Best Cold Brew Makers and Iced Coffee Makers for Spring 2026 (We Tested 7)

Cold brew season starts in April and peaks in July. Google Trends shows "cold brew maker" searches jump 340% between March and June. If you're tired of paying $5-7 per cold brew at the coffee shop, these makers pay for themselves in under a week of daily brewing. A $50 OXO maker + $15 of coffee grounds produces 30+ servings of cold brew, that's under $2.20 total, or about $0.07 per cup vs $5.50 at Starbucks.

OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Maker, Best Overall ($50)

The OXO wins because it removes every friction point from the cold brew process. The "rainmaker" lid has tiny holes that distribute water evenly across the coffee grounds, you just pour water through the top and walk away. After 12-24 hours, flip the drain switch and cold brew flows directly into the glass carafe below. No pouring, no mess, no separate filtering step.

The 32-ounce batch size is perfect for 1-2 people drinking cold brew daily. The borosilicate glass carafe is dishwasher safe, the filter basket lifts out cleanly, and the whole unit breaks down in 3 pieces for washing. We made 14 batches during testing and the fine-mesh stainless steel filter never clogged or let sediment through.

Brew quality is smooth and well-balanced. The rainmaker lid's even saturation means all grounds extract equally, no dry pockets, no over-extracted mud at the bottom. The resulting cold brew has clean chocolate and caramel notes without the bitterness or acidity you get from poorly extracted batches.

The trade-off, The OXO makes ready-to-drink cold brew, not concentrate. This means you go through your 32oz batch faster (4-5 glasses) compared to the Toddy which makes concentrate that dilutes to 60+ servings. If you're brewing for a family of 4, you'll need to make a fresh batch every 1-2 days.

Check OXO Cold Brew price on Amazon

Who should NOT buy this, Skip the OXO if you need large-volume batches. The 32oz capacity won't keep up with a household that drinks 4+ glasses per day. The Toddy ($40) or Filtron ($55) make 48-56oz of concentrate that dilutes into a week's worth of cold brew. Also skip if you want iced coffee right now, the OXO requires 12-24 hours of steeping. The Fellow Stagg XF makes iced pour-over in 3 minutes.

Toddy Cold Brew System, Best for Concentrate ($40)

The Toddy is the original cold brew maker and still the gold standard for concentrate. It produces a thick, syrupy cold brew concentrate that you dilute 1:1 to 1:3 with water or milk. One batch (using 12oz of coffee grounds) produces about 48oz of concentrate, enough for 60+ diluted servings over 2 weeks. That's roughly $0.04 per cup.

The brewing process is simple but hands-on. Layer coffee grounds and water in the brewing container, steep 12-24 hours, then pull the rubber stopper to drain concentrate into the glass decanter. The felt brewing filters (sold in packs of 2 for $6) produce a remarkably clean concentrate with virtually zero sediment.

The concentrate format is what makes the Toddy special for families and heavy cold brew drinkers. You keep the concentrate in the fridge (it stays fresh for 2 weeks because the low-acid extraction inhibits bacterial growth) and dilute each glass to your preferred strength. Want a strong cold brew? Use 1:1 ratio. Want a lighter refreshing drink? Go 1:3. It's also perfect for cold brew cocktails, espresso martinis, cold brew tonic, or white Russians.

The trade-off, The Toddy's felt filters need replacement every 10 batches ($3/filter) and require soaking before first use. The brewing container is large (it's the size of a Brita pitcher) and takes up significant fridge space during the 12-24 hour steep. Cleanup involves rinsing the felt filter and brewing container separately. Not as convenient as the OXO's one-piece design.

Check Toddy Cold Brew price on Amazon

Who should NOT buy this, Skip the Toddy if you want convenience above all else. The separate brewing container + glass decanter + felt filter means more parts to wash and more steps than the OXO. Also skip if you prefer ready-to-drink cold brew without diluting, the concentrate is intentionally strong and needs water or milk added. The OXO produces ready-to-drink cold brew straight from the carafe.

