I''ve been cold brewing with the Toddy for about a year now. It makes great coffee, low acid, smooth. It involves a little brewing knowledge to achieve those results, though.I bought this as a birthday present for my wife who had to stop drinking coffee (tragic) because the acidity bothered her. I discovered cold brewing and she is back to drinking her daily cup. Any nay-sayers on the acidity question are mis-informed.
The cold brewer takes some finessing to get good results. I would be willing to bet that all the people that wrote off cold brewing for "bad flavor" or weakness messed up the grind or didn''t start with good coffee. The grind is the most important step because if it''s too fine, you end up 1) clogging the filter and 2) coffee gets a little bitter. You want a consistent grind. Most home grinders are horrible unless you have a very high-end or conical burr grinder. I have one of the lame little whirly-choppers that tend to vary between super fine espresso and half bean, although the little LED display says "coarse." I''ve tried grinding in very small batches, large batches, and in between but they all are inconsistent. Your best bet is to have the place you buy coffee grind it for you in their industrial grinder. I either go to a specialty coffee shop or Whole Foods to buy coffee (or more recently, roast my own). Tell them what you''re using it for, too, so they know that you do in fact want it coarse.
Here''s a tip: Starbucks isn''t good coffee. Neither is anything in a freeze-dried bag or can. You want GOOD coffee roasted well. Most cities or towns have a local roaster or at least a regional roaster that will ensure a much fresher cup if for no other reason than proximity. You don''t have to be a coffee snob to taste the difference between truly fresh coffee and stale. The Toddy will maintain the flavors but reduce the acidity, so if you''re used to drinking really acidic, over-roasted coffee (most national brands), it will probably not taste like you''re used to because all you taste is the poor quality without the burn.
Make sure you have the proper amount of coffee. A lot of places sell 12 oz bags instead of 1 lb bags the toddy directions use. Adjust the water amounts accordingly. I will say that it gets pretty tight in the brewer with a full pound of coffee.
Don''t overbrew your coffee. It says you brew for up to 24 hours, but I would keep it closer to 9-12. If you follow the directions (easy to memorize after a couple batches), you will get great results in that time frame. Any longer it may get bitter. It''s important to take it slowly as you do the water-coffee-water-coffee-water routine. I just shake the coffee in very slowly and make sure to give it a few minutes to settle before proceeding to the next step. Using a large spoon to tamp it down gently helps, too. DON''T STIR IT. it says not to in the manual, but it seriously will clog the filter and affect the brewing.
Use filtered water (if possible). We have one of those sink-mounted filter systems, but a pitcher filter system would work well too. If your tap water tastes a little funky, than it will obviously transfer those properties to your coffee.
I am obviously a big fan of cold brewing. So now, the reasons I took a couple points from the Toddy product:
1) There are other methods of cold brewing that don''t require this product. People cold brew in french presses, mason jars, etc. This is not the earth shattering new technology that allows us to do something never before possible. The Toddy does have a filter which is where most of the acid reduction takes place, though. If you''re looking at cold brewing solely to reduce acid, then this is a great choice for you.
2) Filters clog and need to be replaced and they''re not super easy to find (except online).
3). The handle is a joke. I don''t trust it to hold the entire weight of the brewer when full. It''s easier and more comforting to just hold it by the sides.
4) No lid. Not a big deal, but kind of surprising. I cannibalized a lid from a tupperware container that fits well.
5) It requires a lot of coffee. That isn''t necessarily a bad thing. You get a thick concentrate and dilute per your own tastes. Rough mornings may be stronger than others. If you like drinking really strong coffee, you may burn through it quicker just because it''s easy to adjust the strength. If you want a quick cup of coffee but don''t need full octane, that''s easy too. I like having the option, unlike a drip that is what it is.
I haven''t tried other cold brew systems (kits), but this one seems efficient with some room for improvement. Either way, I highly recommend cold brewing.
All in all, it''s a pretty good system, but it''s the method that is five stars.
