Immersion Brewers
Every immersion brewers we have reviewed, scored on the specifications the maker publishes.
How we rate immersion brewers — the 5 criteria behind every score on this page.
Our pick
· research-based, chosen for a reason, not a rating
The AeroPress for somebody who packs it, not just the one who owns it
Scores 10.0 of 10 on Brew Quality & Filtration, the heaviest criterion in this category at 26 of 100.
The best immersion brewers, ranked
scored on what the maker publishes · open a row for the working1
AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press8.7- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 10.0
- Value for Money
- 8.3
Weakest link: Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published) — 7.1 of 10, carrying 22 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity237mlMaterialPolypropylene, SiliconeFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $49.952
AeroPress Original8.2- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 9.8
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
3
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot 600ml8.1- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 10.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity600mlMaterialGlass body with polypropylene, polyester resin fittingsFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $22.504
AeroPress Clear7.8- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 7.4
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
5
OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker 32oz7.7- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 10.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 6.3
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity946mlMaterialBorosilicate glass carafe with a plastic brewing containerFilter TypePaper, Reusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $59.976
AeroPress Original XL7.4- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 10.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 4.7
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity591mlMaterialPolypropylene, with a Tritan carafeFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $79.957
AeroPress Premium Coffee Press7.3- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 5.8
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only) — 5.0 of 10, carrying 20 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity300mlMaterialDouble-wall borosilicate glass chamber with stainless steel, aluminium componentsFilter TypePaperRead review →PricePricing N/A8
QHH Cold Brew Mason Jar Pitcher 64oz7.3- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 6.7
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only) — 5.0 of 10, carrying 20 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity1890mlMaterialSoda-lime glass pitcher, BPA-free plastic lid, stainless steel filterFilter TypeMeshRead review →PricePricing N/A9
OVALWARE RJ3 Airtight Cold Brew Coffee Maker 1.5L7.1- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 2.5
- Value for Money
- 7.5
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 2.5 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity1500mlMaterialBorosilicate glass body with a stainless steel lid, filterFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $46.9910
Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker 1qt7.1- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity946mlMaterialShatterproof Tritan, published as stain, odour resistantFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PricePricing N/A11
asobu Cold Brew Coffee Maker 40oz7.1- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 5.8
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only) — 5.0 of 10, carrying 20 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity1180mlMaterialStainless steel carafe with copper insulationFilter TypeMeshRead review →PricePricing N/A12
OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker 24oz6.9- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 8.2
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money
- 8.3
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity710mlMaterialPolypropylene brewing container with a glass carafeFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PriceFrom $39.9513
Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Maker 1.6qt6.8- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 9.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 0.8
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 0.8 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity1514mlMaterialGlass carafe with a comfort grip handleFilter TypeReusable metal meshRead review →PricePricing N/A14
Hemli Cold Drip Coffee Tower 32oz6.6- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 7.2
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 10.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 4.2
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 4.2 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
15
Yama Glass 5-Cup Stovetop Siphon Coffee Maker6.5- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 8.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 4.2
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 4.2 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity590mlMaterialHand-blown heat-resistant borosilicate glassFilter TypeClothRead review →PricePricing N/A16
Diguo Belgian Balance Siphon Coffee Maker6.4- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 8.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 4.2
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 4.2 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity500mlMaterialGlass chambers on a gold-plated ridged fulcrum with a Tee handle, a black wooden baseFilter TypeClothRead review →PricePricing N/A17
Hario Switch Immersion Dripper 026.3- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 7.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 2.5
- Value for Money
- 6.8
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 2.5 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity200mlMaterialHeatproof glass cone with a stainless steel ball valveFilter TypePaperRead review →PriceFrom $4518
Clever Coffee Dripper Large 18oz6.2- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 8.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.1
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 3.3
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 3.3 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
19
Hario Switch Immersion Dripper 036.1- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 7.5
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 7.9
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 2.5
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 2.5 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
Capacity360mlMaterialHario heatproof glass cone with a stainless steel ball valveFilter TypePaperRead review →PricePricing N/A20
Delter Coffee Press4.9- Brew Quality & Filtration
- 6.0
- Build Quality & Seal (replacement parts sold not published)
- 5.0
- Ease of Use & Cleaning (dishwasher safe only)
- 5.0
- Portability (weight not published)
- 1.7
- Value for Money (no price published)
- 5.0
Weakest link: Portability (weight not published) — 1.7 of 10, carrying 18 of the 74.2 points scored here.
