If you've recently started thinking about cold brew coffee, you're not alone. The popularity of cold brew coffee is growing rapidly, and most people who try true cold brew for the first time are surprised by how it tastes.
But before we dive into the cold brew, who the heck am I, and why should you listen to me?
If this is your first time here, welcome. I'm Kev, my friends call me Coffee Kev. My wife (and my mum) calls me “KEVIN!” but usually only if I'm in trouble.
I started Coffee Blog over 10 years ago, followed by the Coffee Kev YouTube channel, my USA-focused blog CoffeeKev.com, and I founded The Coffeeworks, so it's fair to say I'm just ever so slightly obsessed about coffee.
My reviews are real & completely honest. No sponsored content, no freebies, just real “warts ‘n all” reviews by someone who has actually spent time with each product, and knows a fair bit about coffee.
In this post, I'm going to introduce cold brew and explain how to make cold brew coffee at home, but also why you'd want to.
I'll also introduce Nitro cold brew, provide my top 4 recommendations for the best cold brew coffee maker, and explain how a coffee machine's cold brew process differs, as well as which machine I think does the best job.
There's quite a lot of info here, so feel free to jump to the sections you're most interested in, using the handy table of contents:
Cold Brew Coffee Guide – Quick Links:
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home
The Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Best Cold Brew Style Coffee Machine
What Is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is coffee that is brewed at a cold temperature. The “cold” part refers to how it's brewed, not how it's consumed; you can drink it hot or cold.
This may sound obvious, but many people do mistake cold brew for iced coffee.
Iced coffee is simply any hot brewed coffee enjoyed cold by adding ice. Cold brew is a brewing method in which cold water is used instead of hot.
The Benefits of Cold Brew Coffee
There are few things that might surprise you about cold brew:
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- Cold brew has a completely different taste profile from all hot brewing methods
- If well brewed, cold brew tastes less bitter than coffee brewed via most hot brewing methods
- It tastes less acidic than coffee brewed via most hot brewing methods
- Cold brew is actually less acidic in pH; it's not purely the taste
- Cold brew is surprisingly versatile & useful
If you've ever thought, “Why would I want to drink coffee cold?”, you've probably missed the point of cold brew. This is exactly what I used to think, but this is confusing cold brew with iced coffee.
The point of cold brew is that it tastes different and it has various other benefits, because it's brewed cold. The main benefit is the taste, and I'm not saying cold brew tastes better, but I am saying it tastes different.
Using sound as an analogy, if you imagine a graphic equaliser, with booming bass at one end and sharp treble at the other, cold brew is like a perfectly balanced mix without piercing treble or gut-trembling bass.
You can drink cold brew hot, and many people do. In fact, concentrated cold brew is the perfect instant coffee hack.
Many people brew cold brew concentrate and may keep it in the fridge for a week or two to be diluted with hot water or hot milk for great quality instant coffee.
A Brief History of Cold Brew
The earliest cold brew was essentially a cold pour-over. Dutch traders used a method involving water slowly dripping through ground coffee for hours, resulting in a cold, concentrated coffee that could be stored on long journeys via ship.
I'm assuming they did this before boarding the ship, because cold brewing coffee at sea doesn't sound like plain sailing. I don't apologise.
This kind of coffee was taken all over the world, but it really took off in Japan sometime between the 15th and 16th centuries.
These kinds of cold brewers are still very much a thing, they're known as cold drip, Dutch drip or Kyoto style coffee drippers.
Modern immersion cold brewers, the type most people use today, began with the Toddy Cold Brew system, invented in the mid 60's by Cornell chemical engineering student Todd Simpson, who tasted cold brew in Peru and went to work to create a simple way to brew this kind of coffee at home.
How to Make Cold Brew at Home
Making cold brew coffee is actually mega simple!
You immerse coarsely ground coffee in some kind of filter, in cold water, and you choose the ratio (ground coffee vs water) and the brew time, based on whether you want to drink neat, or brew a concentrated cold brew to dilute.
Fast & Simple Cold Brew Guide
The steps to making cold brew coffee usually look like this:
- Add coarsely ground coffee to your filter.
