As any coffee enthusiast knows, cold brew is a wonderfully easy, superior coffee that is brewed at cold temperatures over a period of 12-24 hours. One of the great things about it is just how simple it is to make. It is very possible to use materials you have at home to make a decent batch of cold brew, though professional-grade results often require specialized equipment.
If you are a cold brew convert and foresee it being a part of your life from now on, buying a cold brew coffee maker is a worthy investment. They are not very expensive and they take a lot of the hassle out of cold brewing, as well as producing a more consistent cup with better extraction and clarity.
This article reviews some of the best and most popular cold brew coffee makers on the market, drawing on expert testing and user feedback to guide your purchase.
7 Things to Consider When Buying a Cold Brew Coffee maker
Before you splash out and buy your brewer, it is worth having a think about what your priorities are when it comes to cold brewing. Different cold brew coffee makers will be suitable for different people depending on what they are looking for. Here are some of the main factors to think about before buying your first piece of kit.
Price
If you are trying to guard the pennies a little bit more, you will want to go for a lower end, more affordable cold brewer. Or if money is really tight, or you just don’t want to spend on it, you can just use a mason jar and a fabric bag. It’s really that inexpensive. You will have to deal with mess and washing the bag on a regular basis, but you don’t spend any money.
Space
Cold brew coffee makers are generally quite bulky by default although there are some space saving options. Consider where you will be putting your coffee maker and check how much space you need. Do you want to brew your cold brew in the fridge for example?
I personally like the larger ones, because the filters are better and you get more coffee with every brew.
Coffee Taste and Quality
If the coffee taste is your priority, we can steer you in the direction of some cold brewers that yield the cleanest cup.
Going the cheap way, with a fabric bag as a filter is certainly inexpensive, but the fabric adds a little flavor to the brew. I personally did not mind it very much, but it’s there, and many people just can’t stand it.
In a way, all immersion cold brew coffee makers are the same, and you can tweak your recipe to match your taste. However, some things, such as the filters are just too different, and this makes all the difference.
Coffee taste is also dictated by the recipe, and the coffee beans you are using. If you are new to cold brew coffee, take a look at our article on how to make cold brew coffee at home and how to choose the best coffee beans for cold brew.
Filter
What type of filter do you want? A reusable paper filter will give you a cleaner cup but is more expensive in the long run and is awkward to clean and store. A metal filter won’t filter as well but there will be no potential paper taste and it is more convenient.
Quantity
This goes hand in hand with space as a bigger machine generally means more coffee. Have a think about whether you are going to be brewing for parties, a large family, or just for yourself as some cold brew coffee makers make more coffee concentrate than others.
Durability
If you are in this for the long haul and what your coffee maker to stand the test of time, you should consider the different materials used for each brewer before making your mind up. To be honest, all immersion cold brew coffee makers are pretty durable, but don’t expect them to last you a lifetime. The plastic will eventually stain beyond usability, and you will have to replace the filters for some of them. Even if they are reusable, they will not last forever.
Fashion vs. Function
Is a good-looking machine more important or one that is easy to use? We all have different priorities.
As an anecdote, I purchased a cold drip coffee maker that would have improved my cold brew cup, because it tastes different from an immersion cold brew.
The thing did not last in my kitchen more than a week. My wife was very clear that “the thing goes out of the kitchen, period”. So make sure you don’t make the same mistake, and consult with your significant other.
The image on the right is a Yama Cold Drip coffee brewer, which many find an elegant coffee maker, that would fit nicely in any kitchen. In reality, it’s big and it takes a lot of space anywhere, not only in a kitchen. And even though it has its elegance, it doesn’t blend that well in a modern architecture.
Immersion Cold Brew Batch brewers
The cold brew coffee makers in this section brew between 30 and 60 oz of cold brew coffee concentrate per batch, making them ideal for large families or dedicated cold brew enthusiasts who consume concentrate regularly.
Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Toddy deserves first mention as a mark of respect in the cold brew community. You may think cold brew is a recent trend, but the Toddy was invented in 1964, making it a pioneer in the category with over six decades of proven performance.
Here we have a no-nonsense brewer that has stood the test of time. The Toddy is essentially a modified bucket that sits atop a glass carafe. Despite minimal technological changes over 50 years, it remains one of the most popular cold brew coffee makers today, a testament to its reliable design and consistent results.
It isn’t the most stylish brewer on the market and it is quite bulky, but it is one of the best all-rounders: extremely easy to use and capable of producing a consistently smooth, low-acid cup of coffee every time.
Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker
In contrast to the Toddy, the Oxo is a newer machine that has quickly become popular among cold coffee enthusiasts for several well-engineered features.
This stylish brewer includes several thoughtful features: a rainmaker system that evenly disperses water over the coffee bed like a sprinkler; a borosilicate glass carafe that resists thermal shock; a convenient valve for decanting filtered cold brew directly into the carafe; and a design that nests into itself for compact storage.
