The four best cold-brew coffee makers for flavorful

Cold brew has emerged as one of the most widely available coffee drinks in recent years. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on it in stores, but you can easily make it at home. One of the easiest ways to brew coffee is cold brew, if you can wait 24 hours. Compared to pour-over or espresso, the brewing process is more forgiving due to the longer brew time and lack of heat. Good beans, some time, and a basic cold-brew maker are all you really need.

I worked in specialty coffee for a decade, including five years at a company known for its cold brew, behind the bar and behind the scenes. I delivered truckloads of drinks and helped its cafes troubleshoot their cold-brew systems. Also, since I drank the stuff almost every day, I knew what to look for when evaluating the best cold-brew machines.

In addition to enlisting my own expertise, I spoke with two industry veterans with more than 20 years of experience, Eileen Rinaldi, founder and CEO of Ritual Coffee, and Ben Helfen, Education Support Specialist at Counter Culture Coffee, about some of the nuances of brewing cold brew, including grind coarseness, water temperature, and which roasts taste best as cold brew. You can read more about these topics here.

The most affordable cold-brew machine: Takeya Cold Brew Maker, available on Amazon Despite its low price, the Takeya has solid build quality: the plastic is long-lasting (though it can stain after many uses) and the seals are tight, so there was no leakage even when it was brewing on its side.

Best for cold brew that is ready to drink: The Coffee Gator Cold Brewer, which can be purchased on Amazon, is an excellent immersion brewer for cold brew. Its minimalist design makes it accessible, simple to use, and customizable.