Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker For Home Use

Whether you are a coffee aficionado or just starting your coffee brewing journey, brewing cold brew coffee at home is an excellent way to stay caffeinated while saving money. 

We’re uber serious about our cold brew – like owning five different ways to make cold brew kind of serious. 

After hours of research, trial and error, we’ve pulled together all of the need-to-know details for the best cold brew coffee makers of 2021!

From mason jars to slow drip syphons, we’re confident that you’ll find the best brewer for you. But, if you’re in a rush, here’s our top pick:

Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers 2021

When we chose the best ways to cold brew coffee, we considered the quality of brew, purpose, style and function. 

With that in mind, we start our search for the best cold brew coffee maker out there. Starting from the top, here it goes!

1. Airtight Cold Brew Coffee Maker 

The Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker and Iced Tea Maker is well designed and easy to use. Not only does this stylish cold brew maker fit easily on your refrigerated shelf or on your countertop, while being easy to clean and surprisingly durable. 

Product Highlights: All-in-one design makes this brewer accessible and convenient.

Great for small living spaces and for those looking for an appliance with style as well as function.

Not so great for brewing extra large quantities.

The removable stainless steel filter effectively filters your cold brew coffee and eliminates the need for paper filters. 

This makes the Ovalware RJ3 less wasteful and quite compact. Additionally, the metal filter is a fine mesh that filters the majority of fines while still providing the rich cold brew texture that we know and love.

All in all, the best cold coffee maker on the market in 2021!

2. Toddy Cold Brew System

The Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System is an industry standard, and the name “Toddy” has become synonymous with cold brew in general. This brewer is straightforward to use for anyone and everyone.

Product Highlights: The Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System is a tried and true method. Considered an industry standard, this miniature version of the professional Toddy Cold Brew System is great for cold brewing at home.

Great for brewing larger quantities without taking up lots of space.

Not great for folks looking for a stylish cold brew coffee maker.

The benefit of using Toddy systems is that the materials are widely available, both name brand and generic, so finding the right filters is never an issue.

The immersion method utilized by the Toddy system develops a rich and flavorful cold brew with low acidity and bitterness. Toddy systems can be used with just about any level of roast and still produce a delightful cold brew.

3. Yama Cold Coffee Brewer – Slow Drip 32oz

We are talking true professional-grade cold brewing with the Yama Cold Coffee Brewer. 

Product Highlights: The slow drip process reduces acid by 69% compared to regular brew coffee.

Great if you love cold brew coffee and have the space to put it on display.

Not so great if you are on a budget.

This brewer is often on show in cafes and is definitely a luxury addition to your home brew setup. However, the Yama Coffee Tower is not for the faint of heart nor those light on cash.

This luxury brewer drips room temperature water through coffee using gravity. The process is delicate, but it isn’t long – in cold brew terms. This slow drip cold brew method takes about eight hours in comparison to the eighteen to twenty-four hours of immersion cold brew.

4. Bruer – Cold Bruer Drip Cold Coffee Brewer

Unlike classic immersion methods, this slow drip method not only plays well with lighter roast coffees, it shines.

Product Highlights: The Cold Bruer is a great option for folks looking to make a large quantity of cold brew coffee at home in less time.

Great for those who prefer fruity or lighter roast coffees, this method extracts delicate flavors nicely.

Not so great for folks looking for a thick, velvety texture.

We recommend the Bruer for anyone who prefers light roast single origins or coffees with fruity, playful profiles. The Bruer will highlight the floral and fruity flavors in the coffee while retaining a balanced acidity. 

While this slow drip method (slow in comparison to regular hot brew) it’s much faster than your usual cold brew, ringing in at only four to eight hours of brewing to produce 20 ounces of cold brew.

5. OXO Good Grips 32 Ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker

The OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker is the cold brew system version of the OXO Pourover that also has the Rainmaker feature. 

Product Highlights: OXO is a company with a great reputation and excellent customer service.

Great for anyone looking for a durable, affordable, and easy-to-use cold brew maker.

Not so great for those looking for a stylish and easy-to-store cold brew maker.

The OXO Rainmaker feature disperses the water evenly over your coffee. However, for cold brew, as you will be stirring the grounds in with the water, this feature is a bit redundant. 

With that being said, with the OXO name, you get the benefits of a larger brand that can supply a trusted warranty and quality customer service. This brewer is definitely a decent bang for your buck and suits most cold brew drinkers.

6. TAKEYA Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, One Quart

The Takeya Patented Cold Brew Coffee Maker is similar to the Ovalware RJ3 but is plastic.

Product Highlights: The Takeya Patented Cold Brew Coffee Maker is similar to the Ovalware RJ3 but is plastic, making this brewer more family-friendly.

Great for anyone prone to breaking glass and looking for a plastic alternative to the Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brew Maker.

