I Tried the DASH Rapid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, and It Completely Revamped My Morning Routine

As the saying goes, time is of the essence, which is why I’ve always gravitated towards buying my cold brew rather than making it at home. Can you blame me? Most methods for making DIY cold brew can take upwards of 12 (!) hours, which is certainly enough to justify a trip to the local coffee shop when you’re in need of caffeine, stat.

That said, cafe cold brews—and even the canned and bottled versions we so dearly love—can cost upwards of $8. What would our grandparents say? The solution: DASH Rapid Cold Brew Maker. Because spending 12+ hours waiting for your coffee to reach peak infusion feels exhausting, and this one can do it (“brew it”) in nine minutes flat.

DASH Rapid Cold Brew Maker — $150.00

I took the machine for a whirl, and let me tell you: I’ll never make cold brew any other way again.

Why a rapid cold brew coffee maker is exactly what’s been missing in your life

DASH’s Rapid Cold Brew Maker is a compact, lightweight cold brew coffee maker that comes with a reusable filter and hopper (where the coffee grounds go), a 40-ounce carafe (which doubles as a storage container for your cold brew), and the coffee maker itself. It features three settings: mild, regular, and bold.

The speediness of the machine is due to DASH’s innovative, patented VacuPress technology, which uses a pressurized system to quickly and efficiently brew the coffee without applying heat. Once you piece the equipment together, making cold brew is simply a matter of adding coffee to the hopper and water into the filter—with just the press of a button, you’ll be on your way to a perfect batch of cold brew in under nine minutes.

My honest review

Let’s jump right in. Although most coffee pros will tell you that the best type of coffee ultimately boils (sorry) down to personal preference, research suggests that the darker the roast, the less acidic the coffee will be. As such, I settled for something in the middle and went for La Colombe’s Ever Wild Medium Roast, which has milk chocolate, nougat, and red apple notes.

Then, I used my favorite Proctor Silex Electric Coffee Grinder—it’s ideal for small batches and has a sound shield to avoid waking up everyone in the house early in the morning—to grind the beans coarsely. Once my coffee grounds were prepped and ready, I filled the hopper, placed it in its housing, and hooked it up to the machine. Next, I filled the carafe with filtered water and put it in the center of the machine—it should pop into place easily. Finally, the fun part: Choosing your brewing preference. There are three options to pick from—mild, regular, and bold—I went with regular and hit the start button to commence the magic.

To my amazement, the straw-like tube in the carafe began to siphon the water upwards into the coffee grounds compartment, leaving the carafe nearly empty. Then, as the coffee was infused after just a few minutes, it began to release into the carafe container once again slowly, but this time, instead of being clear H2O, it was the color of (you guessed it!) cold brew. Can confirm: It’s as easy as it sounds and took around nine minutes from start to finish. Once the coffee was ready to go, all I had to do was pull the carafe out of the machine (it has a handle) and pour it into a glass filled with ice.

Of course, I ended up with a ton of leftover cold brew—since chugging the entire 40 ounces would, without a doubt, send me into a caffeine-induced spiral. Conveniently enough, the carafe doubles as a storage container, so you can simply place it directly in the refrigerator to enjoy later on. (FYI, leftover cold brew can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days.)

Finally, the taste test. The flavor is, dare I say, just as delicious as what I get at my favorite coffee shop, which is utterly shocking in and of itself. Upon first sip, I found that the cold brew was smooth and not very acidic—and paired with a splash of my favorite Nutpods French Vanilla Dairy-Free Creamer, it was sheer perfection. Plus, it was beyond refreshing on a hot summer day.

If all of this isn’t convincing enough, let’s do some calculations. A tall cold brew at a large-scale chain costs about five dollars and is roughly 12 ounces of coffee. This cold brew-making machine yields about 40 ounces, or in other words, approximately three tall-sized drinks. Considering I didn’t use more than three or four tablespoons of a less-than-14-dollar bag of coffee, this sounds like a great deal in the long run. But I’ll let you do the math.

Oh, and did I mention this machine can make cold-brew tea, too? *Mic drop.*

Discover the benefits of drinking coffee, according to an RD: