity.

Customers love the quality of this nitro cold-brew, which costs a fraction of the price compared to buying a nitro cold-brew at a cafe. However, you’ll have to buy new nitro gas canisters separately.

Asobu Black Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

Black Cold-Brew Coffee Maker

This sleek carafe-style cold-brew coffee maker uses a superfine stainless steel filter to produce hot coffee, cold brew, or loose-leaf tea. Once your water filters down to the carafe after your desired brewing time, it lands in an insulated mug that keeps cold-brew fresh for several weeks and hot coffee warm for up to 12 hours.

The carafe comes with a tight-fitting leak-proof lid to take on the go. This is an excellent choice for travel and home use, as it requires minimal room in your fridge or carry-on.

VINCI Express Cold-Brew Electric Coffee Maker

Express Cold-Brew Electric Coffee Maker

This Vinci maker delivers cold-brew fast. The rapid electric cold-brew system just needs five minutes (and an electrical outlet) to make over a liter of coffee. Once made, the cold-brew lasts for up to 10 days in the fridge and can be stored in and served from the brewing carafe.

With this automatic machine, there’s no forgetting to set up your brew the night before or settling for a weaker pour due to time restraints. In fact, you can choose from four brew styles that take anywhere from five to 25 minutes to complete.

Expert Elizabeth Briskin on Making Cold-Brew at Home

kitchenaid kcm5912sx cold brew coffee maker

PM : Can you make cold-brew with a regular coffee maker?

EB: If your regular coffee maker is a french press, then yes, this will work for cold-brew. Simply use cold water and let it brew overnight in the fridge before plunging and straining. A drip-style or pour-over coffee maker will not work for cold-brew as the beans need to steep in the cold water for hours to produce the flavor you’re looking for.

PM : What’s the difference between cold-brew and iced coffee?

EB: Cold-brew coffee is brewed by steeping ground beans in cold or room temperature water for up to 24 hours. Iced coffee, on the other hand, is brewed using hot water in just a few minutes, then cooled and served over ice.

PM : Does cold-brew have more caffeine than regular coffee?

EB: Cold-brew actually contains less caffeine than hot coffee, but more than the average cup of iced coffee. The hot water extracts more caffeine from the beans than cold or room-temperature water. The strength of the flavor of your coffee will depend on how long it’s brewed, as well as the kind of beans and the grind you use.

*Editor's Note: Journalist Kathleen Willcox contributed to this article.

Headshot of Kevin Cortez

Kevin Cortez is an editor for Runner's World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics covering reviews. A culture and product journalist for over ten years, he’s an expert in men’s style, technology, gaming, coffee, e-bikes, hiking, gear, and all things outdoors. He most recently worked as the Style Editor for Reviewed, a top product recommendation site owned by USA TODAY. He also helped with the launch of WSJ's Buy Side commerce vertical, and has covered the music and podcast industries for Mass Appeal, Genius, Vulture, Leafly, Input, and The A.V. Club. Equally passionate about leisure as he is his penmanship, Kevin dedicates his spare time to graphic novels, birding, making cold brew, and taking long, meandering walks.

Headshot of Elizabeth Briskin

Lizzy Briskin, a food writer and product reviewer who runs Earthen Food Co, is a trained chef and avid home cook who loves to put new gadgets to the test to help people make informed buying decisions; she contributes food, cooking, and lifestyle content to publications including the Chicago Tribune, Simply Recipes, Munchery, Insider, and others. She also tests and develops recipes for national food brands. When she’s not cooking, eating, or writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and training for marathons. 

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The Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers

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Cold-brew makers aren’t like coffee machines. They don't push steam through a tight puck of coffee grounds or heat water to drip over them. Most cold-brew makers are simple devices, and that’s because cold-brewing coffee is a deceptively simple process. We don't actually need a cold-brew maker to do much. We don't want it to do much. It should stand back and let the water take its time to gently coax the subtlest, sweetest flavors out of your grounds. It's just coffee plus water plus patience. So during testing, we have to pay close attention to what the cold-brew maker does, and doesn't do.

I test a lot of devices for making coffee, and in my opinion, testing cold-brew makers is probably the trickiest. When something goes wrong with a batch of cold brew it's not always obvious what the cause is. It can be as subtle as an off flavor or a few too many dregs at the bottom of a cup. Sometimes it's even something else in your fridge that adds a weird flavor. That's why we test so thoroughly and really put these products through the ringer.

Be sure to check out our other coffee guides to round out your coffee tool set, like the Best Espresso Machines , Best Latte & Cappuccino Makers , Best Portable Coffee Makers , Best Coffee Subscriptions , and Best Coffee Grinders .

Updated April 2024: We added the Hario Mizudashi, Aeropress XL, Fellow Prismo, Fellow Shimmy, and Partners Coffee Cold Brew Pouches, and adjusted pricing and product descriptions throughout.

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Best Brewers

Clear container with filter in center, black lid and black curved handle

Photograph: Hario

The simplicity of the Mizudashi's design makes it an absolute joy to use. It’s an elegant, understated devices that works just as well for coffee as it does for tea. The reusable filter provides less filtration than a paper filter—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The presence of microscopic coffee particles in a cup of cold brew will leave some sediment in the bottom of the cup, but they also provide a little more body to the brew itself. A silken mouthfeel that, in my opinion, helps the cold brew stand up to the addition of milk a bit better without getting watery.

The thing I love the most about the Mizudashi is its size. The 600-ml version is perfect for the amount of cold brew I usually want to have on hand, and the shape and build quality of the Mizudashi just makes me want to make cold brew, and that's an important quality. Hario is a Japanese company with a long history of making quality glassware, and it shows in the craftsmanship of this simple carafe.

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Japan has a long history with cold brew, by some accounts going as far back as the 1600s. The Mizudashi is named after the cold-steeping method used for tea that was reportedly the inspiration for early Japanese coffee drinkers to first try cold-steeping coffee grounds. It's an acknowledgement of the history of this preparation method, and it speaks to the care and thought that went into the design of this cold-brew maker.

OXO Cold Brew Creator

Photograph: Amazon

The WIRED Gear team has liked Oxo’s cold-brew coffee maker for years ( 8/10 and our WIRED Recommends ). It’s a cold-brew connoisseur's dream rig that’s meant to sit proudly on your kitchen counter, and it's the best purchase if you want bucket-style immersion brewing that allows for greater experimentation.

Oxo’s maker produces up to 32 ounces of very fine coffee, with minimal sediment, that comes out far more concentrated (which means you’ll get more out of it) than pot-style brewers. It also has the potential to produce richer, more robust flavors, thanks to the design, which includes a “rainmaker” lid that trickles the water onto your grounds to let them soak up the water slowly. You’ll have to tinker with your recipe, though, and make sure to dampen your grounds for the right amount of time, or things will get bitter quickly.

After letting it sit on the counter for 12 to 24 hours, you flip a switch and your brew cleanly drains into the decanter. It also comes with a measuring lid. Perhaps most important, the coffee it makes is fantastic.

AeroPress XL

Photograph: AeroPress

Yes, you can make good cold brew in an Aeropress! All you have to do is pour some grounds in the Aeropress and top them off with cold water all the way up to the 4 on the cylinder. Give it a stir, place the plunger in the top but don’t press down. At this point I’ve found I get my best results by putting the whole thing in the fridge overnight. Once it has steeped, put the fully loaded Aeropress on your cup of choice and press the plunger down about a third of the way. I like my cold brew small, over ice, with two to three parts milk. I find I can get three to four cold brews out of one steeping with this method, but I treat it like espresso and only use about one shot-glass-worth at a time for a full cup. If you like yours a bit stronger, you might only get about two big glasses of cold brew out of this method.

Image may contain: Mixer, Appliance, and Jar

Photograph: Bruer

The Bruer opened my eyes to slow-drip cold brewing. I had trouble with the "Gosh! Dripo" slow-drip cold brewer (see the Not Recommended section below), but the Bruer turned me around. It makes a delightful, concentrated, virtually grit-free cold brew.

Instead of pouring a bunch of grounds into water and letting it sit, the Bruer lets water drip through the grounds using gravity. It looks a little bananas at first, but it's simple. You fill the bottom of a glass container with coarse coffee grounds. Below the grounds is a steel mesh filter. After you dampen those grounds, put a paper filter on top, snap in the silicone seal, and place the container into the glass carafe. Fill up the top section with water and ice, then twist the knob in the center to slow or speed up the drip—you want a drop per second—as needed.

It's not foolproof. You must follow the directions precisely, including using ice—and if your coffee grind is too fine, water may form pathways through it, like an ant colony. If what's dripping out doesn't look dark, or it's coming out quickly, adjust your tactics. It also holds only 20 ounces of water, and since it's made of glass, it's fragile. Some buyers have complained of drip-valve issues, but I have not encountered any yet. — Jeff Van Camp

kitchenaid cold brew coffee maker

Photograph: KitchenAid

KitchenAid doesn't make the absolute best cold brew I've had, but more care went into its design than almost any other pot I've listed. It's made of steel and thick glass, with a built-in handle and a spigot for dispensing cold brew—perfect if you have a shelf to set it on, in or out of the fridge. (There's an XL version that holds 40-ish ounces of coffee and has a stand to sit on the countertop.)

It has a stainless steel grounds tray (with a handle!) that you set in the larger glass container. Dampen your grounds, then fill it with water. It says it holds 28 ounces, but I easily fit 32. Let it sit for at least 12 hours, as usual (24 if you fridge it), and you're good to go. The steel filter is too porous and lets a lot of sediment through, but KitchenAid smartly has a textured bottom that lets the grit settle on the sides of the bottom. It doesn't seem to come through the spigot, so after my first gritty glass, the coffee was a lot smoother and quite rich.

I haven't had any issues, but a few users have reported the spigot leaking. — Jeff Van Camp

County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Maker

Photograph: County Line Kitchen

County Line Kitchen is a family-owned business in Wisconsin. Its Cold Brew Maker uses a trusty ol’ 2-quart mason jar and stainless steel filter basket to brew. It works much like the Coffee Gator, but you can make a ton of joe with it. You fill the basket with a lot of coffee grounds, pour up to 64 ounces of cold water through it slowly, and let it sit for 24 hours. When it’s done, take out the filter basket and use the lid to pour.

In my tests, the County Line produced relatively smooth cold-brewed coffee, though it was somewhat gritty, likely because the steel filter is a bit too porous (use coarse grounds). The instructions also tell you to shake the jar after adding water, but I found that a bit of coffee can leak out even if it’s sealed tight, which seems to be a common mason jar problem. Lingering grounds aside, if you want enough cold brew to last a week, this is a good way to get it. — Jeff Van Camp

Toddy Cold Brew System

Photograph: Toddy

The Toddy has been around since the 1960s. It’s similar to the Oxo brewing system, just a little more DIY.

It’s basically a big bucket with grounds in it and a glass carafe to hold the coffee when it's done brewing. The brew bucket is made of plastic, and it requires paper liners and filter pads that you’ll have to keep buying (filter pads last about 10 brews, or three months). You have to remove a rubber stopper to drain the coffee after 24 hours, which will always get your hands messy—cleanup is time-consuming.

Fortunately, it makes rich, full-bodied cold brew that tastes as robust as any other method I’ve tried, sometimes better. Those pads and paper filters are annoying, but they work. If you’re OK with a little inconvenience, the Toddy makes a damn good cold-brew concentrate. It's similar to the Filtron Brewer , but more well constructed. There's even a giant 2.5-gallon Toddy that's used in coffee shops. — Jeff Van Camp

Secura french press

Photograph: Secura

I used French presses as a quasi control in my testing, and the Secura is the nicest I’ve tried. To my dismay, I haven’t been able to get any French press to produce cold-brewed coffee with flavor that’s as smooth or rich as with other methods. It’s usually a little bitter and too gritty. But it’s still quite drinkable, and if you play around enough or find the right coffee grounds, you can probably make a batch that you like.

You might already own a French press for hot coffee; if you don’t, I recommend the Secura. It’s made of stainless steel and well insulated to keep cold brew cold or hot coffee hot, and the handle doesn’t get too hot. — Jeff Van Camp

OXO Compact Cold Brew Maker

Photograph: OXO

If kitchen real estate is a bit scarce, the Oxo Compact Cold Brewer is a great pick. First off, it's adorable: It comes with a cute little glass carafe with a cork lid, and the brew cone includes the rain head we enjoy so much on the full-size Oxo cold brewers. It's small enough to leave on your countertop, and it'll look good sitting there.

The small size makes it great for a finer grind, making a stronger brew that you can dilute more when you drink it, which I've come to prefer. That way I can dilute with milk to a latte-esque strength, or keep it a little stronger for sipping.

Coffee & Accessories

Overhead view of blue circular object with ridges

Photograph: Fellow

I like the Fellow Prismo for all my Aeropress use, and it’s great for cold brew. It comes with a reusable filter and replaces the cap that goes on the end of your Aeropress with one that’s a little thicker and has single hole. This config makes the coffee come out of the Aeropress under more pressure than with the standard Aeropress cap. That way you get a little aeration and, in my experience, a cleaner cup than from just metal filters in the traditional Aeropress cap.

Cylindrical container with black top and bottom

If you prefer cold brew with as little coffee silt as possible, the Shimmy can definitely help. It’s a sieve you fill with coffee grounds then shake to separate out more of the fine particles, or fines, from your coffee. During testing, I found it significantly reduced the silty dregs from the bottom of my cup, but a little bit remained, though not nearly enough to spoil that last sip the way too much sediment can.

Beige and light blue striped bag with label for cold brew coffee pouch

Photograph: Partners

These ready-to-brew pouches from Partners are like big tea bags full of coffee. They’re great for turning any pitcher or big jar into a cold-brew maker. Given their size, I found I got the best coffee after at least 24 hours of steeping, and it was fully flavored, rich, silky, and sweet with just a hint of acidity.

Stone Street cold brew coffee bag

Photograph: Stone Street

In my quest to make the perfect cold-brewed coffee, I tried at least half a dozen types of beans. Stone Street’s Arabica Colombian Supremo dark roast and Bizzy's organic Smooth & Sweet Blend are two of my favorites. They're made specifically with cold brewing in mind and come coarsely ground (a coarse grind is best for cold brew) or as whole beans if you own a grinder. The 1-pound bags aren’t too expensive.

They were less bitter than some brands I tried and got closest to delivering that perfect, smooth cold-brew flavor I was craving. Cold brewing requires a lot more grounds than normal hot brewing, so I appreciated its lower price.

Tiny Footprint Coffee’s Organic Cold Brew Elixir ($13) also had a nice balanced flavor, and Chosen Bean's Guatemalan blend had a fruity, chocolatey flavor that I liked. — Jeff Van Camp

takeya cold brew maker

Below are some cold-brew makers we liked but didn't exactly love, or they had features we enjoyed but some drawbacks that kept them from making our best-of list.

  • Takeya Airtight Cold Brew Maker ($28) : This maker has earned high marks from reviewers, but in my tests it just didn’t stack up. The airtight seal is fantastic and lets you shake your coffee, but no matter how tight everything was, I found that a good deal of gritty sediment ended up outside the filter. It’s also tougher to clean the filter than competitors, because its bottom doesn’t screw off. The plastic container works but isn’t as nice as glass (though it is more durable).
  • Primula Burke Cold Brew Maker ($18) : During our testing of the Primula Burke, coffee came out smooth and flavorful without too much bitterness, and the filter is fine enough that there was less sediment than many immersion brewers.
  • Coffee Gator Plus Scoop and Funnel ($21) : There’s nothing that unique about Coffee Gator’s glass immersion cold-brew coffee pot. There are a host of pots that look just like it on Amazon, but the included metal scoop and collapsible funnel made adding grounds and water an easier, tidier process. I liked them so much, I began using these handy accessories with all the other cold-brew makers.

Gosh Dripo cold brew maker

We didn't like these cold-brew makers much at all.

  • Gosh! Dripo : The Dripo made delicious coffee with no grittiness or sediment, which I credit to the slow-drip brewing method, but the instructions were confusing and the setup was a lot of work for how little coffee it produces. On top of that, if you don’t pre-wet your grounds, it may not work at all. The intent is that you can take the cup with you to work, but it’s not a great to-go cup because of the lid design, which doesn't drain the coffee back into the cup well. Overall, it’s too much setup and work for too little coffee.
  • Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker ($55) : The Dash is a neat idea. It makes cold brew in 10 to 20 minutes by shooting water through tubes between a grounds tray and carafe. Sadly, both of the testing units we received had numerous problems. The biggest problem was a small drip from the spout due to a bad seal. The overall build quality felt cheap, and for the price it's just not worth it.
  • CuisinArt Automatic Cold Brew Maker for $80 : This is another cold-brew maker that promises to make a great cup in just 25 to 45 minutes instead of 12 to 24 hours. During testing, we found that it produced acceptable coffee, but it wasn't the silky smooth cold brew you can get if you just stick a jar in the fridge for a day. It's further proof that you just can't rush great cold brew. It takes time, and good things are worth waiting for.

Cold Brew Q&A

I usually start with medium to fine grounds, but I've had great cold brew with every grind size. It just depends on what kind of body you want in the finished product. For lighter cold brew, go coarser, for darker, heavier cold brew go finer. The amount I use is usually about one part coffee grounds to four or five parts water. Depending on your brewer, you usually just pour water over your grounds and stick the whole thing on your counter or in your fridge. You've likely heard that you should wet your grounds for a few minutes first, to “bloom” them, but blooming your cold brew doesn't, in my experience, make any difference to the final product. Because we're using cold or cool water, any off-gassing the coffee going to do will happen very slowly and during the rest phase.

Next, I give it a light stir to make sure the grounds are fully wetted, but I don't like to shake them or stir them too heavily at this point. We want time and gravity to do the work for us. I always refrigerate, which takes longer for the aforementioned reasons, but I like the results I get from going low and slow with cold brew. Patience is our friend here. Let it rest in your fridge for 24 hours, taste, then decide whether you want to give it another eight to 12 hours. When the brewing is complete remove the grounds from the brewer and refrigerate the coffee you just made. You’ll probably want to dilute it some with milk or water when drinking. If you don’t like the taste, adjust your methods a bit or try different coffee beans.

That depends, but generally no, not really. The reason you'll see this myth circulated so widely is because of some common misconceptions.

First off, you technically could make a super-caffeinated cold brew if you used too much coffee and steeped it way too long, but in my experience that's not what you get from a café, and that's not what you get at home unless you're trying to get it. That's because of some basic chemistry: heat speeds up chemical reactions, cold slows them down. Cold water extracts caffeine (and all the other compounds that comprise the flavor of coffee) from coffee grounds much more slowly than hot water does.

Second, you could conceivably get about the same amount of caffeine from an 8-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee as you would from an 8-ounce serving of pure cold-brew concentrate, but that's not how cold brew is served, and it's not how it's drunk. A café will give it to you over ice, and even without milk that's enough dilution that you're very likely getting less caffeine from a café cold brew than you would an espresso drink or a drip coffee.

And lastly, cold brew is easy to drink, so it's easy to get a lot of caffeine into your system quicker than you might expect. If cold brew makes you jittery, this is probably why.

If it’s refrigerated, it should last up to two weeks, though in my experience the flavor starts to deteriorate after a week or so. Whether you’ll taste the difference depends on your preferences and individual setup.

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The 13 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, According to Experts and Reviewers

travel cold brew maker

By Sarah Madaus

Filled French press on wooden cutting board with plant and glasses in the background

If you’re a coffee enthusiast, chances are you’ve swapped out your iced coffee order for cold brew over the past few years. The best cold brew coffee makers offer the same coffee shop–level brew at home—for less money, and with less waste and time. They’re also a more economical and sustainable option than cold brew concentrates and other store-bought cold brews . 

If you haven’t hopped on the cold brew train, well, this is your sign to catch up. Cold brew is steeped cold, whereas iced coffee is brewed hot and then refrigerated. Cold brew offers a stronger, richer flavor than iced coffee, and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home . It also significantly reduces the acidity of coffee, as bitter-tasting oils are released through heat and can make iced or hot coffee taste acidic. Before we show you our favorite cold brew coffee makers, here’s what to know about brewing at home, plus what to look for when shopping cold brew coffee makers.

How do you make cold brew? 

“Cold brewing coffee is relatively foolproof,” Josey Markiewicz, La Colombe’s senior director of cafe, tells SELF. “Make sure you are using the right coffee and that your grind particles are as uniform as possible. The grind should be about as coarse as Kosher salt. Let it mingle [in the brewing vessel] with cold or room-temperature water for around 18 hours before filtering.” These instructions can vary slightly depending on what kind of cold brew maker you buy, but in general, it's pretty simple. The most important thing is to follow the coffee-to-water ratio

When it comes to the best kind of coffee for the brewing process, he says, “You want to choose a coffee that is relatively soluble, so either a coffee grown at low elevation, naturally processed, or roasted a bit on the darker side. But not all those variables at once.” You’ll want to have a good coffee grinder on hand, although some coffee subscriptions like Trade Coffee and La Colombe can grind it for whatever brewing method you prefer.

Do you need a cold brew maker if you only drink it occasionally?

Cold brew coffee makers are the best way to achieve a smooth, grounds-free cup, but you can make it without one. This is especially something to note if you only drink cold brew once in a while, or don’t want a big container of it sitting in the fridge. “All you need is a vessel and time,” he says. “You could pour the right ratio of coffee and water in a mason jar [or something similar], stir, and let it sit overnight. Then, when you wake up, just pour the resulting liquid through any filter."

What should you look for when buying a cold brew coffee maker?

Markiewicz says the most important factors in cold brew makers are durability and price. Thankfully, most cold brew makers we found were relatively accessible price-wise. One way to think about your price range for these kitchen gadgets is to consider if you’ll use the cold brew coffee maker enough to really get your money’s worth. As far as durability goes, your cold brew coffee maker should be made with thick plastic, glass, or stainless steel. “Use a reusable filter that is woven tightly enough to remove all sediment,” he adds. You’ll want a machine that simplifies the cold brew process and has comprehensive directions. It shouldn’t be a total pain to clean ; we looked for options with dishwasher-safe parts. And if the cold brewer you like requires paper or felt filters, make sure that they’re easy to purchase separately.

Ahead, we gathered the best cold brew coffee makers using this guidance. We took glowing reviews from coffee lovers into account, too, and made sure to include options for every price point. You’ll find affordable filtration vessels and French presses , plus high-end cold brewers for the at-home baristas among us. We’ve included brands like OXO, Bodum, Hario, KitchenAid, and more for a smooth, strong cup of coffee.

Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker

“I make my cold brew in a French Press,” says Markiewicz. “Just add your coffee, add your water, and let them mingle in the refrigerator overnight. Then plunge in the morning.” This French press from Bodum is made specifically for cold brew. It has a 1.5-liter capacity, which should give you enough cold brew to last the workweek (if you can hold back from drinking it all in one day ). It comes with two lids—one for storing while it’s brewing, and another for plunging and drinking. The plunging lid has a locking system to keep you from spilling, and it’s easy to clean, as far as French presses go.

Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Here’s a handy brewing container from Takeya that’s fitted with a fine mesh filter that keeps all of the coffee grounds out of your cold brew. It can hold one quart of coffee, and it’s narrow enough to stash in most refrigerator doors.

OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker

OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker

To use this top-rated cold brewer from OXO, add coarse coffee grounds to the brewing container, and then fill the rainmaker top with cold water. Let it steep, and then press the brew release. Your cold brew concentrate will pour into the quart-size carafe. Just remember, it makes coffee concentrate, not diluted cold brew, so you’ll want to mix it with either cold or hot water (or milk) until you reach your desired strength. The brewing system nests when not in use, so it won’t take up much space in your cabinet.

Amazon

Ovalware RJ3 Brewing Glass Carafe with Removable Stainless Steel Filter

Here’s a squat cold brew carafe made with borosilicate glass and a “bump-proof” rubber base. Inside is a laser-cut stainless steel infuser to hold your coffee grounds (or loose tea leaves, if you’re also a tea enthusiast). Reviewers encourage very coarse grounds and note how beautiful the vessel looks for serving.

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Zulay Kitchen Cold Brew Maker

Zulay Kitchen Cold Brew Maker

For serious cold brew lovers, there’s this gallon-sized pitcher. Inside is a stainless steel filter that can hold anything from coffee grounds to tea leaves to fruit, making this one of the most versatile cold brewers on our list.

County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar Iced Coffee Maker

County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar Iced Coffee Maker

This mason jar-shaped coffee maker holds nearly two liters of coffee. It comes with a metal filter, plus a flip-top lid that makes pouring easy. After your coffee finishes steeping, dump the grounds into your compost bin , pop the filter in the dishwasher, and reattach the lid. 

Growlerwerks Ukeg Nitro Cold Brew Maker

Growlerwerks Ukeg Nitro Cold Brew Maker

Williams Sonoma

If you’re big on kombucha or beer, this keg-style cold brewer might be up your alley. The customizable nitro pressure keeps cold brew fresh for weeks at a time, the double-walled stainless steel body keeps it cold, and the double filtration system ensures that your cup of coffee is smooth and free of coffee grounds.

Toddy Cold Brew System

Toddy Cold Brew System

The Toddy Cold Brew System is the original cold brewer on the market (we’re talking 1964…way before the hipsters got a hold of it)—there’s a good chance your local coffee shop uses an industrial-size one. It comes with the brewing container and lid, glass decanter, an airtight lid, two Toddy-compatible paper filters, and everything else you need for a barista-level brew at home. 

Goat Story Gina Smart Coffee Brewer

Goat Story Gina Smart Coffee Brewer

This stunning pour-over style coffee brewer makes a thoughtful gift for the coffee lover on your list . Not only is it beautiful, but it’s versatile too. Make cold brew concentrate through a cold drip, traditional pour-over coffee, or immersion brewing. The base of the brewer is a scale that connects to your phone via an app so you get the taste and strength you want every time.

Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot

This beautifully designed glass carafe makes a mean batch of cold brew, thanks to the ultrafine filter. It has a narrow spout for a mess-free pour, and the vessel itself is dishwasher safe for easy clean-up.

Kitchenaid Cold Brew Coffee Maker

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Don’t get this confused with your Brita! This sleek coffee maker from KitchenAid makes cold brew concentrate to mix with water or milk. The stainless steel steeper has helpful markings to take the guesswork out of the coffee-to-water ratio, and the stainless steel tap makes pouring a breeze.

OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Similar to the original OXO cold brew maker, this one differs in its size. If you have a smaller space or you just don’t need a big batch of cold brew concentrate, this compact option is excellent to have on hand. It comes with a brewer, glass carafe, and cork lid to keep the concentrate fresh for weeks.

Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker

Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker with 7-Cup Glass Carafe

Here’s a countertop cold brewer that looks just like your traditional drip coffee maker. It’s one of our top picks because it makes ready-to-drink cold brew in about 30 minutes. The cold drip machine has three levels of strength: mild, medium, and bold, depending on your flavor preference. It uses a spin circulation technology to remove the need for an 18+ hour brew time, making it one of the best coffee makers for anyone who’s short on time (or patience). 

travel cold brew maker

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  • Coffee & Tea
  • Coffee & Espresso Makers

The 10 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers of 2024

We found these to be solid and reliable

The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley

There are many reasons for the rise in popularity of cold brew coffee : It's easy to make and stays fresh for several days; the strength can be adjusted between a concentrated or diluted brew; and most importantly, it’s downright delicious. We sent cold brew coffee makers to our expert food writers so they could put them through our comprehensive testing process . They evaluated each one on its usability, design, performance, and value to help customers find the best option for their coffee needs.

How We Tested

  • When to Look for
  • Types of Cold Brew Makers

Brands/Manufacturers

Best overall, toddy cold brew coffee maker system.

Easy-to-follow recipes

Easy cleanup

Setup is tricky

Pouring lip isn't very precise

Cold brew coffee has been around for centuries, but the Toddy has played an integral part in the modern craze surrounding the beverage. The device was invented in the 1960s by Todd Simpson after he encountered cold brew on a visit to Peru. Once it hit the U.S., the Toddy grew in popularity because it allowed coffee lovers to easily make cold brew right from home.

The design has changed very little over the years. The Toddy is comprised of a large plastic container that sits atop a glass decanter. To use, let coffee grounds and water soak in the plastic container for the recommended time, place the container on the decanter, and release a small silicone stopper to fill the decanter with your fresh cold brew. Our product tester wrote that the "setup requires close attention the first time around" and may be trickier than that of other cold brew makers. However, the review was largely positive aside from this critique. Our reviewer added that cleanup is easy because all of the pieces detach and are dishwasher safe, except for the filter. They also praised the coffee's flavor, calling it "very strong, yet smooth" and noted that a "single batch lasted a long time."

 The Spruce Eats

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 38 ounces | Material: Glass and plastic | Warranty: 1 year

Best for Longer Storage

Ovalware cold brew maker.

Sleek design

Flavorful cold brew

Easy to use

Perfect size for fridge

Lid comes off

Some grounds get in cold brew

If you’re not one to drink multiple cups of coffee per day, you could definitely benefit from the Ovalware Airtight Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker and Tea Infuser, which is great for storing your homemade cold brew for several days. This affordable product includes a glass carafe and stainless steel filter that will help you make great coffee every time.

The Ovalware Airtight Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker holds up to four cups of coffee, and thanks to its airtight seal, it will keep your java fresh for up to two weeks. It can also brew tasty iced tea . The product’s steel filter is made of superfine mesh, and both pieces are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. After testing the product, our reviewer raved that the item was "very easy to use and fits perfectly in just about any fridge, making it highly adaptable to any kitchen.” Just watch out for the pesky lid, which "doesn't stay on perfectly" and may cause leaking.

According to users, another downside of this product is that fine particles of coffee sometimes seep through the filter into the cold brew. However, most people say these particles sink to the bottom, so as long as you’re careful pouring, they won’t get into your cup.

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 34 and 51 ounces | Material: Glass and stainless steel | Warranty: 1-year limited

Best Features

Oxo good grips cold brew coffee maker.

High-quality cold brew concentrate

Disassembles for easy cleanup and storage

Visually appealing design

Clear brewing instructions

Time-consuming setup

This big brewer might be a counter hog, but it brews some mighty fine cold brew concentrate and is extremely easy to use. The OXO "Rainmaker" water dispersion technology keeps the extraction consistent while allowing the user to "set it and forget it," which is pretty much the whole point of cold brew. Our product tester said the resulting flavor is "very smooth and flavorful" and, as an added bonus, the mesh filter prevents grounds from spilling into the coffee.

The glass carafe into which the concentrate is brewed feels very delicate, but the clear markings and silicone-sealed top make it a lovely and functional vessel. Optional paper filters can contribute even more clarity to the finished product, but the built-in metal mesh is an eco-friendly element to the contraption. Dispensing is easy and there's even a measuring cup to help you properly dilute the concentrate. It's fairly expensive for a cold brew coffee maker, but we view it as a good value nonetheless; as our reviewer writes, the "product pays for itself quickly."

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 32 ounces | Material: Glass, plastic, and stainless steel | Warranty: Two years

Best Budget

County line kitchen cold brew mason jar coffee maker.

Durable, quality materials

Easy, intuitive setup

Great for parties

Rustic design

Confusing instructions

Awkward to fit in fridge

If you have a rustic or country aesthetic, the County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a beautiful match for your kitchen, and it comes at a budget price. The design of this Mason jar may be simple, but the item is durable, efficient, and makes great coffee.

Not only is this cold brew maker stylish, but it’s a simple, foolproof system for easy cold brew. Put coffee into the stainless steel filter, add water, and allow it to steep overnight. After testing the item firsthand, our reviewer found it "super easy to use and setup" and added that it is "definitely worth buying."

The jar can hold up to 2 quarts of coffee, and the silicone seal makes sure the lid stays on tightly. Our product tester noted that the filter successfully keeps coffee grinds out of the liquid and that both the steeper and jar are incredibly durable. The only thing to watch out for is that the "instructions for making the cold brew are pretty vague." Our tester was forced to "look up a recipe online that wasn't necessarily fitted to this specific cold brew maker."

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 32 and 64 ounces | Material: Glass and stainless steel | Warranty: 90 days

Best Automatic

Cuisinart automatic cold brew coffee maker.

Fast brewing

Adjustable coffee strength

Dishwasher-safe parts

Modern design

Fragile filter basket

Loud while brewing

The majority of cold brew coffee makers are low-tech and take a long time to steep. Not so with the Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker. Though a little pricey, it can whip up a 7-cup batch of cold brew in 25 to 45 minutes. The exact brew time depends on what strength you prefer the cold brew to be—mild, medium, or bold. Even on the longest setting, however, the item far outpaces the multiple hours it takes to use most cold brew makers.

And don't be daunted by the automated design. This machine is extremely intuitive and actually works similar to a standard drip coffee maker: scoop the grounds into the filter, fill the water reservoir, and hit go.

One downside is that the machine is fairly noisy while brewing; this may be especially frustrating since it takes longer than a normal drip coffee maker to brew. On top of that, several customers faced issues with the filter basket, saying it's on the fragile side. There are certainly pros and cons to consider with the Cuisinart Automatic Cold Brew Coffeemaker, but if you want a versatile and lightning-fast machine that does the work for you, this is the top option.

Style: Automatic | Capacity: 35 ounces | Material: Glass, plastic, and stainless steel | Warranty: 3-year limited

Best Ease of Use

Hario mizudashi cold brew coffee pot.

Dishwasher safe

Available in multiple sizes

Tall for some refrigerators

Glass is thin

Cold brew coffee is already one of the least fussy ways to get caffeinated, but this no-frills little number from Japanese coffee giant Hario couldn't be simpler. Coffee goes into the reusable mesh basket—no cloth or paper filters to futz around with—and is submerged into cool or room-temperature water. All it takes is time to do the rest of the work: The coffee will steep for 12–24 hours, after which you lift the grounds in the basket out of the finished liquid. While metal mesh can be somewhat tricky to scrub completely clean, it still beats the soaking and rinsing of cloth filters, and it creates far less waste than paper. Hario is a manufacturer that knows its stuff when it comes to coffee, and this little inexpensive brewer is where it's at.

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 20 and 34 ounces | Material: Glass and silicone rubber | Warranty: 90 days

Best for Large Quantities

Kitchenaid cold brew coffee maker.

Easy-pour spout

Convenient handle for portability

Prone to leaking

Want to make a big batch of cold brew for your next party? Then you need the KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, which is available in two large sizes (28 and 38 ounces) and has a convenient tap for pouring.

This sleek cold brew maker is made of stainless steel and glass for a sophisticated design. Simply put coffee and water into the machine, then place the whole thing in the fridge to steep. Once you’re ready to serve, you can press the included tap to dispense the right amount of coffee into your cup. Since it’s a bigger brewer, the stainless steel steeper includes measurement marks in case you just want to make a few servings.

Reviewers say the KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker makes great coffee and is ideal for entertaining guests. While this product is more expensive than many comparable cold brew machines, it’s worth the price if you drink a lot of coffee or frequently host parties.

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 28 and 38 ounces | Material: Glass and stainless steel | Warranty: 1 year

Best Rapid Brewer

Presto dorothy rapid cold brewer.

Adjustable spin speed

Carafe and filter are dishwasher safe

The cold brew process usually takes hours, but the Presto Dorothy Rapid Cold Brewer can make 22 ounces of refreshing coffee in as little as 15 minutes. It works by spinning coffee grounds and water inside a glass carafe, quickly diffusing flavor into every sip. Many users say the cold brew tastes better after longer intervals, even up to 30 minutes, so it may take some trial and error to find the best balance. Luckily, it's easy to use. All you have to do is pour in water, turn the dial to your preferred spin speed (try starting slowly as the device can get messy), and scoop in coffee grounds.

Another drawback to watch out for, along with the mess, is that the filter isn't the absolute finest, so the last couple sips could have some coffee silt in them. Once you're finished brewing, the carafe and filter are safe to put in the dishwasher. The Presto Dorothy also comes at a reasonable price considering it's an automatic cold brew maker.

Style: Automatic | Capacity: 22 ounces | Material: Plastic and glass | Warranty: 1 year

Best Kyoto Style

Nispira cold brew drip tower.

Rich and unique flavor

More stylish than other cold brew makers

Can infuse alcohol and oils

No warranty

Difficult to clean

Kyoto-style cold brew is made by slowly dripping water over coffee grounds, in contrast to the standard immersion method used by most cold brew makers. The brew process, also referred to as "slow drip," harkens back to the 17th century in Kyoto, Japan, where cold brew first came about. Drip towers like this one from Yama Glass are the best way to make Kyoto-style cold brew as the drop-by-drop process amplifies the smooth and sweet flavor that cold brew is already known for.

Our favorite slow dripper is the Nispira Cold Brew Drip Tower. The wood-and-glass design is stunning and makes for a unique accent piece in any kitchen. It's available in two sizes: 600 milliliters (20.3 ounces) and 2500 milliliters (84.5 ounces). The smaller model yields about 6 to 8 cups of coffee, making it ideal for home use. While it's certainly expensive for a cold brew maker, it's a fair price considering how intricate the design is and it's akin to other tower drippers. Customers say assembly is easy but warn that the item feels fragile when using; on top of that, the brand does not offer a warranty. That said, we recommend it for ardent coffee lovers who want a brewer and a beverage unlike any other.

Style: Slow drip (Kyoto-style) | Capacity: 20.3 or 84.5 ounces | Material: Glass and wood | Warranty: None

Best With Dispenser

Willow & everett cold brew coffee maker.

Large capacity

Classic Mason jar aesthetic

Dishwasher safe (excluding the filter)

Cheap filter

Spigot occasionally leaks

What could be easier than the Willow and Everett Cold Brew Maker? Just fill the removable stainless steel filter with your favorite ground coffee , add water, and snap the lid on. Then place the brewer in the refrigerator to steep. When morning comes, turn the spigot to dispense coffee into your mug or thermos and you’re on your way.

The coffee filter is a very fine mesh stainless steel, so you won’t get grounds in your drink or need to purchase disposable paper filters. It's easy to remove the filter once the coffee has steeped enough and simple to clean. The glass jar is dishwasher safe, so cleanup is easy there too when you’ve finished the last of the coffee. Customers add that the simplicity and affordable price make the Willow and Everett Cold Brew Maker an excellent gift option. Plus, it looks great on the counter or in the fridge.

Style: Immersion | Capacity: 64 and 128 ounces | Material: Glass | Warranty: 1 year

The Toddy Cold Brew System provides delicious, hassle-free coffee and, after testing it ourselves, we think it's a notch above the competition. The County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Maker is worth consideration too, especially if you're looking to save a few bucks.

