Hi all,

One of my favorite things about cold brew is that I can go to a local shop, use their far-better-than-mine grinder, and make decent brew,

I've been using the OXO Cold Brew unit and I've encountered an interesting problem that I imagine may apply to the Toddy and the Filtron as well, but maybe not.

So far I've tried several different Bunn grinders around town as well as three different EKs. None of the cold brew from the EKs would drain within 6-8 hours after starting drain time, even at the coarsest setting. With the Bunn grinders on course the brew still refused to drain. Both times I didn't use a paper filter and brewed at room temp, making sure to stir the bloom and stir before drawn down without excessive agitation of the grounds that might cause the filter to block up.

Even more interesting, with the EK on medium/medium-course-ish not only did the brew not drain, but tasted extremely sour 14 hours in, leading me to believe the grind was so consistent that it prevented water penetration and even solute removal from the bed. Does this seem feasible?

I may start making small batches of cold brew in the french press again, but it seems unfortunate to me that to get a high quality cup of cold brew I have to ditch the relatively pricey contraption I bought solely for the convenience and lack of mess. Cold brew with grinds from the Encore taste good enough and drain successfully, but I'd like to find a way to brew with a better shop grinder and have the thing drain. Does anyone have any suggestions or has anyone else encountered these two problems when brewing with the OXO or another cold brew unit?

I think you need to grind coarser and with a grinder that makes minimal "fines" It is my understanding with cold brew and an 18-24 hours steep time you should grind coarse. I have this cold brewer paired with a Baratza Virtuoso grinder and it works fantastic. No need to do anything except flip the lever and wait for clean coffee extract. I've had it in the fridge 3 weeks and there's zero sediment.

I would say don't stir, especially right before draw down and see if that helps you problems.

I use a Toddy and their instructions specially state not to stir as it could cause you to clog the filter, and I have liked the results so I have never tinkered with them. Hope that helps.