The short answer
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for hours - 8 to 24, depending on the brewer - which gives a smooth, low-acid cup. Iced coffee is coffee brewed hot and poured over ice, which is ready in minutes and tastes closer to hot coffee. Choose cold brew for smoothness and a batch that lasts; choose iced coffee for speed.
How they differ
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Quick picks
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Prices shown are checked daily against the retailer, as of October 26, 2026. We never write a price into the text of a page.
| # | Product | Best for | Award | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cold brew for the whole week | Big-batch cold brew | |
| 2 |  | Occasional cold brew drinkers | Smaller-batch cold brew | |
| 3 |  | The simplest cold brew | Ready-to-drink cold brew | |
| 4 |  | Iced coffee now, cold brew later | Cold coffee in half an hour |
1. Big-batch cold brew
County Line Kitchen Cold Brew Maker 64 oz
Budget tier · A 64 oz wide-mouth mason jar with a stainless mesh filter basket, for immersion cold brew you steep and lift.
A 64 oz jar steeped 24 to 48 hours, with a steel basket you lift out.
The County Line Kitchen brewer steeps in a 64 oz wide-mouth mason jar, with the grounds held in a heavy-gauge stainless mesh basket.
Steep 24 to 48 hours, lift the basket out, and about 1.5 qt is left in the jar - several days of drinks.
Strength is down to your ratio: brew heavy for a concentrate to cut with milk, or lighter for cold brew you pour straight.
It is a two-quart glass jar, so it needs fridge space and a day or two of patience before there is anything to drink.
Specification
- Capacity
- 64 oz / 2 quarts
- Filter
- Heavy-gauge food-grade stainless steel mesh basket
- Jar
- Wide-mouth soda-lime glass mason jar
- Lid
- Leak-proof, with a flip-cap pour spout
- Steep
- 24-48 hours; removing the basket leaves about 1.5 qt
- Size
- 6.25 x 4.25 x 10.25 in
What it does well
- A two-quart batch for a fraction of what engineered cold brewers cost
- The filter basket lifts straight out, so there is no draining step to wait for
- Nothing to break but the jar, and nothing proprietary to replace
Where it gives ground
- Glass, in a fridge, around other glass
- No brew-release valve - you lift a wet basket out and find somewhere to put it
- Strength is entirely down to your ratio; there is no concentrate setting to follow
Skip it if
Skip it if you want iced coffee today. Cold brew needs hours.
2. Smaller-batch cold brew
OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Mid tier · A concentrate cold brewer with a rainmaker lid, a brew-release switch and a glass carafe.
A concentrate brewer with a rainmaker lid and a brew-release switch.
The OXO makes up to 32 oz of concentrate from 10 oz of coarse coffee - up to 14 drinks - over 12 to 24 hours.
A rainmaker top distributes water evenly, and a brew-release switch drains the concentrate with one touch.
It is half the volume of the 64 oz jar above.
Concentrate still means diluting every glass.
Specification
- Type
- Concentrate
- Yield
- Up to 32 oz of concentrate from 10 oz of coarse coffee - up to 14 drinks
- Steep time
- 12-24 hours
- Carafe
- Borosilicate glass with measurement markings
What it does well
- The rainmaker top distributes water evenly for balanced extraction
- A brew-release switch drains the concentrate with one touch - no straining through cloth
- A smaller batch than the Toddy, which suits less frequent cold brew drinkers
Where it gives ground
- Concentrate means diluting every glass - it is not pour-and-drink
- Up to 32 oz of concentrate is a smaller batch than a Toddy's
- More parts to wash than a single-vessel brewer
Skip it if
Skip it if you want pour-and-drink cold brew. The Mizudashi is ready to drink.
3. Ready-to-drink cold brew
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot
Budget tier · A one-piece fridge jug with a mesh basket - the simplest cold brewer that works.
A one-piece fridge jug with a mesh basket.
The Mizudashi holds 1,000 ml and takes up to 80 g of coarsely ground coffee, steeped for 8 to 12 hours.
It is ready to drink, not a concentrate, and pours from the same vessel it brews in.
It has three parts - jug, lid and filter basket.
Its fine mesh lets fines through, and 1 L is one or two days of iced coffee.
Specification
- Capacity
- 1,000 ml
- Dose
- Up to 80 g of coarsely ground coffee
- Steep time
- 8-12 hours
- Type
- Ready to drink
What it does well
- Cheapest genuinely good cold brewer, by a wide margin
- Fits in a fridge door and pours from the same vessel it brews in
- Three parts total - jug, lid, filter basket
Where it gives ground
- Fine mesh only, so a grinder producing lots of fines will show in the cup
- 1 L is one or two days of iced coffee, not a week
- Glass, in a fridge, among other things
Skip it if
Skip it if you want a week's supply. A concentrate brewer makes more.
4. Cold coffee in half an hour
Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal
Upper-mid tier · The Precision Brewer's successor: SCA-approved drip with a saved custom profile and a cold brew mode.
A drip brewer whose Cold Brew mode starts at a 30-minute steep.
The Luxe Brewer brews up to 60 fl oz / 12 cups of hot coffee, and its three modes are Golden Standard, Cold Brew and a saveable Custom Brew.
Its Cold Brew steep is adjustable from 30 minutes to 36 hours for up to 4 cups - cold coffee on a weekday, or an overnight batch at the weekend.
Custom Brew sets bloom volume, bloom time, brew temperature and flow rate, and remembers them.
It is a large appliance, and its flexibility is wasted if you only ever press one button.
Specification
- Capacity
- 60 fl oz / 12 cups; 1.8 L reservoir
- Certification
- Golden Standard mode, SCA approved
- Modes
- Golden Standard, Cold Brew, Custom Brew
- Custom control
- Bloom volume, bloom time, brew temperature and flow rate
- Cold brew
- Up to 4 cups (600 ml), steep adjustable from 30 minutes to 36 hours
- Carafe
- Dual-wall thermal; above 150 F / 65 C for up to 4 hours
- Power
- 1650 W
- Size
- 16.1 x 10.2 x 6.8 in
What it does well
- The custom profile exposes bloom volume, bloom time, temperature and flow rate, and remembers them
- Cold brew in as little as 30 minutes, or up to 36 hours if you want a long steep
- A thermal carafe that holds above 150 F for up to four hours, so there is no hotplate
Where it gives ground
- Three modes rather than the longer preset list the Precision Brewer carried
- Breville no longer lists a pour-over adapter for this line
- All of that control is wasted if you only ever press the Golden Standard button
Skip it if
Skip it if you only drink cold brew. A dedicated cold brewer is simpler.
Which to make
- Cold brew if you drink iced coffee most days and want a batch in the fridge.
- Iced coffee if you decide on the day and want it now.
- Both from one machine with the Luxe Brewer's Cold Brew mode, which starts at a 30-minute steep.