OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker - 24 oz (11237500)

OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker Review: Iced Coffee With No Stove, No Kettle and No Battery Draw

The OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker makes coffee without heat. You fill a plastic brewing container with coarse grounds, pour room-temperature or cold water over a perforated plate OXO calls the Rainmaker, wait 12 to 24 hours, then set the container on its glass carafe. A valve opens and the concentrate drains through a mesh filter into the carafe. You dilute it with water or milk to drink.

For a van, the appeal is simple. It uses no gas, no inverter and no battery, and on a hot afternoon you don't have to light a stove inside a vehicle that is already too warm. It's the only cold-brew maker in our coffee lineup. Everything else on the site, from the AeroPress to the Bialetti Moka Express, needs hot water.

What the Amazon link sells: "OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker - 24 oz" in black (ASIN B07HB3GH6W, OXO model and part number 11237500). This is the compact version. OXO also sells a larger Cold Brew Coffee Maker with a different part number, which this page doesn't cover.

This review is research-based. VanLifeKitchens doesn't test products hands-on. The figures below come from OXO's instruction manual for the 11237500 and from the Amazon listing, both listed under Sources. Where OXO doesn't publish something, we say so.

Choose this if:

• You drink iced coffee in summer and don't want to heat water in a hot van.
• You'd rather brew once and pour several drinks over two or three days than make coffee every morning.
• You have a 12V fridge with a little spare room, or a shaded spot where the brewer can sit for half a day.

Skip this if:

• You want hot coffee in a few minutes. An AeroPress or a moka pot does that; this needs most of a day.
• You can't spare roughly 175 g of beans per batch, or you grind everything by hand and dread that much grinding.
• Your coffee kit rides loose in a crate. The carafe is glass.

How it works

OXO's manual lays out five steps:

1. Add coarsely ground coffee to the brewing container, up to the coffee-bean line printed on the side.
2. Set the Rainmaker on top and pour 24 oz of water over it. The dot on the carafe marks 12 oz, so you fill the carafe to the dot twice. OXO says not to stir the grounds.
3. Put the lid on and brew on the counter for 12 to 24 hours, or in the fridge for 20 to 24 hours.
4. Place the brewing container on the glass carafe. The concentrate starts draining automatically.
5. Serve from the carafe, or store it in the fridge with the cork lid.

The Rainmaker's job is to spread the water evenly over the bed so no dry pockets form. That's why OXO tells you not to stir. The automatic drain matters in a small galley: there's no pouring a slurry of wet grounds through a filter over the sink. The grounds stay in the container until you empty them.

Specifications and sources

OXO's manual doesn't print the brewer's dimensions or weight, so the size and weight above come from the listing's item data. They describe the nested set, so measure your fridge or shelf with some margin. The manual also shows a gasket on the bottom ring of the container threads, a removable filter and a twist-off base.

What "5 to 7 drinks" means. At OXO's 1:2 to 1:3 dilution, 16 oz of concentrate makes 48 to 64 oz of finished coffee. Mixed 2 oz of concentrate with 4 to 6 oz of water or milk, as in OXO's example, that's about eight 6 to 8 oz drinks; the number drops if you pour larger glasses. Treat "5 to 7" as typical mugs, not a hard count.

How it fits a van kitchen

Power and fuel. None. That's the main reason it's here. A van running a 12V fridge, fans and devices on a small battery bank in July doesn't have much left for an electric kettle, and a gas stove adds heat to a cabin you're trying to cool. Our summer van kitchen guide and the guide to cooling a van without AC cover why cutting cooking heat matters in hot weather.

Water. Each batch uses 24 oz of water and gives back 16 oz of concentrate. The grounds hold on to the rest. If you dilute with water rather than milk, budget another 32 to 48 oz across the batch. Use water you'd happily drink. Cold brew doesn't boil anything, so it does nothing to treat questionable water. If you fill from campground taps, the water filtration guide explains which filters remove what.

Fridge space. Brewing on the counter takes 12 to 24 hours and keeps the fridge free. Brewing in the fridge takes longer (20 to 24 hours) and is a better fit for very hot days, when an unrefrigerated container would sit in a warm cabin. Either way, the finished carafe lives in the fridge. Check the brewer's height against your fridge before buying. Chest fridges such as the ICECO VL35 ProS are only about 16 inches tall outside, and their interiors are much shorter once you subtract the floor and lid. The carafe on its own is shorter than the stacked brewer. Our 12V fridge guide lists fridge interiors.

Movement. Don't drive with it brewing on a counter. The container is full of water and wet grounds, and the manual says to align the markings on the container and base to prevent leaks. Brew while parked, or brew in the fridge where it's wedged in. Once the concentrate is in the carafe, the cork stopper is a storage lid, not a travel seal. Keep the carafe upright and padded, and don't trust it to stay sealed on its side.

Glass. The carafe is borosilicate glass. That's the heat-tolerant type used for lab glassware and kettles, but it's still glass. Wrap it or give it a fixed slot. If a broken carafe would be a real problem, an empty, clean wide-mouth bottle or jar of your own can hold the concentrate, and the brewer itself is plastic.

Grinding 175 grams

This is the hidden cost of cold brew in a van. OXO's recipe uses 6 oz (175 g) of coffee per batch. If you buy pre-ground, ask for a coarse grind. If you grind by hand, plan on doing it in several loads. The 1Zpresso Q Air holds 15 to 20 g at a time, so a full batch is roughly nine to twelve fills. The larger 1Zpresso K-Ultra holds more per load, which helps, but it's still a lot of cranking.

The manual's note matters here: OXO calls its recipe and the bean line "great starting points" and says you may want more or less coffee depending on the roast. A smaller batch is an option if you want fewer drinks, but OXO doesn't publish a half recipe. Keep the 1:4 ratio of coffee to water by weight that its recipe implies and expect results to vary.