- Slowly pour cold water through the grounds, at roughly a 1:8-1:12 ratio for drinking neat, or 1:4 – 1:6 for concentrated cold brew.
- Stir the grounds to ensure they're all saturated, no dry spots.
- Leave to brew for 12 hours or more, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Remove the grounds, keep your cold brew in the fridge and drink within a couple of weeks.
Coarsely ground
Exactly what your grind size needs to be will depend on your brewer and your recipe and technique, but a rule of thumb is roughly French press/cafetiere grind.
If you have a coffee grinder, you can adjust the grind over time, tweaking it with each brew. If you don't, guess what? ;-). My coffee at The Coffeeworks is available pre-ground for cold brew. Just choose that option at checkout, and we'll grind for you just as we're bagging up your freshly roasted coffee.
Brew Ratio
So when I say 1:10, I mean 1 part coffee to 10 parts water. 1L of water to 100g of ground coffee, for example.
Most immersion cold brewers will manage up to about a 1:5 ratio. There are some that are purely designed for 1:8 and above, for “ready-to-drink” cold brew, and don't work for concentrate. Don't worry, I'll make that clear in my cold brewer recommendations.
Even Saturation
This is one of the most important things to ensure with cold brew coffee. If you're not careful, you'll end up with dry spots or dry channels throughout the coffee in the filter.
To avoid this, don't pack the ground coffee into the filter; leave it loose; pour the water slowly, and give it a good stir.
Brew Time
My advice here is simply to taste your cold brew after about 8-12 hours and see if you're happy with the strength. If it still tastes a bit on the weak side, leave it a bit longer.
If you're using the same coffee, same grind size and same brew ratio each time, you should be fine sticking to the same brew time for each brew, but you can always taste it & leave it for a bit longer if needed.
The Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker
County Line Mason Jar Cold Brewer
This is one of the many mason jar-style cold brewers on the market, and it sells very well. It's really simple to use, it's durable, and it'll brew a decent volume.
It's available in a few sizes; this one will brew just under a litre. It's a sturdy soda-lime glass jar, it doesn't at all feel like I could easily break it, and I'm a bit heavy-handed!
It has a silicone-sealed flip lid and a reusable mesh filter. None of this feels cheap or brittle, so I think it's really good value for money, given it's one of the lowest priced of this style of cold brewer.
This is essentially a 1-quart (roughly 950ml) mason jar with a wide-mouth stainless steel filter and a screw-on flip-top lid. The jar itself is made from sturdy soda-lime glass, and the stainless steel mesh feels much more robust than what you'd find on cheaper brewers. The flip lid is silicone-sealed and leak-resistant, and it actually pours really well.
What I Like
- Airtight seal. Means there's no chance of your coffee picking up any odours from the fridge.
- Flexible ratio & volume. The filter almost touches the bottom of the jug, so there isn't the same ratio restriction as with brewers with shorter filters.
- Multi-use. Remove the filter & it's a sturdy glass jug with an airtight seal, so even if you only cold brew occasionally, it'll still be well worth the twenty-odd quid you paid for it.
- Low cost. There may be better cold brewers, but they're a lot more money, so this is a good way to dip your toes in the cold brew. Sorry, that sounds awful! ;-).
- Easy to clean. Everything comes apart easily, making cleaning quick & simple, and the wide-mouth jar is easy to clean by hand, although it's all dishwasher safe too.
What I Like Less
- Potential for uneven saturation. As with all of this kind of brewer, you do have to be careful with your technique to avoid dry spots. See the brewing tips section.
- Stiff lid. It's easy to over-tighten the screw-on lid if you're hench like me. So just go easy when you're screwing the lid on.
- Sediment. This has a fairly coarse mesh filter, it will allow some sediment through, so the coffee isn't as clean as with a paper or cloth filter.
- Slightly bulky. The 1.9L version is about 11cm wide (15.5cm incl. handle) it'll just fit in my fridge door, but it's a bit of a squeeze.
