Review: The OXO Rapid Brew Makes Cold Brew in 5 Minutes Flat, But Does It Actually Taste Good?
This defies all logic
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here.
- Value: 18/20
- Quality: 19/20
- Ease of Use: 20/20
- Convenience: 19/20
- Quality of Cold Brew: 19/20
TOTAL: 95/100
When it comes to cold brew, I’m a snob. I drink it year-round, mid-blizzard, and I’ve spent years testing the best beans for cold brew. I’m so nerdy about it that my husband and I even have a Google Sheet cataloging our favorite cold brew spots nationwide. So naturally, when I heard the OXO Brew Rapid Brewer promised to turn coffee grounds into cold brew in 5 minutes flat, I had reservations—and a burning need to try it, immediately.
Sure, show me your damp cardboard water masquerading as cold brew, I thought haughtily. The $40 gadget sounded too good to be true. Quality cold brew, in my opinion (and according to many baristas and coffeemakers), takes at least 12 hours to steep. Ideally, 16+.
5 minutes? You’ve gotta be joking.
Friends, OXO is indeed not joking.
After three months of use, I can attest: The OXO Brew Rapid Brewer makes legitimately delicious cold brew. In mere minutes. (It also makes hot coffee in just 2 minutes, but the cold brew is what really amazed me, so I’ll be focusing on it in this review.)
Now, there are some caveats and considerations, but if you prefer your java strong—and on ice—you need to add this gadget to your kitchen, stat. Here’s why.
original photo: candace davison
How I Tested the OXO Brew Rapid Brewer
Over 90 days, I used the Rapid Brewer at least once a week, comparing it to brews at four local coffee shops, as well as Starbucks, and against two different cold brew pitchers, with 16- and 24-hour steep times. I used my go-to beans—Counter Culture Forty-Six and Blue Bottle Coffee Bright—and evaluated the results based on the overall flavor, mouthfeel, aftertaste, aroma and perceived strength of brew.
For the device itself, I compared its quality of construction, as well as its ease of use and cleanup. It surpassed expectations across the board, earning it a spot in our PureWow100 ratings.
The OXO Rapid Brewer, Reviewed
How Does the OXO Rapid Brewer Work?
Using the OXO Rapid Brewer is as simple as unscrewing the coffee basket, filling it with finely ground coffee (yes, finely—despite the fact that cold brew typically calls for coarse) and tamping it down, then adding water and, after 2 to 5 minutes—2 minutes if you’re brewing hot coffee, 5 for cold—pumping the top to extract the coffee concentrate.
The gadget uses a pressurized brewing chamber to rapidly extract the concentrated java, and part of its design requires more finely ground coffee. Traditional cold brew methods call for coarse to prevent over-extraction, since the grounds are steeped over several hours.
I was genuinely surprised at how easy it was to use—and I love the fact that almost all of the parts (minus the pump) are dishwasher-safe.
original photo: candace davison
How Does the Coffee Taste?
I worried this speedy process would result in bitter—or, just as awful, bland—coffee. Thankfully, the extraction process results in a robust brew that’s on par with steeping for 16+ hours. In fact, when tasted side by side with my traditional Bodum cold brew maker, the results were indistinguishable. It was just as strong-tasting, without the acidic, burnt or cardboard-like notes that simply adding ice to pour-over coffee or other speedier options deliver. (And in terms of strength of brew, you have total control over that.)
The hot coffee was on par with pour-over as well, though I wasn’t as wowed by that. There are plenty of quick, single-serve hot coffee options out there. It’s a nice feature, but I wouldn’t buy the Rapid Brewer for that, especially since it requires manual pumping and only makes a cup at a time.
original photo: candace davison
What You Should Know Before Buying It
The OXO Rapid Brewer is great for one or two people who love cold brew, or if you’re very particular about your coffee and tend to travel. It’s smaller than a Stanley Quencher, making it ultra-portable (campers, you can finally have a quality cup in no time, even when you’re off the grid!). But that also means that it can only make enough concentrate for one to two cups of coffee or cold brew at a time.
It also burns through beans. Compared to my cold brew pitchers, it requires roughly twice as many grounds per cup, making each sip—while supremely convenient—more costly. (It can still be cheaper than heading to your local coffee shop, depending on how pricey your beans are.)
original photo: candace davison
The Bottom Line: Is It Worth It?
For cold brew fans, absolutely. Every at-home brewer can attest to those moments when you’re fresh out of concentrate and wish you had a jolt of caffeine right now…not tomorrow. And, preferably, without having to put in a mobile order. OXO solves that problem beautifully—at a reasonable price point and without taking up too much precious cabinet space.
VP of editorial content
- Oversees home, food and commerce articles
- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
Why You Should Trust Us
PureWow's editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series (where we rank items on a 100-point scale) to our painstakingly curated lists of fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family picks, you can trust that our recommendations have been thoroughly vetted for function, aesthetics and innovation. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.
