I love this iced coffee maker because the iced coffee always tastes good and it is a really cool idea. I had never seen one before tasting it at my sister in law's house. It really tasted like no other iced coffee I have had. It must be the method in which it is brewed. You definitely need to read the instructions carefully and it is easy to mess up if you skip a step, which would result in having to start over and wasting coffee. You also have to remember to add water or else it is very concentrated. I like how it lasts longer than you would think. Ease of Cleaning The carafe and top portion are easy to clean either in the dishwasher or sink. Ease of Use I was able to figure it out pretty easily but you must read the directions carefully. I wouldn't throw the directions out either because you don't want to make a mistake since it will result in the coffee not coming out well. Durability I wish the filters were resuable for a longer period of time because it can get expensive buying them often and they are not the easiest things to find at a local store. The glass carafe is easy to clean.

uclachic03

USA

My dream is to have a never-ending supply of coffee. The Toddy makes this a reality. All I have to do is is put ground coffee in the Toddy, go to sleep and in the morning I have coffee. OK, it is not quite that easy but almost. You put the plug in the bottom, put in the wet filter and add 2 cups cold water. pour in half a pound of ground coffee. I have used Folgers, not fantastic but OK. Ideally you will coarsely grind half a pound of Arabica beans for this step. Get this even and add 5 cups of water slowly - you are creating a layer or mat of coffee here. Then sprinkle the other half pound of ground coffee on top. At this point I cover the Toddy with a small plate and wait for 5 minutes. I am letting my grinds soak up some of the water so that I can add the rest. After my grinder is clean and my timer has gone off, I take the plate off and very slowly add 2 more cups of water.  Using the back of a large tablespoon I press down on the top of the coffee to make sure everything is wet. Do not stir or you will never get your Toddy to drain. Trust me on this, it is no fun having to scoop coffee and grinds to a funnel lined with cheesecloth. A word about my using a plate to cover my Toddy. I do not leave any food uncovered in my house. The Toddy company does not supply a lid. My salad plates fit perfectly.  I have a friend who uses foil but that seems so wasteful to me. If you feel safe in yourself leaving it uncovered, do so. Twelve or so hours later, twist the plug out of the bottom. Make sure you do this over the carafe or you will make a mess. It takes around ten minutes to drain. Put the carafe in the fridge and you have coffee. The deal with the grounds. Do so immediately. I cannot stress this enough. Coffee grounds left out will grow mold. At least in Houston they will. If they grow mold you will have to buy new filters. I put the grounds in my compost pile, when I remember. Now is the time to make drinks. What you have on your hands is beautiful coffee essence. My favorite summer drink: 2 oz Vanilla syrup ( I use Sugar free)2 oz Coffee essencemilkFill quart jar with ice, add syrup, coffee. Top off with milk. Shake or blend and enjoy. For Winter: 1 oz vanilla syrup3 oz cinnamon syrup4 oz coffee14 oz milkHeat coffee and milk separately in microwave. Blend vanilla syrup with milk in 20 oz mug. Mix cinnamon syrup with coffee and pour into mug. Enjoy. If you need a caffeine jolt: sweeten to taste and drink. the Toddy company says to water it down but before I started adding milk to my coffee, this is how strong I drank it. After I pressed my French Press, it was half grounds. The Toddy, being cold brewed, has less acid than other coffee my cholesterol is lower since I switched. You can also use this coffee for any recipe that calls for cold espresso or cold strong coffee. Great for tiramisu. Oh, another thing I forgot to say is that everything is dishwasher safe except the filter which is just rinsed and kept in a plastic bag in the fridge. All in all, a great way to have a never-ending supply of coffee.

eetzel

Houston, TX

I have had this toddy maker for many years now and it still works great! I guess one great thing about it is the fact that it doesn't really have any mechanical parts to break. It comes with very clear instructions about how to make toddy and even some awesome recipes. One down side it that you have to let it steep for ten to twelve hours, but that isn't really a fault of the product, just the nature of what you are trying to make. Just a little set back for those of us that are impatient. It is easy to find replacement filters and plugs on the internet. I have had so many people ask where I found this and how to make toddy. My sister-in-law likes it so much that we got her one as a Christmas present this year and she was ecstatic! I like the fact that you can also add hot water to the concentrate and have a cup of coffee without having to make a whole pot. This is an excellent product for people that love coffee and cold coffee beverages like you get at the expensive coffee houses!

jmeek0330

Dallas, GA

We love our Toddy. It creates a lower acid and much smoother flavored coffee concentrate that is cold brewed and is to be mixed with hot water when you want to drink it. The only downside to the Toddy is that it has a lot of pieces and it is quite cumbersome to store and use. The decanters are also not that easy to replace quickly if you happen to break one and there is a very small filter that you must keep that easily gets lost. We lost ours for a while and were unable to use our Toddy for several weeks as a result. We could not easily find replacement parts for that either. Overall, very helpful for people with ulcers or stomach conditions in which coffee is too tough on the stomach. Helps reduce the possibility of acid indigestion which is very common with regular hot brewed coffee. Another benefit is that if you like iced coffee, you can easily make some up directly from the fridge, which can usually be a time consuming endeavor.

LaurenTaylor

Houston, TX

The Toddy Cold Brew coffee maker is, as far as I'm concerned, the best thing since sliced bread. I LOVE THIS THING. Here's how it works....you put about a pound of your favorite coffee in the toddy, add water and let it sit over night. It makes your kitchen smell amazing. The next morning you drain out the concentrated coffee, add ice and enjoy. The coffee will be really strong so you can either add ice for iced coffee or hot water to have it hot! It's less acidic than a normal brew so the coffee goes down smooth without giving you the acidic stomach feeling that badly brewed coffee gives you. I like to brew it, bottle it and take it camping. There is nothing like having a good cup of coffee in the middle of the woods by a fire!

EmSpence

Chicago, IL