Toddy vs Mason Jar vs Hario: Which Cold Brew System Should You Buy?
A mason jar makes excellent cold brew. Dedicated systems like the Toddy and Hario add convenience and better filtration — but none of them fundamentally changes the quality of your cold brew.
⚡ Quick Answer
Start with a mason jar — the coffee quality is identical to any dedicated system and the total cost is under $5. Upgrade to a dedicated system only if you want easier filtering (Toddy), a cleaner all-in-one design (Hario Mizudashi), or larger batch capacity. The Toddy's thick felt filter produces notably cleaner results than DIY paper filtering; the Hario is elegant but produces similar results to a mason jar with paper filtering.
🎯 Key Takeaway: Equipment doesn't make the cold brew — grind size, ratio, and steep time do. Master the process with a mason jar first. Upgrade for convenience, not quality.
⚙️ System Comparison
Mason Jar (DIY)
$3–5Add grounds, add water, stir, cover, steep, strain through coffee filter or cheesecloth. Produces identical coffee to any dedicated system.
- ✅ Free if you have mason jars, nearly free otherwise
- ✅ Any batch size
- ⚠️ Filtering requires a separate step (paper filter + dripper)
Toddy Cold Brew System
~$45Steep in the bucket, then drain through the thick felt filter into the glass carafe. The felt filter is the best-performing filter of any consumer cold brew system.
- ✅ Best filtration of any consumer system — very clean result
- ✅ Convenient drain-through design
- ✅ Large 1-liter capacity
- ⚠️ Felt filters wear out and need replacing ($15–20 each)
- ⚠️ Relatively large, bulky in the fridge
Hario Mizudashi
~$25Grounds go in a mesh filter basket that sits inside the bottle. Add cold water, steep, remove the basket. Clean, simple, and elegant — stores in the fridge bottle-style.
- ✅ Elegant design, fridge-friendly shape
- ✅ Easy cleanup — just remove and rinse basket
- ✅ 600ml or 1L sizes available
- ⚠️ Metal mesh basket doesn't filter as finely as paper — more sediment than Toddy
OXO Good Grips Cold Brew
~$35Steep tank with a rainmaker lid for even saturation, drains into a carafe. Good mainstream option with reliable filtration.
- ✅ Good filtration, easy draining mechanism
- ✅ 32oz capacity
- ⚠️ Slightly more sediment than Toddy