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It's not unusual to see crowds of people drinking cold brew iced coffee in the dead of winter. And, unsurprisingly, this isn't an example of mass masochism.
Cold brew is the smoother, richer cousin of hot brewed coffee and is a year-round favorite based on taste and its lower levels of acidity. Since the coffee beans in cold brew never come into contact with heat, the coffee oils don't develop the same acidity and characteristically bitter tang as you might find in your traditional cup. As a result, you get a richer, smoother, and sweeter drink. Some people even go to the length of first brewing their coffee cold and then heating it up afterward to preserve the taste.
While many of us prefer the sweet, sweet taste of cold brew, making it at home seems to take just enough effort to force us into spending too much at the Starbucks next to work instead. Or worse, giving up altogether and drinking it hot for the ease of a one-button Keurig in the morning.
However, there are really simple — and inexpensive — ways to get your cold brew done at home, and you'll find five of the best options below, with everything from the $19 Takeya pitcher to the new and exciting Dash Rapid Cold Brew System, which claims to be the world's first rapid system.
Here are 5 of the best cold brew makers for your kitchen:
SEE ALSO: These 13 gadgets will make you breakfast in under 10 minutes, every time
The fastest: Dash Rapid Cold Brew System
While most cold brew essentials require hours of prep time, the Dash Rapid Cold Brew System claims to have finally found a way around that inconvenience, thanks to a patent-pending technology called ColdBoil. Instead of adding heat, the Dash pump circulates water through the coffee matrix while the upper and lower filters keep the coffee grounds contained. This way, the Dash system forces the water to permeate the grounds, dissolve, and extract the coffee oils that give cold brew its flavor. The result is cold brew in as little as five minutes. Read more here.
However, it's more expensive than the other options on the list thanks to its near-instant gratification, and you'll likely need to spend some time with the manual before making the perfect cup of cold brew.
Price: $99.99
Available at: Target
The most cost-effective: the Toddy Cold Brew System
First recommended to us in 2016 by cold brew-specialist Paul Toscano, chief marketing officer of Joyride Coffee, this cult-favorite is a dependable choice. The Toddy Cold Brew System has few parts, is easy to assemble, and allows you to make a lot of coffee without much hassle. It also helps you make a lot of it (about 36 ounces of concentrated coffee).
The patented system uses regular coffee beans and water to create a smooth coffee concentrate that Toddy claims contains 67% less acid than your hot brew. The coffee concentrate should stay fresh in its glass decanter for two weeks without any change in flavor. You can also use this to make tea, served hot or cold.
It's worth mentioning, though, that the Toddy only works with the reusable felt filter it comes with, rather than paper options, and it might take some getting used to before you're making coffee like a pro. The manual asks that you stagger ingredients, adding half your grounds and then half your water and so on to ensure an even mixture.
Price: $31.25 - $34.95
Available at: Amazon, Williams-Sonoma.
The most elegant: Hario Cold Brew Bottle
Blue Bottle Coffee is known for its stellar cold brew, and this glass bottle with a built-in filter will make it for you at home in eight hours (and look great while doing it). As Blue Bottle Coffee says, the Hario Cold Brew Bottle is a "sensible and elegant" tool, and it's appealingly simple to use.
Just add ground coffee to the internal filter basket and pour filtered cold or room temperature water over the grounds. Leave it to steep for eight hours or more, and you're done. In the end, you'll get about 20 ounces of cold brew.
The iconic "Blue Bottle blue" rubber top lets you pour your coffee directly from the spout once brewed, and its glass construction means your brew (and brewing bottle) will stay fresh for longer than a plastic alternative.
Price: $35
Available at: Blue Bottle Coffee
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