Home › Coffee Makers › OXO vs Toddy cold brew
☕ Buying Guides · 2026The two cold brew systems people search for most, compared from their own listings: OXO's 32 oz and 24 oz steep-and-release brewers with a Rainmaker lid and mesh filter, and Toddy's felt-filter bucket in home and commercial sizes. What each makes, how much, how it filters, and the eight verified listings plus alternatives.
Written and reviewed by the CoffeeLabAdvisor editorial team · Published 16 September 2026
Both make a cold brew concentrate - coffee steeped 12 to 24 hours in cold or room-temperature water and then diluted - and the difference is how they filter it and how much they make. OXO is a countertop appliance without electricity: a perforated Rainmaker lid spreads the water over the grounds, a stainless mesh (plus an optional paper filter) holds them, and a switch releases the concentrate into a 32 oz glass carafe, enough for up to 14 drinks per the listing; the Compact does the same at 24 oz for seven. Toddy is the bucket-and-felt design cafes have used for decades: grounds and water sit in a container with a reusable felt disc and a stopper in the base, and pulling the stopper drains the concentrate through the felt. Toddy's commercial model brews up to 5 lb of coffee into at least 2.5 gallons, and its paper filter bags now do most of the clean-up. Buy the OXO if you want a tidy, fridge-sized system for one or two people; buy a Toddy if you make a week of coffee at a time, want the smoothest felt-filtered cup, or supply an office.
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cool water for a long time rather than hot water for a few minutes. Coarse grounds sit in water at room temperature, or in the fridge, for 12 to 24 hours, then the liquid is filtered off through paper, metal or felt. What comes out is a concentrate, which is diluted with water or milk and served over ice or, less often, heated. The long, cool steep extracts differently from hot brewing: research summarised on the cold brew entry at Wikipedia finds the overall acidity comparable to hot coffee but a lower concentration of titratable acid, which is what makes the cup taste rounder and less sharp, and a 24-hour cold brew can carry more caffeine per volume than a short hot brew. None of this needs a machine. A jar, a filter and patience make cold brew; a system exists to make the filtering clean and the steeping repeatable, and that is where OXO and Toddy take different routes.
Every system on this page wants the same input: coarse grounds, the texture of rock salt, so the filter can hold them back and the long steep does not over-extract fines; and a heavy ratio, roughly one part coffee to four to eight parts water by weight for a concentrate, which our cold brew method guide works through with times and a recipe. Whatever you buy, the grinder matters as much as the vessel, because a grinder that throws fine dust makes a silty, bitter concentrate through any mesh; the French press grinder guide covers the ones that grind coarse cleanly.
OXO's system is built around a glass carafe and a brewing container that sits on top of it. You put coarse grounds in the container, and pour water through the Rainmaker - a perforated lid that, per OXO's listing, distributes the water evenly over the grounds so they saturate without stirring. The grounds steep for 12 to 24 hours under the lid. Then you set the container on the carafe and flip the brew-release switch: the concentrate drains through an ultra-fine stainless steel mesh filter into the carafe, and the listing states that draining stops automatically if the carafe is pulled away, which is the detail that keeps counters dry. The 32 oz model's borosilicate carafe has measurement markings and a stopper, stores in the fridge, and makes concentrate for up to 14 drinks per OXO. The Compact brews 24 oz for up to seven drinks, its draining starts automatically when the brewer is placed on the carafe, and it is sized to live on a shelf in the refrigerator, which is where most people keep it. Both use the same optional paper filters, sold in fifties, that add a layer of filtration on top of the mesh for a cleaner concentrate; the mesh alone lets a little fine sediment through, which some people like for body.
What OXO does well is tidiness and repeatability: the ratio is easy because the container holds a known amount, the carafe is the storage vessel, and the mesh is dishwasher safe. What it does not do is volume. Fourteen drinks is a week for one person or three days for two, and the container cannot be over-filled. OXO's Rapid Brewer is a different product for a different problem - a pressure brewer that makes a concentrate in two minutes hot or five minutes cold from about 5 oz of water, with a built-in steel filter and no power - and it belongs on this page because it answers the question people ask after a week of cold brew: can I have it without planning a day ahead.
Toddy's system is older and simpler in concept. A brewing container has a hole in the base, plugged from below with a rubber stopper and covered from above with a thick felt filter disc. Grounds and water go in, sit for the steep, and when you pull the stopper the concentrate drains through the felt into a decanter beneath. Felt filters finer than mesh and absorbs oils, which is why Toddy's cup is the smoothest and heaviest-bodied of the systems here and why the felt has to be rinsed, refrigerated between uses and, per Toddy's listing, replaced after 10 to 12 uses or three months. Toddy's paper filter bags changed the routine: a bag lines the container, holds the grounds, increases the yield of each batch per the listing, extends the life of the felt, and lifts out for the bin, which is the difference between a five-minute clean-up and a sink full of wet grounds.