Kev’s Verdict
This is a low-cost cold brew coffee maker that also serves as a decent-quality mason jar jug with an airtight seal, so even if you don't find yourself making much cold brew, it's still something most people would get use out of.
So if you're someone who wants to try cold brew, who might just use it for a couple of weeks during a heat wave, you've not wasted your money even if cold brew ends up being a fad for you, as you have a perfectly usable, sturdy glass jug with a flip-top lid.
Hario Mizudashi
Hario were the first recognised coffee brand other than Toddy to launch a cold brew coffee maker. The Mizudashi was first launched in 2011, and it quickly became one of the best-selling cold brew coffee makers.
It's minimalist & practical, as we'd expect from Hario, it's affordable, and it looks great.
What I Like
- Distinctive looks. The Mizudashi isn't just any other glass jug with a filter; it has a very cool, minimalist and distinctive look.
- Slim. About 9cm at the base, unlikely you'll struggle to fit this into door shelves. It is quite tall, though, at about 29cm.
- Inexpensive. At about twenty quid, it's a low-cost entry into cold brew, from a well-known brand.
- Lightweight yet sturdy. Made from lab-quality Borosilicate glass, it's just as sturdy as heavier & thicker glass, but much lighter weight.
- Trusted brand. Hario are among the world's longest-established coffee maker brands (1921).
- Fine mesh filter. Still not as clean a cup as with paper filters, but it's cleaner than the coarser mesh filters.
What I Like Less
- Limited brew ratio. The filter hangs down just over halfway into the jug, which means you're limited to ready-to-drink ratios.
- Potential for uneven saturation. Again, with this type of cold brewer, care is required to ensure even water distribution.
- The seal is not airtight. Tricky to try to hack a more concentrated brew, as you can't leave it on the side, and there's a potential for fridge odours to reach your coffee, in theory.
Kev’s Verdict
This is a distinctive, minimalist-looking cold brewer, great for making ready-to-drink cold brew. It's affordable, but it's from a well-known brand, and it's been one of the best-selling cold brew makers of this style for over a decade. It's a great choice as a first cold brew coffee maker for anyone who isn't bothered about making concentrated cold brew to dilute.
Maestri House Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Maestri House are a US-based brand that has been around for a few years now, and they have some interesting products.
Their cold brewer, in particular, is different from many of the other immersion brewers on the market for reasons that will soon become clear, and this is definitely a cold brewer I'd have on my shortlist if I were looking to make cold brew concentrate.
What I Like
- Great for concentrate. You can store it on its side, and the filter is offset to one side, meaning you can completely immerse the filter with a small volume of water.
- Airtight seal. No worries of leakage or picking up fridge odours.
- Slim. It'll fit in most fridge doors, standing or on its side.
- Removable filter. You can remove the filter without fully removing the lid.
What I Like Less
- Potential for dry spots. I know I'm repeating this, but it's true for all of these kinds of cold coffee brew makers; care is required for even saturation.
- Small volume. Max capacity is 1.2L, fine for concentrate, though.
- Slightly pricy. It's about a tenner more than the County Lines & the Hario.
Kev’s Verdict
This is the cold brewer I'd probably go for if I were mainly thinking about brewing concentrate for diluting, if I didn't want to spend a bit more on the Toddy.
It feels really good quality, the size and shape make it convenient for fridge storage, and the fact that you can brew lying down, I think, is quite clever & very useful.
This isn't just because it has an air-tight seal, it's also because the filter is offset to one side, so when you lie it down that way, the filter can be fully immersed with a relatively small amount of water.
Toddy Cold Brew System
The Toddy Cold Brew System is the original immersion-style brewer, released in 1964 & still going strong. This is a brewer for the more serious cold brew enthusiast. It's 2-3 times the price of the brewers above, but if you really like cold brew & will be brewing it a lot, it's probably worth it.
What I Like
- Big volume concentrate. It'll make 1.5L of highly concentrated coffee to be diluted.
- Less prone to dry spots & channelling. But if you're using the paper filter bags, I'd still recommend stirring & pouring the water slowly to ensure even saturation.
- Clean coffee. The felt filter sifts out the silt, so the Toddy is known for very clean cups.