The cold brew coffee makers included in this article were tested firsthand by our expert food writers. Our team spent weeks evaluating the items in their kitchens to see how each one performed after everyday use. Some of the areas our reviewers focused on include how easy the brewer is to assemble, use, and clean; the style and efficiency of its design; and of course how good the coffee tastes. After testing, our writers submitted feedback about what they liked and disliked, and they rated each brewer on the following features: usability, design, performance, and value.

What to Look for in a Cold Brew Coffee Maker

By Derek Rose

Brewing Method

A cold brew maker will rely on one of two brewing methods: immersion or slow drip. Immersion, the most common style, is when coffee grounds are soaked in cold water anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. The resulting coffee is often so strong that it’s more of a coffee concentrate, meant to be mixed with water or milk before drinking. With slow drip (also called Kyoto or Dutch-style), cold water gradually drips through a bed of coffee grounds. This process takes about half the time of immersion and does not need to be diluted. There are also automatic cold brew makers out there as well, but they will utilize one of these two primary brewing methods nonetheless.

Filter or Infuser

Some cold brew coffee makers use paper filters, like a traditional drip machine, others use stainless steel mesh infusers. The difference may seem slight, but it affects an item’s ease of use as well as the ease of cleaning up afterward. On one hand, it’s simple to throw out a paper filter after brewing; on the downside, you have to keep replenishing them and they can be messy if you spill. Metal infusers save money in the long run. Just check reviews ahead of time, as low-quality infusers may allow loose grounds to slip into the coffee.

Cold brew makers are generally quite compact, especially compared to other kinds of coffee makers. Many are designed to fit inside of a fridge, so they can be as small as an iced tea pitcher or Mason jar. That being said, you will also come across some rather large and bulky options that may not fit as easily in your kitchen. The overall capacity of cold brew makers also varies. If you prefer brewing a big batch at once and keeping it around to drink for a couple weeks, spend the extra money on a larger option, even if takes up a little more space. If you don’t mind making only a few cups at a time, you have even more options to choose from.

While the majority of cold brew makers are affordable, there is certainly a wide range of prices. Think about the price range you are comfortable with, from a few dollars all the way up to a few hundred. Some factors that affect item cost include size, whether it's automatic or not, and the intricacy of its design. For example, there are some incredibly elaborate drip-style cold brew makers that are a couple feet tall and contain a system of glass beakers that will be on the highest end of the price range. Fortunately, even inexpensive models can make tasty coffee with the right bag of beans and proper measurements.

Types of Cold Brew Coffee Makers

The majority of cold brew makers use what is known as an immersion brewing method. It’s where coffee grounds are directly soaked in water for several hours, slowly extracting all the wonderful flavor and caffeine. One of the most popular examples in this category is the Toddy Cold Brew System—though, there are many other reliable options out there. Immersion cold brew makers tend to produce incredibly strong coffee, even stronger than the second most common variety of cold brew maker, slow drip. While it all depends on the coffee-to-water ratio you use, you will likely have to dilute the final product with milk or water before drinking. The main downside to immersion brewing is that it takes so much time. But, aside from that, it remains the most tried-and-true method for delicious cold brew.

"You can over-extract all coffee, but I would say that cold brew is the most forgiving. Seeing that it takes 18 to 20 hours to brew, there’s a little more flexibility with it. You can give it a longer steep time, pour in more water—it’s just a little more flexible." — Timothy Johnson , Head of Education and Training at Vibe Coffee Group

Way back in the 1600s, Dutch merchants at sea, without access to hot water, began dripping cold water over coffee grounds. Thus, cold brew was born. It’s believed that they passed this brewing method along at Japanese trading ports. Centuries later, the style is still widely popular. Slow drip cold brew, also called Dutch or Kyoto-style cold brew, is made when water slowly passes through coffee grounds from above and then down into a carafe. The process is actually similar to that of an electric drip coffee maker, but with cold brew the ordeal takes several hours. The primary benefits of slow drip are that the coffee is less acidic than immersion cold brew (which is already low in acidity to begin with) and, secondly, that it’s a little faster than the immersion method. Keep in mind that drip cold brew makers are often quite tall, so measure the height of your cupboards or fridge shelves ahead of time.

Cold brew is already easy to make—all you really need is ground coffee, water, and a jar—and yet brands are simplifying the process even further by manufacturing automatic cold brew makers. There are two clear advantages to this route. First, automatic cold brew makers prepare coffee much faster than non-electric devices, some as quickly as five minutes. Second, these items may offer greater versatility, especially regarding cold brew strength. On the downside, customers should expect automatic cold brew makers to be more expensive.

There’s a good chance you already have an OXO product in your home. The American company originated 30 years ago when founder Sam Farber, whose wife had arthritis, sought to design more ergonomic kitchen items. The brand now manufactures everything from tiny utensils to full-sized appliances. OXO’s line of coffee products has especially grown over the years, today incorporating two different cold brew makers. Both options are immersion based and worth consideration. The main difference between them is that one holds 32 ounces and the other is a more compact 16-ounce brewer.

Many brands only manufacture one kind of cold brew maker. Not Primula . The 30-year-old company offers several different models, from standard at-home cold brew makers to portable devices for those who want to take their joe on the go. Most Primula options are affordably priced and use the immersion brewing process. Even if the products all lead to a similar quality of taste, it’s still nice to have more options when searching.

Toddy revolutionized homemade cold brew in the 1960s with its famous Toddy Cold Brew System. The simple, time-tested device uses immersion-style brewing to whip up extremely rich and flavorful cold brew. The coffee is so rich, in fact, that it’s usually closer to a cold brew concentrate, which should be diluted with water or your preferred milk before drinking. Toddy manufactures other cold brew makers too, but the original Toddy Cold Brew System remains its most popular item and one certainly worth checking out.

Maintenance

While maintenance instructions vary from product to product, cold brew coffee makers are much easier to use and clean than other brewing devices. Not only are many dishwasher safe, but you won’t have to endure the arduous process of descaling. However, some cold brew makers may have several small parts that need to be removed and hand-washed individually, especially if the item has a spout or overhead filter. Ease of cleaning is also affected by whether your cold brew maker uses paper filters or a metal infuser . Filters can be thrown out after brewing but may occasionally spill loose grounds on the countertop. Infusers can generally be put in the dishwasher but should ideally be cleaned after every use.

As far as brewing instructions go, the proper coffee-to-water ratio is very much up to personal preference. If you want medium-strength cold brew that does not need to be diluted before drinking, try a 1:8 ratio—one part coffee and eight parts water. Make sure to use coarse-ground coffee beans for optimal results. For cold brew concentrate, a 1:4 ratio (one part coffee, four parts water) is a good place to start. Timothy Johnson , the Head of Education and Training at Vibe Coffee Group, recommends letting the grounds steep for 18 to 20 hours for the best results.

What coffee beans should I use for cold brew?

Darker roasts and a coarser grind size are recommended for cold brew. "We find that medium to medium-dark roasts extract way better," says Timothy Johnson of Vibe Coffee Group. "If you’re trying to brew something lighter and the flavor notes on the bag are like jasmine, lemongrass, and raspberries, that may not brew very well as cold brew. But if you look at something that’s like dark chocolate, cane sugar, and dried cherry, that might brew better as cold brew because it has deeper notes that will come through and shine with that longer brew method."

How is cold brew different from iced coffee?

Cold brew is not only different from iced coffee in the way it's prepared but in the overall taste too. Traditional iced coffee is made by brewing coffee hot first and then chilling it with ice afterward. Cold brew, on the other hand, is made by steeping coffee beans in nothing but cold water for several hours. This makes cold brew lower in acidity and able to stay fresh for a much longer period of time than iced coffee.

Timothy Johnson , the Head of Education and Training of Vibe Coffee Group, says the two drinks are so different in brew method that it's "like comparing a French press to a pour over." Cold brew is made through immersion brewing, whereas

What is cold brew coffee concentrate?

Cold brew can be broken down into two categories. One kind is ready to drink right when it’s finished brewing. The other kind, cold brew concentrate , is so strong that it should be diluted with milk or water before drinking. Most cold brew coffee makers can produce either kind. It all depends on the ratio of coffee grounds to water used. A mixture of one part coffee grounds to four parts water (1:4) is commonly used for cold brew concentrate, while a 1:8 ratio should be ready to drink as soon as it's finished steeping.

Is cold brew less acidic than other coffee?

Yes, cold brew is less acidic than other forms of coffee, whether it be traditional iced coffee or drip. Since cold brew is made by using cold water instead of hot, the coffee beans don’t release the same amount of oil that they would if brewed at higher temperatures. One last quick tip: dark roast coffee beans are less acidic than light roast coffee beans, so consider giving those a shot if you want even less acidity in your cold brew.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Erin Meister  has spent years both working in and reporting on the coffee industry. Since moving to New York City in 2003, she has worked at Joe Coffee Company and Counter Culture Coffee. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Serious Eats, Rachael Ray Every Day, and more. Erin is also the author of " New York City Coffee: A Caffeinated History ."

This piece was updated by  Derek Rose , the coffee and tea expert for The Spruce Eats. He researches a variety of coffee products, from measuring scoops to commercial espresso machines, and interviews field experts for their insight. At home, he typically makes coffee with the Bodum Brazil French Press —a great budget option, especially for those who prefer non-electric brewers.

Timothy Johnson , the Head of Education and Training at Vibe Coffee Group, was interviewed for this piece. Timothy has worked in the coffee industry for 16 years. Vibe Coffee Group is the parent company of three Washington-based coffee brands: Victrola Coffee Roasters, Whidbey Coffee, and Seattle Coffee Works.

travel cold brew maker

Watch CBS News

Best cold brew coffee makers in 2024

By Lily Rose , Nina Bradley

Edited By Gabriele Shacknai

Updated on: June 3, 2024 / 1:21 PM EDT / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

cold-brew-hero.jpg

It's officially cold brew season. The temperature is rising and people are ditching hot coffee in favor of chilled cold brew. But that doesn't mean you need to blow your budget on daily Starbucks or bottles of cold brew concentrate from the grocery store. You can make your own! The experts at CBS Essentials have found the best cold brew coffee makers to help you brew delicious and energizing cold brew coffee at home. 

The best cold brew coffee makers in 2024

The best cold brew coffee makers produce a smoother, less bitter cup of java, no matter how strong you like it. All of these coffee devices have a four-star rating or higher and receive tons of positive reviews. Some of these cold brew makers let you brew, pour and store cold brew inside the vessel. And many of these kitchen appliances can brew iced tea. 

Keep reading to shop our picks for the best cold brew coffee makers in 2024.

Shine Kitchen Co. Rapid cold brew coffee and tea machine

cold-brew-shine.jpg

Craft perfect cold brew coffee and iced tea in as little as 10 minutes with the Shine Kitchen Co. Rapid cold brew coffee and tea machine.

This machine never heats your brew. Instead, its unique vacuum technology does the work to create a balanced extraction. This device features a double filter and four cold brew strength settings.

The end result? Raw cold brewed coffee that's less acidic and more rich in antioxidants than your usual morning cup of joe.

Shine Kitchen Co. Rapid cold brew coffee and tea machine, $130

Instant cold brew electric coffee maker

instant-pot-cold-brew-maker.jpg

Use your favorite ground coffee to make cold brew in as little as 20 minutes. Instant, the company behind the Instant Pot , also makes a cold brew coffee maker. The device uses the brand's FlashExtract technology to produce cold brew without the heat and the overnight wait. Use ground coffee or even loose tea leaves for iced tea and customize the brew strength to your own taste.

The removable glass pitcher holds up to 32 ounces for brewing, serving and storing. The pitcher is dishwasher-safe.

The 4.3-star-rated cold brew maker was called "phenomenal" by an Amazon customer . "Game changer for my cold brew. Makes a fresh pot in 30 minutes max."

Instant cold brew electric coffee maker, $50 (regularly $120)

Vinci Express cold brew electric coffee maker

vinci.jpg

Vinci's Express cold brew uses the brand's Circle Flow brewing technology to eliminate the traditionally hours-long cold brew process and give you a fully extracted cold brew in as little as five minutes. Circle Flow brewing technology extracts coffee grounds with a gentle, continuous flow of water to ensure even and complete extraction with virtually zero sediment. 

This device offers four coffee strengths. Brew, serve and store all in the same container. This cold brew maker includes two lids -- one for brewing and one for storing.

Vinci Express cold brew electric coffee maker, $80

Takeya Deluxe cold brew coffee maker

takeya.jpg

The Deluxe cold brew coffee maker is a durable, BPA-free Tritan pitcher with an airtight lid and non-slip silicone handle. It produces four servings of smooth cold brew with any type of coffee grounds and is less acidic than traditional coffee brewing.

This 4.6-star-rated cold brew maker won an Amazon customer's blind taste test for the best cold brew coffee. "I did a blind taste test with our entire household. (All four of us drink cold brew)," they wrote . "The coffee brewed won over our regular store-bought brand. The Takeya brew appeared weaker than our store-bought favorite but surpassed it in flavor. Strong but smooth. One pitcher cost less than our weekly cold brew purchases at the grocery store. We purchased two pitchers and I'm ordering another for work. No fancy roast necessary. Just followed the directions, brewed 24 hours and good to the last drop."