The two Toddy units you can verify on Amazon today are the Commercial Model with the Toddy Lift, which brews up to 5 lb of coffee to yield at least 2.5 gallons of extract, is NSF certified, and ships with a starter kit of paper and tree-free filters, and the 9.5 L white set with a tap in the container and two natural paper and two PLA filters included. Toddy's classic home system - the smaller bucket with a glass decanter - is the one most people mean by Toddy, and it appears here by name only: on the day this page was built its listing carried no new offer we could verify, so it has no card. Its paper filter bags and felt filters do, because they are what a home Toddy owner keeps buying. Two cautions that apply to any Toddy: the felt must never dry out with coffee in it, and the concentrate is strong enough that a first-time drinker should dilute it before judging it.
Volume. OXO 32 oz makes up to 14 drinks; the Compact seven. Toddy's commercial unit makes 2.5 gallons - roughly 40 to 60 drinks - and the 9.5 L set more. Nothing else on this page matches Toddy for a household of coffee drinkers or an office. Filtering. OXO's steel mesh is reusable, dishwasher safe and lets a little sediment through; its paper filters clean that up. Toddy's felt gives the cleanest, roundest cup and needs care; its paper bags remove most of the care. Footprint. The OXO Compact is the only system here designed to steep inside a refrigerator; the 32 oz stores its carafe in the fridge and steeps on the counter; Toddy needs counter space for the steep and fridge space for the decanter. Cost per batch. Both are cheap to run - grounds and, optionally, a paper filter; Toddy's felt is a recurring purchase every few months. Clean-up. OXO wins without paper bags; with the bags, Toddy is comparable.
The alternatives on the cards fill the gaps. The Hario Mizudashi is a 1 L glass pot with a mesh basket that brews ready-to-drink cold brew rather than a concentrate, for someone who wants a pitcher in the fridge and nothing to dilute. The County Line 64 oz mason jar and the Takeya 1 quart pitcher are the budget immersion route: a jar, a mesh insert, a lid. They make good cold brew and they cost a third of an OXO; what they lack is the release mechanism and the sediment control, so they suit people who drink the batch within a few days. Our best cold brew coffee maker page ranks the category across all of these formats; this page goes deep on the two systems people search for by name.
One person, a glass a day, a small kitchen: the OXO Compact, steeped in the fridge, plus a box of its paper filters. Two people, or one who drinks iced lattes all summer: the OXO 32 oz. A household of four, an office, or a small shop: the Toddy Commercial with Lift and a pack of tree-free filters, or the 9.5 L set. You already own a home Toddy: the paper filter bags and a spare set of felts are the two purchases that make it easy to keep using. You want cold-brew-style coffee now, not tomorrow: the OXO Rapid Brewer. You want ready-to-drink, not concentrate: the Hario Mizudashi. You want to try cold brew for the price of a jar: the County Line or the Takeya. Whichever you choose, grind coarse, weigh the coffee, and read the method guide once; the coffee concentrate guide covers dilution, and the iced coffee guide covers what to do with it.
Twelve verified listings: the two OXO brewers, their paper filters and the Rapid Brewer; two Toddy units and three Toddy filter types; then the three alternatives. Each claim is the listing's own statement, read on the date shown on the card; live prices come from Amazon rather than being retyped here. Toddy's home system had no new listing we could verify on that date and appears in the text only.
The one with a mechanism: it holds the grounds above the carafe and releases when you decide the steep is done. Listing states a steep-and-release system brewing low-acid concentrate for up to 14 drinks, with a Rainmaker top that distributes water over coarse grounds, a 12-24 hour steep, a brew-release switch and a reusable stainless mesh filter.
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The small OXO: seven drinks a batch, sized to live in the fridge. Listing states a 24 oz brewing container that makes enough low-acid concentrate for up to seven coffee drinks, a Rainmaker lid that distributes water evenly over the grounds, draining that starts automatically when the brewer is set on its carafe, and a size meant for counters and refrigerators.
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The optional paper layer for a cleaner OXO concentrate. Listing states 50 paper filters for the OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker that add a layer of filtration on top of the stainless steel mesh, also usable with the OXO Rapid Brewer.
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Cold-brew-style concentrate in five minutes instead of twelve hours - the travel answer. Listing states a portable brewer that makes concentrated coffee in about two minutes hot or five minutes cold from roughly 5 oz of water, with a built-in stainless steel filter, no plug or charging, and a concentrate meant to be diluted with water or milk.
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The Toddy that cafes use, in the version a serious household or office can buy today. Listing states a commercial cold brew system that brews up to 5 lb of coffee to yield at least 2.5 gallons of extract, supplied with the patented Toddy Lift to raise the yield of each batch, NSF certified and BPA free, with a filter starter kit of two paper and two tree-free filters.
