Crazy About Cold Brew? The Japanese Have a $1,400 Device Just for You

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Hot temperatures require cool caffeine, and delicious, shelf-stable cold brews are increasingly common. Methods to make the stuff at home, however, haven’t progressed much beyond sticking a bag of grounds in a Mason jar and leaving it for a day. Hario Co., based in Tokyo, has upped the ante several feet with its $1,395 Furiko V60 water dripper. The 39-inch-tall stand features an upper glass carafe with a valve, which guides the water into a pendulum that swings back and forth to coat the grounds below. It delivers 2 to 6 cups of tasty cold brew in 30 minutes.

The Competition

• At 44 inches tall, the $470 Yama cold brew tower can make as many as 25 cups at a time. Its swirling tubes resemble a high school chemistry set but are more difficult to clean.

• The popular, reliable OXO cold brew coffee maker ($50) has a handy “release switch” that separates grinds from concentrate. It does require 12 to 24 hours of water immersion beforehand.

• The $39.50 Toddy cold brew system is less easy on the eyes, but it makes up for that with versatility. Created by a Cornell chemical engineering grad in 1964, it comes with reusable filters, so there’s less waste, and you can use it to make hot coffee and tea, as well.

The Case

Sure, there are less cumbersome ways to create cold brew, but none is guaranteed to generate interest from guests in your kitchen—especially if they’re fans of grandfather clocks and other novelty décor. The concentrate is a lighter color than immersion-based versions but retains a powerful flavor. And the metronomic sway of the dripper gives your day a meditative start. $1,395; rareteacellar.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Rovzar at crovzar@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.