The Oxo cold brew coffee maker uses a stainless steel mesh filter, which some may consider a disadvantage. However, it produces by far the best coffee of any mesh-filter brewer and rivals the clarity of paper-filtered cold brew.
Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer
The Filtron earns its place here because it produces exceptionally high-quality cold brew. It includes a wool filter pad and reusable paper filters. When used together as recommended, they deliver the cleanest possible brew with zero sediment.
Toddy and Oxo each have distinct advantages, but Filtron is the favorite of many home and professional baristas. The main reason is its superior filtering system, which outperforms any other immersion cold brew coffee maker on the market.
If you rinse the wool filter after each brew, it can be reused many times. Combined with the paper filter, it delivers a clean cup that doesn’t even require decanting.
I personally know several coffee shops that rely on Filtron to produce their daily cold brew needs, a strong endorsement of its commercial-grade performance.
One Pot Brewers
One pot brewers, compared to batch brewers are smaller, convenient devices that brew less coffee but will fit in your fridge for brewing if colder temperature brewing is your preference. (For longer brewing times, you have to use the fridge.)
One pot brewers are basically a cross between a French press and a loose leaf tea brewer. All one pots mentioned here today use a metallic mesh filter. I am a fan of the one pot brewers because they are ideal for refrigerated cold brewing, which is the superior way of cold brewing. You can stick them in the door of the fridge almost like you would a bottle of ketchup. They also are convenient to use. The brewing vessel is also the carafe, you just take out the filter when the brewing time is over. Easy peasy.
Hario Mizudashi
This tidy coffee maker from Hario made homeground’s list of best cold brew coffee makers. It is convenient and affordable.
The carafe is made of glass which means that there is no potential plastic tastes from the carafe. However, it is extremely fragile and you will probably need to replace it regularly, thus negating the price argument.
The glass is heat proof, so it won’t break at high temperatures, though you don’t really care, because you can really use the plastic filter that comes with it at high temperatures, so it’s going to be strictly cold brew.
- Makes about 4-4.5 cups of coffee
- The spout is nice and allow a slow, steady and controlled pouring
This is great for decanting - Reusable filters – wash and reuse
- Dishwasher safe
Remember the discussion about price? It applies to Hario as well, even though they have their die hard fans.
Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker
This is a plastic version of the one pot brewer which makes it more durable. I’ve heard complaints about the pitcher being made of plastic. The taste complaint, I can’t really comment much on it, in my tests, there was no off taste. However, plastic is so much worse for the environment, and I think they should have sticked to the glass version.
The pitcher comes in two sizes, which is amazing. A 1 quart and a 2 quart versions. I personally like the 2 quart version better because it gives us about 1.5 quarts of coffee concentrate, that we can further dilute and get up to 3 quarts of coffee.
One piece of advice. Brew it longer than Takeya recommend in their recipe, and you will get a stronger coffee that you need to dilute more.
Primula Burke Cold Brew Coffee Maker
This is a nice option because the bottom of the filter screws off which allows for easy clean up.
Electric Cold Brew Coffee Makers
This section covers electric cold brew coffee makers, which some purists argue are unnecessary since traditional cold brew relies on time and gravity. However, Cuisinart has developed an electric cold brew coffee maker that Business Insider recommends, capable of brewing a version of cold brew in just one hour. The machine achieves this by spinning the brewing chamber, which agitates the coffee grounds and accelerates extraction. From a technical standpoint, this agitation mimics the principles of accelerated infusion, though it may compromise the smooth, low-acid profile that defines traditional cold brew.
For busy individuals prioritizing time savings, this electric maker offers a practical solution. While the resulting cold brew may not match the depth and clarity of a 12- to 24-hour immersion brew, it remains perfectly drinkable and enables semi-spontaneous preparation. Coffee Brewing Methods provides a detailed comparison of modern cold brew coffee makers, including models that can produce cold brew even faster than Cuisinart’s one-hour system, offering additional options for those seeking speed without entirely sacrificing quality.
My best picks
Best for price and space
If you are looking for an affordable brewer that will easily brew in your fridge, a one pot brewer is the way to go. All of the one pot brewers mentioned here today are generally priced between $10-$20 which is affordable on almost any budget.
Within this category, I recommend the Takeya cold brew coffee maker. This brewer has the best combination of price and durability and fits nicely into your fridge door.
Best for quality, quantity and style
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you are brewing in larger quantities and you have the counter top space, a batch brewer is for you. The batch brewers here today are all similarly priced and will cost you between $40 and $50, which is still very good value!
The overall batch brewer winner has to be the Oxo. It is stylish, functional, comes with several useful accessories and makes a great batch of cold brew. It is not quite the best pick for taste, but it is not far off.
Best for taste
The winner for taste today is the Filtron. Say what you will about how this machine looks, this batch brewer delivers the best tasting cup of cold brew hands down due its double filtration method. If taste is your only priority, look no further.