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Aquach vs Coffee Bear Side-by-Side Comparison

Updated
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Apr 5, 2023
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Apr 5, 2023
The Aquach cold brew coffee maker glass brew carafe resting to the right of its box.
The Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker standing to the right of its box.
Coffee Makers type
coldBrew
coldBrew

Our Verdict

Overall Verdict

8.1
Overall Score
  • Brew Quality (50%)
    7.2/10
  • Design (15%)
    9.2/10
  • Ease of Use (35%)
    9.0/10
8.0
Overall Score
  • Brew Quality (50%)
    7.2/10
  • Design (15%)
    8.8/10
  • Ease of Use (35%)
    8.7/10

The Aquach cold brew coffee maker and Coffee Bear produce a very similar quality cold brew coffee. In comparison to other immersion filter brewers, however, there are better contenders. The choice between these two brewers comes down to versatility and space available for brewing. 

Aquach is a typical wide-based carafe which may not fit in the door of smaller refrigerators. Its design is eye-catching, featuring a unique insertable stainless steel neck, an easy to lift-out filter, and an airtight stopper. Aquach comes in 34 oz and 54 oz sizes.

Coffee Bear is a glass jug type brewer that can fit in the door of any refrigerator. It uses a plastic and nylon filter, so it’s not as versatile as the Aquach for hot beverage brewing. The Coffee Bear design is practically identical to Coffee Gator, except for its silicone base stand. However, the stand doesn’t fit well and makes the brewer too wide for some refrigerator doors.

Brew Quality

Coffee Bear Cold Brew Coffee Maker: Brew Quality
7.2
Performance Scores
  • Bouquet (10%)7.0/10
  • Drinkability (70%)7.0/10
  • Sediment (20%)8.0/10
7.2
Performance Scores
  • Bouquet (10%)7.0/10
  • Drinkability (70%)7.0/10
  • Sediment (20%)8.0/10
7.0

Bouquet

7.0

When testing the bouquet, we noted that the steel decanter lip provided the perfect chamber for sampling the coffee’s aroma. The concentrate had an understandably medium-strength bouquet. Notes were not harsh or even roasted. Instead, we detected a light chocolatey note with a sweetish overtone.

The Coffee Bear produced a somewhat medium-strength bouquet. It had a slight roasted note and a hint of woodiness. It had none of the complexity that you would get from a brewer that makes a real cold brew concentrate.

7.0

Drinkability

7.0
A glass filled with coffee in the foreground and a glass cold brew coffee maker carafe behind it.

The final drink, diluted at a one-to-one ratio, was comparatively weak. That’s not to say that it was unsatisfying. It lacked a complex body, but had a sweet overtone. Without dilution, a roasted and nutty flavor came through, but still, the aftertaste was not so rounded.

If you prefer a weaker brew with a milder taste, the drinkability of the Aquach is not bad at all. The brew ratio would suggest the coffee should be drunk as it is and not diluted. You could brew using the hot blooming method, brew at room temperature and for a longer time, or add flavor enhancers for a more robust drink.

A glass of freshly-poured coffee standing before the Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker.

The Coffee Bear brew was reasonable. It was of medium strength and we felt it was best to drink undiluted. There was a slight sweetness to the aftertaste, but overall it was not so full-bodied. There was little discernible difference between this brew and that of the almost identical product, the Coffee Gator.

8.0

Sediment

8.0
A view inside a cold brew coffee maker glass carafe showing sediment after the brew has been decanted.

The Aquach, with its super-fine filter, produced little sediment with only fine granules. Although it didn’t measure up to our leading brewer with a bottom tap filter, it was pretty comparable. For an immersion filter, however, this suggested a lack of permeability contributing to a weak brew.

The inside of a cold brew coffee carafe with remaining sediment after the brew has been carefully decanted off.

After allowing the brew to settle and decanting a second time, there was a moderate amount of fine sediment left behind. This was in line with the quality and design of the brewer, but you may want to decant the brew a second time yourself for a smoother drink.

