Review: OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker 

Review By  Chef Austin 

 

 

Oxo always impresses me with taking a tool I use pretty much daily and making it even easier to use. Their cold-brew coffeemaker takes the hardest step of cold brewing - creating the coffee bloom - and makes it dummy-proof. Cold-brew coffee is the top-shelf bourbon of the coffee world. Its bold smoothness and rich, complex flavors have a natural sweetness because the cold-brew process makes a cup of coffee that's up to 67% less acidic than what you get with traditional brewing methods. In addition to being easier on your stomach, cold brewing lets you re-experience the flavor of your favorite freshly roasted beans. And, the slow-and-cold extraction process retains more caffeine than you get in a shot of hot espresso. 

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OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker

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Pros:

• Let It Rain: The patented Rainmaker water dispenser soaks ground coffee evenly to produce the perfect bloom and extract maximum flavor from your beans
• Let It Pour: When it's time to drain the coffee, a simple press of the release lever dispenses the cold brew into the carafe
• Let It Store: Oxo designed the cold-brew system's parts to neatly nest when not in use, to save storage space

Cons:

• Clear as Mud: Oxo's instructions for making cold brew are not perfect. We recommend not stirring the ground coffee
• Paper Filter Habit: If you want sediment-free cold-brew coffee, you're going to need disposable paper filters to go on top of the metal fine mesh filter 

Quick Specs: 40-oz. Capacity | Includes stainless steel mesh filters and optional paper filters

 

Best For: People wanting a dummy-proof system for cold-brewing coffee. Oxo's easy-to-use design can make the perfect coffee bloom and dispense brewed coffee easily.

Design & Construction

Making kitchen tools simple to use is what Oxo does best. Their Cold Brew Coffee Maker is as simple as it gets but gives you barista-quality results. The unit is composed of a mere seven parts: The patented Rainmaker water dispenser, the brewing container, a stainless steel mesh filter (and a bonus pack of paper filters), filter cap, a stand, a glass carafe and a stopper/lid. The entire coffee maker is basically three sections: The top section is the part that does the brewing and includes the Rainmaker, the brewing container, the filter and its cap. This part sits on the second section, the stand, which also houses the third section, the carafe and its stopper.

Make it rain! The OXO Rainmaker lid showers your coffee grounds gently and evenly.

The top section has the features that make the Oxo Cold-Brew Coffee Maker dummy-proof. At the top sits the Rainmaker water dispenser. Oxo's patented Rainmaker water dispenser makes a perfect bloom because it works like a rainfall shower head: it dispenses water through small, evenly distributed holes that allow water to drip over the entire surface of the ground coffee, like a rain shower on a garden, to create that magical, flavorful bloom you want to see when cold-brewing coffee. Other cold-brew coffeemakers expect you to create the bloom yourself by pouring the water directly onto the ground coffee in specific circular motions. Pouring water in circles by hand is trickier than it might seem. It's really easy to break the bloom by pouring unevenly or too fast.

A pack of paper filters are included with the OXO, but you will need to buy more eventually.

At the bottom of the brewing container is a removable filter assembly. The stainless steel fine-mesh filter is washable and reusable and quite effective. However, Oxo recognizes that tiny amounts of ground coffee can still leach through the filter and land in your cold brew, so a small package of paper filters is included in case you want an extra layer of filtration.

The stand holds the cold-brew container during the brewing process. After the coffee's long steep, a simple flip of the brew-release switch releases the coffee into the glass carafe below.

The glass carafe has a stopper lid with a silicone seal that keeps refrigerated coffee fresh for up to two weeks. The lid also doubles as a measuring cup so you can measure the perfect coffee-to-milk ratio to dilute your cold-brew coffee concentrate. Oxo designed all of the pieces of their Cold-Brew Coffee Maker to nest for compact storage. 

The Test Drive

The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker provides a no-mess-up brewing experience. The unit was simple to assemble leaving no questions on where any of the pieces went.

The ground coffee was soaked gently and evenly thanks to the Rainmaker pouring lid. There was no worry of breaking the coffee bloom as the cold water dripped over freshly ground roast, filling the room with the aromatic essences of our beans.

