Toddy® Cold Brew System

I have only been a coffee drinker for about 5 years, and I had always put a bit of half and half and a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. Recently, I was visiting a friend and she served coffee from her Toddy system. I took a sip and couldn't believe the difference. It was so smooth, I didn't need any cream or sugar and just really enjoyed the coffee flavor. I think I have lost a pound or two just by cutting out the cream and sugar for two months!There is no better way to describe it than "smooth". The cold brew system cuts the acidity by 2/3, so I guess that is the difference. I will never go back to hot brew, I actually carry the concentrate with me when I travel!I have tried different brands of coffee and found that I prefer a medium roast. The Trader Joe Breakfast Blend and the Kirkland World Roast are my faves so far. Pretty much any coffee you enjoyed hot brew will work for cold brew. Its better to grind it more coarsely, but I have bought pre-ground and it worked just fine (but see my tips on filters below). I tried a flavored coffee and that was a bust (flavor was really weak), but that could have been user error or just not the right flavor to try (it was swiss chocolate orange). I am interested to try the chicory flavor listed on the Toddy website as "most popular".This is definitely one of the least expensive and most basic "appliances" in my kitchen. If you have never tried cold brew before, you can do a small test run with a small pitcher first. After it sits for 12-14 hours, pour it through a filter. This is not an ideal way to always make cold brew because it will be cumbersome and you won't get much for your effort...but you can try it just to see if you like cold brew. The Toddy system is well-priced enough to make the purchase worthwhile in the long run. Each batch I make lasts me about two weeks. I drink one cup per day.As a perfectionist-in-reform-training, I stressed a bit at first about the exact quantity of grind versus water, the coarseness of the grind, and exactly how long to let it sit and brew. What I learned is that it doesn't matter too much because the result is stronger or weaker concentrate, so you simply add more or less hot water when you drink it.Measurements...I use the Toddy recommended 12 ounces of coffee for 7 cups of water which is approximately twice the number of ounces of grind as cups of water(so if you were testing this at home and did one cup of water it would be just under 2 ounces of coffee). And for those of you, like myself, who are unsure of how to measure 12 ounces of coffee...it is luckily the same as measuring a liquid, 8 ounces=1 cup, so 12 ounces is 1 1/2 cups of grind.Grind...I have used coarse grind and regular "coffee maker" grind and both have turned out fine. However, I am not a super-snobby coffee drinker. So you can experiment with both and see if you can tell a difference. For me, I have three little kids and don't want to spend the time grinding my own coffee, so I buy it pre-ground. The concentrate pours out faster upon completion if you use a coarser grind, but that was about all I could discern.The filter...I push it snugly into the bottom and then lay a regular #4 filter on top of it. I tried wrapping the #4 around it and that was a huge bust, it wouldn't drain. I think using the extra filter helps preserve the Toddy filter, giving it a longer life. So I wet the #4, lay it on top and quickly pour a cup of water and a half cup of grind to set the filter so it won't float up. Then over the next half hour or so, I pour in a cup or two of water and pour some more grinds in. I usually do this while I am busy in the kitchen with other things so I can let each water/grind pouring sit for 5-10 minutes. I reserve about a cup of water at the end to pour over grinds that haven't sunk into the mixture, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and gently push any remaining dry grind into the mixture with the back of a spoon. Note: you are supposed to pour the water in slowly in a circle, and do not ever stir it. I put a round Tupperware lid on top...not sure why the system doesn't include a lid.Brewing and Draining...Generally, I set up the mixture Sundays at 4pm so it is ready Monday morning at 6am. If it sits a bit shorter or longer that seems to be ok, but I've never left it more than 15 hours. Fourteen hours seems like the ideal time to me. To drain, I put the Toddy container on top of the glass carafe and pull the plug. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to finish draining, so be aware. I think the extra filter slows it down. Once it wouldn't come out at all, so I simply poured the mixture into a bowl, reserving as much of the grind in the Toddy container as possible. Then I scraped out the grind from the Toddy container, rinsed the filter and poured the mixture back in. It drained just fine then. This also works well if you have a brilliant moment and insert the plug from the inside. I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have done this. :)Cleaning...This is easy to clean. I have a general disdain for anything that doesn't go in the dishwasher, but have not been annoyed or tormented by cleaning out this system. If you have a compost bin, you know what to do with the grinds. If you don't and you have pine trees, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas or any other acid-loving plants, you can put the grinds around the plants. Otherwise, you just bang it on the side of the trash can and most of the grinds will come out. Then I scrape the rest out with a spoon. I've never had the Toddy filter dislodge on its own, I always have to poke it out by sticking a straw or pen through the hole to dislodge it. I then rinse the Toddy filter well, put it in a well-marked ziplock (so it doesn't get thrown away) and keep it in the fridge.Drinking...I highly recommend the Zojirushi hot water dispenser. It keeps water hot all day and uses very little energy. I use the hot water to mix with my Toddy coffee concentrate (so no matter what time I am ready for coffee, it is ready), and we use it for oatmeal, grits, and tea. Its very handy. As an aside, they also have fabulous rice cookers.I've read some comments about the glass carafe...yes, it is fragile, so be careful. I haven't broken it yet.This is a GREAT system that is well worth the price!

