Cafe Du Chateau Cold Brew Coffee Maker - 34oz Airtight Iced Coffee & Tea Pitcher with Measuring Label, Stainless Steel Filter, Ideal for Fridge Storage

We've completely switched from espresso to cold press coffee (LOVE IT!), and at first my hubby bought two pitchers (because we do a decaf and a full caff version) that were supposedly specifically for cold press & that worked okay. The "Bean Envy Cold Brew Coffee Maker - 32 oz" (sorry - Amazon doesn't offer live links in the reviews anymore, but look it up with those words) However, there was a lot of grit in the bottom of the carafe each time. After seeing what those "specifically for cold pressed" do...how they work...I thought "Geez, why not use a french press for this...". Then I looked on Amazon and of course others had already thought of this idea. Well the french press works BETTER than the coffee carafe's specially made for cold press coffee, and the french press isn't as picky on having coarse grind - one of them I ground had some tiny bits, medium bits, coarse bits, etc. and I still had no grit in the bottom of my carafe.How to make cold press coffee (bear in mind I'm coming from espresso, so this might be stronger than some like...)What we do is grind the beans (we finally ended up getting a fancy power grinder and it's been great! The "Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder", but if you're not up for spending that much $$, we found this hand-grinder to be excellent "Mueller Austria Manual Coffee Grinder, Whole Bean Conical Burr Mill for French Press" and it's a fraction of the price) and we put about 3/4 beans (pre-grind measure) into this french press (there's another french press that's larger, "Large Cold-Brew French Press Coffee-Maker" by Square Cottage) and in that bigger one we use about 1 cup of beans pre-grind) add water, push the screen down just enough that there is a bit of water above the screen so you know all the grind is submerged, then let sit 16-24 hours (we like 17-20 hours best). When it's done steeping, you then press it all the way down, pour the coffee into whatever container you're going to use to store it in the fridge, then clean the press. Voila! It's SUPER easy! The taste really is different, more smooth and significantly less acidic. I feel like I taste a fruityness to it - not a sweet fruit, but like a fresh "I'm a fruit not a dead bean" taste. We've fully converted over.How to measure it into your coffee cup if you're converting from Latte'sOk, so for comparison, I USED to do Nespresso 2 pods of a strong bean like Kazaar, and I had it set to the short shot size, and that went into my Copco travel coffee cup (Look up "Copco Acadia Travel Mug, 16-Ounce, Plum") with a pump of vanilla. To that I'd put my steamed milk/cream the rest of the way up and I was good to go. This would be pretty similar in measures to what you'd get at Starbucks or Peet's when getting their medium-ish size latte.My #1 mistake at first was thinking it would be equivalent measures of coffee to milk, it is very different. For this you will use a lot more coffee and less milk. If you're doing cow milk consider switching to half and half or cream, as you may want the more concentrated milk taste since you're using so much more coffee. (It's also a great way to slowly move towards more of a black coffee and less of a latte/milk based drink). Fill your mug about 2/3 coffee, add whatever sweetener if you use that, and the balance of the cup your cream. This will give you an equivalent to slightly more intense coffee taste than the espresso latte I described above. All this will be cold, you can then microwave it for about 2 minutes 30 seconds for really hot, or if you have one of those swirly-cup milk warmers (Like the "Capresso frothPRO Automatic Milk Frother") you can dump the whole thing in that to heat it up.I'm finding I can handle much less milk/cream (I actually use heavy cream) and less sweetener with this cold pressed than with regular espresso drinks. As of now I fill my copco cup about an inch from the top with coffee, then add cream the rest of the way (which is approx 3/4 of an inch of cream added to cup if I had to try and quantify). I'm hoping to wean to even less cream and off the sweetener entirely, but we'll see....Decaf and CaffeinatedLastly, we use this press for my decaf, and I REALLY like this one "Jailhouse Coffee Organic Swiss Water Decaf Whole Bean, 12 oz, Medium Roast, Chemical-free Decaffeinated", and we use the bigger press for the full-caffeine coffee. I do half and half decaf to coffee as I can be caffeine sensitive and feel antsy & racy-pulse if I have too much. The half and half of this has been great and no adverse effects at all (so far, knock-on-wood!). This decaf smells wonderful and is really, really good! My husband who does full-on caffeine, always comments on how good these beans smell, and for me the taste is really great. Far better than any decaf espresso I had when using my nespresso.How's it compare to "real" espresso - not espresso pods??About 5-6 years ago we moved from "real" espresso to the Nespresso because we'd gone through 3 espresso machines - they all seem to be finicky and break a lot, despite our buying more expensive models each time - and into the Nespresso as we received a Nespresso machine free and were blown away by the taste because those use pressure to make the espresso like a real espresso machine (K cups are just a drip system, no pressure, very different than Nespresso). So to us, we found no better taste from "real" espresso vs Nespresso pod espresso, the only downside was the limited selection of bean types and pods, and that we were using aluminum pods which have their own inherent health risks as well as not being very earth friendly. If you're a "real" espresso person then perhaps try some of the cold pressed coffee from Peet's or Starbucks or buy some from the grocery store as most all of them carry it in the cold section in glass bottles - we did that before deciding to make it at home ourselves.We consider the cold pressed to have a superior taste profile to any heated coffees/espressos, much lower acid, significant ease of making in the mornings (just heat it up!) and loving that we have no machines to worry about, no pods to buy, can still have it if there's a power outage (not technology dependent) and we're back in the game of trying different coffee beans since we're away from pods.

