Takeya Patented Deluxe 1 Quart Cold Brew Coffee Maker with Airtight Lid - BPA Free Iced Coffee Maker for Home, Office & Travel - Perfect for Iced Coffee, Tea & Cold Brew Concentrates

I am not a coffee drinker. I purchased this because Daughter drinks cold brew coffee when she’s home from college — whether from Starbucks or a mass produced brew, it is expensive to purchase it — if there’s any leftover, I pour it down the drain, or I take a long time to finish it. I always fancy it up to make it more palatable for me. I saw this carafe, and after months of indecisiveness, purchased it. User’s manual states to use 2 literal cups of coarsely ground coffee. I purchased the cheapest whole bean coffee I could find (the “8 o’Clock” brand); in my Vitamix’s dry container, whizzed it on low speed #8/10 seconds. Directions recommended brewing times of 12 to 24 hours, maximum 36 hours in the refrigerator. We decided on 30hrs on my kitchen counter — think sun tea, but coffee instead.I was amazed that there is no acidic/bitter aftertaste — it’s crazy how the coffee concentrate tastes of pure coffee. I still doctored mine up and enjoyed it.I still could not bring myself to throw the coffee grounds away, so I went ahead and filled it up with another 4 cups of filtered water, turned it upside down then right side up three times and set it on my kitchen counter again for another 24 hours. Almost immediately the water is as dark as the first time I began brewing, if that makes sense.The beauty of this product, is that you can use 2 cups of coarse grounds, or less, with a longer soak — refrigerated or not. It’s your coffee, make it however you wish — strong or not, more grounds or not. It’s your drink, you do you, however you want it. This is worth the cost of the product and the whole bean coffee; you literally set it and forget it— this carafe truly worked, and I will absolutely enjoy saving money by making literally delicious coffee at home!This cold brew pitcher it exactly what I was looking for. It is a great size. Every part detaches super easily to be able to clean it well. I like how the filter detaches so you can remove it after brewing but still continue to store the cold brew.I make one pitcher that usually lasts my house 2-3 days, which is great. Because the coffee it makes is so concentrated, you can use a little amount, mix it with water or coffee, and have an amazing flavor still.I don’t even have to measure the coffee and water I use anymore, so making cold brew is like the easiest thing ever. Between the easiness to clean Al the parts, and the simplicity of making the coffee, it’s even 10x easier than having a coffee pot.I’m so pleased!I purchased both this and the iced tea maker as a way to make my own beverages at home and save some money as well. They are both great products and you might be wondering if they are different at all.First of all, this product works great. Like all Japanese products, it feels high-quality. It is essentially a pitcher with a two-piece detachable filter and an airtight lid with basically two "notch" positions - closed and "open enough to pour," though you'll probably just take the lid off when you serve. The pitcher is oblong, which doesn't come through in the pictures, so you can lay it on its side for brewing, which is recommended for the coffee maker. The handle is also big and thick, with a rubberized grip.The differences between this and the iced tea maker are basically that the filter material used feels different. This has a silky, denser mesh, while the iced tea maker is a more standard, coarse, more open mesh. You can buy replacements for either one. The iced tea maker has a method of pouring hot water directly into the maker for brewing that is not advertised for this one, although everything is exactly the same except for the filter so I'm pretty sure you can use that method with the coffee maker as well, although again the filter material itself is different. The iced tea maker also comes with a little cup that acts as a holder for the filter, which can stand up by itself when the lid is not screwed on. The coffee maker does not come with the cup. I also found that, in general, tea soaks up less water than coffee, so I had to take out the coffee maker halfway through the brew, maybe before I went to sleep, and fill it up with some more water, whereas I didn't have to do that with the iced tea maker. I did find that the handle part of the pitcher where the lid screws in, the actual colored part, often feels slightly loose and made me feel like I had to tighten it slightly. Please note that only the color of this piece and the lid are different. The two-piece filter only comes in black no matter what color you choose. One piece of the filter screws into the lid and the actual filter part screws into that first piece. It has a flat bottom, so can stand-up by itself, as previously mentioned.Of course, this is a great airtight pitcher in and of itself, even when you're not using the filter and just need something big to mix/shake a drink in and pour it. It takes about 2 cups of ground coffee to brew a full pitcher, and I have noticed the slightest bit of leaking as I use this maker. We're talking a few drops after an overnight of brewing on its side and sealed airtight. If you close it all the way and hold it upside down, nothing is going to immediately leak unless you leave it that way for an extended period of time. It's slightly harder to clean out the coffee maker just because coffee grounds are messier than tea, including some thick soupy buildup that you're going to see at the top of the filter. Get ready to shake out about 95% of it into your trash can and rinse out the rest below a running sink. It's also a little hard to find the exact perfect way to pour coffee grounds into the filter without spilling any, and I've settled on using a corner of the bag itself to do it. The iced tea maker seems to come in brighter colors than the coffee maker. Takeya also makes a spa water infuser version of this with a more open plastic filter, but you can easily use this or the coffee maker and just infusion spa water by dropping fruit directly into the water, without having to use the filters at all, which will give you a stronger flavor anyway.The instructions tell you to use medium roast beans, but I love blonde roasts the most and I have made very good cold brew with this. Just make sure you use filtered water obviously and not tap water since you are cold brewing this, and wash everything thoroughly after each use before re-brewing. I