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The large Toddy bucket with a tap - concentrate for a week or a crowd. Listing states a set of one 9.5 L infusion container with tap and lid, two natural paper filters and two PLA filters, a capacity of approximately 9.5 litres of extract, NSF and BPA-free certified, for coffee or tea, suited to large quantities of extract.
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The bag that turns the Toddy home system from a scrub into a lift-and-toss. Listing states 50 genuine 11.5 by 13 in natural paper filter bags for the Toddy Cold Brew System that make brewing quicker, increase the concentrate yield of each batch, extend the life of the felt filters and make clean-up easier.
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The felt disc every Toddy runs on - six of them. Listing states genuine reusable Toddy filters designed for cold brew filtration, suggested to be changed after 10 to 12 uses or three months, whichever comes first, with a longer life when paired with the Toddy paper filters.
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The commercial bag, sold by the fifty. Listing states 50 plant-based PLA filters for the commercial model, food grade and made in America, strong enough to hold 5 lb of wet grounds without tearing, that strain out bitter acids and oils without adding flavour.
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The $20 default: a glass jug with a mesh basket, which is the whole apparatus cold brew actually needs. Listing states a 1000 ml five-cup heatproof glass cold brew maker made in Japan with a removable reusable fine mesh basket, and advises grinding coarse for a lighter cup or finer for more body.
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A big-batch jar, and the maker's own warning is the useful part: cold water only, or the glass is the problem. Listing states a 64 oz wide-mouth glass mason jar with a stainless steel fine mesh filter and a leak-proof flip-cap lid, dishwasher safe, and warns in capitals not to add warm or boiling water.
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Plastic rather than glass, which is the point: it survives a fridge door and a rucksack. Listing states a shatter-proof BPA-free Tritan pitcher with an airtight leak-proof lid, a fine-mesh filter and a silicone grip handle, sized to fit most refrigerator doors, made in the USA.
Check price on Amazon →Different jobs. OXO is tidier, fridge-sized and repeatable, and makes up to 14 drinks per 32 oz batch. Toddy makes far more - the commercial unit yields at least 2.5 gallons from 5 lb of coffee - and its felt filter gives the smoothest cup. One or two people: OXO. A household, office or shop: Toddy.
The 32 oz model brews concentrate for up to 14 coffee drinks per its listing; the 24 oz Compact for up to seven. Both are concentrates, diluted with water or milk.
12 to 24 hours, per OXO's listing; overnight is the usual habit. The Rainmaker lid spreads the water over the grounds at the start, and the release switch drains the concentrate when the steep is done.
Toddy's listing says the felt filters should be changed after 10 to 12 uses or three months, whichever comes first, and that pairing them with Toddy's paper filter bags extends their life.
They line the container and hold the grounds, so the batch lifts out clean. Toddy's listing states they make brewing quicker, increase the concentrate yield, extend the life of the felt filters and make clean-up easier.
Its overall acidity is comparable, but cold brew has a lower concentration of titratable acid, which is what makes it taste rounder and less sharp, according to the research summarised on the cold brew entry at Wikipedia.
It can. The same source reports that a 24-hour cold brew produced more caffeine in an equal volume than a six-minute brew at 98 C. Since both systems make a concentrate, the strength of the glass depends mostly on how much you dilute it.
Coarse, like rock salt, for both OXO and Toddy. Fine grounds pass through mesh and clog felt, and they over-extract during a 12 to 24 hour steep.
Sources for this page: Cold brew definition, steep time (12-24 hours), room-temperature or chilled water, filtering by paper, metal or felt, concentrate and dilution, the acidity finding (comparable overall acidity, lower titratable acid) and the caffeine comparison (24 hours cold versus 6 minutes at 98 C): Wikipedia, Cold brew coffee, read 2026-09-16 · OXO 32 oz (up to 14 drinks, Rainmaker lid, 12-24 hour steep, brew-release switch that stops when the carafe is removed, borosilicate carafe with markings, reusable stainless mesh, stopper) and Compact (24 oz, up to seven drinks, draining starts on the carafe, refrigerator size): each product's own Amazon listing, read 2026-09-16 · Toddy Commercial Model with Lift (5 lb to at least 2.5 gallons, NSF, filter starter kit), the 9.5 L set, felt filter replacement interval (10-12 uses or three months), paper filter bag benefits and the tree-free commercial filters: each product's own Amazon listing, read 2026-09-16 · Toddy home system: no new offer could be verified on its listing on 2026-09-16, so no figures for it are stated on this page · Method figures (coarse grind, concentrate ratio): our cold brew method guide and the sources cited there · Product capacities, filters and prices: each product's own Amazon listing (title and feature bullets), read on 2026-09-16; every card links to the listing it was read from We have not lab-tested brewers; where a figure is a manufacturer's, the page names the manufacturer, and machine capabilities come from our own published review records.