The coffee complete guide explains why the grinder matters more than the brewer for hot methods. For cold brew, the coarse setting is the forgiving end of any grinder, so even an entry-level burr grinder does fine.

Cleaning with limited water

OXO's manual says the base of the brewing container twists off and the filter comes out for cleaning. When you reassemble it, check that the gasket sits on the bottom ring of the threads, that the container and base are fully tightened, and that the markings line up. The glass carafe is dishwasher safe; OXO says to hand wash the cork lid and all other parts.

In a van:

• Knock the spent grounds into a bag for the trash rather than rinsing them down a sink drain into a grey tank.
• Rinse the mesh filter from the outside in, so grounds come off rather than wedging into the mesh.
• Dry the gasket and cork before packing, so nothing stays damp in a closed cabinet.

The van dishwashing system guide covers low-water routines.

How long does the concentrate keep?

OXO's manual doesn't give a storage time for the finished concentrate. It only says to store it in the fridge with the cork lid. Our conservative guidance is to keep it cold, drink it within a few days, and discard it if it smells or tastes off. In a 12V fridge that cycles warmer during hot afternoons, err on the short side. An AcuRite fridge thermometer tells you what temperature the carafe is actually sitting at.

Hot coffee from cold brew

The listing describes the concentrate as being for hot or iced coffee. To make a hot cup, dilute the concentrate with hot water instead of cold. It's a useful trick on a cold morning when you don't want to set up a pour-over. You still need hot water, but only enough for the dilution, not for brewing.

Limitations

• Slow. Twelve hours minimum on the counter, twenty in the fridge. You have to plan a day ahead.
• Bean-hungry. 175 g per batch, which is a lot to carry and a lot to hand-grind.
• Glass carafe. It needs padding in a moving vehicle.
• No travel seal. The cork stopper is for storage, not for riding on its side.
• No published dimensions or storage time. OXO's manual leaves both out; check the fit yourself.
• Depends on cold storage. Without a fridge, finished concentrate needs drinking quickly.

How it compares with our other coffee gear

• AeroPress Original. AeroPress publishes a two-minute cold brew method: room-temperature water, a one-minute brisk stir, then press and top up to about 8 oz. That's one drink at a time, with no wait and no fridge space. The OXO makes a batch for several days with less daily effort. See our OXO Compact Cold Brew vs AeroPress comparison.
• Stanley Classic French Press. The 48 oz Stanley is the bulk hot-coffee pick, and it holds temperature for hours. It isn't designed around cold brew, and it's a much bigger object to store.
• ESPRO P0 travel press. The P0 brews and holds one drink in an insulated mug. It's a better grab-and-go option; the OXO is a better stay-parked batch option.
• YETI Rambler 14 oz mug. If you drink cold brew over ice outdoors, an insulated mug keeps the ice from melting straight away.

Verdict

The OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a sensible summer addition to a van kitchen. It makes 16 oz of concentrate from 24 oz of water with no power or fuel, drains itself off the grounds, and nests for storage. Its limits are practical ones: a day of waiting, 175 g of coffee per batch, a glass carafe to protect, and a fridge to keep the result in. If iced coffee on hot days is the goal and you can plan a day ahead, it's the simplest way to get there without heating anything. If you want coffee in minutes, the AeroPress's quick cold method or a hot brewer suits you better.

FAQ

How much coffee does the OXO Compact Cold Brew make? OXO's recipe uses 6 oz (175 g) of coarsely ground coffee and 24 oz (700 mL) of water, and yields 16 oz of concentrate, which OXO says is 5 to 7 drinks.

How long does it take to brew? OXO gives 12 to 24 hours on the counter or 20 to 24 hours in the fridge, with the lid on.

How do I dilute the concentrate? OXO recommends 1:2 or 1:3 concentrate to water or milk. For example, 2 oz (60 mL) of concentrate with 4 to 6 oz (120 to 180 mL) of water or milk.

Does it need electricity? No. It's entirely manual and gravity-drained. The only energy involved is the fridge, if you brew or store it there.

Is it dishwasher safe? OXO says the glass carafe is dishwasher safe. Hand wash the cork lid and all other parts.

Can I make hot coffee with it? Yes. The listing describes the concentrate as being for hot or iced coffee. Dilute it with hot water instead of cold.

How long does the concentrate keep in the fridge? OXO's manual doesn't say. Keep it cold, drink it within a few days, and throw it out if it smells or tastes off. That's our conservative guidance, not an OXO figure.

Will it fit in a 12V fridge? Often, but measure. The listing gives 8.6 x 5.2 x 5.3 inches for the item, and chest fridges have limited interior height. The carafe alone is shorter than the stacked brewer.

Sources and verification

• OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker instruction manual (11237500), on oxo.com: parts (container lid, Rainmaker, brewing container, filter, gasket, base, glass carafe, cork lid), recipe, yield, brew times, dilution ratio, do-not-stir and alignment instructions, cleaning and dishwasher guidance. https://www.oxo.com/media/wysiwyg/BL_Brew_11237500_Compact_Cold_Brew_Instruction_Booklet_M_H.pdf (checked 2026-10-13)
• AeroPress cold brew method, for the comparison: medium-fine grind, room-temperature or cold water, one-minute stir, about two minutes total, top up to 8 oz. https://aeropress.com/pages/cold-brew (checked 2026-10-13)
• Amazon product listing for ASIN B07HB3GH6W, the listing this review links to: title, model and part number 11237500, 24 oz container and 16 oz yield, stainless mesh filter, borosilicate carafe with silicone-sealed stopper, hot or iced use, item dimensions and weight, availability (checked 2026-10-13)