★★★★★ 5
Makes Fantastic Cold Brew. Thoughtful Design. Slightly Frail, But Approaches Perfection.
Style: 51oz｜Conical Styles
When I looked for a dedicated cold brew pitcher, I had a few conditions. Mainly I wanted to avoid plastic at all costs. I needed a pitcher that would be easy to clean and simple to use, without pointless bells and whistles. Finally, I wanted a pitcher that could fit in my fridge without issue.
This pitcher achieves all that and then some. Borosilicate is the same stuff Pyrex used to make its glassware from, a material renowned for its durability especially when exposed to quick temperature shifts. I knew it was overkill, but such material would surely fit the bill. And glass wouldn't affect the flavor of whatever coffee I'd brew in it.
The grind holder is made from stainless steel, with a fine mesh that largely prevents sediment from getting into the coffee. It does allow smaller particles to get through, but they settle to the bottom. Overall I can't complain.
The grind holder is suspended by a rubber ring which also locks the pitcher's lid in place. This forms a nice little seal that seems to help prevent leaking. Obviously there is no vacuum capability here, but it feels sturdy and like it won't let anything in or out once the grind holder is in.
Pouring is easy and accurate. I remove the lid and grind holder, then pour. There's never any spillover nor dripping. The pitcher has a good, well-crafted pouring tip.
Brewing with the pitcher takes a bit of practice. First I dump old grinds if necessary, then fill the grind holder roughly 3/4 of the way with cold brew grinds. BEFORE I place the grind holder into the pitcher, I fill the pitcher with water about 2 inches below the max line. After that, I place the grind filter into the pitcher then slowly press down on the grinds to flatten and wet them. Finally, I slowly pour water in to hit the max line, flattening the grounds as I do.
While the pitcher has notches to determine how much liquid it holds, I don't find that feature helpful because I only use the pitcher with a grind holder which boosts the liquid. I imagine the notch lines may be more helpful for someone using this as a standard pitcher without the grind holder in place.
I've accidentally overfilled this pitcher many times before deciding the best way, in my opinion, to handle it as described above. I've tried placing the grind holder in and then pouring all of the water over the grinds. But because grinds have a tendency to rise and overflow, that method proved messy and ineffective. This is why I add most of the water first, then only add a very small amount of water AFTER putting the grind holder into position just to top it off.
So how good is the cold brew? After trying a few different approaches, I now brew mine in the fridge for convenience, letting it steep for about a week to make a nice dark roast concentrate with Bizzy Organic Dark & Bold grounds. The result is stellar, easily better than any coffee place cold brew I've had in the past couple of years.
Filled to the max line, a full pitcher lasts me about 2 weeks when I have about an inch of coffee per day. I've found cold brew concentrate to be an extremely economical way to stretch costly grinds while creating the richest flavor and this pitcher is a key part of that. With this approach, I'm a happy customer.
One thing I like to do while brewing a new batch of coffee is pouring about 1/3 of the brewed coffee into a tall cup and finishing that while brewing. This method has worked perfectly for me, as I have a new pot of coffee by the time I'm done with the old one.
One thing to point out is that the pitcher is fairly big and the glass is relatively thin. And so I have always hand washed all parts of this pitcher, which has proven straightforward enough. While borasilicate and stainless steel should be dishwasher safe, this has become too important a piece of equipment for me to start playing around with. So I'm not the person to say how well it holds up in a dishwasher. My outlook is to treat this pitcher with the care it deserves and to be rewarded with its offerings for as long as possible.
Overall the pitcher is an all-star at making the coffee I enjoy, being so simple to use that it becomes easy to take for granted. It is almost a trouble-free piece of kitchen hardware and has already paid for itself through sheer convenience. The quality definitely feels top notch, although the thinness of the glass means it needs to be treated with the care and respect it deserves.
I would feel very comfortable recommending this product to almost anyone serious about making a quality cold brew at home.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
