OXO Good Grips 32 Ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Making cold brew is a simple process--add cold water to some coffee grounds, let it sit for a while and filter it--so I was skeptical about paying for a product to make it easier. I was not crafty enough to set up my own system, though, and I love the smooth coffee cold brew produces so I decided to try this one out. It's a simple product, but works really well and gets a lot of small details right, such as:- The carafe is at a height that when you pull it out it automatically shuts the opening that lets the cold brew pour down. Such a simple little thing, but it made it feel like this was a well thought out product.- There are instructions for how to disassemble the system and put it together so it takes up less space in the cabinet.- I don't like any grit in my coffee so I use paper filters. They could have used the razor blade approach and charged a lot for the filters, but instead they sell them for a few bucks for a multi-year supply at the rate I use the coffee maker. (The cold brew maker comes with several paper filters to get you started as well.) OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker Replacement Paper Filters, Brown, 50 Per BoxWhen I hear "cold brew" I always think of ice coffee, since it's got "cold" in the name. After reading through the instructions, though, I realized you could add hot water to the cold brew concentrate for a smooth cup of coffee as well. I am a fan of homemade pourover coffee for my hot coffee, but the cold brew seems to produce a cup of coffee that tastes almost as good to me, even with good beans (I've mostly used Blue Bottle so far). Pourover coffee can be a time-consuming experience, and though it's generally worth it I've become swayed by the convenience of spending a little bit up time up front for about two-weeks of convenient but delicious coffee.Although I like the carafe for getting the water and collecting the cold brew at the end, I didn't feel comfortable storing the cold brew concentrate in the fridge with it because the glass is pretty thin. I ended up buying the Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Jug with Hermetic Lid, 17-Ounce to hold the concentrate in the fridge instead, and it works really well.When choosing which cold brew maker to buy, I was comparing this product to the Toddy, which is the cold brew maker I'd heard of for years. After reading through many Amazon reviews, it seemed like both would work fine. Since I've liked OXO products I've purchased in the past, I went with this one and was not disappointed.

I have used a Toddy for about 10 years, so almost all of my review is in comparison to it. A few weeks ago, my 2nd oldest son used a knife to remove the filter while doing dishes ruining it (just like my oldest son did about 5 years ago with my first one). I saw this brewer and thought I would get it to compare. Overall, I like this one way better.If you are new to cold brewing and trying to decide whether to try it, I will say that it makes the best coffee, in my opinion. It brings out a lot of flavor, without the bitterness. The biggest con to cold brew in general, is when you forget to make it...Things that are better on this vs the Toddy:This one has a valve instead of a cork to drain the coffee, which is not only easier in general; but, I usually get the first cup early in the morning, and then let it brew a few more hours for my wife to drain when she gets up. With the Toddy, I have to pull the cork, get what I want, then reinsert the cork, leaving a few ounces on the counter and my scale to clean up. This one, I can just close the valve, with no mess. Another benefit is that there is no separate cork to be lost.I like the mesh filter better than the felt ones of the Toddy, and I like how it is held in place, so my kids cannot loose it when they dump the grinds into the compost. It also never needs replaced. We are using the paper filters which are as good as the felt one of the Toddy at keeping the grit out.I like the stand this one has better than balancing the brewer on the carafe to drain it.The directions for this one are way easier. You could really make the coffee either way, with either maker. While this one's directions are easier, the Toddy's method drains quicker.Things that are not as good:This does not make as much as the Toddy does at a time. Following the directions, we get 24 oz of concentrate (10 oz coffee grinds and 40 oz water). But, there is a lot of head space in this one to increase the amount you make if you do not use the rainmaker. As long as you stick with the 1 ounce coffee grinds to 4 ounce water, you can make more or less. With my last batch I did 12 oz of coffee grinds with 48 oz water; which is what the current directions with the Toddy calls for (28 oz of concentrate); but believe I could do 14 oz of coffee and 56 oz of water if I fill it to the brim (33 oz concentrate). With the Toddy, we followed the old directions and used 16 oz of coffee grinds and 64 oz water (38 oz concentrate). In conclusion, the Toddy can make 2 1/2 more servings than this one can. I doubt anyone will find this math as interesting as I do, but though I should include it for completeness.This brewer drains slower, but I am pretty sure it is due to stiring the coffee/water mixture, per the directions. When I stired the mixture in the Toddy it took longer to drain also. So, I guess regardless of which brewer you use, if you want quick draining, use Toddy's method; and if you want fewer steps in making it, use this one's method. I can live with the longer draining, because we have always just leave it sitting on the counter for a few hours until we remember it is there anyway.The paper filter has to be replaced with each brew versus the felt filter of the Toddy's needing replaced every... however long it lasts. I do not know which would be cheaper in the long run, but the paper filter is optional. I have been using the paper filters, but will try my next batch without it, to see how much of a difference it makes.If I think of anything else I will update this.

I have several OXO products and they are typically well-made, effective at what they are designed to do and very easy to use. Have to admit that at this point, if I need a kitchen gadget, I'll almost always default to the OXO product, if I have an option.I've been making cold brew for a couple of years now, using a 64 ounce mason jar and that method works well, though it has some issues. I'd been eyeing this cold brew coffee maker for a while and when I saw it on sale, I went for it.After only one time using it, I can already say it's worth the purchase. Very easy to set up and use. Very well-designed, as is typical with OXO products. Very easy to clean, which was always a pain with the mason jar and its relatively narrow mouth. And the coffee tastes great!The best part is eliminating the filtering process that usually took a good 15 minutes or so with my old method. With this maker, I just flip the switch, go away and turn on my computer and in 10 minutes I come back to a carafe full of tasty coffee. No more struggling with the dumping of the liquid through the filter, while trying to avoid splattering huge chunks of wet grounds all over the kitchen counter.I'd noticed that my acid reflux was definitely not as active and pronounced when I drank cold brew coffee rather than hot coffee and I'm pretty much sold on moving forward with cold brew from this point on. Very happy I finally made the purchase and, as noted before, very happy to have stuck with another solid OXO product.