In addition to their regular cold brewer, Primula also makes a Travel Bottle Cold Brew Coffee Maker. I really like this brewer. The travel version is different than the regular version in a few ways. Besides brewing less coffee, the coffee it makes is not a concentrate, meaning it is ready to drink as soon as the brew completes. Also, the travel bottle does everything. You brew, store, and drink coffee from it.
In this tutorial, we will make cold brew coffee with the Primula Travel Bottle Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
The Setup
There are five parts to the Primula Travel Bottle Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
- Neoprene cover to protect and insulate the glass.
- The top lid for the glass brewer.
- The glass carafe/brewer.
- The permanent coffee filter.
- The bottom lid of the glass carafe holds the coffee filter in place.
#1 Grind Coffee
Add enough medium-ground coffee to fill the filter 3/4 of the way full. We are using a medium drip grind here because we are using less coffee per ounce of water and aren’t making a concentrate.
#2 Add the Coffee to the Filter and Secure it to the Bottom Lid
Turn the brewer upside down and open the bottom lid. Before placing the filter in the brewer, make sure there are no loose grounds on the rim of the filter. You want a tight seal that does not leak.
Place the coffee filter inside. It should look just like the photo below. Secure the bottom lid. This will lock the filter in place for the next step, which involves flipping the travel bottle and filling it with water.
#3 Fill the Travel Brewer with Water
Ensure the bottom lid is securely fastened and then fill the travel brewer with cold water. Once full, secure the top lid. At this point, you can gently rock the brewer to ensure water is saturating all the ground coffee.
#4 Brew For 12 Hours (probably longer)
Place the brewer in the refrigerator or countertop for at least 12 hours. If it is too weak, you can extend the brew time another 6-12 hours. Do a quick taste test before proceeding to the next step. My best results have been from doing a 24-hour brew and periodically doing a gentle rocking motion during the brewing. If it is still too weak for your liking, don’t fill the bottle completely full of water. If it ends up being too strong, just add the water back!
#5 Remove Coffee Filter
Ensure the top lid is secure, then flip the brewer upside down. Open the bottom filter and remove the coffee filter. Once the coffee filter is removed, you may see some loose coffee grounds around the edge of the bottle. Take a paper towel and wipe them off. Once the rim is clean, secure the bottom lid. Place the brewer inside the insulated cover.
#6 Finished
The coffee is finished. There is no need to add water, as this is not a concentrate. You can pour it into a glass or drink it from the bottle. Cold brew coffee doesn’t get much easier than this.
Troubleshooting
Two things can go wrong with cold brew: either the coffee is too strong or too weak. Since this doesn’t brew a concentrate, it will unlikely be too strong. But if it is, the answer is to add water to the finished brew simply.
If you discover that the coffee is too weak, you can try a few strategies. You can extend the brew time, grind a little finer, or gently rock the brewer a few times during the brewing process. If you rock the brewer, wipe the lid clean before securing the bottom lid.
No More Leaks
A few Amazon reviews complain that the bottom lid leaks. The first brewer I received for this tutorial did have an occasional leak issue. Usually, it resulted from loose grounds between the lip of the filter and the bottom lid. The same thing can happen with the Aeropress.
The good news is the filter has been redesigned. It is larger and it solves the leak problem. If you are looking for a simple no-mess foolproof cold coffee brewer, give the Primula Brew Travel Bottle a try.
Resources
Making Cold Brew Coffee With the Primula Coffee Maker – INeedCoffee tutorial for the 1.6-quart cold coffee brewer.
Cold Brew Coffee is Not Rocket Science – INeedCoffee overview of Cold Brew Coffee.
Disclosure: INeedCoffee received a Primula brewer to use for this tutorial.