15 Essentials to Fuel Your Cold-Brew Habit
Switch up your daily routine with these expert-recommended finds
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On a hot day, cold coffee can really hit the spot. And if your daily ritual entails home brewing, having the right tools and accessories will go a long way. Think of a cold-brew coffee maker that churns out a concentrated blend or a travel cup for an iced latte that can keep it cool in the summer heat, even when you can’t.
In a personal quest to reinvigorate my daily coffee routine, I turned to experts for a peek at theirs and even got a little inspiration from CR’s tests. Below, easy swaps and manageable ways to elevate your morning brew.
Great Cold-Brew Makers
For a tried-and-true cold-brew maker that ranks highly in our tests, consider the Asobu Insulated Portable Brewer. It may be more expensive than most of the other manual models we tested, but it’s a superior performer. It offers outstanding convenience and is the only model in our ratings with a score near the top for taste. It comes with a stainless steel insulated carafe (rare for a manual model) and brews in 12 to 24 hours, depending on how strong you want your coffee.
This cold-brew maker from Oxo is a favorite of Claire Chan, founder of The Elk, a specialty coffee shop and general store in New York City. It’s fairly easy to clean, thanks to its dishwasher-safe glass carafe, and has a claimed capacity of 40 ounces.
For more options: Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers
Oxo Rapid Brewer
Cold brew can take a long time to make, but Oxo says its Rapid Brewer will make a concentrate in 5 minutes. It requires no electricity or batteries and isn’t much more complicated than a French press. Our evaluator found that her cold brew from the small but mighty device was rich, flavorful, and fast.
HyperChiller Iced Coffee Maker
Love cold coffee but dislike the flavor when ice waters it down? Consider this a fix. Fill two of the HyperChiller’s three separate inner chambers with water, freeze, then pour hot coffee into the third for nonwatery cold coffee 60 seconds later.
Read our full review of the HyperChiller.
Travel-Friendly Mugs
Simple Modern Insulated Tumbler With Lid and Straw
Chan prefers drinking cold brew with a straw and over a lot of ice. So whenever she whips up a batch at home, the coffee pro makes sure to put it in an insulated tumbler like this colorful option. “The insulation keeps it cold for much longer, and the straw is built in,” Chan says. I know it might sound silly, but it really makes a difference.”
Created Cold Cup
Cafe Grumpy founder Caroline Bell recommends this 16-ounce stainless steel Created Cold Cup. It’s available in six subdued colors, which can be used for hot and cold beverages. “It’s a practical and stylish option for enjoying your favorite iced coffee creations,” she says.
Yeti Rambler 30 oz. Tumbler
“I know it’s not as trendy as Stanley tumblers, but I love my blue Yeti 30-ounce tumbler,” says CR’s Daniel Wroclawski, who has reported extensively on topics such as the best coffee makers and how to make a great latte at home. “It keeps my iced coffee cold for hours and looks good while doing it.”
Wroclawski also purchased the Yeti straw lid for the tumbler so that he can get the perfect sip. “I’m of the opinion that straws are the best delivery method for iced coffee and cold brew.”
Coffee Grinders
As with any type of brewing method for coffee, precision is key, Chan says. The best way to ensure that you’re grinding your coffee beans to perfection is with a reliable grinder. “Make sure you use the right grind setting for your coffee beans [coarser than most other brewing methods] and you have calculated the right amount of water to use to steep with,” she adds.
The coffee pro also recommends experimenting with beans from different origins when making cold brew to find a flavor profile that best suits your taste buds. Chan’s go-to is a Colombian or Guatemalan bean because it typically features the nutty and baking spice flavors that she loves.
The Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder is a top performer in our tests for coarse- and fine-ground coffee, making it a great choice for espresso as well as cold brew. This machine is very easy to clean and convenient to use.
The Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is a less expensive model that does well in our tests. It receives strong scores in our grind-performance tests, making it a good choice for any brew method you want to use, including cold brew. It also earns a solid rating for convenience, thanks to its clearly marked and easy-to-use controls. Our testers found it quite easy to clean, too, because of its removable hopper.
Finishing Touches
Some may prefer a no-frills approach to their coffee routines, but there are a handful of tools and accessories that can take your brew to the next level.
Ello Impact Reusable Stainless Steel Straws
Since Wroclawski prefers straws for his iced coffee, he opted for this set of stainless steel reusable straws that are dishwasher-safe to boot. “They work well, are easy to clean, and don’t make me feel bad about using straws and contributing to plastic pollution!”
Oxo Ice Cube Tray, Set of 2
Adding ice to your cold brew or iced coffee may go without saying, but the ultimate hack is to freeze coffee in an ice cube tray for a less diluted cup of joe. This version from Oxo is a CR editor favorite and is made of smooth plastic that leaves no flavor on the ice. It makes the smallest cubes of all the trays we tried in a recent evaluation, with 16-gram water cups that are rounded on the bottom for easier removal. It features a blue lid that makes for easy stacking in your freezer and prevents any crumbs, dust, or fridge odors from marring the purity of the cubes.
Looking to up your ice game? This AGLucky icemaker is one of the best icemakers we’ve tested. It produces bullet ice and is among the most efficient in our tests. The company claims it can produce up to 26.5 pounds of ice per day. It has a self-cleaning function and, depending on where you purchase it, comes in up to five colors (black, green, gray, red, and white).
Aerolatte To-Go Milk Frother
The Aerolatte To-Go is a nifty little handheld frother that’s capable of frothing up a variety of milks both hot and cold, including plant-based ones. Because it’s handheld, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but we were able to get the hang of it in just a few minutes. This Aerolatte is also a cinch to clean. You simply run it in a cup of soapy water for a bit, then run it out of the cup to dry.
Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew
Chameleon Organic Cold-Brew
If you’ve yet to master the art of making cold brew at home—or simply prefer the convenience of a ready-to-drink bottle—this is for you. The Chameleon Organic Cold-Brew was an all-around crowd-pleaser in our evaluations. Tasters described it as light-to-medium-bodied, with mild bitterness and low acidity. It’s a bit floral, with notes of berry, and is easy to drink black, though it pairs nicely with milk. The complexity of the flavors suggests that it’s high-quality. And indeed, it’s the priciest of the cold brews we tried.
Stok Un-Sweet Black Cold Brew Coffee Stok Un-Sweet Black Cold Brew Coffee
The Stok Un-Sweet Black Cold Brew Coffee is a light, uncomplicated brew that’s perfect for a hot summer day. It comes in a 48-ounce bottle that easily fits in the door of a fridge. Tasters described it as light-bodied and slightly sweet, with low acidity and an almost maplelike flavor. Because it’s so light, milk tends to overwhelm the flavor; most of our tasters preferred it black or over ice.
For more options: Best Store-Bought Cold Brews