Takeya Deluxe cold brew coffee maker, $38 (regularly $63)

Ovalware air-tight cold brew iced coffee maker

ovalware.jpg

How cool-looking is this cold brew maker? This 4.6-star-rated coffee device features an air-tight seal to keep coffee fresh for up to two weeks. While it won't brew coffee in minutes, an Amazon customer called this coffee maker the best they've had.

"It's the best I've had to date. Yes, it's glass and fragile but works well and is easy to clean. I bought the larger capacity and if you love cold brew, I recommend you do the same," they wrote. 

Ovalware air-tight cold brew iced coffee maker, $36

Lily Rose is a senior writer for CBS Essentials and the site's expert in home appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators and ranges. When she's not writing about how you can upgrade your laundry room, she's writing about home and kitchen essentials that will transform your space. Her favorite appliance is her air fryer. She firmly believes that it can make the crispiest sweet potato fries.

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Coffee Talk

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The Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, According to Baristas and Roasters

travel cold brew maker

The secret about cold brew is that it’s actually not that complicated to make, even if a glass of it costs $5 at your favorite coffee shop. “It just takes time and the right tools,” says Claire Chan, owner of the Elk in Manhattan’s West Village. And as our colleagues at Grub Street have wisely pointed out, using a cold-brew coffee maker at home is the cheapest way to get your fix. To help you master the art of making your own at home (and maybe save some cash while it’s still iced-coffee season), we talked with eight New York City baristas, roasters, and coffee-shop owners about their favorite cold brew–makers and iced-coffee-making methods. These are the best ones for home brewers of any level.

The Best Cold Brew–Maker

Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer

Shaak Shatursun, general manager of retail at Café Grumpy , likes the Filtron brewer. “I personally own one and use it to make cold brew in the summer, especially just before going on a road trip,” he says, adding that you can spot Filtron brewers in Café Grumpy itself. It’s how they make decaf cold brew. Mike Jones, owner of Barbara Coffee in Detroit, also recommends the Filtron. “The Filtron is very easy and very consistent, which are key factors in brewing good coffee at home.”

Plus, you don’t need all that much gear to make it work. “There are measuring lines for how much water to add based on how much coffee you are using (12 ounces or one pound),” Shatursun explains, “which means you don’t have to use a scale.” The glass carafe in which you brew also serves as a storage container.

The Best-Looking Cold Brew–Maker

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Jonathan Withers, the green-coffee buyer at Partners Coffee , is a fan of KitchenAid’s brushed, stainless-steel cold-brew coffee maker, which features a tap for picture-perfect pouring. “It’s compact enough that you can store it in the fridge to keep your finished brew ice-cold,” Withers says. “And it’s solidly built and has a nice heft that keeps it from capsizing in the fridge or on your counter.” He admits that it isn’t great if you want to make big batches of cold brew at a time, but it makes up for that by being easy to clean.

The Best Cold Brew–Maker for Beginners

Toddy Cold Brew System

Another popular, and cost-effective, cold-brew coffee maker is the Toddy. At the Elk, “it is our preferred method because we make such large quantities, and the Toddy container and filters not only make our lives easier, but it also produces a very consistent product,” explains Chan. Steven Sutton, CEO of Devoción in Williamsburg, likes this method for round, balanced coffees. “It will extract for hours (depending on the size of the batch, anywhere from 7 to 16 hours) and is probably your most common method out there.”

Toddy Filters (2-Pack)

Just be sure to get filters for your Toddy as well.

The Best Big-Batch Cold Brew–Maker

Cold Pro 2 Commercial Brewing System - Complete Kit

The brewers at Sweatshop in Williamsburg use the Brewista system , says co-owner Luke Woodard. “It’s great because it has a stainless-steel filtration system, which reduce waste, and also has an extra filter built into the spigot that provides a second filtration process to give the cleanest cold brew we can produce.” The one downside of the Brewista Cold Pro for home brewers is that it’s large and makes several gallons at a time. But then again, for some people, that might actually be a good thing.

[Editor’s note: This cold brew system is currently sold out. We’ll update this post when it’s back in stock.]

The Best Super-Fancy Cold Brew–Maker

Yama Glass 6-8 Cup Cold Drip Maker Straight Black Wood

If you’re using rarer, single-origin beans or just desire a more complex flavor, Sutton of Devoción recommends investing in a Kyoto-style cold-brew drip. “This method drips cold water in the coffee instead of submerging the coffee in water,” he says. “The outcome is a coffee that you don’t have to cut with water and is extremely complex in flavor.” This wood-and-glass drip-cold-brew-maker from Amazon, initially recommended by writer Sierra Tishgart, is a little splurgy, but will certainly help you craft those more nuanced flavors.

[Editor’s note: You can pre-order this cold brew-maker now to ship in early October.]

The Best Cold Brew–Maker for When You Need Cold Brew, Like, Right Now

The ColdWave

However, for all of the hype about cold brew , there were a couple of experts who maintained that it’s not the best way to enjoy cold coffee. “Many coffee makers believe the benefit of cold brew is it’s tendency to be ‘less acidic,’ but we actually think that is a negative of cold brew,” says Kris Wood, coffee director at Black Fox Coffee . “Acid gives coffee its wonderful character of the seed of a fruit that it is.” For that reason, both Wood and Lance Schnorenberg, co-founder and head roaster at Sey Coffee , recommend the ColdWave.

“What we recommend to our customers is to brew coffee hot at a slight concentrate — a 1:15 ratio [of grounds to water] — to get a full extraction with a slightly higher strength,” says Schnorenberg. “From there, cool it as quickly as possible to minimize the amount of oxidation, which results in well-extracted non-oxidized coffee.” That’s where the ColdWave comes in. You pour the coffee into the frozen ColdWave, which cools it down quickly. “By instantly chilling the hot coffee, you can taste those marvelous flavors that coffee has — but cold,” Wood says.

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11 Best Travel Coffee Makers (Portable Espresso, French Press & Cold Brew)

There’s nothing worse to waking up in an Airbnb to find they don’t have a decent coffee maker that they described in their listing. First off, let me just admit I’m a total caffeine addict, I really need a good cup of joe to get me started. I’m not particularly fussy about the method used to make the coffee, although I love cappuccino in Rome or cafe con leche when I’m in Spain as long as its good quality coffee I’m happy. I’m just as satisftied by a cup good “cowboy” style boiled coffee when I am backpacking.

According to Forbes , drinking coffee may lower your risk of early death so you certainly don’t want to skimp on your coffee intake while on holiday or travelling for work! Not all coffee makers are made equal, so let’s first look at a few criteria to find the best ones for travel.

Best Travel Coffee Makers

Aeropress coffee and espresso maker.

travel cold brew maker

The AeroPress is one of the most convenient portable coffee making options. It is light weighted and will not take up too much space in your luggage. And it only takes three minutes to prepare a delicious cup of coffee.

travel cold brew maker

Bodum Travel Tea and Coffee Press

travel cold brew maker

Another great option for travelling light. The stainless-steel coffee mug with a plunger will make your coffee and you can drink from it as well. The portable French Press is very easy to use. Steep the coffee grounds in hot water, wait for two minutes, press the filter down, and enjoy a freshly brewed cup on the go.

Espro Stainless Steel Travel Coffee Press

travel cold brew maker

OXO BREW Venture Travel French Press

travel cold brew maker

Soma Double Wall Glass Tea and Coffee Cold Brew Bottle

travel cold brew maker

Wacaco Minipresso GR, Portable Espresso Machine

travel cold brew maker

Moocoo Manual Espresso Maker

travel cold brew maker

Bialetti Moka Express Espresso Maker

travel cold brew maker

A Moka Espresso Maker is a good option if you quickly want to make more than one cup of coffee. It can be a bit bulky in your suitcase and the brewing method is more laborious than for instance a French Press. But the delicious coffee is worth the hassle. Add a touch of home to your travel experience with the stove operated Moka espresso maker.

Presto MyJo Single Cup Coffee Maker

travel cold brew maker

You don’t have to compromise on the quality of your coffee while travelling. This coffee maker is compatible with K-cups or another brand of your choice. Before starting, you can choose the cup size that you want (6, 8, or 10-ounce options) Insert the K-cup or coffee grounds, fill the reservoir with water, attach it, and start brewing your delicious cup of morning coffee.

Kuissential Collapsible Silicone Coffee Dripper

travel cold brew maker

The silicone is a great material that doesn’t affect the taste of the coffee. And it’s more durable than a plastic or porcelain dripper. Kuissential Coffee Dripper is also very easy to clean and pack away. It is great value for money, and perfect for travelling. If a pour over coffee is your brewing method of choice, this travel coffee maker is your best option.

Primula Single Serve Coffee Brew Buddy

travel cold brew maker

This single server will fit almost any size mug or cup. And it’s small enough to easily fit into your handbag or backpack. It is the ideal travelling accessory for a solo traveller who enjoys a regular coffee fix.

All-In-One Coffee Maker & Manual Grinder

travel cold brew maker

If you are a coffee connoisseur that insists on only the freshest coffee possible, this is the coffee maker for you. A compact hand grinder is hidden inside. Simply screw off the top, select your grinding setting, grind a single serving of beans, and add water to the travel mug for a premium coffee with the snap of your fingers.

How to Select the Best Travel Coffee Maker

travel cold brew maker

Firstly, you want a coffee maker that will save you time while travelling. Try to find a coffee maker that brews in maximum five minutes. Also, pick a coffee maker that is easy to clean.

Next, decide what size coffee maker you want to travel with. Some travel coffee makers are so compact, they can fit in your handbag or backpack which often make great travel gifts .

Another important question to ask yourself is whether you want a powered or powerless coffee maker. Rather select a battery-operated or manual coffee maker if you are unsure of what kind of access you will have to a power source while travelling.

Lastly, you need to choose the type of coffee maker you prefer, for instance, espresso or pour-over. A French Press is one of the most convenient brewing methods for travel.

Coffee Maker Reviews

Reviews are always handy if want to compare different products. Greatcoffeebrewers.com has a great series of reviews on the best coffee makers to help you narrow down your options if you are still unsure of what to buy.

They also have a number of coffee-lover related informative articles for helpful information on topics such as how to make the perfect cup, and the different types of coffee available so you can pair the perfect cup of coffee with your brand new travel coffee maker.

Pin For Later

Related posts:, about the author.

travel cold brew maker

Mae has travelled to over 40 countries and lived in 8. Born in St. Petersburg, Mae grew up in Lithuania and has spent most of her adult life in the UK. She has been blogging for over 8 years and is the lead editor on Travel Belles.

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AeroPress Go Demo Video

AeroPress Coffee Maker - Go

Compact travel system.

The only travel coffee press with 3 in 1 brew technology. Smooth, Full bodied flavor without grit or bitterness. Like a French press, but better.

  • Full-Bodied

Full Bodied

No Bitterness

Uniquely Delicious

The AeroPress Go travel coffee maker is engineered to fuel an active lifestyle. It gives coffee lovers everything they need to conveniently brew superb coffee anywhere. Like the AeroPress Original, the AeroPress Go provides the same great taste and brews American, espresso, and cold brew style coffee that can be enjoyed as is or used in a wide range of energizing and refreshing drinks. Designed in Silicon Valley, Made in USA.

Delicious coffee anywhere:  Rapidly brews smooth, pure-tasting coffee without the acidity or grit. Optimized for traveling, camping, and boating. Free yourself from hotel coffee!

Compact design, with mug included:  Includes microwaveable mug and lid that doubles as a traveling case so you can brew coffee anywhere. Quick to clean and pack up.

Brew American or espresso style coffee:  Brews one to three delicious cups with one press. AeroPress Go can also make cold brew coffee as well as espresso-style coffee for lattes, cappuccinos, and more.

AeroPress uses a patented 3 in 1 brew technology that combines the flavor benefits of espresso, pour-over and french press into one compact, portable device. You get a completely unique and delicious cup of coffee, only possible with an AeroPress.

First, water is poured over the coffee, wetting and aerating the grinds, creating the signature AeroPress smoothness. Then, during the immersion process, water penetrates the coffee grinds for deeper flavor notes and a full bodied finish often found in a French Press. Finally, the magic happens - air pressure quickly pushes the brew through the coffee bed and filter, removing grit and bitter tasting oils for an espresso-like richness

AeroPress_Clear_Addition_2_1x1_1_2

Fast Immersion

Air Pressure

Micro-Filtration

1packpaper-new_800x_1_4

Immersion Chamber

Water extracts flavor for a smooth, full- bodied finish.

1packpaper-new_800x_1_5

​​Air Pressure Plunger

Pushes air through coffee bed for espresso-like richness.

Frame_427319317_3

Micro-Filter

Removes Grit and Bitterness.