- Very simple. A method is required if you prefer to use it without a filter bag, but this is still a very simple brewer.
What I Like Less
- Time-consuming clean-up. If you're not using filter bags, clean up is a bit of a pain.
- Bulky. The main part of the brewer is 17.5 wide, the glass jug is just over 12cm wide, so it should fit in most fridge doors once brewed.
- No markings. You have to measure your water before pouring it in.
- Complex without filter bags. If you don't want to use filter bags, there's quite a bit of technique involved.
- Filter bags are pricey. The genuine toddy filters are almost £2 each, although there are many cheaper alternatives
Kev’s Verdict
The Toddy is among the world's favourite cold coffee brew maer especially when it comes to brewing concentrate to be diluted, it's known for making great, clean & smooth cold brew, and it would be my recommendation for anyone who drinks enough cold brew to warrant spending close to £60 on a cold brewer.
The Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker Compared
| Cold Brewer | County Line Kitchen | Hario Mizudashi | Maestri House | Toddy Home |
| Concentration | 1:6 and above | 1:10 and above (1:8 at a push) | 1:5 and above | 1:3 and above |
| Filter type | Course mesh | Fine mesh | Fine Mesh | Felt and/or paper bag filter |
| Fridge door friendly? | Possibly in some fridges. |  |
|
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| Price | Check Price – Amazon | Check Price – Amazon | Check Price – Amazon | Check Price – Amazon |
Cold Brewing Tips
- Don't pack in the coffee. This is the most common cause of uneven water saturation. Try to leave your ground coffee as loose as you can in the filter
- Pour slowly. Pour your water through the grounds slowly, and wait for it to pass through, to avoid uneven water saturation
- Cleaner coffee. If you're using a mesh filter brewer and you don't like the silt, just pour your cold brew through a paper filter
- Darker roasts. Most people will probably prefer the chocolatey notes of medium-dark to dark roast coffee via cold brew. If you're unsure, I'd start with something along the lines of Chocolate Brownie Blend or Chocolate Fondant Blend.
- Clean your filter. Coffee oils can clog the filter mesh over time, so it's important to keep your filters very clean.
- Make coffee ice cubes. If you're making cold brew for drinking cold during warm weather, pouring some of your cold brew into ice cube trays works very well.
Espresso Machine Cold Brew Style Coffee
OK, so now let's just quickly talk about cold brew “style” coffee from coffee machines to explain exactly what it is, how it differs from true cold brew, and which of the coffee machines that offer this are closest to true cold brew.
What Is Cold Brew Style Coffee?
This started out with the Ninja hot & cold brew system, a filter coffee maker with an option for a cooler brew that is cold once you add ice.
Sage, De'Longhi, Gaggia and Ninja all now offer espresso coffee machines with this feature, and it's espresso but brewed for longer and cooler.
It's not cold brew, at all, as it's brewed warm, and usually hits the cup at just above room temperature, but I'm guessing “Luke warm brew” isn't a hit with marketing teams ;-).
As long as you use plenty of ice, though, it will end up cold, but it doesn't quite taste the same as cold brew.
Coffee Machine Cold Brew Style Coffee vs True Cold Brew
- Taste Profile. Coffee machine cold brew tastes like espresso or Americano that has cooled down, true cold brew doesn't
- Speed. It's much faster to make, minutes, not hours, and you can make just one cup at a time
- No commitment. You don't need to buy anything else if the machine you've bought already has this feature.
In a nutshell, coffee machine cold brew style coffee is a way to have a bit of fun with cold brew-based coffees while the weather is nice, without investing in a cold brew coffee maker.
If you find you really like cold brew-based drinks, I'd highly recommend you grab yourself a true cold brewer. They're inexpensive, as you've seen, and you'll more than likely find that they hugely elevate the quality of your drinks.
If you watch my cold brew video, you'll see that I blind taste tested cold brew “style” coffee vs true cold brew coffee, and I could tell which was which instantly. True cold brew has a much rounder taste profile, without any of the extremes, bitterness or acidity.