Design

Coffee Bear Cold Brew: Design
9.2
design Scores
  • Stopper / Lid (30%)10/10
  • Filter (40%)8.0/10
  • Build Quality (30%)10/10
8.8
design Scores
  • Stopper / Lid (30%)10/10
  • Filter (40%)8.0/10
  • Build Quality (30%)8.5/10

In the Box

Coffee Bear Cold Brew Coffee Maker In the Box
The unboxed Aquuach cold brew coffee maker. On the far left is the box, the user manual, and then the assembled brewer.
  • Fully assembled unit
  • Brew guide & manual leaflet

The Aquach comes in a nice box with key parts labeled on the side.The box is double layered, but we felt the decanter was a little overpackaged with three layers of plastic bubble wrap. The brew guide and manual were inside the decanter, and there were instructions for brewing tea as well as cold brew coffee.

The unboxed Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker. The box is to the left, the brewer to the right, and the user-guide in front.
  • Assembled glass brewer
  • Instruction leaflet in Brewer
  • Product message card

Coffee Bear is a good-looking cold brew coffee maker. We liked its handy size and solid design. The design, as well as the box packaging, is almost identical to Coffee Gator. There are no other extras in the package except the brew guide and care manual all on one leaflet. The greeting card by ‘the founders’ seemed a little contrived.

Decanter

The Coffee Bear Cold Brew Decanter
The Aquach cold brew coffee maker glass carafe with the stopper lid resting besides it.
The Aquach cold brew coffee maker glass carafe with the stopper lid resting besides it.
A short video showing how the Aquach cold brew coffee maker comes apart into components.
  • Height With Stopper Lid:
    8.5 in (215 mm|)
  • Base Diameter:
    5.5 in (140 mm)
  • Width:
    6.3 in (160 mm)
  • Weight:
    borosilicate glass
  • Material:
    18.5 oz (526 g)

One way in which a cold brew coffee maker can distinguish itself is with a stylish decanter. Aquach does pretty well here. On the side is a measurement scale in milliliters and cups. The base, however, is a little wide, so it may not fit some fridge doors.

The flattish handle is very nice to grip, and the stainless steel lip and stopper are also very pleasing. Although the black silicone seal looks like any others, it’s better quality than we’ve seen on most brewers.

The Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker brew decanter with no filter inserted.
  • Height With Stopper Lid:
    10
  • Base Diameter:
    3.9
  • Width:
    6.7" (17.0 cm)
  • Weight:
    30.0 oz (850 g)
  • Material:
    borosilicate glass, silicone

The brew decanter is quite solid and appears well-made. The silicone base, although non-slip, was not the most perfectly level. On careful examination, the Coffee Bear carafe, without the silicone base, is slightly shorter than the Coffee Gator.

10

Stopper / Lid

10
Aquach Cold Brew Stopper / Lid
  • Diameter:
    3.1 in (80 mm)
  • Material:
    stainless steel & polyurethane
  • Additional Features:
    silicone seal

The nice thing about this brew decanter is the filter which simply lifts out of the container and its resting base remains as it is. This means there’s little difference in how the stopper fits with or without the filter present. The silicone seal is better quality than what we’ve seen on other brewers.

The screw-on lid frame of the Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker disassembled.
  • Diameter:
     4.3 in (110 mm)
  • Material:
    BPA-free plastic
  • Additional Features:
    2 white silicone gaskets

The screw-on plastic rim and lid are a very practical design. There are two silicone gaskets, but in comparison, it doesn’t screw on as easily as the Coffee Gator’s. The handle is likewise somewhat small and uncomfortable to grip.

8.0

Filter

8.0
A close up side angle view of a stainless steel brew filter for a cold brew coffee maker.
  • Length:
    5.9 in (150 hmm)
  • Diameter:
    2.6 in (65 mm)
  • Material:
    fine stainless steel
  • Additional Features:
    lifting handle

The Aquach filter design is quite unique. For one, the filter has a convenient handle. It rests on the stainless steel lip so you can simply lift it up. The filter is smooth with no sharp edges. There are also holes on the bottom of the filter.

What surprised us, however, is how finely it filters. The tiny laser-cut holes are arranged in small rectangles. Our brew tests showed that the high quality filter design was a little too fine to allow a good brew to develop.

A side view close up of a plastic and nylon filter for a cold brew coffee maker.
  • Length:
     7.5 in (190 mm)
  • Diameter:
    2.5 in (65 mm)
  • Material:
    Black plastic, nylon mesh
  • Additional Features:
    Detachable base

The detachable base of the filter is not unique since we’ve encountered this design before. One drawback is it takes time to drain out all the liquid. Furthermore, a permeable base could possibly help in developing a better brew quality. We were eager to see what our test results would bring.