Not so great for anyone who does not have the patience to clean out the hard-to-reach spots in the lid.

This brewer is a popular one at cafes for making small amounts of high-quality cold brew. Its smaller size allows for cafes to brew different types of tea and coffee without wastage. 

Being made of plastic makes this cold brew coffee brewer is also great for families. 

Making it a great all-in-one brewer choice to brew and serve cold brew coffee and tea without the worry of breaking it. 

Yes, the plastic element makes the Takeya family-friendly, but that’s not its only trick. It’s also travel-friendly and a great accessory to bring to camping.

7. Coffee Gator Cold Brew Maker – 47 oz

The Coffee Gator boasts quite a large capacity and includes a variety of accessories that make this brewer a one-stop-shop for home baristas.

Product Highlights: The Coffee Gator Cold Brew Maker is a larger version of the Takeya and comes with various accessories for the brewing process. These accessories include a funnel and measuring scoop for dosing your coffee for cold brewing.

Great for those looking for a cold brew kit that includes all the accessories. This cold brewing method is excellent as a gift for the novice coffee enthusiast in your life.

Not so great for someone who likes to keep it simple without the extra gadgets to take up space in your junk drawer.

Unlike the Takeya, the Gator is made of glass with a plastic lid. The glass server allows you to brew both hot and cold coffee as the glass is borosilicate and can withstand both temperatures. This is a great feature for most brewers. 

However, where the plastic build makes the Takeya safe for families and travel, the glass build of the Gator is neither.

That being said, the glass build of the Gator provides a level of sophistication and is a great fit for those looking to cold brew or hot brew both coffee and tea at home.

8. Bean Envy Cold Brew Coffee Maker – 32 oz

The Bean Envy is a small brewer that will fit on your fridge shelf and perhaps even in the door.

Product Highlights: The Bean Envy Cold Brew Coffee Maker is quite similar to the Ovalware RJ3 pick, with its main difference being style and size. 

Great for small spaces. This cold brew maker doubles as both a brewer and a server!

Not so great for anyone looking to brew or store large quantities.

Both the Ovalware RJ3 and the Bean Envy feature non-slip silicone bases, which protect the brewer/server combo from unhappy accidents. 

The only major con of the Bean Envy Brewer is the quality of minor features such as the silicone seal and the filter. 

Some reviewers note that the silicone seal on the lid is not airtight and can sometimes feel ill-fitting. Additionally, the filter does not contain as many fines as other mesh filters have shown to do.

9. County Line Kitchen – Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker

Product Highlights: While this brewer comes with a vessel, the vessel is a generic 64oz mason jar, making replacing this part easy and affordable!

Great for multi-purpose usage. While this cold brew method does come with the 64oz mason jar, you can attach the lid to any wide lid mason jar for easy use.

Not so great for anyone looking for a stylish, stand-out cold brew method and server.

The County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker is a familiar product with a twist. We’ve all seen our fair share of mason jars and likely have a good stash of them in our cupboard. This cold brew method features a screw-on lid with a detachable filter for cold brewing coffee or tea.

This brewer is definitely on the clunky side, but the generic nature of the brew vessel makes the County Line brewer versatile and reliable. However, at the same time, this makes the brewer somewhat obsolete as it is essentially a mason jar with a spout.

10. Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker

Product Highlights: A small-scale alternative to more traditional cold brew methods, this brewer is great for the office or for travel.

Great for travel and cold brew on the go.

Not so great for frequent use for the cold brew fanatic.

If you are really tight on space at home or in the office, the Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker might be the one for you. Similar in looks to a French Press, this method utilizes the same technique as the Ovalware and Takeya but at a much smaller scale.

As an immersion brewer, you can expect rich cups. However, this brewer does not do an adequate job of filtering and often leaves you with grounds in your cup. 

Additionally, this brewer’s design has left customers complaining of poor quality borosilicate glass and a poorly executed spout design, making pouring a messy business.

11. KitchenAid KCM5912SX Cold Brew Coffee Maker 38 Oz

Product Highlights: If you’re looking for cold brew on tap, this KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker is ready to serve. This product both brews and serves your cold brew coffee.

Great for anyone looking for a one-stop brew method that dispenses easily.

Not so great for anyone looking for bells and whistles.

Of course, with a brand name like Kitchenaid, you tend to expect above and beyond. With this cold brew coffee maker, you can expect the basics but not beyond.

While absolutely a functioning brewer with positive attributes, this cold brewer is pricey for the product. Easy to dispense for folks looking to brew large quantities and top off your drink throughout the day, this brewer is perfect for your refrigerator shelf.

Beyond the ease of dispensing and ability to brew large amounts of cold brew and cold brew concentrate, this brewer is bulky and hard to clean. 

