Best cold brew maker: OXO, Hario, and Toddy compared

The best cold brew maker for most kitchens is the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker, because its rainmaker lid wets grounds evenly and the brew-release switch makes draining clean instead of messy. If you want the cheapest good result, the Hario Mizudashi pot, listed at $25.50 on Hario USA, brews straight in the fridge with zero extra parts. And if you batch for a week or a whole cafe counter, the Toddy system is the commercial-lineage pick that most coffee shops started on.

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The three picks compared

OXO Good Grips: the default answer

Cold brew is forgiving, so the differences between makers come down to workflow, and the OXO wins on workflow. The perforated rainmaker lid distributes water over the grounds so you do not have to stir a slurry, and the switch at the base releases the finished brew into the carafe without lifting or inverting anything. Cleanup is a rinse of the mesh filter. It makes concentrate, so you cut it to taste with water or milk. The honest downside is counter space: it is a tower, not a pitcher, and it lives out between batches unless you break it down.

Hario Mizudashi: the $25.50 answer

The Mizudashi is a glass pitcher with a fine mesh basket that hangs in the middle. You spoon coarse grounds into the basket, fill with cold water, and put the whole thing in the fridge overnight. In the morning you lift the basket out and the coffee is done, ready to pour, no concentrate math. It brews ready-to-drink strength rather than concentrate, which some people prefer and batch-brewers find limiting. At $25.50 list it is the least expensive way to make cold brew that does not involve a mason jar and a strainer over the sink.

Toddy: the batch and cafe pick

The Toddy is the system a lot of coffee shops used before dedicated commercial equipment existed, and the home unit is the same idea: a big bucket brewer with a thick felt filter that produces unusually clean, low-sediment concentrate. One brew yields enough concentrate to pour drinks for a week, and the concentrate keeps in the fridge. The felt filters are a consumable you replace, which is the recurring cost the other two do not have.

What actually matters in cold brew gear

Grind and time do the work, not the vessel. Use a coarse grind, a roughly 1:8 coffee-to-water ratio for concentrate or about 1:15 for ready-to-drink, and 12 to 18 hours in the fridge. Every maker above is just a container that makes the filtering step less annoying. If your cold brew tastes woody or sour, adjust the grind and the hours before blaming the equipment. For grinder picks that handle coarse well, see our French press grinder guide, which covers the same coarse-grind needs.

Related reading

• Starbucks cold brew caffeine, if you are matching strength
• SToK cold brew caffeine: bottled comparison
• All gear guides

FAQ

What is the best cold brew maker for beginners? The Hario Mizudashi. It brews ready-to-drink cold brew in the fridge with one part to wash and nothing to assemble, and at $25.50 list it is cheap enough to try the habit before committing counter space.

Is cold brew concentrate or ready to drink better? Concentrate (OXO, Toddy) stores longer and lets each person dilute to taste, while ready-to-drink (Mizudashi) skips the math. Batch drinkers should brew concentrate; one-cup-a-day drinkers are happier with ready-to-drink.

How long should cold brew steep? 12 to 18 hours in the fridge for immersion makers. Longer than 24 hours pulls woody, bitter flavors. If it tastes weak at 18 hours, grind finer or add coffee rather than adding hours.