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AeroPress Go, Chamber, Plunger, Filter Cap

GoMug

Filter Holder

AeroPress-Go-Scoop_600x-copia

Paper Micro-Filters

travel cold brew maker

The AeroPress Brew

100 ml. Hot Water 50 ml. Espresso

Grind: Medium

What's included: 1) Plunger, 2) Chamber, 3) Filter Cap 4) Scoop, 5) Stirrer, 6) Paper Filter, 7) Go Mug and Lid

Go_a4a31127-2a7d-4a19-b725-0a24f4b179be

What you’ll need to brew: AeroPress, Kettle, Mug, Pre-Ground Coffee

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Prep and Clean up Time: less than 2 Minutes

  • Heat water to 185F (85C) using your kettle (if you don’t have a kettle, boiling is fine).
  • Pull Plunger (1) to separate entirely from Chamber (2).
  • Put Paper Filter (6) in Filter Cap (3) and twist Filter Cap onto Chamber.
  • Stand Chamber on the Go Mug (7) and add a little less than a full scoop (4) or 12-14 grams of store bought, medium ground coffee.
  • Shake gently to level coffee. Pour water up to #3 marked on the side of the Chamber.  You may hear some coffee dripping into your Go Mug. This is a normal part of the process.
  • Stir gently for 3 seconds. Then insert Plunger about 1/2 inch into Chamber to create a vacuum and stop the drip through.  Wait 60 seconds.
  • Press down on the Plunger, applying gentle constant pressure (do not push too hard). When you get close to the bottom of the Chamber you will hear a hissing sound as the air begins to push the last bit of brew through the coffee bed. The end of the hissing sound is your signal that Plunger has reached the bottom and your brew is ready.
  • Remove Filter Cap and place aside. Position AeroPress over sink or garbage bin and push the Plunger the rest of the way through the chamber until you hear the Pop as the coffee bed "puck" pops out.
  • Remove Paper Filter from Filter Cap and rinse. Hold the AeroPress under fresh water and rinse the silicone plunger end and then store the AeroPress in the AeroPress Go cup.
  • Prepare yourself for the uniquely smooth, rich, full-bodied flavor of an AeroPress 3 in 1 Brew.

See It In Action

travel cold brew maker

Grind: Medium-Fine

What you'll need to Brew: AeroPress, Grinder, Kettle, Mug, Coffee Beans

Frame_427319311_0ce8ec05-055a-4641-a3e8-4cdb9fdbf108

  • Stand Chamber on AeroPress Carafe (7) and add 32-36 grams or 2 heaping Scoops (4) of medium-fine ground coffee (e.g. Baratza® Encore™ Setting of 11-13).  If you are making one cup of coffee, just cut your portion in half. Baratza is a registered trademark and Encore is a trademark of Breville.
  • Shake gently to level coffee. Pour water up to #8 marked on the side of the Chamber.  For one cup, fill to the number 4. You will see some coffee drip through into the carafe. This is a normal part of the process.
  • Stir gently for 5 seconds. Then insert Plunger about 1/2 inch into Chamber to create a vacuum and stop the drip through.  Wait 30 seconds.
  • Remove Paper Filter from Filter Cap and rinse. Hold the AeroPress under fresh water and rinse the silicone plunger end and then store in the AeroPress Organizer Stand.  Use gentle soap every several weeks to remove oils that can cause staining over time.
  • Nothing says Happy Birthday quite like delicious coffee. Thoughtful, lasting and way tastier than a candle, our little coffee innovation almost guarantees a smile and a hug.
  • No need for a gift receipt: AeroPress brand products have over 55k 5 star reviews across 60 different countries (where tastes vary), a one year warranty, and up to 10% off your first order, making them some of the most “sure to please” gifts you’ll ever buy.

What are the differences between the AeroPress Go and the AeroPress Original?

The AeroPress Go and the AeroPress Original both brew delicious, grit-free coffee without bitterness and with very low acidity. The AeroPress Original is optimized for home use while the AeroPress Go is specifically designed for use on the go. The AeroPress Go includes a drinking mug with lid that doubles as a carrying case, making it great for traveling, camping, or going to work. Please refer to  this document  for a side-by-side comparison of the AeroPress Go travel coffee maker and the AeroPress Original coffee maker.

How much does the AeroPress Go weigh?

When fully packed up in the mug with the lid on top, the AeroPress Go, its accessories, and the 20 paper filters that fit into the travel filter holder weigh 11.4 oz. (323 g) altogether.

How much coffee does the AeroPress Go make?

The AeroPress Go can brew up to three shots of espresso style coffee. If you prefer to brew your coffee by pushing all the water through the grounds, you can brew one 8 oz. serving of coffee or cold brew.

What kinds of coffee can the AeroPress Go make?

The AeroPress Go can make American style coffee, cold brew style coffee, or espresso style coffee for use in drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.

What grind size should I use?

For the best brewing experience, use a  medium-fine grind size , shake to level the bed of coffee grounds before pouring in the water, and pour the water slowly. Read More

How do I clean and store AeroPress coffee makers?

To maximize the food-grade silicone seal's life, always eject the used coffee right after brewing and store your AeroPress coffee maker with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber. This keeps the seal free of compression for longer seal life. There is no adhesive on the seal, so you can easily remove it and then replace it on the AeroPress plunger. You can purchase replacement seals from our website here:  https://aeropress.com/products/aeropress-seal .

For day to day use, a simple rinse is sufficient because the plunger wipes the chamber clean as you brew. However, you can wash AeroPress coffee makers in the dishwasher (top rack only). We recommend occasionally removing the seal from the end of the plunger for a good washing inside and out with warm water and dish soap. If your chamber ever gets sticky, wash it with vinegar.

You should use a sturdy mug or carafe and should never press into a thin walled glass mug or carafe.

Inverted method:

The “inverted method” can cause the coffee maker to be less stable and prone to mishaps that expose the user to potential burns from hot liquid. Be advised that we strongly discourage using the inverted method because it is less stable and therefore prone to tipping over and exposing the user to hot liquid.

AeroPress brand products are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase from an authorized retailer. If you think you purchased a defective AeroPress product that is under warranty, please contact us and report the problem. We will promptly be in touch.

Register Your Product To Receive Double Warranty

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The best cold brew concentrates to sip this summer

Getting energized in the morning has never been easier

A collage of cold brews in front of a background.

Updated June 4, 2024

Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.

As the world's (self-proclaimed) biggest coffee fan, I’m making it my mission to stop the bad-coffee train in its tracks. That’s why I’ve rounded up the best cold brew coffee concentrates. They’re delicious, easy to buy, and even easier to make.

1. Cometeer coffee pods

Hand emptying a Cometeer coffee pod into a glass of iced latte

Cometeer frozen cold brew pods make flavorful, bold coffee easy.

As a Boston-based business, one of its biggest focuses is sourcing beans from small-batch roasters. The current rotation includes Counter Culture Coffee, George Howell, and Equator, to name a few.

Each Cometeer package includes four boxes, with eight pods per box. When you order, you can select light, medium, or dark roast (or any mix-and-matched combination of the three), meaning there's something for any taste. In fact, even the Reviewed editor with a hefty distaste for light roasts found a variety she likes.

When you have an active subscription, the boxes ship every four weeks, delivering 100% recyclable coffee pods full of hyper-fresh coffee concentrate right to your door.

Because you get a variety of coffees in each order, the caffeine content varies from pod to pod.

Product image of Cometeer

This coffee pod subscription ships flash-frozen coffee concentrate to your door.

2. Califia Farms cold brew concentrate

Califia Farms carton of cold brew concentrate beside cups of coffee on a purple background

A grocery store staple, Califia Farms offers a bold cold brew concentrate that's tasty and strong.

Its products include all sorts of dairy-free milks—almond, oat, coconut—in many different flavors, but that’s just the start. Califia Farms has also taken those dairy-free milks and turned them into delicious bottled coffee drinks. From salted caramel almond milk lattes to mochas—and now completely milk-free cold brews—they have it all. Not only are the products tasty, but they also align with the company's sustainability mission.

One of its newest products is a cold brew concentrate. While Califia Farms has had ready-to-drink bottles for a while, the concentrate allows you to customize your morning coffee a bit more.

Sold in thirty-two-ounce cartons, there are eight servings included in each container. All you have to do is mix the concentrate with water at a one-to-one ratio, and you’re ready to go! (If you like a stronger coffee, add a little extra concentrate. If you’re in the mood for something a little lighter, go heavier on the water or add your milk of choice.)

With 115 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces, you’ll be ready to take on the day either way!

Product image of Califia Farms Cold Brew Concentrate

Each carton is made from recycled plastic and features eight servings of customizable caffeine.

3. Jot cold brew concentrate

Jot bottles and glass of iced coffee on a white surface

Jot cold brew concentrate comes in tiny bottles that pack a big punch.

Jot is a little different from traditional cold brew concentrates—each bottle is 20 times stronger than most competitors. That means you only need one tablespoon of Jot to make a full serving of coffee.

So though the bottles are just 200 milliliters, they make about 14 10-ounce servings. Just pour that tablespoon into 10 ounces of water—or milk, for a tasty latte—and you’ve got coffee.

While Jot’s only product is its Ultra Coffee, it comes in a multitude of flavors and blends. You can try original, dark, vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, cinnamon dulce, and even a rotating seasonal flavor. The summer seasonal was the favorite of Reviewed's managing editor of Kitchen & Appliances and quickly converted her to a Jot subscriber.

"The flavor is unlike anything you can brew at home, and the speed at which you can make a to-go tumbler of iced coffee with Jot makes it a no-brainer for busy summer days," she said of her new-found addiction.

Each serving of Jot contains 140 to 150 milligrams of caffeine.

Product image of Jot Ultra Coffee

These tiny bottles of concentrate stretch out to 14 flavorful cups of cold brew.

4. Chameleon cold brew concentrate

Several bottles of Chameleon cold brew on beige background

Chameleon cold brew comes in a variety of flavors—all organic.

These cold brew concentrates are 100% organic and made with sustainably sourced beans that are steeped for a minimum of 11 hours to create the richest flavors and smoothest tastes.

One 32-ounce bottle makes about 10 servings of cold brew, depending on how dark or light you take your coffee.

Chameleon recommends pouring a one-to-one ratio of coffee to water or milk, but a part of its ethos is that your coffee should be customized to suit your preferences. The concentrates are designed for you to create a cup of coffee that tastes exactly how you want it to taste!

Every eight ounces of Chameleon concentrate has about 210 milligrams of caffeine—one of the highest caffeine contents of the concentrates we’ve reviewed. So if you typically need an extra jolt, this is a great choice.

Product image of Chameleon Cold Brew Concentrate

This organic cold brew is made from Arabica beans that offer a smooth flavor.

5. Java House cold brew concentrate bottles and pods

Two side-by-side photos of hands pouring Java House concentrate pods into a cup of coffee

These convenient pods from Java House can be taken on the go for a quick boost.

Java House is an Indiana-based coffee chain and cold brew company with one goal in mind: creating the best cup of cold brew you’ve ever had.

Founded in 2018, it has six coffee bars in Indianapolis serving up delectable and original cold brew-based beverages.

The concentrate comes in 32-ounce bottles, with a four-to-one ratio of water to concentrate suggestion. That means every bottle makes about 20 cups of coffee.

If you’re looking for a smooth and subtle cold brew with great bang for your buck, this is the concentrate for you. Each serving of Java House contains between 135 and 175 milligrams of caffeine.

Product image of Java House

With a selection of flavorful and affordable cold brew concentrates, Java House makes tasty at-home coffee easy.

6. Cappio cold brew concentrate

Bottle of Cappio cold brew concentrate on a purple background

This bold cold brew concentrate has the benefit of minimal acidity.

Cappio prides itself on making a cold brew concentrate that has all the bold flavor and caffeine of cold brew, without the acidity that tends to come along with it. Made with 100% Arabica coffee beans, each 16-ounce bottle provides eight cups of tasty, refreshing coffee.

To make the perfect cup, Cappio recommends mixing one-part coffee with two-parts water or milk, depending on your flavor preferences. Of all the cold brew concentrates sampled, Cappio had the lightest flavor profile.

If you want the caffeine boost of a cold brew with a more subtle flavor, this is the perfect brew for you to sip this summer.

Product image of Cappio Cold Brew Concentrate

With a light flavor profile that minimizes acidity, this cold brew is subtle yet energizing.

7. Javy coffee concentrate

Javy coffee concentrate bottle beside a glass mug of coffee

Javy cold brew concentrate comes in a variety of flavor options to suit every flavor palate.

Javy Coffee has one goal: making custom, convenient coffee without compromising on sustainability or flavor.

All of its coffee is ethically sourced from all around the world, namely from farms that utilize regenerative farming practices. (In other words, the land the beans are farmed on is actively being repaired, so that it can continue to produce sustainably for long periods of time.)

While all that sustainable farming is happening, Javy is roasting those flavorful coffee beans to perfection in order to create bold coffee concentrates. Every six-ounce bottle contains a whopping 35 servings of coffee—that’s by far the most cups-to-ounces ratio we’ve seen!

If you’re looking for that classic cold brew taste—and to save on some fridge space—this tiny bottle of bold flavor will do the trick.

