[Here's Roni's second try-out post... perfect timing for a lazy August weekend on the porch, sipping iced coffee.]
Sweet summertime. When the mercury rises, my coffee temperature drops radically. I like it steamy in the winter, but for iced summer perfection the Toddy is my best friend. I discovered this utterly lo-tech gadget a few years ago when I developed a minor obsession with cold press coffee. Because the grounds never encounter any heat, cold press has none of the acidity or bitterness that you get with conventional brewing.
At cafes they use buckets and cheesecloth to make the goods, but the Toddy offers a simpler and tidier strategy: you get a brewing container with a reusable cotton filter, cork and carafe. Cork the container, insert the filter and dump in a pound of coarsely ground coffee. Add 9 cups of water slowly and let it sit for 12 hours. Uncork and drain into the carafe. You end up with an ultra-smooth concentrate that will keep for about 10 days.
Mix 1 part concentrate to 3 parts ice water. Coffee’s ready in the morning without steaming up the kitchen on a hot summer day. The concentrate makes an awesome addition to dessert recipes. Try adding a few shots to Sara Kate’s basic vanilla ice cream.
• Toddy Coffee Maker ($34.95)
This is a smoothly written, succinct, and useful introduction to the Toddy. I'm not a coffee aficionado myself, but I see this as a super gift for those who are.
As a coffee professional I can attest to Roni's toddy tips. We, too, recommend it to our customers as the best way to make iced-coffee. Some other suggested methods, such as brewing double-strength coffee which you dilute later w/ice, we find can really throw the coffee's flavor.
Other benefits of the toddy system is that you can also use the resulting concentrate to easily make HOT coffee. Just add boiling water. Further, each person can make their coffee as strong or weak as they like - a flexibility you can't get when you make a whole pot.
I really liked this post and love Roni's writing in general. Nice work, Roni!
this has made me consider buying a toddy and i think that is the sign of an effective post. good job roni!
i want a toddy now!
Very nice post! And, I want a Toddy!
Excellent post! Very informative and well-written.
The Toddy Maker sounds interesting, but to be honest, I'm one of those weirdos who still drinks hot coffee on 100 degree days.
i'm intrigued by the fact that one batch can last for days...great for grabbing on my way out the door in the morning.
i'm adding to my kitchen gadget wish list...thanks!
Thanks for this review - I love iced coffee and am sick of spending $3 daily to get it the way I like it at the coffee shop. I am excited to try this product out! Keep up the good work!
Very well written post Roni! I can't wait to lose the bitterness once found in my iced coffee!
Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this just essentially soaking grounds in cold water and then filtering them out? I read the directions on the site and that's pretty much what it looks like. I'd imagine the same result could be had by simply soaking the grounds for the 12 hours required in a large glass container and then pouring the resulting slurry through a paper filter or a few layers of cheese-cloth.
I love cold-brew coffee iced or hot. I make it year-round and think the taste and convenience are hard to beat.
Yes, it is just soaking and draining... but the toddy filter is about half an inch thick and a batch takes fifteen minutes or more to drain. The toddy set up makes relatively simple and tidy what otherwise could be a cumbersome and messy process.
Awesome post, Roni. As a 30-something with a coffee appetite held over from my 20's-era digestive system, it's cheering to learn that cold-pressed coffee may allow me to caffeinate like a kid again. And the toddy sounds extra delightful. A new gizmo for our wedding registry...
Great post Roni! One of my favorite potential writer posts so far.
I've got a question for you cold-brew fans... my husband adores coffee, but started getting heartburn from it a few years ago and now has quit coffee almost completely (he'll have a sip or two of mine if I'm having some). Theoretically, cold brew coffee should reduce the acid enough for him to be able to enjoy coffee without heartburn, right? If so, I'm ordering a Toddy right away!
I'm addicted to iced coffee but I didn't know you could brew it cold. I would always brew it hot, then cool it down over ice--not the best result. The Toddy seems pretty ideal! Thanks for the tip, Roni, I look forward to reading many more of those here.
I have a lazzier idea... you can use your normal Coffee machine and you only have to buy an electric timer. Usually we known how many minutes our coffee machine takes to brew coffee... Well, while you're sleeping you can set up the timer to star the coffee machine at 2 o'clock and stop it at 2:20... in the morning the coffee will be cold enought or you can just put it in the fridge.
And more importat, you can use the timers to set up your electric heaters in the winter.
A single gadget for different uses... not that bad.
I prefer to use my Senseo machine... if the day is too hot I'll make my coffe first thing in the morning and let it cold while I'm taking my shower.
Enjoy your coffee!!