I found that the brewing method is NOT difficult, NOT messy, and not very labor intensive at all. If you are common sense-careful, you won''t make any mess at all. And the directions ARE detailed, but if you read them as you go, you will have no problem. I know I worked at Starbucks for nine years, but reallythis is NOT difficult. The iced coffee at Starbucks is brewed as a double strength hot-brewed method, which is why there is a lot of bitterness and acidity in it. THIS coffee, when the directions are followed, goes down MUCH more smoothly than Starbucks.
When I first sipped this coffee, I couldn''t believe how much I loved it! It was the first time ever that just brewed coffee (I add water to dilute the concentrate, and then a little cream on top), hit my pallet in just as much of a pleasing way as any specialty drink you can buy.
Brewing method: easy. Follow the (included) directions and you''ll be fine! Not messy at all, like some reviewers claimed. Time intensiveonce you spend the 10 minutes making it, it DOES have to sit for 12-14 hours. So plan ahead :). Also, when pulling out the rubber stopper, be sure to do it over the carafethe concentrate will come out pretty quickly! You might get a tad bit of concentrate on your hands at this point.
Clean upsuper easy. I used a wooden spoon to help scoop it into the garbage, and pretty much tapped the plastic container against my garbage. Then I rinsed out what was left in my sink. The hardest part was digging the filter outit''s in there pretty goodbut a little finesse and out it came.
Quality: AMAZING. I did work at starbucks for nine years, and was a "coffee master" there, so I think this may have a bit of weight :). I like my coffee smooth, though.
Tipsstart with a more robust coffee (I used Gold Coast from Starbucks). Lighter blends might end up a little washed out. If you like strong, dark, thick coffee, you might not like this. Use a french press instead, or brew hot coffee double strength and dilute it with cold water (2 parts coffee concentrate, one part cold water). The downside to that method is that it will only stay good in your fridge for a day or two before it gets bitter (at sbux we had to dump it out after 8 hours). Using this method will keep delicious coffee in your fridge, ready to drink, for up to two weeks (and I''ve heard even up to three).
I highly recommend this product. I don''t write a lot of reviews on here, but I was so impressed with everything about this and I didn''t feel the reviews out there ecompassed the wonderful-ness that is the coffee toddy!
Buy Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker With 2 Extra Filters Now
Been using this thing like crazy since I got it. I bought it 3 weeks ago and I''ve probably used it 5 times already. It yields about 1/4 gallon of condensed coffee. Then you mix it with milk, water, sugar, whatever else you can think of.I use it to make knockoffs of those Starbucks Frappuccino drinks ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018AHMCA?tag=itsalgo-20 ). Combine the 1/4 of Toddy coffee with 3/4 gallon of 2% milk and 1 cup sugar. Then throw in the fridge for a few hours to get it real cold. This ends up yielding the equivalent of 13+ of those bottles at less than half the sugar content for about $4 total.
If you have a membership, you can get 3 lbs of coffee from Costco for $10 and grind it there. You''ll want to grind it on slightly coarser than regular drip (too fine of a grind and it''ll clog the filter).
Also, reading up on this says that it makes coffee with 2/3rds less acidity, as well as 1/2 the caffeine. I like the less acidic part, but I''d rather retain the caffeine ;.(
You''ll want to grab some extra rubber stoppers too: ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JQLNYG?tag=itsalgo-20 ). This package will get you through a couple years.
Read Best Reviews of Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker With 2 Extra Filters Here
Smoothest cup of coffee I''ve ever had. There''s no acid and the flavor of the coffee is out standing. Usually I can only drink two cups of coffee and then my stomach starts to bother me, with the cold brew I can drink coffee all day long.Want Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker With 2 Extra Filters Discount?
Talk about convenience; you brew the coffee extract once, keep it in the refrigerator, add some to your cup, and fill with hot water. Easy.It''s also less acidic and smoother than normally brewed coffee.
It also reminds me of my Mom who had one of these devices over 50 years ago.