Product image of Javy Cold Brew

This ethical cold brew concentrate brand has plenty of flavors to choose from.

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travel cold brew maker

If You Love To Travel but Can’t Function Without Coffee: Putting These Cold Brew Packets in Your Suitcase Will Save Your Vacation

A successful travel experience requires a few key elements, including a solid plan—or, on the flipside, a sense of spontaneity—and the ability to get your bearings in your temporary home away from home. Both were in flux on my recent 10-day trip to Seoul, for which I tried to leave the “extras” at home… including my stash of cold brew packets and pouches . Although the hotels for my past two visits to the South Korean capital offered complimentary coffee around the clock (*insert heart-eyed emoji here*), the third one didn’t follow suit. Not only did the hotel cafe charge upwards of $7 per cold brew, but it also didn’t open until 10 a.m. Adding insult to injury, every cafe within the walkable perimeter of my neighborhood—famed for its cafes, no less—opened just as late. (First-world problems, I know. But a disappointing scenario nonetheless.)

Needless to say, I learned the hard way that cold brew coffee lovers like myself should absolutely get a lay of the land before arrival—or come prepared. For my future travels, I’ll be sure to learn from my mistake by picking from and packing the DIY cold brew pouches below. They’re slim and convenient enough to keep in tow no matter where your adventures take you. Better yet, they’ll likely save you a pretty penny and stave off any pre-caffeine grumpiness.

A few tips to on prepping your cold brew packets

Before you steep and sip on your travel-friendly cold brew, here are a few tips and FYIs to keep in mind:

  • Keep tabs on brewing time. “At a minimum, cold brew should be steeped for around 12 hours,” says Grady Laird, president and co-founder of Grady’s Cold Brew . “Longer does equal stronger, but beyond 24 hours it won’t make a difference and can actually be detrimental to the flavor.” Darker roasts are better for shorter brewing times, adds Cary Wong, Director of Coffee at Partners Coffee .
  • Storage temperature will impact the flavor. According to Laird, steeping your cold brew pouches at room temperature (around 65°F) works best to extract the most flavor. If you don’t have any ice on hand or you want to make sure your cold brew is ready to go the next day, refrigerating is fine as well.
  • Keep your cold brew concentrate chilled and sealed. “Cold brew stays fresh for about two weeks after brewing if you keep it refrigerated and in an airtight container,” Laird continues. Naturally, you wouldn’t want your cold brew to go to waste before it’s time to head back home. Whether you need to make room for it in a cooler while camping or in your hotel mini fridge until you check out, aim to store it properly.

The best cold brew packets for coffee lovers who travel

Grady’s Cold Brew was the first to bring cold brew pouches to market in April 2014. Famous for their New Orleans-style coffee concentrate infused with chicory and spices, the brand also takes the cake for the sheer variety of ways to choose your own cold brew adventure. Options vary across flavors and decaf, single-serve packets, bundles, and more. The Cold Brew Kit includes a reusable “pour and store” pouch with a built-in serving spout, plus 12 bags (each of which yields 3 servings of cold brew concentrate). Consider it a one-and-done option for camping, long-haul road trips, and longer-term getaways that require a steady stream of velvety smooth, subtly sweet cold brew coffee.

A single bag (which contains four biodegradable pouches) yields the equivalent of 14 cans of cold brew. “Each single-use pouch contains 3 ounces of pre-ground coffee specifically for cold brew,” Wong shares. The medium roast has notes of chocolate, caramel, and sweet vanilla. In other words, your caffeine consumption can basically double as dessert. Simply throw a pouch in a tumbler, add 24 ounces of water, and steep in the fridge for up to 24 hours. From there, add water to your glorious cold brew concentrate at a 1:1 ratio.

These one-and-done coffee steeping bags include the NYC-based brand’s original Organic Downtown Blend: a medium roast with notes of roasted nuts, cedar, and sweet herbs. Plus, they work double duty for instant hot coffee and cold brew alike. To prep the latter, add 8 ounces of water in a mug, cover, refrigerate, and let steep for 12 to 24 hours. (Note: This cold brew will be ready to go as is, rather than needing to water it down.)

These single-serve cold brew packets are great for people who enjoy testing out diverse notes and roasts… or have no real clue about what differentiates one from the next . This variety pack is also ideal for those traveling with coffee drinkers who have different flavor preferences and/or tolerance thresholds for caffeine. A single box contains two packets each across five varieties—including the warm, medium roast Careless Cat (caffeine level: 2.5 out of 5) to the bright, tart, light roast Early Bird (offering peak caffeine content of 5 out of 5).

I know, this option isn’t technically a pouch or pocket. But Jot says it’s the most concentrated form of liquid coffee in the world—a detail that might make your ears perk up as much as your energy levels. Since each bottle measures 200 milliliters, it’s too big to be TSA-compliant for carry-ons. However, it’s well-worth wrapping and packing in your checked luggage (or in your trunk), which is exactly what I did for a month-long trip abroad. A word to the wise: a little dab’ll do you. You’ll only need to add a single tablespoon to 8 ounces of water to lead you to caffeinated bliss.

best cold brew packets

The Best Keurig Deals to Shop Right Now: Save Up to 32% on Coffee Makers at Amazon

Keurig Coffee Maker

Shop the best deals on Keurig coffee makers at Amazon to get your java fix for less.

For most people, a cup of coffee in the morning is a necessity. Whether you love the ritual of brewing coffee or simply need some caffeine before a full day's work, Keurig single-cup coffee machines are practical and efficient additions to any kitchen , office, or dorm room .

It's hard to beat a single-serve brewer, especially when Keurig's most popular models are on sale. Right now, you can save up to 32% on Keurig coffee makers at Amazon to give your summer days a little extra boost of energy.

Keurig offers a brewer for almost any place or coffee preference. We love the Keurig K-Mini , which is now on sale for 27% off. At less than five inches wide, this coffee maker can fit pretty much anywhere in your kitchen. Just add a cup's worth of fresh water and brew a cup of your favorite coffee in a matter of seconds. The small but might coffee machine delivers consistent results every time.

Whether you're in need of a cup of joe before  working from home or the long days of summer require a little caffeine fix, we've gathered all the best Keurig deals available at Amazon today.

Best Keurig Deals

Keurig k-express coffee maker.

Keurig K-Express Coffee Maker

The slim design makes it easy to fit this Keurig coffee maker in all kitchens, even those with minimal counter space. With the touch of a button, you can enjoy fresh, hot coffee all day.

Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker

The Keurig K-Mini is the one for you if you're the sole coffee lover in your household. Get a fresh brew with fresh water each time your cup needs a refill.

Keurig K-Mini Plus Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Mini Plus Coffee Maker

Brew a stronger cup with more flavor, or brew hot over ice for refreshing iced coffee with the popular K-Mini Plus. 

Keurig K-Compact Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Compact Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker

This tiny, simple Keurig brews 6-, 8- and 10-ounce cups of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, iced beverages and more. It's a perfect fit for a smaller kitchen or dorm room. 

Keurig K-Slim Single Serve Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Slim Single Serve Coffee Maker

Up your daily coffee game with this sleek coffee brewer from Keurig, which is currently marked down at Amazon. There are 8, 10, and 12 oz. cup sizes to choose from.

Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker

On sale for 47% off, the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker allows you to brew 6 cups of fresh coffee before having to refill the water reservoir. 

$150   $124

K-Supreme Single Serve Coffee Maker

K-Supreme Single Serve Coffee Maker

The K-Supreme coffee machine is the first Keurig brew coffee maker to feature MultiStream Technology, which more evenly saturates the coffee grounds in every K-Cup pod. This technique extracts full flavor and aroma from your pods, so you can enjoy an exceptionally flavorful experience. 

$170   $130

Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker

The Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker can brew sizes ranging from 4 oz to 12 oz. Plus, it has an iced coffee setting, hot water on demand button — perfect for tea, instant oatmeal or ramen — and more.

$190   $130

Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker

Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker

With Keurig's K-Duo Coffee Maker. you can use both K-Cups and ground coffee. So if you're having company over, you can brew your coffee in the carafe for up to 12 cups and the heating plate will keep the coffee warm.

$190   $140

For even more savings on best-selling products, check out our ultimate guide to all the  best Amazon deals  on tech, fashion, beauty, home and more to shop today.

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Oranlife Cold Brew Coffee Maker, Portable Iced Coffee and Tea Infuser with Airtight Lid, Reusable Stainless Steel Mesh Filter for Iced Tea/Coffee, 3cup, 26oz

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travel cold brew maker

Cold Brew Coffee Maker, Portable Iced Coffee and Tea Infuser with Airtight Lid, Reusable Stainless Steel Mesh Filter for Iced Tea/Coffee, 3cup, 26oz

About this item.

  • 【Healthier & Smoother Coffee】- Cold brewing is 70% less acidic than hot brewing.Cold brew has a sweet, syrupy taste that's rich, complex and never bitter. Our cold brewer extracts coffee concentrate which can be stored and mixed with an endless variety of beverages to create your own perfect, personal cup of joy.
  • 【Keep Freshness and Flavor Pp to 2 Weeks】- 100% Air tight sealing lid design and engineered to perfectly fit within most fridge shelf.All you need to do is brew your favorite cold brew coffee or loose leaf tea and place it in the fridge! Excellent glass tea infuser bottle!
  • 【Iced and Hot Tea Compatible】- Great for loose-leaf tea, or tea bags. Brew it hot like a traditional teapot, or brew it cold in the fridge. Take your brewing & hosting skills to the higher level. SIMPLE TO USE, EASY TO CLEAN.
  • 【Rust-Free Premium Quality】- Antirust superfine dual-mesh, medical-grade stainless steel filter & cap. Extra-thick, lab-tested borosilicate glass. BPA-Free silicon airtight seal. Dishwasher safe. Professional home brewing has never been this easy: just mix and pour.
  • 【100% Satisfaction Guaranteed】- We are dedicated to enriching your homemade coffee experience. We take great joy and pride in the quality of our products - which is why we offer a Risk-Free Purchase. In the unlikely event our product fails to meet or exceed your expectations, you are free to return the product within the first 90 Days post-purchase for a FULL refund.

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Product Description

1

WHY CHOOSE ORANLIFE COLD BREWER?

Cold brewing is 70% less acidic than hot brewing and richer in taste.

Our ORANLIFE cold brewer coffee maker extracts coffee concentrate which can be stored and mixed with an endless variety of beverages.Cold brew is the revolutionary coffee of all coffees. With cold brewed coffee, the caffeine level are the same as regular hot coffee but with far less acidity. Cold brew is known to have a very subtly rich and deep flavor sans the bitterness found in regular brewed coffee. The coffee is delicious on its own or can be combined with cream, milk, sugar or flavoring to ones personal favorite taste.

1

ALSO MAKE HOT TEA AND COFFEE

Great for loose-leaf tea. Or tea bags. Brew it hot like a traditional teapot or french press.Removable stainless steel mesh filter core extracts maximum flavor and easily disassembles for cleaning Extra-thick and dishwasher safe.

6

You may find cold brew coffee concentrate to be stronger than traditional hot coffee. Enjoy your cold brew by diluting it with water, milk or cream.

Vanilla almond swirl

Recipe : Put one cup of cold brew and one cup of almond milk in a glass,add tiny bit of vanilla extract.

Tip :For those cold days, heat cup your almond mild and add a dash of cinnamon.

1. Fill the filter core to the halfway point with coarsely ground coffee. If you're grinding your own coffee, use the coarsest setting available on the grinder.

2. Slowly pour two cups of cold, filtered water over the coffee ensuring it is completely soaked. Fill the remainder of the filter core with coarsely ground coffee. Continue slowly pouring water until the glass pitcher is completely full.

3. Gently stir the filter core for 30 seconds with a long stirring spoon, butter knife or chopstick to ensure all of the grounds are soaked and exposed to water. 4. Seal the pitcher with the lid cover and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours, occasionally stirring the filter core. Once brewing is complete, remove the filter core from the pitcher and dispose of the used coffee grounds.

2

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Customer Review: Great size, easy to clean.

Sarah Chavez

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Customer Review: Can’t live with out it!

Alessandra Astran

travel cold brew maker

Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 1.5L/48oz/6cup

Looking for specific info, product information, compare with similar items, customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the ease of use, filtering, and lid of the coffee maker. For example, they mention it's convenient, works well, and has a sleek design. That said, opinions are mixed on quality and ease of cleaning.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the filtering of the coffee maker. They say the dripper works well, the cold brew maker works well and is easy to use and clean. Some mention that the lid fell apart, but it's still usable. Overall, customers are satisfied with the filter and infusion aspects of the product.

"... This one works great ...." Read more

"...It works great with Earl Grey , and I use it essentially every night to brew tea for the next morning...." Read more

"This is my first foray into cold brewing coffee. This unit does a great job and it's easy to use...." Read more

"...Beautiful lid and jar, top quality. Buy this, it's wonderful !" Read more

Customers find the coffee maker easy to use. They say it's convenient, makes coffee making simpler, and brews easy batches in one hour.

