REVIEW: Toddy T2N Cold-Brewed Coffee System

For coffee addicts like me, Summer means one thing: mass quantities of Iced Coffee. However, $3 Venti Iced Coffees from Starbucks will take a big chunk out of your bank account. There is a way to make delicious iced coffee at home, with a secret used in coffee shops: Cold Brewing.

Essentially, Cold Brewing is brewing coarsely-ground beans (think: French press) in cold water for 12 hours. This creates a thick, high-octane coffee concentrate that you can add water and/or milk to make delicious iced coffee. The Toddy system allows you to do this at home, saving money. If you suffer from frequent heartburn, GERD or acid reflux, the Toddy is also great because it yields coffee concentrate that contains about 60% less acid than its hot-brewed counterparts (lab results here [PDF]). It’s very economical, because there is no waste - you drink what you brew. No more pouring out stale coffee from the pot!

Upon first glance, the Toddy looks like something you would see in a Chemistry Lab, but it’s deceptively simple to use. It works like this:

1. Get whole beans, preferably dark roast, and grind them as coarse as possible. If buying beans at Starbucks, ask the Barista to grind them for French press (as coarse as their grinders will go). My beans of choice tend to be Starbucks Sumatra (X-Bold). Use clean, filtered water. If you have a Brita or PUR pitcher, use water from that. A secret of many coffee shops is that they triple-filter their water. The more contaminants that are in your water, the worse your coffee will taste. A full batch of coffee concentrate requires 1 pound of coffee and 9 cups of water. If you are using less than a full pound of coffee, adjust the coffee/water ratio accordingly.

2. Dampen the supplied filter with water, and place in the bottom of the white brewing container. Also plug the drip hole in the bottom with the supplied rubber stopper. Place 2 cups of water in the container. (Replacement filters and rubber stoppers are available from Amazon.)

3. Place half of the pound of ground coffee in the brewing container, and wait 5 minutes. After 5 minutes has elapsed, pour in 5 additional cups of water. DO NOT STIR. Use the back of a spoon to tap the coffee/water mixture to ensure all the grounds are wet.

4. Pour in the remaining half pound of ground coffee in the brewing container, and wait 5 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to tap down the grounds so there is no overflow. Once 5 minutes has elapsed, pour in the remaining 2 cups of water. Again, DO NOT STIR, as you will clog the filter. Set aside for 12 hours.

5. Once 12 hours has elapsed, it’s time to drain the coffee into the glass carafe. This part is easy: Just place the brewing container over the glass carafe, and pull the rubber stopper. The coffee concentrate will drain into the glass carafe. Allow up to an hour for all the concentrate to drain.

6. When the concentrate has drained into the carafe, place the supplied lid into the neck, and put in the fridge. You’re done!

When making iced coffee, be aware that you are using coffee concentrate, not traditionally brewed coffee. Personal taste reigns here; personally I use a 3:1 ratio (3 parts water/milk to 1 part coffee). Experiment and find what suits your personal taste.

Once you get a Toddy system and get the hang of using it, you’ll be very reluctant to plunk down $3 or more for Iced Coffee. I’ve had one for over a year now, and love it!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this unsolicited review.