More immersion brewers guides
How to choose a immersion brewers
Immersion brewing means the coffee sits in the water for a set time and is then separated from it. That is the opposite of percolation, where water passes through a bed of coffee and keeps moving. A French press, an AeroPress and a steep-and-release dripper are all immersion; a V60 and a drip machine are not.
Why immersion is the forgiving method
In a pour over, water is always meeting fresh coffee, so the concentration gradient stays high and extraction keeps accelerating. Pour unevenly and some of the bed is over-extracted while the rest is under-extracted, in the same cup.
In immersion, every ground sits in the same water for the same time. The water saturates, extraction slows as it approaches equilibrium, and the process becomes self-limiting. That is why an immersion brew is hard to ruin and why a badly poured V60 is worse than a badly timed French press.
The trade is control. Because you cannot steer the extraction while it happens, you have fewer levers: grind size, time, temperature and ratio, and that is all.
Time and grind are the only two dials that really move
Most immersion recipes land between three and four minutes. Under two minutes and the cup is thin and sour because extraction has not finished. Past five and it turns bitter and hollow.
Grind size does the rest. Coarser grounds have less surface area, so they extract more slowly and need longer; finer grounds extract faster and can go bitter in the same time. If your brew tastes sour, grind finer or steep longer. If it tastes bitter, do the opposite. There is no third thing to adjust, which is what makes immersion a good place to learn.
The filter decides the body more than the brewer does
A metal mesh lets oils and fine particles through, so the cup is heavy, textured and slightly silty. That is what a French press tastes like, and the sediment is the point rather than a fault.
Paper traps oils and fines, giving a cleaner and lighter cup. An AeroPress with its paper disc sits far closer to a filter coffee than to a press, using the same immersion principle.
So the choice between these brewers is less about the vessel than about what comes between the coffee and your cup. Decide whether you want body or clarity first, then pick the brewer that delivers it.
Pressure, portability and the practical differences
Some immersion brewers add a plunger that pushes water through the filter at the end. That is not espresso pressure and does not make espresso; it shortens the drain and adds a little body.
The other real differences are practical. How many parts are there to wash. Can you replace a seal in three years or is the brewer landfill when it perishes. Is the body glass, which shows the brew and breaks, or steel, which survives a rucksack and keeps heat far better. For anyone brewing away from a kitchen, those questions decide more than extraction theory does.
Reading on immersion brewers
What to know before you pick one.
- Immersion vs Percolation: The Two Ways to Brew Coffee
Every brewer either soaks the coffee or runs water through it. Knowing which one you own explains why some methods are forgiving and others punish a careless pour.
- Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: Not the Same Drink
One is brewed cold for half a day, the other is brewed hot and poured over ice. The difference is not temperature at the end, it is which compounds ever left the coffee.
- Cold Brew Drip Towers: Kyoto-Style Coffee, Explained
A drop of cold water a second for six hours. It is the slowest brewing method in coffee and it produces something no immersion cold brew does.
- How to Use a French Press Properly
The press is the most forgiving brewer there is, and the two things people get wrong are the same two every time: the grind, and pressing it like a plunger rather than a lid.
Frequently asked
What is an immersion coffee brewer?
One where the coffee steeps in the water for a set time and is then separated from it, rather than water passing through a moving bed. French presses, AeroPresses and steep-and-release drippers are immersion. A V60 or a drip machine is not.
Is immersion brewing easier than pour over?
Yes. Every ground sits in the same water for the same time, so extraction is even and self-limiting. A pour over is steered as it happens, so an uneven pour over-extracts part of the bed and under-extracts the rest in one cup.
How long should I steep coffee?
Most immersion recipes land between three and four minutes. Under two minutes tends to be thin and sour, past five turns bitter and hollow. Adjust grind size alongside time: sour means grind finer or steep longer, bitter means the opposite.
Why does a French press taste heavier than an AeroPress?
The filter, not the brewer. Metal mesh lets oils and fine particles through, which gives body and a little sediment. Paper traps them, giving a cleaner, lighter cup. Both are immersion; the filter decides the texture.
Does the plunger create pressure like espresso?
No. The pressure from pressing by hand is a tiny fraction of the nine bars an espresso machine produces. It shortens the drain and adds a little body, and it does not make espresso.
What is the best immersion brewers?
Based on our research across the category, AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press is our editor's pick for immersion brewers. The AeroPress for somebody who packs it, not just the one who owns it
Is there a cheap immersion brewers worth buying?
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot 600ml is the least expensive we have reviewed in this category at $22.50. Cheapest is not the same as best value: the review says which corners were cut.
How much does a immersion brewers cost?
The ones we have reviewed run from about $22.50 to $79.95. Price tracks build material, capacity and how much of the specification the maker publishes.