A research roundup from published specs, not hands-on testing.
Cold brew needs four things: a vessel, coarse-ground coffee, something to weigh with, and time. The minimum kit covers the first three without a grinder, the calculator tells you how much to weigh out, and you supply the time. The upgrade adds a grinder, a finer scale and a maker that brews concentrate.
Anyone starting from nothing who wants a full batch from one pot.
why it’s here
A 1.5 L immersion brewer with a plunger lid and a BPA-free plastic carafe, 17 × 11.5 × 22 cm. Every part is dishwasher-safe, and Bodum says to brew for 12 to 24 hours.
the tradeoff
A 1.5 L batch uses a lot of coffee and needs a day's notice.
Someone with no grinder who still wants coffee ground for cold brew.
why it’s here
A medium-roast Mocha Java blend with a Coarse Grind (Cold Brew) option, 12 oz (340 g), Fair Trade Organic. Equator's notes are chocolate ganache, candied orange peel and raspberry.
the tradeoff
Pre-ground coffee goes stale sooner than whole bean, and one big batch can take a large share of the 12 oz bag.
It reads in 1 g steps up to 5 kg (11 lb), has a timer that runs to 99 minutes 59 seconds, and comes with a detachable stainless steel bowl. Makers publish their recipes by weight: Toddy's is 12 oz of coffee to 64 fl oz of water, OXO's is 10 oz to 40 oz.
the tradeoff
It reads to 1 g. That's plenty for a cold brew dose and not fine enough if you later start weighing small hot-coffee doses.
The upgrade makes four swaps: a concentrate maker, a grinder, a finer scale and whole-bean coffee. If someone asks what to get you, send them the gift guide.
Someone who has outgrown the one-pot batch and wants concentrate.
why it’s here
OXO's manual uses 10 oz (284 g) of coarse coffee and 40 oz (1.2 L) of water for 12 to 24 hours, then a switch drains it into a borosilicate glass carafe through a stainless mesh filter. OXO puts the yield at 24 to 28 oz of concentrate.
the tradeoff
It's 24 cm square and 37 cm tall, and only the glass carafe goes in the dishwasher. The maker roundup has two other concentrate brewers, from Toddy and Filtron.
Someone who wants the scale to also work for hot coffee.
why it’s here
It weighs up to 2,000 g, reads in 0.1 g steps up to 200 g, and has a built-in timer. The platform is 12 × 19 cm and the scale is 2.9 cm thick.
the tradeoff
The concentrate recipe here weighs 240 g of coffee, past the 200 g where the 0.1 g steps stop, so for cold brew alone you'd be paying for precision you don't use. It also isn't water resistant.
Someone who has the grinder and wants one bag that works every time.
why it’s here
The medium roast Peet's chooses for cold brew in its coffeebars, with notes of citrus flower, blackberry syrup and cocoa. The bag is 16 oz (454 g).
the tradeoff
Peet's doesn't sell it in a cold brew grind (whole bean, drip or French press), so buy it whole bean for when the grinder arrives. A 16 oz bag outlasts the first few batches.
If you want whole bean but not the Encore’s price, there are two cheaper ways in.
illustration
Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill (DBM-8P1)
Cuisinart · grinder
mixed materials
who it’s for
Someone who wants an electric grinder in a lower price band.
why it’s here
An 18-position selector that runs from ultra fine for espresso makers to extra coarse for French presses, with a removable 8 oz bean hopper and dishwasher-safe parts.
the tradeoff
At 27.3 cm tall and 2.1 kg it's a counter appliance, and only some parts are dishwasher-safe.
A one-page PDF with the ratios, a batch table from one glass to a gallon, and the OXO, Toddy, Filtron and Hario recipes. Then three short emails, and a note when something’s new.
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