I have had this Cafe Du Chateau Cold Brew Coffee Maker for 9 months now and thought I’d update my review. I do a bit of “window shopping” on amazon from time to time and over the last couple days I have looked at a few cold brew makers and I have to say that this one has my vote. It is well designed with rubber gaskets both on the filter and the lid keeping the coffee fresh and any orders out as it brews in the fridge. I have found that pouring my beans into the filter and then into grinding that it’s the perfect amount for the 34oz carafe (for me at least). The glass is easily taken out of the metal housing for cleaning but is snug enough to only move when is taking it out. The filter is tops! I have, on occasion made my beans fine when grinding (course ground is recommended) because I haven’t purchased a bur grinder yet (still looking) but I have never had any grounds in my coffee. It is very easy to use and makes great coffee. Easy to clean and well built. If you’re looking for a cold brew coffee maker this is the one to get :)

UPDATE:. Oh, I'm loving this French press! I bought a metal mesh sieve (set of 3, actually), which makes the cleanup so much easier. You can buy them here on Amazon, but I don't think they appreciate adding links to purchases. Actually, THEY really should add mesh sieves to the bottom of the screen as "bought together"...or maybe the seller can add a metal mesh sieve to the set! [*wink-wink*]. So, I simply allow the glass to cool a bit before putting warm water in the grounds, swishing the water around to catch all the grounds, and pouring them into the sieve. It really helps if you have a "shower" type of spray nozzle on your spigot. This prevents the water from splashing all over the sink. So I rinse as many times as I can to remove the grinds; usually not more than three times. NEVER add cold water to hot glass. This can cause the fragile glass to crack. I empty the strained grinds into the trash. Then I use the spray nozzle to spray the few loose grinds off the sieve and plunger. I fill the carafe 3/4 full with clean warm water, then add a bit of detergent to the water in the carafe, then pump the plunger up and down in the water to clean the glass and plunger at the same time. To empty the carafe, I pour the detergent water over the sieve to clean that, and use the spray spigot to rinse the soapy dishes. I rinse everything with hot water, again using the spray nozzle, then set everything in the empty dishwasher to drain. I have a top rack for small dishes, but you may need to drain the small items on a towel on your counter.I also discovered that the glass does slide out of the metal holder. I was pulling up on the plunger one day when I discovered the glass pulling away from the metal. I don't know if it was originally glued in, but this certainly makes it much easier to clean. I was noticing coffee grinds between the glass and metal, which was very annoying. I'm so glad it can be removed to clean. But I do have to make sure it doesn't slide out of the metal casing when I pour or pull out the plunger.Since everything is much easier to clean now, I make all my coffee in the FP. I also noticed a difference in the taste, and it is not my imagination. I don't think I'll ever go back to drip!There are a few negative reviews, mainly about cracking. But as long as you DO NOT ADD COLD WATER TO THE HEATED GLASS, you shouldn't have cracks. I'm considering buying a second FP just in case this one breaks. This is well worth the purchase.Last review:This is my first French press, and I've always wanted one. That being said, this review is more on the reflection of the French press process than it is on this specific device, since I have nothing else to compare it to...except my drip coffee makers.Before receiving the shipment, I viewed instructions of YouTube videos, so I would be prepared to use it immediately.CONS:1. The French press does not use a paper coffee filter as the drip makers use. This is the biggest con, but it's also the biggest pro, which I'll explain shortly. I'm accustomed to pulling out the filter and dumping the grounds in the trash. I have experienced the downfall of washing the grinds down the drain. It can cause major plumbing issues, which can be expensive if not dealt with in time. So my first and only experience to date of disposing of the grinds was a messy one. I had to use a long spoon to get the grinds to the top of the carafe and dump them in the trash. The grounds got all over my hands, the floor, the trash can...and then I still had to rinse them out into the sink. In this case, there were only a few grounds remaining, so I turned on my garbage disposal before rinsing it out. In hindsight, I should've just poured them over an empty coffee filter and proceeded as I do with drip coffee. I'll figure it out. People have been doing this for years, so I know there's a better way.2. This particular model has metal