What is the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot?
A glass jug with a mesh basket down the middle, and nothing else at all.
Hario publishes 600ml, a glass body with polypropylene and polyester resin fittings, a reusable mesh strainer, dishwasher safe cleaning and a weight of 0.37kg. It is described as storing easily in a refrigerator, which is what the tall narrow shape is for.
There is no valve, no rainmaker, no second vessel and no switch. Coffee goes in the basket, water goes in the pot, and the fridge does the rest.
The case for the simplest possible brewer
Cold brew is a process with almost nothing in it, and equipment can add complication without adding coffee.
Steeping grounds in cold water for half a day is not a technique that rewards apparatus. What actually decides the result is the grind, the ratio and the time, none of which a machine can improve. What equipment can do is make the routine easy enough to repeat, and that is a question of cleaning and storage rather than features.
On both counts this is the strongest object here: one pot, dishwasher safe, fits a door shelf. The basket lifts out and the grounds go in the bin.
What 600ml means in practice
Roughly two large glasses of ready-to-drink coffee, not concentrate for a fortnight.
The cold brew systems in this category make concentrate you dilute, which is why a 946ml OXO batch stretches to fourteen drinks. The Mizudashi is generally used to brew at drinking strength, so 600ml is 600ml.
That suits one or two people brewing every couple of days, and it suits a fridge with no room for a jug. It does not suit a household that wants a week of coffee ready at once, which is what the OVALWARE RJ3 at 1.5 litres is shaped for.
Hario Mizudashi vs OXO Brew Compact
Both are small. One is a pot and the other is a system.
The OXO Compact holds 710ml, drains the concentrate into a separate glass carafe automatically, and keeps the finished coffee away from the grounds. The Mizudashi holds 600ml in one body and asks you to lift the basket out when the steep is done.
OXO's separation is the better engineering. Hario's single pot is the better object to own: fewer parts, dishwasher safe, and it looks like something you would leave on a table.
Is the Hario Mizudashi worth it?
It is worth it as the cheapest correct answer to cold brew at home.
Glass, a permanent mesh, dishwasher safe and a shape that fits where you will actually keep it. There is nothing to break beyond the glass itself and nothing to buy again.
Hario publishes no warranty on this listing, and the fittings are plastic rather than the stainless the OVALWARE uses. At this size and this level of complication, neither is a serious objection.
Who should buy the Hario Mizudashi (and who should not)
Buy it if you want cold brew tomorrow morning without owning a system.
It suits one or two drinkers, a small fridge, and anybody whose main obstacle to making cold brew is the washing up. It is also the easiest of these to recommend to somebody who has never made it and is not sure they will keep doing it.
Do not buy it if you want concentrate to dilute, or a batch that lasts a week. And if you want the coffee to stop extracting the moment the steep ends, a system that drains into a second vessel does that and this does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much coffee does the Hario Mizudashi make?
600ml, which is around two large glasses. It is generally brewed at drinking strength rather than as a concentrate to dilute.
Is the Hario Mizudashi dishwasher safe?
Yes. Hario states it is dishwasher safe and lead free, and the mesh basket lifts out for emptying.
How long does cold brew take in the Mizudashi?
Cold brew steeps for roughly eight to twenty-four hours in a refrigerator. The pot has no timer or valve, so the steep ends when you remove the basket.
Does the Mizudashi use paper filters?
No. It has a permanent mesh strainer basket, so there is nothing to buy again, and the cup carries slightly more body than a paper filtered brew would.
