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Cold brewing is one of the easiest ways to make coffee at home, and a good cold brewer makes it even easier. If you want delicious cold brew coffee without the mess and fuss associated with some makers, consider the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
I gave it a thorough test run and was impressed by the design, coffee quality, and user-friendliness.
Things I didn’t like:
Immersion cold brewing is one of the simplest coffee brewing methods. You don’t need to learn a pouring technique, nail the perfect brew temperature, or get the extraction time just right. So is it even worth buying a cold-brew coffee maker?
To be honest, they aren’t all worth it; some are little more than glorified French presses. But the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker offers a few features that make it stand out from the crowd, which is why it tops my list of the best cold brewers on the market right now.
I’ll explain here what makes it special so you can decide if it’s worth the price.
The OXO Cold Brewer is a decent-looking appliance. It’s not the most beautiful brewer on the market, and I can’t say I’m inclined to keep it on display when not in use. To my eye, it looks very plastic, but it won’t spoil your kitchen aesthetic while it brews on your countertop.
When you’re not using it, the whole thing nests together into a compact package, so it’s easy to stash away in a cupboard. This is key because the brewer is quite tall when assembled. Measuring 9.53″ deep by 9.53″ wide by 14.72″ high, I couldn’t fit it comfortably in my fridge without rearranging the shelving, so I ended up just brewing at room temperature.
What I especially appreciate about this brewer is the included carafe, which is not plastic but durable borosilicate glass. That gives it a more high-end look, and it means I can also use it as a carafe for hot coffee. As a person with a small kitchen, I always look for little hacks to get more product use.
The carafe is marked with handy measurements, and it includes a lid with a silicone seal that cleverly doubles as a measuring cup.
I thought the initial setup was the most difficult part of using this device. It has a surprising number of bits and pieces, and it took me a few minutes to unbox everything and wrap my head around how it all fits together.
It also took me a few attempts to realize you need to assemble it carefully. If I twisted the base too hard, there was some leakage during brewing.
Once assembled, the brewer is simple to use. Just make sure you have the brew-release switch in the OFF position before you start. I learned that the hard way!
Here’s what works for me:
This recipe using 40 ounces of water makes about 28 ounces of cold brew concentrate because the grounds absorb a lot of the water.
My recipe for making cold brew at home uses a brewing ratio of 1:4, but you can experiment with 1:3 and 1:5 to see what tastes best. When it comes time to serve, I dilute the concentrate 1:2 – adding two parts water or milk to one part concentrate.
The best grind for cold brew is a coarse grind, especially with brewers like this that use a mesh filter. It should be coarser than you would put in a drip coffee machine. For best results, I generally go a little coarser than I would use in my French press. Otherwise, the long extraction time can pull too much bitterness out of the beans.
You can make passable cold coffee in a mason jar, so why drop $50 on this dedicated brewer? I have two very good reasons for you.
The first is all about making your life easier, the brew-release switch.
Flipping a switch and walking away while your cold brew drains is very convenient.
Not only does it free you up for multitasking, but you’ll likely get more coffee from your brewer. I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I’m standing around for 30 minutes trying to strain every last ounce of concentrate from a jar.
The second is perhaps more important because it’s about making better coffee. The patented Rainmaker water dispersal system is unique to OXO brewers. It distributes cold water evenly over your ground coffee, just like the top-of-the-line drip machines do with hot water (1). This ensures all the grounds are properly saturated for an even extraction – no gooseneck kettle required.
The OXO Cold Brewer makes some of the best cold brew I’ve tasted. I often find cold brew a little one-note. It’s so smooth, with so little bitterness and acidity, that it’s almost boring (2). That is definitely not the case here.
The coffee concentrate I’ve been making with the OXO brewer is as smooth and sweet as you expect from cold brew while maintaining a lovely complex flavor.
I’ve tried all roast levels, including some pretty fancy single-origins, and each has maintained its character through the brewing process.
The OXO Brewer comes with a stainless steel mesh filter built into the bottom of the brewing container, and my preference is to use only that when brewing. It makes a nice full-bodied cup, and I haven’t had any issues with grit in my coffee (3).
Metal filters create brews with fuller bodies and stronger flavors, because they don’t filter out as many oils or fines…The oils contain a coffee’s flavor notes, while the fines enhance a cup’s body.
Plus, it’s environmentally friendly and saves me from buying filters.
However, OXO has optional paper filters if you want added filtration. The paper filter will keep additional oils from coming through, just as with a drip coffee maker, so you’ll get a cleaner-tasting cup with a lighter body.
Your cold brew batches will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, assuming you store them in the airtight carafe. Once you dilute it, I’d suggest drinking within 24 hours.
The OXO is not the largest cold brewer on the market. With its 40-ounce capacity, it can brew a batch of about 24 to 28 ounces of concentrate – 12 to 14 servings. It’s a great size for one person looking to enjoy a cup of coffee a day, but you might want to go larger if you have a family of cold brew lovers.
The OXO has a pretty high price tag compared to more basic cold-brew makers, so you really need to value the convenience of its specialty features. I’d only recommend this brewer to someone who indulges in cold brew regularly. For the occasional user, a cheaper model would be just fine.
It’s worth noting that OXO’s Better Guarantee covers this brewer. They’ll replace it or refund you if you encounter issues during regular household use.
The biggest difference between OXO and the Toddy Cold Brew System is that the Toddy uses special felt filters, which produce a cleaner-tasting cup with a medium body. While testing the Toddy, I also found I could use a slightly finer grind size and shorter brewing time. The Toddy has a much larger capacity, producing over 40 ounces of concentrate.
I prefer the OXO, however, for its user-friendly features: the Rainmaker and the brew-release switch. It also looks slightly nicer on the counter and has a better flask. Plus, buying those replacement felt filters is an added cost I don’t need.
