Keep Your Fridge Forever Stocked With Cold Brew With Oxo's Deceptively Simple Maker
Shop $49.95, amazon.com
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There are quite a few methods of bullshitting your way to a cup of cold brew coffee. My personal favorite was forgetting about a cup half-full of steaming hot coffee in the morning, and then returning to it mid-afternoon to sip its tepid, sorta-cold contents. Other hacks included making brutally strong coffee then letting it chill in the fridge, or dousing ice cubes with lukewarm coffee. Then there's the option of going to a coffee shop—should it be open in these dark times—and forking over considerable cash for a tiny little cold brew container. But for a serious cold brew drinker, this maker from Oxo is the better approach.
It takes no time to set it up and store it.
Looks deceive. Out of the box, Oxo's cold brew maker is deconstructed into a few pieces, and constructed, it calls to mind conjoined blenders, or Darth Vader's springtime garb. In other words, it looks odd and somewhat intimidating. But really, it's easy and fast to snap it together correctly. Then, it stands over a foot tall. That may seem bulky, but when the brewing is done, you can take it apart and nest the pieces within each other to cut down on its storage size considerably.
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It makes a week's worth of cold brew at a time.
This maker will produce a lot more cold brew than any homemade maker rigged up on the counter. Fill it to capacity, and you'll get at least a dozen servings, but if that potential caffeine exposure makes your arm hair curl, then just make less. (Oxo has a guide to proportions, if you're not a regular cold brewer yourself.) The grounds (Grady's are great) go in the top chamber and the cold water is sprinkled through the rainmaker lid. After you let it sit for 12 hours to a day—depending on your strength preference—set up the glass carafe in the cubby below the top container, then pull the lever, releasing the coffee. The glass carafe then goes in the fridge, and the cold brew maker goes back in the cupboard.
You know what's nice to have around? Cold brew.
To be fair, you'll have to be patient during that first 12- to 24-hour stretch of brew time. But then, there's cold brew in your fridge for days to come—to douse in almond milk, swirl with half and half, dilute with skim, or, if you're strong of spirit, drink straight. Circumstances have made us more self-sufficient people these days. Oxo's maker plays into that perfectly, letting you home-make what would normally be a somewhat-luxurious coffee purchase. Just set a reminder to prime it with fresh grounds and cold water every Sunday morning. And, I should mention, the cold brew itself is really damn good.
Shop $49.95, amazon.com
Photography and prop styling by Allie Holloway
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