Steep coarse grounds in cold water for 12–24 hours and you get a smooth, low-acid, naturally sweet concentrate that keeps for a week. Cold brew makers just make the steep-and-strain tidy.
6 products researched · Updated June 2026 · How we score
Fridge-friendly
Big batches
Even saturation
The tidiest immersion brewer — a one-switch release valve, a fine-mesh filter, and it fits in the fridge door.
The original cold brew system — makes a big batch of smooth, low-acid concentrate that lasts two weeks.
A rainmaker top evenly wets the grounds, then a valve drains concentrate into an included glass carafe.
The tidiest immersion brewer — a one-switch release valve, a fine-mesh filter, and it fits in the fridge door.
OXO's compact maker fixes the messiest part of cold brew: you steep, then flip a switch to drain the concentrate straight into a carafe, leaving the grounds behind. Makes a clean, strong concentrate with almost no cleanup.
The original cold brew system — makes a big batch of smooth, low-acid concentrate that lasts two weeks.
A slim glass pitcher with a built-in filter — pour-and-go cold brew with nothing extra to clean.
An airtight, leak-proof pitcher you can steep on its side to save fridge space and shake to brew faster.
A heavy glass mason jar with a stainless filter — big, sturdy, and great value for batch brewers.
The tidiest immersion brewer — a one-switch release valve, a fine-mesh filter, and it fits in the fridge door.
The original cold brew system — makes a big batch of smooth, low-acid concentrate that lasts two weeks.
A slim glass pitcher with a built-in filter — pour-and-go cold brew with nothing extra to clean.
An airtight, leak-proof pitcher you can steep on its side to save fridge space and shake to brew faster.
A heavy glass mason jar with a stainless filter — big, sturdy, and great value for batch brewers.
A rainmaker top evenly wets the grounds, then a valve drains concentrate into an included glass carafe.
Immersion brewers (a pitcher with a filter basket) are simple, forgiving, and what most people want. Slow-drip towers look spectacular and make a brighter brew, but they're fussy and expensive.
Most makers produce a concentrate you dilute 1:1 with water or milk — efficient and flexible. A few brew ready-to-drink strength. Concentrate is the better value and keeps longer.
The filter decides the cup and the cleanup. Fine stainless mesh (OXO, Takeya) lets through a little sediment for more body and rinses in seconds. Cloth or felt (Toddy) gives the smoothest, cleanest concentrate but needs proper drying between brews or it sours. Nylon mesh sits in between and is the most common.
A cold brew maker only helps if it fits on a shelf. Compact 1L pitchers (Hario, OXO Compact) tuck into a door; big-batch systems (Toddy, County Line half-gallon) need real space but brew a week of concentrate at once. Measure your shelf before you buy the biggest one.
12–24 hours is the range. Twelve hours in the fridge gives a bright, lighter concentrate; 18 hours is the sweet spot for most people; 24 hours maximizes strength and sweetness but can turn woody past that. Steeping at room temperature is faster but less clean — the fridge is worth the wait.
For a concentrate you'll dilute, use 1:4 to 1:8 (coffee to water) by weight — around 1:5 is a reliable start. For ready-to-drink cold brew, go 1:12 to 1:15. Use our cold brew calculator to get exact grams for your jar size.
Undiluted concentrate keeps 7–10 days sealed in the fridge because its low acidity and lack of heat slow oxidation. Once you dilute it with water or milk, drink it within 2–3 days. Always store it sealed — an open pitcher goes flat and picks up fridge odors.
Yes, noticeably. Brewing without heat extracts far fewer of the acids and bitter compounds that hot water pulls out, so cold brew tastes smoother and is gentler on sensitive stomachs. Iced coffee (hot-brewed then chilled) keeps that bright acidity — it's a different drink.
Coarse — like raw sugar or coarse sea salt, the same as French press. A coarse grind steeps evenly over the long soak and strains cleanly; too fine and you get muddy, over-extracted, hard-to-filter concentrate. A burr grinder set coarse makes the biggest difference here.