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Coffee · Equipment
Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers Expert Reviews and Comparisons
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Why Buy a Dedicated Cold Brew Maker?
While you can make cold brew in any container, dedicated cold brew makers offer convenience, consistent results, and cleaner coffee with less sediment. They’re designed for the long steeping time and easy filtering that cold brew requires.
Best Cold Brew Makers 2025
Best Overall: Toddy Cold Brew System
The Toddy has been the gold standard since 1964. It makes smooth, low-acid concentrate that’s perfect for iced coffee or diluting with milk.
Pros: Makes 9 cups concentrate, reusable felt filters last months, BPA-free plastic, proven design, separate serving carafe
Cons: Plastic construction, filters need replacing, takes up space
Best for Daily Use: OXO Brew Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Sleek design with innovative Rainmaker top that distributes water evenly over grounds. Makes concentrated or ready-to-drink cold brew.
Pros: Glass carafe, compact design, easy to use, dishwasher-safe parts, makes 4 cups
Cons: Smaller capacity, glass can break, more expensive than Toddy
Best Budget: Takeya Cold Brew Maker
Airtight pitcher with fine-mesh filter makes cold brew simple and affordable.
Pros: Very affordable, BPA-free, airtight lid, compact, dishwasher safe, 1-quart size perfect for 1-2 people
Cons: Plastic, filter can clog with fine grounds, limited capacity
Best budget
Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Why it fits
The airtight, leak-proof lid is the reason to choose this over an open jar: it brews on its side or upside down in a packed fridge, and the same pitcher goes from brewing to serving with the filter basket lifted out. Tritan rather than glass, so it survives a fridge shelf. Dishwasher safe on the top rack.
Limitations
Plastic will eventually pick up coffee staining and odour that a glass vessel would not. The mesh basket is fine enough to clog if you grind too fine, which forces the coarse grind the article recommends anyway. Its capacity suits one or two people, not a household.
Best Large Batch: County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar
Uses standard wide-mouth mason jar with stainless steel filter. Make as much or as little as you want.
Pros: Use any mason jar size, stainless filter lasts forever, affordable, compact storage
Cons: Requires you to provide jars, not as refined as purpose-built systems
Best large batch
County Line Kitchen 64 oz Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Why it fits
A 64 oz wide-mouth glass jar with a stainless mesh filter that drops straight in, plus a leak-proof lid so it can lie on its side. Sixty-four ounces is the batch size the concentrate ratios in this article assume, and glass means no flavour carryover between batches. The steel filter has no consumable parts.
Limitations
Glass, so it breaks, and a full 64 oz jar is heavy and awkward to lift wet-handed. The mesh lets more fines through than the felt filters a Toddy uses, so the concentrate is less clear. You still need somewhere to store the filtered result, since the filter and the jar are the same vessel.
Best DIY Option: Mason Jar Method (FREE)
You probably already have everything needed!
Equipment: Large mason jar, coffee filter or cheesecloth, rubber band
Pros: Free, uses what you have, works great
Cons: Messier filtering process, sediment in final brew
Buying Guide: What to Consider
Capacity
- 1 quart – Individual use, try before buying large
- 2 quarts – Most versatile, 1-3 people
- 1+ gallon – Families, coffee addicts, batch brewing
Filter Type
Mesh filters: Reusable, let some sediment through
Felt/paper: Cleaner coffee, need replacing
Metal: Last forever, medium sediment
Material
Glass: Doesn’t retain flavors, can see brew progress, fragile
Plastic (BPA-free): Durable, lightweight, can stain/retain odors
Stainless steel: Durable, insulated, can’t see inside
Cold Brew Tips
- Use coarse grind (like raw sugar)
- Ratio: 1:4 for concentrate, 1:8 for ready-to-drink
- Steep 12-18 hours at room temp or 24 hours refrigerated
- Concentrate lasts 2 weeks refrigerated
- Dilute 1:1 with water, milk, or over ice
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