Toddy Cold Brew System

The 1964 original, and still the template: a bucket, a felt pad, and a plug you pull. Brews a strong concentrate you dilute to taste, low in acid and very hard to get wrong.

Roast	Grind	Coffee	Water	Time
light	coarse	18 g	180 ml	1080:00
medium	coarse	18 g	180 ml	960:00
dark	coarse	17 g	180 ml	720:00

Per 250 ml cup. Makes 2–8 at a time.

What goes wrong

Stirring during the steep (agitates fines into the felt and clogs it, drains for hours), squeezing the filter pad to speed the drain (harsh and bitter), drinking the concentrate undiluted by mistake (overwhelming), letting the felt filter dry out between batches

Care schedule

1 task for this machine.

Clean the cold-brew filter

Monthly

Cold brew runs for 12 to 20 hours at room temperature with the filter holding wet grounds the whole time. A filter that has been rinsed but never cleaned develops a musty note that carries straight into the concentrate.

What you need

Hot water. Washing-up liquid for mesh filters, water only for felt. A soft brush. A sealed container for the fridge if the filter is felt.

What goes wrong

Soap on a felt filter. Letting a felt filter dry out. Cleaning the vessel and forgetting the spigot. Storing everything damp and sealed, which is how the mustiness starts.

The procedure

Empty the grounds and rinse the filter under hot water straight after decanting, working from the clean side outward.

4 more steps

The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Toddy Cold Brew System to your shelf and it keeps track.

Get the app

Toddy Cold Brew System