But your machine does have a cold brew option, it's great fun, and for me, it's reminiscent of the iced coffees I used to make as a kid using instant coffee, so maybe not the best in terms of quality, but fun & enjoyable nonetheless.
The Best Cold Brew Style Coffee Machine
Many automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines from DeLonghi & Gaggia now have this option, and integrated grinder espresso machines from Sage, DeLonghi and Ninja, but which make cold brew the closest to true cold brew?
I taste tested this between the Ninja Luxe Cafe, Sage Barista Touch Cold & DeLonghi La Specialista Touch.
The honest answer is that none of them taste close to true cold brew; they all taste more or less like espresso-based coffees that have been left to cool.
However, my favourite of the three came as a surprise to me, as you'll see if you watch the video.
Ninja Luxe Cafe
While I have to say that the same quality cold brew style coffee is possible with the Sage and the DeLonghi, the Luxe Cafe is my favourite as it's the easiest to get the best tasting results.
Putting myself in the shoes of the average coffee drinker, the Luxe Cafe is just incredibly simple to use, there's no thinking or research required, it tells you what grind size to adjust to, and you press a button, and the cold brew style coffee it has delivered, every time I've tried it, has been among the best I've tasted.
On other machines including the Sage Barista Touch Impress Cold, and the DeLonghi La Specialista Touch, you can get the same kind of results, but it takes a bit of time and effort, and I think most people probably don't want to waste time, effort & coffee to make a quick, fun, cold brew style coffee.
The Ninja Luxe Cafe isn't perfect, by the way, and it's definitely not my favourite espresso machine. When it comes to multi-purpose machines providing a Starbucks-sized drinks menu in the kitchen, though, I don't think anyone else has answered this question so far as well as Ninja have with the Luxe Cafe.
Nitro Cold Brew
Nitro cold brew is actually really easy to explain in terms of what it is and how to make it, so even if you didn't come here specifically to find out more about Nitro cold brew coffee, I think it's worth spending 30 seconds reading this section, as Nitro cold brew is ace!
What Is Nitro Cold Brew Coffee?
Nitro cold brew is literally just cold brew coffee that has been infused with Nitrogen, which gives it a very similar mouthfeel to beer, the most obvious of which is Guinness, given the similar look.
Nitro cold brew actually tastes more like Guinness to me than it tastes like coffee ;-), and it's a weird thing, it's mainly down to the texture.
I doubt many people will switch to Nitro cold brew as their daily driver, but it's a great bit of fun during warm weather, especially when it comes to bringing your coffee cocktails to a whole new level!
How to Make Nitro Cold Brew
- Make your cold brew coffee.
- Pour your cold brew into your Nitro cold brew coffee maker.
- Insert the nitro cartridge (if required).
- Shake (the more you shake, the bigger the head).
- Dispense your nitro cold brew.
- Enjoy!
Best Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker
I spent some time researching this, and I concluded that the best in terms of cost and results is the NitroPress, so that's the one I bought and used in my What is Cold Brew video.
Hatfields London NitroPress
I chose this one as it's the only one that has a sizeable number of reviews, and they were largely very positive. There are a couple of similar-looking products that are cheaper, but they're quite new and lacking reviews, so I thought I'd go for the one lots of people seem to be raving about.
What I Like
- Quality. This isn't cheap, but it does look & feel really nice quality, I get the impression it'll still be going strong in 10 years when we have our next UK heat wave
- Simple. It's a doddle to use, just don't forget to shake, as I did the first time I used it
- Flexible quantities. You can brew anywhere up to half a litre of Nitro cold brew
- Small. This is very slim, it'll easily fit in the fridge, and it won't take up much space in a cupboard.
What I Like Less
- Pricey. Quite a lot to pay for something that will probably be a fairly short-lived novelty, I'd recommend a lower-priced alternative if I found one I thought was as good.
- Nitro Bulbs. It's very difficult to find which cartridges are compatible, and the official ones from NitroPress are £1 each!
- Wasteful. The Aluminium nitro bulbs are single-use. They can be recycled as they're just Aluminium, but still it seems a bit of a waste of material and money (a quid each…).
