What is the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker?
A two part cold brew system: a brewing container that steeps, and a glass carafe that catches what drains.
OXO publishes 946ml of concentrate, enough for up to fourteen drinks once diluted, a borosilicate glass carafe, and an ultra-fine reusable stainless steel mesh filter that is dishwasher safe. Paper filters are supported for a cleaner cup. A brew-release switch starts and stops filtration on demand.
The lid is called a rainmaker, and it is the part worth understanding.
Even wetting, and why cold brew needs it
Cold water extracts slowly, so any part of the bed left dry stays dry.
Hot water finds its way through coffee whatever you do. Cold water is lazier: pour it in a stream and it will channel, leaving pockets of grounds barely touched after twelve hours. The result is weak concentrate made from more coffee than you needed.
The rainmaker lid spreads the pour across the whole bed rather than into one spot, which is a small mechanical answer to the main way home cold brew goes wrong. Most makers in this category leave you to pour carefully instead.
The release switch, and brewing on your schedule
Filtration on demand means the steep ends when you decide, not when you get home.
Cold brew takes twelve to twenty-four hours, which rarely lands neatly in a day. A system that drains automatically is committed to whatever time it started. OXO's switch holds the brew until you press it, so an eighteen hour steep can finish at breakfast rather than at three in the morning.
Its own compact model takes the other approach: the OXO Compact drains automatically when set on the carafe, which is one fewer thing to remember and one fewer thing to control.
OXO 32oz vs OVALWARE RJ3
A brewing system against a brewing vessel.
The OVALWARE RJ3 holds 1.5 litres in one airtight borosilicate body with a laser cut stainless filter, and the maker states flavour holds for two weeks sealed. The OXO holds 946ml across two vessels, adds the rainmaker and the release switch, and supports paper as well as mesh.
OVALWARE is the better storage jar and holds more. OXO is the better brewer and gives you more control over how the brew ends. Neither publishes a US price we can read on the listing.
Is the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew worth it?
It is worth it if cold brew is a routine rather than an experiment.
Fourteen drinks per batch, a reusable filter that goes in the dishwasher, and glass rather than plastic for the part that stores the coffee is a sensible set of choices. OXO also states a satisfaction guarantee rather than a term of years, which is why no warranty figure appears in the specification above: a guarantee is not a duration.
For an occasional batch in summer, a simpler jug does the same job with fewer parts to wash.
Who should buy the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew (and who should not)
Buy it if there is iced coffee in your fridge most weeks.
It suits a household drinking cold brew regularly, anybody who wants the option of paper for a cleaner cup, and people who would rather choose when the steep ends. The concentrate format also makes hot coffee at strength, so it is not only a summer object.
Do not buy it if you want one vessel and no assembly, because this is a system with parts. Do not buy it for a small fridge. And if you want more per batch, the OVALWARE holds a litre and a half.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cold brew does the OXO 32oz make?
946ml of concentrate, which OXO states is enough for up to fourteen drinks once diluted with water or milk.
Does the OXO cold brew maker use paper filters?
It comes with a reusable ultra-fine stainless steel mesh filter and also supports paper filters, so you can choose between a fuller cup and a cleaner one.
What is the rainmaker lid for?
It distributes water evenly over the coffee bed instead of pouring it into one spot, which stops cold water channelling and leaving parts of the grounds unextracted.
Is the OXO cold brew filter dishwasher safe?
Yes. OXO states the stainless mesh filter is reusable and dishwasher safe, which removes the running cost of papers.