Fellow Stagg XF Pour-Over Set, Best Iced Pour-Over ($75)

The Fellow Stagg XF is technically not a cold brew maker, it's a pour-over dripper designed for hot coffee. But the Japanese iced coffee method (brewing hot coffee directly over ice) produces the best iced coffee we've ever made at home, and the Stagg XF is the best pour-over dripper for this technique.

Here's how it works: fill the carafe halfway with ice, use the Stagg XF dripper on top, and brew hot pour-over coffee at double strength directly over the ice. The hot water extracts bright, complex flavors that cold brew can't produce (cold water extraction strips out the fruity and floral notes), and the ice instantly cools and dilutes the concentrate to drinking strength. Total time: 3 minutes from boiling water to iced coffee in your hand.

The Stagg XF's vacuum-insulated double-wall carafe keeps your iced coffee cold for hours without additional ice dilution. The flat-bottom basket design brews evenly, and Fellow's ratio aid markings on the carafe help you nail the ice-to-water ratio every time.

The trade-off, At $75, the Fellow is the most expensive option and requires active participation (you're doing a pour-over, not set-and-forget). You also need a gooseneck kettle ($40-80 if you don't have one) and a grinder for medium-fine grounds. The barrier to entry is higher, but the result is noticeably better iced coffee than any cold brew maker produces.

Check Fellow Stagg XF on Fellow's website | Also on Amazon

Who should NOT buy this, Skip the Fellow if you want hands-off, set-it-and-forget-it cold brew. Pour-over iced coffee takes 3 minutes of active attention per cup. Cold brew makers let you steep overnight and have a week's supply ready. Also skip if you specifically want the smooth, mellow, low-acid flavor profile of cold brew, Japanese iced coffee has a brighter, more acidic character that some people don't prefer.

How We Tested

We tested all 7 cold brew makers in our kitchen over 3 weeks in March 2026. Every maker used the same coffee (Counter Culture Hologram, medium roast, coarse grind from a Baratza Encore at setting 28) and the same filtered water at the same temperature (room temp for cold brew, 205°F for pour-over).

Each maker was tested for brew quality (taste, smoothness, body, sediment), ease of use (setup time, active steps, cleanup time), batch economics (cost per serving based on coffee-to-water ratio), and durability (did anything crack, clog, or leak after 5+ batches).

Taste testing was done blind. We brewed each maker's output, normalized the dilution to the same strength using a TDS meter (1.35-1.45% total dissolved solids, which is the sweet spot for cold brew according to the Specialty Coffee Association), then had 4 family members rank each sample on smoothness, bitterness, body, and overall preference.

Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee vs Japanese Iced Coffee

These are three different drinks with different flavor profiles, and the maker you choose depends on which one you actually want.

Cold brew steeps coarse coffee in cold or room-temperature water for 12-24 hours. The cold water extracts sugars and oils slowly while leaving behind most of the bitter compounds and acids. Result: a smooth, sweet, chocolatey drink with 67% less acid than hot-brewed coffee, according to a 2018 study published in Scientific Reports. Best makers: OXO, Toddy, Takeya.

Iced coffee is regular hot-brewed coffee poured over ice. It's quick but the rapid cooling traps bitter compounds and the ice melts and dilutes the flavor within minutes. We don't recommend this method, it produces the weakest, most watered-down result of the three.

Japanese iced coffee brews hot coffee at double strength directly over ice. The hot water extracts the full range of flavors (including the bright, fruity notes that cold water can't reach), and the ice instantly locks them in. Result: a complex, vibrant iced coffee with more flavor depth than cold brew. Best maker: Fellow Stagg XF.

Takeya Patented Cold Brew Maker, Budget Pick ($25)

If $50 for the OXO feels steep, the Takeya ($25) makes perfectly good cold brew for half the price. The airtight pitcher design goes straight from counter to fridge without transferring to a separate carafe. The fine-mesh filter basket works well with coarse grounds and produces clean cold brew with minimal sediment.