The dispensing spout requires diligent cleaning with specialized products and tools if you want to keep your brewer properly clean for an extended period of time.

You can get much more out of other cold brewers on this list for a fraction of the price.

The Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker: A Buying Guide

With all the various types of cold brew coffee makers in the world, where do you even begin when it comes to choosing the right cold brewer for you? 

There are a few different factors to consider if you’re after making the best cold brew coffee, so let’s get to it.

There are two main types of cold brew coffee makers: immersion brewers and slow drip brewers. Both have their benefits and yield different results. 

Immersion Cold Brew Coffee Makers

The immersion cold brew coffee maker is the most popular type of cold brewer for a few reasons. 

First and foremost of those reasons is the simplicity of immersion brewing. Cold brew made through immersion simply means that the coffee grounds are immersed in the cold water, stirred, and left to sit for a set amount of time (usually between 12-24 hours). 

This method yields cold brew with low acidity and thick, velvety consistency. 

Slow Drip Cold Brew Coffee Makers

On the less simple side of cold brewing coffee, the slow drip version of the cold brew coffee maker employs a slowly dripping source of water onto the bed of coffee grounds.

This method has the water drip from a reservoir through the coffee and out to a vessel collecting the cold coffee. 

While it may seem like there is less contact with the water, this method is actually faster and yields cold coffee within as little as four hours. However, the cold coffee is much lighter in texture and flavor and tends to have more acidity and less bitterness.

The Coffee

The coffee beans you tend to brew will also influence which cold brew coffee maker you should purchase. 

Your chosen coffee will be affected by the coffee maker and the brewing method, the filtering medium, and the quantity of coffee brewed. 

Each of these factors will change the texture, acidity, bitterness, and flavor notes in your coffee. Follow our tips for the best cold brew coffee.

Roast Level

Dark roast coffees tend to boast smokey, chocolatey flavors. 

The smokey, rich body of a dark roast coffee comes out prominently in cold brew, especially when using an immersion method like the Toddy Cold Brew System or the Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Coffee Maker.

Medium roast coffees also feature chocolate heavily but are nuttier and often sweeter than a dark roast coffee. 

Medium roast coffee is best suited for cold brew as it offers a balanced and mellow flavor profile that cold brew brings out well. Any cold brew method and coffee maker will shine with a well-balanced medium roast coffee.

Light roast coffees are often bright and floral coffee with subtle notes and fruity flavors. 

These coffees can be higher in acidity than many other coffees and are delicate in flavor. We recommend the slow drip method using the Bruer Cold Bruer or the Ovalware RJ3 Cold Brewer to bring out the best in your light roast coffee when cold brewing.

Texture

We suggest pairing a dark or medium roast coffee with the OXO Good Grips Cold Brewer for a richer body and texture.

For a lighter body and texture, we recommend pairing a light or medium roast coffee with the Yama Cold Coffee Maker or the Bruer Cold Brew Maker.

Acidity and Bitterness

Brew time affects the bitterness and acidity in brewed coffee, whether it is regular hot coffee or cold brew. 

The best bet is to choose the correct coffee for your brew time and method. For example, if you want to avoid acidity and bitterness, try cold-brewing a medium roast coffee using any of the immersion methods listed. Of course, that means any method that is not a slow drip method.

The Coffee Grounds Grind

The best cold brew coffee has the hallmarks of great flavor, but without the right grind size, you’re going to fall on your face! 

Use a grind slightly smaller than French Press for the best results. Although, you can use the same size too, and it’ll do as it’s close enough. 

Related Reads: How Long To Steep Cold Brew, Cold Brew Ratio

Yes..You Can Use A French Press

A final quick shortcut for those who prefer versatility. 

The French Press is a well-loved and well-known coffee brewing method for regular hot coffee… but did you know you can make cold brew with a French Press, too?

You sure can.

Like with other immersion methods, simply give your cold brew a stir in your French Press and let sit for 12 or more hours. 

Note – you can use the same coffee grounds as French Press too. The grind size is nearly the same. 

Then, as you would with a hot French Press brew, simply press down the plunger and strain.

The French Press Cold Brew Method is a great way to make cold brew at home for folks who enjoy both cold brew and hot coffee. 

The best coffee roast level for the French Press, hot or cold, is a dark or medium roast.

The Final Verdict

This comprehensive list of the best cold brewing methods may seem extensive, but each of these methods are suited for different coffees, different situations, and different folks. There is definitely a cold brew method for everyone, and you’ll find them here!

Each of the other cold brew methods listed has its own unique set of features that make them stand out and stand up to the best brew methods out there. 

Nonetheless, our top pick is the Airtight cold brewer:

Depending on your preferred style and flavors in your coffee, this or another of these brew methods will suit your needs and get you the best cold brew. Additionally, all of these cold brew coffee makers double as cold brew tea makers!