Kev’s Verdict
While there are no lower-priced alternatives that I think are worth going for, this is probably the best option at present. It's a lot of money to spend on something that you might only use occasionally, and I'd highly recommend trying Nitro cold brew first to make sure you enjoy it.
It's not perfect, and the least perfect thing about it was getting hold of the Nitro cartridges. I ordered them from NitroPress themselves; they were £1 each, which is way more pricey than other cartridges, but I bought some other, much cheaper ones, and they didn't fit.
I think the person who'll find this a worthwhile investment is someone who makes a lot of coffee cocktails. If you regularly make an espresso martini, for example, a cold brew nitro martini is epic!
Cold Brew Coffee: FAQs
What Is the Difference Between Cold Brew and Iced Coffee?
The “cold” part of cold brew refers to how it's brewed, not just how it's consumed. Brewing cold produces a different taste profile, smoother and rounder, lacking the “edges” of bitterness or acidity that hot brewing methods are more known for. Iced coffee is any coffee that is cooled by adding ice; it has the same taste profile as it had while hot.
How Do You Make Cold Brew at Home?
Very simply, with a cold brew coffee maker. Add coarsely ground coffee beans and then cold water, and leave to brew. See: How to make cold brew.
What Cold Brew Coffee Maker Is Best?
If you're wanting a low cost option, I'd say the Hario Mizudashi if you're mainly wanting to brew ready-to-drink cold-brew, the County Lines Kitchen or Maestri House cold brewers if you're also wanting to make concentrate. If you're more serious about your cold brew, I'd look at the original Toddy cold brewer.
What Is the Ideal Cold Brew Coffee Ratio?
For ready-to-drink cold brew, 1:8 – 1:12, or for concentrate, anywhere from 1:4 – 1:6.
What Is Cold Brew Concentrate?
This is a concentrated cold brew made using more ground coffee to water, to be diluted with hot or cold milk or water.
How Long Does Cold Brew Last?
If stored air-tight in the fridge, your cold brew should be fine for up to about 2 weeks. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays; it'll keep for months in the form of coffee ice cubes.
What Are the Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew?
This really depends on your palate, but most people will prefer the taste of the more classic, chocolaty espresso profiles via cold brew. If you're unsure, try my favourite coffee ever… Chocolate Brownie Blend. This is my coffee, so I'm biased, but just check out the reviews and you'll see I'm not the only person in love with this coffee!
Does Cold Brew Have More Caffeine?
It depends on how concentrated the cold brew is, and how much you're diluting it, but generally speaking cold brew is among the highest caffeine brew methods, due to the fact that caffeine extraction tends to lag behind flavour extraction (hats off to James Hoffmann for figuring this out with his caffeine testing video)
What Is Nitro Cold Brew, and How Is It Different From Regular Cold Brew?
It's cold brew infused with Nitrogen, and it's different from regular cold brew due to the texture; it's like drinking coffee-flavoured Guinness.
Can You Make Cold Brew Decaf?
You certainly can, just use decaf coffee beans.
Cold Brew Coffee Conclusion
To sum it all up, cold brew coffee refers to the way coffee is brewed, not just how it's consumed, and the main point is that it tastes different, less acidic and less bitter than the same coffee brewed hot.
You can make cold brew at home very simply, using a very inexpensive and simple to use cold brew coffee maker, or if you just want a bit of cold coffee fun in the sun, there are coffee machines that have a “cold brew” feature, although this isn't not quite true cold brew.
Life is like a box of chocolates, subscribe to my YouTube Channel, try my coffee at The Coffeeworks (use discount code CWNC25 for 25% off your first order), follow me on Twitter & Instagram, follow the coffeeblog FaceBook page, and that’s all I have to say about that.
The post Cold Brew Coffee The Ultimate Guide + Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker & Nitro appeared first on Coffee Blog.
By: KevTitle: Cold Brew Coffee The Ultimate Guide + Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker & Nitro
Sourced From: coffeeblog.co.uk/cold-brew-coffee/
Published Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2025 09:39:44 +0000
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