The Takeya's main limitation is extraction consistency. Without the OXO's rainmaker lid, water distribution depends on how you pour, which means some grounds at the bottom get over-extracted while dry pockets at the top under-extract. Stirring after adding water helps but doesn't fully solve the problem. In our blind taste test, the Takeya scored 7/10 vs the OXO's 9/10 on smoothness.

Check Takeya Cold Brew price on Amazon

Hario Mizudashi, Japanese Precision ($22)

The Hario Mizudashi ($22) is a Japanese-designed cold brew pitcher that produces a lighter, more delicate cold brew than American-style makers. The tall, narrow filter basket encourages a gentler extraction that highlights floral and fruit notes in the coffee. If you drink light or medium roast single-origin coffee, the Hario brings out flavor complexity that the OXO and Toddy bulldoze into a generic "smooth" profile.

The 1-liter (34oz) capacity fits neatly in a fridge door. Brew time is shorter than most cold brew makers, 8-12 hours vs 12-24 hours, because the finer mesh filter and narrower basket increase contact between water and grounds. The trade-off is that the Hario's thin glass body feels fragile compared to the OXO's borosilicate and the Toddy's thick plastic.

Check Hario Mizudashi price on Amazon

KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, Premium Pick ($95)

The KitchenAid Cold Brew ($95) is the best-looking cold brew maker we tested. The brushed stainless steel tap and glass mason jar design look great on a counter. Brew quality is comparable to the OXO, smooth and well-balanced, but the 28oz capacity is actually smaller despite the higher price.

We can't recommend the KitchenAid over the OXO for performance. You're paying $45 more for aesthetics and a stainless steel tap that, while satisfying to use, doesn't improve the coffee. Buy this if the KitchenAid will sit on your counter as a centerpiece and you value design as much as function.

Check KitchenAid Cold Brew price on Amazon

Cost Per Cup Comparison

*Cost per cup excludes device cost (amortized over 100+ uses, adds <$1/cup for all makers). Coffee cost based on Counter Culture beans at $15/12oz bag.

The Toddy and Filtron are the clear winners on economics. Their concentrate format means one batch stretches across 60-70 servings. If you drink cold brew daily, the Toddy pays for itself vs Starbucks cold brew ($5.45/grande) in 8 cups, roughly 8 days.

FAQ

Q: How long does cold brew last in the fridge? A: Ready-to-drink cold brew (from OXO, Takeya, Hario) lasts 7-10 days in the fridge when sealed. Cold brew concentrate (from Toddy, Filtron) lasts up to 2 weeks because the concentrated format inhibits bacterial growth. After 10-14 days, cold brew starts to develop stale, cardboard-like flavors as the oils oxidize. Make smaller batches more frequently rather than brewing one massive batch.

Q: What coffee ratio should I use for cold brew? A: The standard cold brew ratio is 1:5 (coffee to water by weight) for concentrate, or 1:8 for ready-to-drink strength. For the OXO and Takeya, use 5 ounces of coarse-ground coffee to 40 ounces of water. For the Toddy, use 12 ounces of coffee to 56 ounces of water to make concentrate, then dilute 1:1 or 1:2 with water or milk. Stronger isn't always better, over-concentrated cold brew tastes flat and muddy rather than rich.

Q: Is cold brew stronger than regular coffee? A: It depends on how you dilute it. Undiluted cold brew concentrate (from a Toddy) has roughly 200mg of caffeine per 8oz, about twice the caffeine of regular drip coffee. But ready-to-drink cold brew (from an OXO) has similar caffeine to drip coffee, around 100-120mg per 8oz. The "cold brew is stronger" reputation comes from coffee shops serving concentrate without adequate dilution. At home, you control the ratio.