"...This brews easy batches in one hour . I LOVE the clean look of the glass and stainless over other products with plastic lids...." Read more

"...This one works great. Very easy to use , i definitely would recommend whole bean or thicker ground, & I leave mine in the fridge for about 24hrs,..." Read more

"...Overall, this is a great unit, easy to use , and not too bad to clean...." Read more

"It's good, but has a few flaws. The pros are, it's easy to use and the flavor is pretty decent if you let it soak for a solid 12-18 hours...." Read more

Customers like the lid of the coffee maker. They say it's sleek, expensive looking, and a nice addition. Some customers also mention that the carrying case is easy to store in the fridge.

"...This brews easy batches in one hour. I LOVE the clean look of the glass and stainless over other products with plastic lids...." Read more

"...The first thing that I noticed was that its a really simple design , and functionally if you're using teabags like I am, you can accomplish the same..." Read more

"...It is easy to clean as I can put it in dishwasher, but the quality of the lid it bad , after one use and wash the metal cap came loose...." Read more

"...24 hours is fine, 48 even better. Beautiful lid and jar , top quality. Buy this, it's wonderful!" Read more

Customers are satisfied with the size of the coffee maker. They mention that it fits in larger size vehicle's cup holder, and that it does not take up a lot of room. Some appreciate the measurements on the side.

"... Handy size . Will try with a finer grind to see what happens v/s coarse grind." Read more

"I love the size of the bottle . The mesh screen is great for infusing. However, It has little holes the allow the grounds to get in the water...." Read more

"I like the size of the bottle, it fits easily in the refrigerator , I like it that it does not have handle and is made of glass...." Read more

"...Relatively quick to make cold brew. Tasted good. Measurements on the side and not too much coffee grind in the coffee...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the quality of the coffee maker. Some mention it brews really good, coffee has good flavor, and is a pretty good cold brewer flask. However, others say that it's not one solid piece, the 48-oz glass bottles feel cheaply made, and breaks easily. The cap also keeps falling apart.

"...I also found if you beat it up after brewing by it still tastes bolder and smoother than regular hot brews. BUY IT!!" Read more

"...Now onto the downsides. The build quality felt pretty good at first, but after about a week, the lid's metallic cover began to get loose, making..." Read more

"...When I first bought it, it arrived broken , and they had no issue replacing it for me...." Read more

"...24 hours is fine, 48 even better. Beautiful lid and jar, top quality . Buy this, it's wonderful!" Read more

Customers are mixed about the ease of cleaning. Some mention it's easy to use and clean, while others say it'll be messy to place the grounds into the filter.

"...Overall, this is a great unit, easy to use, and not too bad to clean ...." Read more

"...Overall, this is a steal. Durable, easy to clean , and we'll worth the money." Read more

"...no complaints other than that the mouth of the carafe is rather difficult to clean without a brush since it is recommended not to machine wash it." Read more

"...It is easy to clean as I can put it in dishwasher, but the quality of the lid it bad, after one use and wash the metal cap came loose...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the seal of the coffee maker. They mention that it leaks, causing coffee grinds to spill into the jar. The inner seal falls out when attempting to put the lid on, making it impossible not to spill or drip from the container. Additionally, the filter does not properly seal to the glass bottle, resulting in coffee pouring out of the filter like rain.

"...difficult to open due to the metallic bit being loose and the inner seal falling out when attempting to put the lid back on or when opening the..." Read more

"...After a year of service the rubber seal in the lid got funky (pull it out and clean it every time to prevent this) and so I stopped using it, which..." Read more

"...negatives are that the rubber/plastic seal doesnt work perfectly and will leak ...." Read more

"...You expect some sediment with cold brew but it was pouring out of the filter like rain . It left about 1/2" of slush on the bottom of the bottle...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the cap of the coffee maker. They say that the stainless steel cap fell off after one use and the metal cover on the cap came off. The lid cannot be secured on the bottle and the inner seal on the lid pops off. Additionally, the lid has separation of the plastic and metal right out of the box.

"...pretty good at first, but after about a week, the lid's metallic cover began to get loose , making opening the Oranlife significantly more difficult..." Read more

"...is that if the mesh insert is not in the bottle the lid can not be secured on the bottle ...." Read more

"...with the first lid (hand wash only), both of these lids had separation of the plastic and metal right out of the box...." Read more

"...The stainless part slides off now . I can still used the bottle, but I have seen others and have others that work better and are much easier to clean...." Read more

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IMAGES

  1. Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker

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  2. The Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers For Every Type Of Budget

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  3. Dripo Travel Cold Brew Coffee Maker Review: Personal Cold Brew on Demand

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  5. Top 10 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers in 2022 Reviews

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  6. SEIKEI Original Cold Brew Coffee Maker for Iced Coffee, Tea, and Fruit

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COMMENTS

  1. 7 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers 2024, Tested & Reviewed

    Best Overall: Mueller Cold Brew Coffee Maker at Amazon ($25) Jump to Review. Best Value: Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker at Amazon ($32) Jump to Review. Best Splurge: De'Longhi 3-in-1 Specialty ...

  2. The 3 Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers of 2024

    This petite coffee maker is best for those with limited storage space or those who want to brew smaller batches. $39 from Amazon. $35 from OXO. The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a smaller ...

  3. 10 Best Travel Coffee Makers in 2024

    4. Keurig K-Mini - Best Travel K-Cup Coffee Maker. Keurig is the manufacturer of popular K-Cup makers, so it makes sense to include their most travel-friendly model on this list. The Keurig K-Mini is extremely compact and lightweight; it's only 4.5 inches wide, and it weighs a little less than five pounds.

  4. The 3 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

    Amazon. View On Amazon $37 View On Oxo $35 View On Bed Bath & Beyond $35. The OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker consistently produced the most delicious cold brew and, unlike many of the other brewers I tested, was dead simple to use. Its compact size also means it's easy to store and makes a great gift.

  5. 6 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers 2024

    Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker: Top-rack dishwasher-safe, the Primula is designed to be easy to use. While it has an ergonomic handle, the glass carafe doesn't have any ...

  6. The 4 best cold-brew coffee makers of 2024, tested and reviewed

    Dimensions: Height: 9.75 in., width: 5 in., length: 5.75 in. Filter type: Reusable felt filters or paper. The Toddy Artisan is just as easy to use as the full-sized Toddy, the best cold-brew ...

  7. Amazon.com: asobu Coldbrew Portable Cold Brew Coffee Maker With a

    Amazon.com: asobu Coldbrew Portable Cold Brew Coffee Maker With a Vacuum Insulated 1 Liter Stainless Steel 18/8 Carafe Bpa Free (Aqua Pink Marble) : ... Utopia Kitchen 34 Ounce 1 Liter French Press Coffee Maker, Tea Maker, Travel Coffee Presses, Cold Brew Heat Resistant Thickened Borosilicate Coffee Pot for Camping Travel Gifts, Black.

  8. AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press Kit

    All About Taste & Practicality: The AeroPress Go travel coffee maker brews smooth, delicious coffee without bitterness or grit, unlike other methods like french press. ... You can choose to brew hot or espresso-style coffee, or use cold water to make cold brew in two minutes. Tweak your combinations and find the right spot for you - with the ...

  9. Ninja CM371 Hot & Iced XL Coffee Maker with Rapid Cold Brew, 4 Brew

    This item: Ninja CM371 Hot & Iced XL Coffee Maker with Rapid Cold Brew, 4 Brew Styles, 8 Sizes Small Cup to Travel Mug, Single-Serve Coffee Brewer, 12-Cup Carafe, Permanent Filter, Removable Reservoir, Black . $149.99 $ 149. 99. Get it as soon as Monday, Jun 10. In Stock.

  10. The 7 Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers 2023

    Best Overall: OXO Good Grips Immersion Cold-Brew Coffee Maker. Best Budget: Mueller Home Cold-Brew Coffee Maker. Best for Professionals: Toddy Cold-Brew System. Best for Travel: Takeya Portable ...

  11. The Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers

    Overall, it's too much setup and work for too little coffee. Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker ($55): The Dash is a neat idea. It makes cold brew in 10 to 20 minutes by shooting water through tubes ...

  12. The 13 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, According to Experts and ...

    The Toddy Cold Brew System is the original cold brewer on the market (we're talking 1964…way before the hipsters got a hold of it)—there's a good chance your local coffee shop uses an ...

  13. The 10 Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers of 2024

    They evaluated each one on its usability, design, performance, and value to help customers find the best option for their coffee needs. Our Top Picks. Best Overall: Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker System at Amazon ($48) Jump to Review. Best for Longer Storage: Ovalware Cold Brew Maker at Amazon ($36) Jump to Review.

  14. Best cold brew coffee makers in 2024

    Ovalware air-tight cold brew iced coffee maker, $36. $36 at Amazon. Lily Rose. Lily Rose is a senior writer for CBS Essentials and the site's expert in home appliances such as washers, dryers ...

  15. Primula 20 oz Clear/White Cold Brew Travel Coffee Maker

    Its slim design makes it perfect for storage in a suitcase, canvas bag, shoulder bag, backpack and more and the insulating neoprene sleeve has a carry strap for easy access. Get brewing. Dimensions (Overall): 9.6 inches (H) x 2.5 inches (W) x 3.25 inches (D) Weight: 1.2 pounds. Capacity (Volume): 20 ounces.

  16. 6 Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers, According to Baristas

    The Best Big-Batch Cold Brew-Maker. Cold Pro 2 Commercial Brewing System - Complete Kit. $67. The brewers at Sweatshop in Williamsburg use the Brewista system, says co-owner Luke Woodard. "It ...

  17. 11 Best Travel Coffee Makers (Portable Espresso, French Press & Cold Brew)

    Presto MyJo Single Cup Coffee Maker. You don't have to compromise on the quality of your coffee while travelling. This coffee maker is compatible with K-cups or another brand of your choice. Before starting, you can choose the cup size that you want (6, 8, or 10-ounce options) Insert the K-cup or coffee grounds, fill the reservoir with water ...

  18. EXPLORER COLD BREW

    32oz Cold Brew. Coffee concentrate | 4 caffeine levels | Makes 20 cups. 250 reviews. From $44.99.

  19. Amazon.com: asobu Coldbrew Portable Cold Brew Coffee Maker With a

    asobu Coldbrew Portable Cold Brew Coffee Maker With a Vacuum Insulated 34oz Stainless Steel 18/8 Carafe Bpa Free (Silver) Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Previous page. Coldbrew and Ultimate Mug (Silver and Wood) $59.99 $ 59. 99 $89.98 $89.98. This bundle contains 2 items. Next page.

  20. AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press

    The AeroPress Go travel & camping coffee maker is engineered to fuel an active lifestyle. It gives coffee lovers everything they need to conveniently brew superb single serve coffee anywhere. Like the AeroPress Original, the AeroPress Go portable coffee maker provides the same great taste and brews American, espresso, and cold brew style coffee that can be enjoyed as is or used in a wide range ...

  21. The best cold brew concentrates: Tested and approved

    4. Chameleon cold brew concentrate. Chameleon cold brew comes in a variety of flavors—all organic. One of the first major cold brew brands, Chameleon has been perfecting its cold brew concentrate for years. The result is amazing coffee in a multitude of unique and delicious flavors.

  22. Primula Cold Brew Travel Bottle with Black Insulating Neoprene Sleeve

    This Cold Brew Maker's specially designed removable filter allows for easy cleaning. It's also dishwasher safe, allowing for quick and easy clean up in between uses. ... Guaranteed to make refreshing cups of iced coffee, our Cold Brew Travel Bottle produces coffee that's up to 65% less acidic and naturally sweeter than any heat brewed ...

  23. How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

    3. Break out the scale. Cold brew concentrate ratios can range anywhere from a 1:2 ratio to 1:8 parts coarse coffee to water. I usually land somewhere in the middle with a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio because ...

  24. A few tips to on prepping your cold brew packets

    The best cold brew packets for coffee lovers who travel Grady's Bean Bag Cold Brew Kit — $35.75 Grady's Cold Brew was the first to bring cold brew pouches to market in April 2014.

  25. The Best Keurig Coffee Maker Deals to Shop Right Now

    The Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker can brew sizes ranging from 4 oz to 12 oz. Plus, it has an iced coffee setting, hot water on demand button — perfect for tea, instant oatmeal or ...

  26. Amazon.com: Primula Travel Bottle Cold Brew Coffee Maker with Filter

    ‎Travel Bottle Cold Brew Coffee Maker with Filter & Insulating Sleeve : Size ‎20 oz. Additional Information. ASIN : B00OPA93P4 : Customer Reviews: 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 158 ratings. 4.0 out of 5 stars : Best Sellers Rank #2,179,500 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen) #338 in Cold Brew Coffee Makers:

  27. Cold Brew Coffee Maker, Portable Iced Coffee and Tea Infuser with

    Hemli Cold Brew Bottle Coffee Maker, 18 oz Insulated Portable Cold Brew Cup To-Go Coffee Tumbler, Cold Brew Travel Mug with Stainless Steel Filter, Leakproof, Airtight, Rustproof 4.5 out of 5 stars 68