After the long wait is over, dispense your finished brew with the press of a lever. 

 

After patiently waiting 18 hours for our beans to steep, we pressed the brew-release switch and the Oxo released our coffee concentrate. The glass carafe feels sturdy and the silicone-seal lid has a perfect, not-too-tight fit. The start-to-finish experience was easy and hassle-free, thanks to all of the helpful features Oxo packs into its coffeemakers.

The only complaint I have is with the included instructions. The instructions start out pretty standard: "Fill the fill top brewing container with ground coffee..." "Place the Rainmaker on top of the container..." Oxo then instructs to add the water to the Rainmaker and let it sit for to 10 minutes for the coffee to bloom, then stir the grounds. We recommend not stirring the grounds, this can break the coffee bloom and affect the flavor of the final finished product. At Everything Kitchens, we want you to achieve restaurant-quality results at home.This requires the right tools and the right instructions on how to use them. That's why we do the legwork so you can make the best decision for your kitchen. 

Taste Test

We were not disappointed with the finished cold-brew coffee made by the Oxo. The coffee was deep, rich, and went down smooth. We didn't notice any ground coffee sediment in our glass carafe after it sat in the fridge overnight, so the dual filter system was doing its job. The cold-brew could have tasted a little better if we did not stir our ground coffee as the instructions stated, but overall we were pleased with the results.

Because of its balance of performance and price, the Oxo Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker is my Top Pick for cold brew coffee makers. The Oxo takes what's good about simplistic designs like Toddy's Cold Brew Coffee Maker and improves them. Oxo's cold-brew coffeemaker is aesthetically attractive and the overall user experience is easy. I love Oxo's Rainmaker for making a perfect coffee bloom to extract the most flavor. The brew-release lever makes it easy to drain the coffee from the soaked beans into the cool "science beaker" carafe. We do not recommend the instructions that Oxo includes, but that is an easy fix -  just don't stir the grounds. The price point is right in the middle of all the cold-brew makers, making the Oxo Good Grips coffeemaker affordable for anyone to start cold-brewing at home.

 

Still deciding on the perfect cold brew-coffee maker? We taste-tested Everything Kitchens' top coffee makers to see which machine is best for you. Click here to see the comparison.

 

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We taste-tested cold-brew coffee from our top coffee makers to help you decide which machine is best for you. Click here to see the comparison.

Everything you need to know about Cold Brew Coffee

 

• Less Acidic Coffee = Smoother Tasting Coffee - Ever have a sour or bitter cup of coffee that's been sitting on the warmer? Heat brings out the natural acids in coffee, cold brewing can have up to 67% less acid than traditional hot brewing. This is great if you're sensitive to acidic food, cold brew coffee could be a low-acid solution for you. 
• More Time + No Heat = More Caffeine - The slow process of steeping your grounds in cold water instead of hot water makes cold brew coffee maintain more caffeine than any other coffee brewing method. It has more caffeine than espresso!
• Cold Brew Concentrate = Coffee for Weeks - Because the cold brew process produces a concentrate, you can drink coffee for weeks with a single brew. One part cold brew coffee concentrate is mixed with 3 parts water (or milk, cream, etc!) to create an undeniably smooth cup of coffee. The concentrate stays fresh in your fridge for up to two weeks. One brewed batch can make up to 32fl oz. of concentrate, which equates to about 128fl oz. of coffee to drink.
• Brew Tea as Well - Not a coffee fan? Use any coffee cold brew system to make a tea concentrate as well! The process is just as easy.
• Great For Recipes - Making tiramisu or a coffee cocktail? Cold brew can be used as a replacement when a recipe calls for espresso or coffee 

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About the Author:  Chef Austin Merath is Everything Kitchen's Culinary Wizard, Kitchen-Gadget Reviewer, and New-Product Tester. He studied under chefs in College of the Ozarks' Culinary Program. It's his job to make sure you choose the kitchen tools that are right for you by testing the best we have to offer. When not cooking, Austin is tinkering with computers or exploring the Ozarks with his wife Amy. Click here for his full bio.