molded around a glass carafe. I'm assuming this is designed to keep the coffee hot. But in washing the carafe, water gets trapped between the metal and glass. My OCD won't allow me to dismiss this issue. I don't know if mold will become trapped between the glass and metal, or if the metal will rust. But I do know I can't put this away in the cupboard until it dries thoroughly. I turned it upside down, and am patiently waiting for it to drain thoroughly.3. It isn't electric, so the coffee doesn't remain hot. I can pour the coffee into my drip carafe and keep it on the warming plate. But it would be better to just make another cup of coffee.4. It's not an automatic process, like I'm used to experiencing with a drip coffee maker. I just set the drip maker up and turn it on. Eleven minutes later, it's ready to pour. Not so with the press. For a good cup, the press needs to be preheated, coffee beans need to be weighed, ground, soaked, and then pressed. There is no time to sit down and wait for it to brew. But, it doesn't take much time to make French press coffee, either.5. It's a bit difficult to clean. It's not impossible to clean, but compared to the drip coffee brewer, which needs to be rinsed out and occasionally cleaned with vinegar, there is a bit more complicated cleaning process. The press has a few parts that need to be cleaned after each use.PROS:1. This does not use a paper coffee filter. This is a plus, because you don't have to worry about running out of coffee filters, and it produces less trash for the landfills.2. It's perfect for those times when you just want one cup of coffee.3. Though cleanup can be a bit of a hassle, it's not difficult to clean, if you tackle it immediately after pouring the coffee.4. It's compact, easy to store.5. This model has a lifetime guarantee, of which I will take advantage, should anything go wrong. I inspected the item thoroughly; and aside from the water becoming trapped between the glass and metal, it's in perfect condition. Don't forget to register it asap.6. It's simple to use. Even though it's not automatic like the drip coffee maker, it's not really that difficult to use. I would suggest to anyone buying this, that an electric kettle would come in very handy. You can boil water on your stovetop, but personally, I prefer the electric kettle.HERE IS MY SYSTEM:1. Boil water in kettle and pour into FP carafe and put plunger and elements into the water and cover. This process will heat up the carafe and elements, so they are unlikely to cool off the boiled water, lowering the coffee temperature.2. While the parts to the FP is heating, I boil more water. After water boils, I dump out the water in the carafe, dry carafe, and add premeasured grinds into carafe. I personally use the same amount of grounds:water ratio that I used in the drip maker.3. Pour boiled water over grinds; just enough water to cover grinds. I stir with a long handled spoon so all grinds get wet; then carefully pour a tiny bit of boiled water over spoon to get the remaining grinds off spoon. (OCD...remember?) I cover the carafe and allow the grinds to soak for a few minutes, while I boil more water.4. I add the remaining boiled water to the grinds to complete the coffee, allow coffee to set a couple minutes, then carefully place lid with plunger and slowly push down the plunger evenly, so no grounds will get into the coffee.5. I pour coffee in cup(s) and add cream/sugar as usual.6. I wait for remaining water in carafe to cool a bit before clearing out the grounds. In the future, I might add warm tap water (NOT cold! That could crack the glass, if it's hot), swish water around a bit; and, using a small rubber spatula, pour them over a filter, allowing it to drip in the drip carafe. In fact, I might even consider cleaning out some used coffee filters from the drip maker and save them for this purpose. I don't know. I'll figure it out.What do I think about this particular model? I do like it, but I cannot claim that the coffee tastes any better or worse than the drip. The difference between the two are that the drip maker pours hot water over the grinds, which drips into carafe. Whereas, the process of the press is to pour water into the grounds, soak them and push all the water out of the grounds at the bottom of the water with the plunger. I assumed the press would require fewer grounds, since they soak in the water, but I didn't see a difference. The perculator, on the other hand, seems to split the difference. It uses the drip method by sucking up heated water from the pot and spitting it out over the grinds, which drips back into the water. It repeats this process, soaking the grinds like the French Press soaks it's grinds, until the coffee becomes strong.I don't think I'll use this French Press every day. But it will come in handy when I run out of filters, when I just need a single cup of coffee, or if/when the drip coffee maker breaks down.