10

Build Quality

8.5
The Aquach cold brew coffee maker disassembled into its 6 components.

The Aquatch Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a really well-designed product. It looks very stylish, the handle is easy to grip, and the filter design is practical. The stainless steel lip and lid work well together and the silicone seals are of good quality too. We also loved that there are no plastic parts except for the knob on the lid. However, as our tests revealed, the fundamental flaw comes from the actual design of the filter rather than the overall quality of the build.

The Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker disassembled into 8 esprit parts.

Overall we were satisfied with the build quality. The silicone base, however, seemed less than the best. Compared to the almost identical Coffee Gator, the thread quality of the lid seemed not as good nor the filter assembly as smooth. Zoopolitics aside, we felt that the build quality of the Coffee Bear was not quite up to that of the contending Coffee Gator. Not a lion’s roar of a difference, but Coffee Bear also has fewer value-added extras.

Ease of Use

Coffee Bear Cold Brew Review: Ease of Use
9.0
usability Scores
  • Brewing (45%)9.0/10
  • Decanting (35%)9.0/10
  • Cleaning and Storage (20%)9.0/10
8.7
usability Scores
  • Brewing (45%)8.5/10
  • Decanting (35%)9.0/10
  • Cleaning and Storage (20%)8.5/10
9.0

Brewing

8.5

The brew filter takes around 80 g of coarse-ground coffee (14-16 tablespoons). We had to weigh the grounds, but they filled the filter to about an inch from the top. First, however, you should fill the decanter with water to the 600 ml mark — a third of the way up. Then, you insert the filter filled with grounds and continue pouring water until the water rises to the ‘Max’ marking. 

We found it best to pour slowly and to leave the filter handle up until the pour is complete. The base of the brew decanter may be a little wide for some refrigerator doors, but it fits well in a standard crisper box or on a roomier shelf.

The Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker with some water poured in during the brewing set up.

Brewing was a simple process of attaching the filter to the ring neck and then pouring in the grounds. The recommended amount of grounds is 95 g (3.3 oz) which is just below the mesh line.

You can pour in the grounds, but the last few inches may require a spoon. We used the silicon funnel and stainless steel measuring spoon from the similar Coffee Gator brewer. It was a lot easier but the Coffee Bear does not come with these useful little extras. 

We also found that for a small refrigerator, we had to remove the silicone base for the Coffee Bear to fit in the door. Furthermore, the base is cumbersome to reattach especially if the carafe is full.

9.0

Decanting

 Decanting

As with any immersion filter brewer, decanting is as simple as removing the filter. The Aquach brewer has a really comfortable design. The high-grade stainless steel filter has a little flip-up handle so you can pull it out.

Not all immersion filters have holes on the bottom. We found this design quite favorable to brewing and faster at decanting. After decanting, you should rinse any grounds from the filter lip before inserting it again with the stopper.

We experienced no issues with decanting. After slowly removing the neck ring, we checked the filter and it was still securely attached. It’s best to detach the filter immediately and leave the remaining liquid to drain into another container. We rinsed the neck ring, resealed the carafe, and refrigerated again. Our next step was to do our brew score testing for bouquet, drinkability, and sediment.

9.0

Cleaning and Storage

8.5

The Aquach has a total of six parts. Including two silicone seals. The filter was a little long for hand cleaning, so we recommend a non-abrasive bottle brush. Because the filter is very fine, you’ll periodically need to descale it. This you can do by soaking it in a solution of water and baking soda, vinegar, or citric acid.

For the decanter, we were able to reach inside and hand wash it comfortably. However, all parts except the silicone seals can go in the dishwasher. It stores fully assembled, but check the complete dimensions to make sure you have space for it.

Cleaning is about as straightforward as decanting. We detached the base of the filter, shook out the grounds, and rinsed thoroughly. Afterward, we gently cleaned inside with a bottle brush and outside with a non-abrasive sponge. The black plastic containing the mesh filter makes it hard to see where the coffee oils are. The carafe can be cleaned by hand, but larger hands may not fit inside. 

The instructions say all parts are dishwasher friendly. We, however, disagree, feeling only the glass carafe should be put in a dishwasher.