I’ve always liked a good cold brew coffee. But as nice as the combination of smooth flavor and low acid is, I don’t drink it every day. Like pour-over and espresso, cold brew seemed time-consuming, involved, and something I’d rather leave to folks at the coffee shops. For a long time I drank cold brew only when I was out and about (and willing to spend close to $7 on a cup of coffee). But I recently added the Oxo Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee maker to my kitchen lineup, and its easy setup has increased my cold brew consumption a lot.
How the Oxo Good Grips cold brew coffee maker works
Lots of cold brew coffee makers use the immersion method, which involves filling a basket with coarsely-ground coffee and keeping it in contact with the water for somewhere between 12 and 18 hours. The Oxo, though, uses what it calls a “rainmaker” shower head—basically a plastic piece with a lot of holes in it. This makes the water drip slowly and evenly over the coffee grounds offering, in the opinion of our team of Epicurious testers, better extraction than you get with infusion. The Oxo also brews a coffee concentrate as opposed to ready-to-drink cold brew. That means you need to dilute it with some water or milk, otherwise you’re going to end up with a more potent punch than you’re expecting. It consists of four main parts: a brewing container, the aforementioned perforated “rainmaker” lid, a fine stainless steel mesh filter, and a borosilicate glass carafe. (Note: it also comes with optional paper filters you can use for additional filtration if you want to avoid any sediment in your coffee).
To use it, fill the brewing container with coarsely ground coffee. If you’re new to making cold brew you’ll want to set a burr grinder close to the coarsest it can go. Place the rainmaker lid on top and slowly pour room temperature water around the rainmaker to ensure even distribution across the grounds below. Then you’ll let the coffee brew for 12 to 24 hours, also at room temperature. When it’s finished brewing, place the glass carafe underneath and press the release switch to drain the concentrate. For dilution Oxo recommends using a 1:2 or 1:3 coffee-to-water ratio. That’s pretty standard, but feel free to play around with a little less water if you want your coffee stronger. You can keep the concentrate in the carafe and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
What I love about the Oxo cold brew coffee maker
The coffee is smooth, delicious and may actually be smoother and easier drinking than what I get at my local coffee shops. I can have it black, which is not something I’ve ever enjoyed before. I chock that up to what I think is the best feature of this coffee maker: the rainmaker lid. In a world of immersion pitchers, it stands out. Not only does the slow, even distribution of water produce better extraction, it eliminates the need to stir the coffee grinds after adding the water.
It’s also very easy to use. For people who have not made cold brew at home before, it comes with clear instructions on operation and dilution, as well as coffee (10 oz/284 grams) and water (40 oz/1200 ml) quantities. And if you don’t want to measure your water the glass carafe has measurement markers on it to indicate the fill levels.
The whole system is lightweight, simple to assemble, and easy to clean. And I appreciate that all the parts nest into each other for seamless storage. I love that it doesn’t have to take up space on the counter at all times—I can easily stow it away in a cabinet when it’s not in use.