Q: Can I use regular ground coffee for cold brew? A: You can, but the results will be worse. Pre-ground "medium" or "fine" coffee over-extracts during the 12-24 hour steep, producing bitter, astringent cold brew with excessive sediment that clogs filters. Always use coarse ground coffee for cold brew. If you don't own a grinder, buy whole beans and ask the roaster or grocery store to grind them on the "French Press" or "Cold Brew" setting. A Baratza Encore grinder ($170) pays for itself in better cold brew within a month.

Q: Does cold brew have less acid than hot coffee? A: Yes. A 2018 study published in Scientific Reports found that cold brew coffee has 67% lower titratable acidity than hot-brewed coffee made from the same beans. This makes cold brew easier on sensitive stomachs and less likely to cause acid reflux. The low acid also gives cold brew its characteristic smooth, sweet flavor profile, the acids that taste bright and fruity in hot pour-over coffee taste sour and sharp when cooled down, so removing them actually improves the iced coffee experience.

Q: Is Japanese iced coffee better than cold brew? A: They're different drinks. Japanese iced coffee (hot-brewed over ice) has a brighter, more complex flavor with fruity and floral notes that cold water extraction can't produce. Cold brew is smoother, sweeter, and lower in acid. If you drink light roast single-origin beans and care about tasting origin flavors, Japanese iced coffee is objectively better at showcasing them. If you want a mellow, easy-drinking iced coffee that works great with milk and sweetener, cold brew wins. We keep both the Fellow Stagg XF and the OXO in regular rotation at our house.

Q: How much money will I save making cold brew at home? A: A Starbucks grande cold brew costs $5.45. Making the same 16oz cold brew at home costs $0.07-0.75 depending on your maker and method. If you buy one cold brew per day, switching to homemade saves $1,700-1,960 per year. Even at 3 cold brews per week, you save $780-850 per year. The most expensive maker on this list (Fellow Stagg XF at $75) pays for itself in 14 days of daily cold brew vs buying from a coffee shop.

Q: Can I make cold brew with a French press? A: Yes, a French press makes decent cold brew. Add coarse grounds, fill with cold water, steep 12-24 hours in the fridge, then press and pour. The downsides: French press mesh filters let more sediment through than dedicated cold brew filters (the Toddy's felt filter and OXO's fine mesh both produce cleaner results), and the glass beaker takes up fridge space awkwardly. If you already own a French press and want to try cold brew before investing in a dedicated maker, it's a fine starting point.

Our Picks

Best overall: OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Maker ($50), Easiest cold brew maker we tested. Rainmaker lid distributes water evenly, drain stopper eliminates pouring, dishwasher-safe carafe. Makes 32oz of smooth, ready-to-drink cold brew.

Best for concentrate: Toddy Cold Brew System ($40), The original cold brew system. Makes 48oz of concentrate that dilutes to 60+ servings over 2 weeks. Best economics at $0.04/cup. Perfect for families and heavy cold brew drinkers.

Best iced coffee (not cold brew): Fellow Stagg XF ($75), Japanese iced coffee in 3 minutes. Brighter, more complex flavor than any cold brew. Requires active pour-over technique but the result is worth it.

Best budget: Takeya Patented Cold Brew Maker ($25), Solid cold brew for half the OXO's price. Less consistent extraction but still beats any coffee shop cold brew.

Keep Reading

• Chemex vs French Press vs AeroPress, hot brewing method comparison
• Best AeroPress Accessories and Recipes, get more from your AeroPress
• Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso, grinders for better cold brew
• Best Coffee Beans for Espresso, beans that also work great for cold brew
• Best Coffee Scale, precision dosing for consistent cold brew

We test products as a family in our kitchen, we buy them, use them, and report what we find. This article contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Sources

• Scientific Reports, "Acidity and Antioxidant Activity of Cold Brew Coffee", 2018 study on cold brew vs hot brew acidity
• Specialty Coffee Association, Extraction standards and brewing guidelines
• Counter Culture Coffee, Cold brew ratio and grind guidelines
• OXO Good Grips, Product specifications
• Toddy Cold Brew, System specifications and filter replacement data