Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
I spend a lot of time telling people you can’t speed up cold brew. I’m not wrong, exactly—cold brew is a process, not a product. And the process of making cold brew is “put coarse-ground coffee in cold or room-temperature water, and wait a long time.” The product is distinctive: full-bodied, smooth, low-acid, often chocolatey, and a bit sweet from releasing the sugars trapped in each bean.
But there are nonetheless lots of ways to make cold coffee—whether flash-icing hot coffee, or slow drip, to whatever this cool little Oxo device does. This Oxo Rapid Brewer (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a very cool travel device that’s only $30 on Prime Day—and it’s a good way to make fast, single-serve, cold coffee without the need of a big machine or a power outlet.
All you need is finely ground coffee, which you fill up to the fill line. Then add some water, wait five minutes, and then use the hand pump to fast-extract the coffee using pressure. And then, voila: Four ounces or so of cold brew concentrate.
I prefer to dilute this to between eight and 12 ounces, including ice. Oxo swears you might want to dilute it down to a full pint. Anyway, if you use medium or dark roast coffee, finely ground to approximately Aeropress or Moka pot grind, you’ll get a smooth, not overly complex but totally credible-tasting cup of cold brew. In five minutes! It can feel like a miracle. Anyway, this device isn’t expensive to begin with, but it’s even lower-cost on Prime Day. It’s pretty cool, and among my favorite cold brew devices. Don’t use it on light roasts, but it works great for medium and dark.
