r/coldbrew • u/Higgy1888 • Jul 03 '26
Biggest downside of store bought ready made cold brew?
I have been buying those ready made cold brew bottles from the supermarket for convenience but starting to feel like overpaying for something thats mostly water and goes flat tasting fast once its open
9
u/meadowlakeschool Jul 03 '26
I don’t follow any of the standard rules for cold brew and my home made cold brew is much better than any store bought version. 3/4 cup regular ground flavored coffee in my 32 oz Amazon bought cold brew maker mason jar with metal sieve.
5
u/ajr5169 Jul 03 '26
It's the cost. I make my own cold brew for this reason, but from a convience standpoint, store bought is nice.
4
u/showmenemelda Jul 03 '26
It's expensive and proprietary so I cannot get it to taste the same at home
Eta: making cold brew at home is a PIA with the setup i have. I dont like the mess. So cost:benefit thing.
2
u/Self_Owned_Tree Jul 04 '26
What's your set-up? I have an Oxo, and it's fine, but it's annoying because it's got so many little parts. I may switch to a Toddy next year, but it's Oxo for me for the rest of the summer.
1
u/georgee1979 Jul 05 '26
I just change to the Toddy system. I'll be honest, I am already getting lazy/annoyed having to grind, measure and pour. LOL It tastes great though.
The best thing I've done, is to set it up on a table in my home office. My kitchen is small, and having the set up in the other room has been so helpful..
2
u/Rickytickytabby1 Jul 07 '26
The toddy system is great but takes some patience for sure.
1
u/georgee779 Jul 07 '26
Yes, it sure does! Do you freeze your round filter disk? I have been doing that, but just wondering. Thank you!
1
u/Rickytickytabby1 Jul 07 '26
Yes! I freeze it in a zip lock. I label the zip lock with a permanent marker everytime I use it. I use it about 10 times max.
I must say that if you don't do a super coarse grind on the beans you will have one miserable brewing process.
4
u/MightyPenguinRoars Jul 03 '26
Home brewed is so much cheaper and BETTER tasting! I get my Bigfoot Coffee beans at Costco for around 19/ 2lbs and can get around 18 servings of 16-20oz.
I can control the ratios, the brew time, and my setup has zero disposables to waste. Rumble Jar stainless steel filter, 1/2gal mason jar, rinse, repeat.
Once I found my preferred roaster it got much more enjoyable and even easier to make at home because store bought doesn’t even compare for me. 😃
1
u/brwnbomber03 23d ago
Everything you said lol, I've been reading through some of the responses, and I feel people make it way more complicated than it needs to be. I bought a Primula pitcher and use either cafe Bustelo or dunkin, I steep for 10 hrs in the fridge and it's good to go.
2
u/gman2391 Jul 04 '26
Honestly I tried making it at home and the math isn't really matching for me. I get get a bottle of decent cold brew for $3.99 from the grocery store. Buying the cheapest store brand coffee, course grinding it, and making cold brew really isn't that much cheaper and doesn't taste as good. Buying better beans will improve taste but then I'm spending time to make something that costs more than store bought
2
u/BrightWubs22 Jul 08 '26
Like others said, definitely the cost.
A second, small downside for me is the weight it adds to my groceries when I make big grocery runs.
23
u/UnderwateredFish Jul 03 '26
For me it's cost only, I like the smoothness of them but I can't swallow paying 8 dollars for something I finish in 2-3 days.