DASH Rapid Cold Brew Maker with VacuPress™ Technology with Glass Carafe for 40 Ounces of Instant Fresh Cold Brew Coffee or Iced Tea

A solid product that delivers on what it promises!
Durability:I’ve had this coffee maker for around 9 months, and it’s working just as well as the day I bought it. It’s fairly easy to clean, although you need to make sure you aren’t too rough around the mesh, you can push it away from the plastic and have to glue it back (with a food safe glue of course). I did recently break the bottom edge of the outer well, and it does still work and sit on top of the maker fine. This isn’t a failure of the material, I accidentally dropped it in a rather spectacular fashion that I seriously doubt they’re testing for in a QA lab.Ease of Use:This thing is pretty damn simple to use. Setup the machine in a permanent location on your counter near an outlet, suction cupping it down, and plug it in. After, take your ground coffee and put it into the inner basket and assemble it on top of the machine. Then you fill the carafe with the coldest water you can get your hands on, slide it in to a satisfying ‘click’. After that, all you do it select your strength and hit start!In terms of cleaning, it’s very easy to clean, just rinse thoroughly with water most days, and give it a decent washing once a week. It rinses out so easily that if you’re brewing coffee every day or every other day there’s not much need to seriously soap it down each time as long as you empty the used grounds after brewing.NOTE: The mesh will get discolored after a while, it still is clean, just stained from the coffee, looks gross, but it’s fine.Flavor:I will say, most people I know who drink cold brew definitely like strong coffee, and so you’ll want to use the “BOLD” setting on the machine to get a full-strength and full flavor coffee. This takes about ~15 minutes which is longer than the 9 minute advertised time. Still MUCH quicker than making it the night before and letting it steep in the fridge for hours!The actual coffee comes out flavorful and smooth, of course your mileage will vary with your choice of bean. It’s perfectly respectable coffee and to be honest, if you think “Starbucks” when you think cold brew, this machine is about on par, which for my purposes is more than enough for my daily cup. If you’re looking for something to match the boutique cafe down the street where they’ve memorized your name and order, you’re likely going to need to double or triple your budget for that kind of coffee machine.Feature Suggestions:Honestly, I’d love to see an option for this with an even larger carafe, say 60oz! It’d also be nice to have a more premium version that can be hooked into a water line directly.Lastly, I wouldn’t mind this hypothetical premium version using metal for the top assembly that holds the coffee grounds, would help with keeping it clean and increase the durability a bit more.Overall Review:This is a fantastic cold-brew machine and I’m very happy with my purchase. I’ve suggested it to friends, family and co-workers looking to cold brew at home. The price is a tad high, but it does go on sale frequently enough. If you love cold brew and are trying to save your wallet from the clutches of Starbucks, you can’t go wrong with this machine. While you’re at it, get a coffee grinder and by your coffee whole bean, it’ll last longer and taste even fresher!

Fast and great tasting cold brew
I love how fast this machine can make a carafe of cold brew. Also how easy this is to use. Just fill the container with coffee grinds, fill carafe with water, slide carafe into the machine and pick your strength of brew. It’s very easy to clean with just a tap or two to release the used grinds in a trash bin. You can easily rinse the rest of the grinds from the basked and filter as well as carafe itself.I like having the options of three different brew strengths. Although I have to admit I only use the regular strength thus far. The regular strength to me tastes every bit as good and potent as the cold brew I’d get from Starbucks. So I haven’t actually felt the need to try the strongest brew setting or the weakest. Using the regular brew is a nice midway point where if it’s too strong for someone they can simply add water to dilute to their tastes. I do with he machine made a little bit more brew or filled the carafe more. You won’t fill the carafe to the max fill line with cold brew even if you filled it with water to max fill. But with how fast you can make a carafe that’s not a big deal, just quickly make more when you run out.One thing I don’t like, that may eventually be a major fatal flaw is several times the machine didn’t actually make any cold brew. It just sucked the water up and returned to the carafe, no cold brew at all. Once or twice it seems like the water/grinds did sort of mix, but not completely and what I was left with was a carafe of undrinkable weak watered down coffee. I’ve used this machine many, many times let me tell you. I drink primarily iced coffee and or cold brew. Since getting this machine a few months ago I’ve been using it 3 or 4 times a week.When it does work as intended the cold brew is fantastic and delicious. Just as good as what I’ve gotten many times at Starbucks. It tastes good enough that I don’t miss a thing between cold brew from Starbucks or making it at home with this machine. The times it failed to work properly is a real disappointment. Considering how much coffee grinds it takes to fill up the basket, it’s very upsetting when the machine has failed on occasion and all the wasted coffee. I’d say a standard size package of coffee you’ll buy is enough to fill the basket to max and brew 3 or so carafes. Obviously it’s frustrating when the machine failed to brew properly as you’re throwing away so much coffee that you didn’t get to enjoy.Overall I like the machine, how quick and easy to use along with the great taste of the brew makes this a product I’d recommend to others. Although keep in mind I’ve had mixed results as mentioned above with the machine not also correctly brewing. I haven’t contact customer service yet, but may in the future if I keep having issues.