I am NOT a coffee drinker, hot or cold, but my husband is a Starbucks Mocha in the little bottle, addict. Until two weeks ago neither of us had heard of cold brewed coffee. Our local paper did an article on cold brewed drinks, hot and cold, and mentioned amongst other products, The Toddy. So after reading the numerous good reviews on Amazon, I immediately ordered one. Since we don't have a grinder, we had the beans ground at a local store and rushed home and to make our first batch. All the while my skeptical husband was sure that this was just another of my impulse purchases.The next morning was he surprised. He said that everything the good reviews said, about taste etc.. was true. He made a Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk and cold brewed coffee and ice in the cocktail shaker, and was hooked. He says that his tastes as good as any he has had in Thai restaurants.I don't like the taste of coffee, but I love the smell, and the taste of coffee candy, and coffee ice cream. After smelling the concentrate, my mouth started watering for an iced cappuccino - 2 ozs, cold brewed coffee, 6 ozs. milk, and 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla, optional sweetener, shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker. GUESS WHAT ... it still tasted like coffee! My husband finished it, and said that it was delicious.Next, cold brewed tea for me, as I am a tea drinker, hot or cold.The Toddy is not a gimmick, it does make superior tasting coffee. I'm trying to get my husband to mix it with hot water for a hot coffee... but since it is about 100 degrees now, and has been for a few weeks, that will have to wait.The only negative that I can find, is that the filters and an extra plug (just in case it is lost), can only be bought online. I live in San Francisco and there are no stores near me that sell them. The shipping is almost as much as the filters. The filters can only be used 10 - 12 times because of bacteria accumulation.The Toddy company told me on the phone that the filters don't 'wear out', but have to be replaced after 10 -12 uses because of the bacteria. He said if that is of concern to me (it is), I can boil them for about 10 minutes. I will probably do that after a few more uses and then replace the filter after the suggested 10 -12 uses or three months.Next time I make a batch, I am going to immediately reuse the grounds as suggested in other reviews. I'm not sure how much water to use, the original amount or less, but since it is free, it is worth a shot.I am an impulse buyer, and this was one of my best impulses ever.******* UPDATE, 7/27/10We made a second batch of cold brewed coffee using the same grounds that we had just brewed. Since we got no responses when we asked reviewers here who had used the same grounds twice how much water they had used, we decided to use a little more than half of the amount used in the first brewing. We initially had 12 ozs. of ground coffee and used 7 cups of water, as per the instructions in the manual.After draining the first batch, I immediately added four cups of water, and cold brewed for an additional 12 hours. When I drained it, I got back 3.5 cups of concentrate. I think I got so much back because some of the water from the first brewing came out also.My husband said that both the first and second brewing of the same grounds, tasted very similar, both very strong and flavorful. The difference was that the second cold brewed concentrate left a sightly bitter aftertaste. This was barely noticeable when he made several iced coffee drinks using the second batch. It didn't ruin the drink, it was still excellent. He is keeping the batches separate at this time, but may decide to mix them in one container. The slight bitter aftertaste may be from the acid, etc. that was left behind after the first brewing. We have 'double brewed' the last 3 batches.For a minimal amount of work, and no additional expense, we get about 75% more concentrate from the same amount of grounds, without a loss of flavor or strength. Because we brew the second batch right after draining the first, we have to time it so that we aren't up in the middle of the night draining the second batch, since they are 12 hours apart. We do the first batch maybe around 10:00PM, give or take an hour, drain it 12 hours later, and immediately start the second batch, and drain it later that evening, 12 hours later.We are big ice tea drinkers. I just made my first batch of tea and it is excellent. I used Ceylon Pekoe leaves, 1/2 pound of tea leaves and nine cups of water, steeped for 12 hours. I haven't had it hot yet, only iced. It is even better than the Tea Java that we have been drinking for years.

You would not think by the look of this that it would be one of the best Cold Brew coffee makers, but it is! My husband did tons of research and this one by far was the number one recommended and its affordable! It makes amazing coffee, its super easy to use and comes with step by step instructions. Easy Cleaning, no leaks and is small enough to leave on the counter and doesn't take up too much space in the fridge. Great design for the carafe. Definatley would recommend.