GMSWEET Mason Jar Cold Brew Coffee Maker 64 OZ Wide Mouth Cold Brew Pitcher With Pour Spout Handle Lid And Brew Filter For Iced Coffee, Iced Tea, Lemonade And Beverages

I like this set a lot. I was looking for something to make cold brew tea concentrate for milk tea and decided to try this. The filter is good for tea leaves and didn’t let any out during the steeping process. It fits snuggly in the mason jar that’s included. The process was easy.

Now the two Buts: The filter has a lip inside and tea leaves get stuck there so easily. It isn’t big enough for me to get my hands into and with the holes you can’t really fill it with water, making a quick rinse when you pull the filter out at the end of the steep time harder. This is a pretty minor issue, especially compared to the bigger issue.

The lid is not great. It seems to be designed to make it leak proof but this really just means it’s practically impossible to get the flap up to be able to pour. I’ve had to unscrew the lid and push it up from the inside and even then it requires a lot of force. Once it’s open it pours nicely and the handle is comfortable but the trouble of getting it open to begin with is too much. It will do but keep this in mind. I haven’t been able to figure out if the other part of the piece that covers the opening has anything to do with this but so far it seems like the answer is no.

The mason jar and filter are great and the top part itself is okay once you get it open. If you’re willing to overlook the annoyance of having to unscrew the lid every time to get it open, this is a good option for cold brew tea/coffee.

I ordered the “GMSWEET Mason Jar Cold Brew Coffee Maker 64 OZ Wide Mouth Cold Brew Pitcher With Pour Spout Handle Lid And Brew Filter” to review and to try making cold brew coffee. I like the size of the jar. I have other half-gallon mason jars and I use them in most of my coffee storage and brewing processes. I also like the pour spout top with the handle. I tried making cold brew a few times, each time for a bit longer but the coffee never got strong enough and I ultimately didn’t want to just use more coffee grounds to compensate for that. I even tried warm brewing, which was better for me than cold brewing, but I’ll likely just stick with hot brewing. This is of no fault of this product and I still use this jar as my larger coffee carafe when making large batch pour-over brews. I never tried the included reusable metal filter because I felt that the coffee would have been even weaker. 4-stars.

Explaining my rating system:
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– Exceeded Expectations – Highly recommend product.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– Average to Above Average – At least what you would expect based on the Product Page. Maybe a bit more. A solid product. Recommended.
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️– Average to Below Average – A bit less than what you would expect based on the Product Page. Left feeling somewhat disappointed. Maybe you’ll feel differently but I cannot fully stand behind the product.
2 stars ⭐️⭐️– Below Average – Incorrect, missing, or misleading information on the product page. Low quality or questionable safety issues. Not recommended.
1 star ⭐️– Junk – A complete misrepresentation of the product advertised, severe quality or safety issues. Avoid at all costs.

I got this specifically to make cold brew coffee. I had been making cold brew concentrate using a very large mason jar and fabric bags to hold the coffee grounds, but this seemed like it might be a bit easier to use, despite being smaller.

Pros:
It really is easy to use. coarsely grind some coffee beans, dump them in fill with good quality water, screw on the lid, let it sit for a day and you have a decent quality cold brew – NOT concentrate!

The filter is, by far, the best part of this set. It’s very sturdy and doesn’t let very much of the small particles of the coffee beans through. It’s easy to clean as long as you get the silicone seal aligned between the jar and the filter properly it seals well enough to be able to shake the jar without getting any leaks.

The jar itself is fine. Despite being listed as borosilicate glass, I don’t think I’d take a chance on pouring boiling water into this.

Cons:
This set up will allow you to make a few cups of non-concentrate cold brew. I say this because I measured the coffee to water ratio that will fit in this, with my coffee grinder set at its most coarse setting, and the water filled to the top of the jar. The ratio of water to beans worked out to about 16:1. The ratio for a cold brew concentrate is generally 8:1 or 10:1, depending on your taste preference. I brew my standard cup of coffee at 15:1, so this actually works out to be a tiny bit weaker than my regular coffee. Fortunately, since cold brew tends to extract different flavors than hot brew, it doesn’t really taste any weaker. Unfortunately, this also means that you should, in my opinion, drink this straight without adding any additional water to it, so it won’t go as far as concentrate would.

The other negative is that the lid doesn’t seem to hold onto the jar very firmly, especially when the jar is full and you’re trying to pour. This leads to a low-level dread that the jar is going to detach from the lid and fall to the counter and break releasing all of your highly caffeinated bean juice into the wild.

Bottom line: this device is easy to use and easy to clean. It won’t make as much cold brew as making concentrate would, but this is also more convenient. Perfect for lazy coffee drinkers like myself.