have found that flavored beans like vanilla or hazelnut taste absolutely amazing cold brewed with this maker. Please note that you will not yield a full 2 quarters of brewed coffee because the filter and the grounds take up alot of volume in the container. I can get about 3-4 large glasses.I‘be always loved cold brew coffee, but I can’t get enough of it now that I can make it at home! I suggest using the amount of coffee grinds and water given in the instructions for best flavor and let it sit for at least 24 hours. I’ve learned it’s even better if you pour the last cup or two of water through the coffee grinds in the filter so you can make sure all the grinds are wet. The only downside of this pitcher is the fact you have to remove the lid all together to pour any out. There are divers that look like they’d be good to pour out of, but you’d have to unscrew the lid a bit to do so, which leaves room for spillage. Altogether, I think it’s a pretty great product!The ONLY issue I have with this product is that it should have a separate screw top on the filter instead of using the same lid for when the coffee is brewing. In the instructions it does stated to shake it so all the grounds get wet, but when it's finally time to drink the coffee, when you remove the filter there are grounds all over the lid. A simple fix would be to have a separate screw on top for the filter, so all the grounds stay within the filter only. Otherwise, this product would get 5 star review, instead of 4.After using this for six months, every day I can summarize the following:1) The coffee will eventually stain the clear plastic, or perhaps it actually scratches it ever so slightly. Regardless, even with gentle hot soapy cleanings, the plastic looks like "worn".2) The inner filter that locks to the main cap does not lock snugly. You can't really twist it tighter to ensure a good seal. This sometimes allows grounds to escape into the outer filtered area when you shake the coffee maker- making for an annoying cup of coffee sometimes. A better design is all that is needed.3) The top seals with an o-ring. I personally hate o-rings, as you must remove them to clean them every time, or after a few weeks they will build up a little mold on the inside. Coffee crud and o-rings don't mix. If you're one of those people that has found o-rings annoying in portable cups, etc. - then you'll HATE this coffee maker!4) Cleaning out the filter is relatively easy. The filter is just plastic, so you should be careful not to use any metal utensils near it.5) I have never put it in the dishwasher, for fear of warping the plastic. All the parts need to mate perfectly for this coffee maker to function. Hand washing only is a major draw back for me personally.This coffee maker is a smart purchase if you're on the fence about whether you'd enjoy cold brew coffee versus regular drip. You can experience cold brews benefits without having to invest too much. These were on sale for half price during Amazon days.If you already are a cold brew convert, then I would suggest investing in a coffee maker that has a GLASS BODY and a METAL FILTER rather than anything plastic. Yes, you're gonna pay top dollar, but hopefully your investment won't disintegrate before your eyes like this one does or require white gloves to handle.If this is all you can afford, then, it's probably the best value out there. I won't be buying this particular model as a replacement though.Hey you like coffee? You like ice? Did you ever pay $4 for a bottle of cold brew coffee from some hipster operation? Get ready then to save and enjoy!I bought this for the summer to get a cold caffeine kick in the hot hot mornings it's October now and I'm still using it!!!!Have you even had cold brew coffee bro?OF COURSE YOU HAVEN'T! Not until you've had it poured out over ice from this wonderful device!It's light it's durable it makes a good amount of coffee.Well maybe not enough if your drinking tons of coffee I am getting 4-5 well filled cups. If that's your daily does then calm it down that's way too much coffee!The positive reviews prompted me to splurge the $30 for this all-plastic vessel. It appears functional at first glance, but it's not that user-friendly in design and function. First, to fill the coffee filter, it can only be done if it's removed from the lid, and the lid is what holds the filter submerged. As a result, half of the grind doesn't even touch the water, and floats to the top of the filter no matter if you add the water first int he carafe or if you add it by dripping it through the tiny spout because the filter is already inside and in the way. No matter what, the grind will float to the top. Then, regardless ho long you leave it in the water, the coffee will not properly dissipate the flavour, because it's compactly held against the wall of the filter. Giving it "a few twists" as the directions suggest only muddies the water a bit, doesn't add any more "coffee" to it. In my case, I tried keeping the grain in the can for up to 3 days, shook it at least 4x per day, and still the top grains were dry.... The clean-up is a cinch, it's probably the only thing that's useful about this contraption - but as another reviewer wrote: having the bottom of the filter as a solid "cup" makes getting the coffee out if it a bit of a task. After 2 uses, I'm returning it for a disappointed refund, and going back to loose grind in a water jug, a long handle spoon, and a good strainer.A cafeteira é excelente para fazer café à frio. Na hora de colocar a água é preciso ter atenção e ir aos poucos para o pó não subir e transbordar, mas isso não é um problema. Ainda estou no primeiro mês de uso, então não posso falar da resistência e durabilidade, mas a funcionalidade é nota 10.I had purchased the smaller 2L version and love it. But wanted larger quantity as I would go through it fast.What I found out was that the filters are the exact same, they just added an extension on top of it for the taller larger container.You use twice the amount of coffee, which is fine, but since the filter is the same. I found the coffee that sits at the top in the extension tube, does not get saturated with water, there is always dry grounds at the top.. I've shaken it and tipped it to get water up top and it doesn't. So using less coffee is the solution, but kinda defeats the purpose of the larger container.The smaller version fits much better in my fridge vs this larger one, thats something I didn't consider.Over all though, its a great product AND its advertised to be made in USA!