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Hario Mizudashi vs Goodful Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Brew Quality (50%)6.5/10
- Design (15%)7.2/10
- Ease of Use (35%)9.7/10
- Brew Quality (50%)7.5/10
- Design (15%)8.7/10
- Ease of Use (35%)8.8/10
The Hario Mizudashi and the Goodful are two of the tallest cold brew coffee makers that we have tested. By comparison, the Hario is a slender and elegant glass carafe and stands at 11.5 inches. The Goodful, an all-plastic design, is slightly taller at 11.8 inches.
Although both are designed to brew in the door bin of a refrigerator, there are major differences aside. The Hario is not completely airtight, leaks odors, and the poor brew ratio produces a sourish insubstantial brew.
The Goodful is a much better brewer all round. It has a plastic and nylon filter and the vessel is completely airtight and leak-proof with a twist-to-pour lid. Although the material quality of the Hario is much better, it’s not a brewer we’d recommend due to its fundamentally flawed design and poor performance.
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker
- Bouquet (10%)7.0/10
- Drinkability (70%)6.0/10
- Sediment (20%)8.0/10
- Bouquet (10%)7.0/10
- Drinkability (70%)7.5/10
- Sediment (20%)7.5/10
Bouquet
After 18 hours of brewing, the bouquet produced by the Hario Mizudashi can best be described as medium strength. The brew brought out a dominant nuttiness, but with underlying bitter and resinous notes. Sweet notes were very understated.
The bouquet of the Goodful brew was borderline medium. It had a distinctive woody aroma with mild-roasted notes coming through. Considering the brew ratio and filter design, this was not unexpected.
Drinkability
Compared to other cold brew coffee makers we tested, the Hario output tasted like a low-grade coffee. There was no real distinction to it and the texture was not smooth. We detected a mild woodiness indicating an under-extracted brew. With dilution, it tasted somewhat watery and sour with a bitter aftertaste.
Based on the brew ratio and the bouquet test, we chose not to dilute the brew. It had a mild-roasted flavor with a slight bitterness to it. There was no sourness so it was smooth to drink, but the aftertaste, although sweetish, was a little watery. You could drink the brew straight, but with a little milk, or even sugar, it’s not too bad. We would recommend adding just enough water to cover the grounds and to brew for a longer time. The brew yield of 67 fl oz or 2 liters is quite good for the quality.
Sediment
The Hario produced noticeable sediment, but most of it is relatively fine with only a few large granules present. The filter worked well, but at the same time its design may be a compromise for the poor quality of the brew.
Surprisingly, the Goodful produced a fair amount of sediment. Of course, this is not a bad thing for an immersion brewer since it often indicates that the filter is permeable enough to produce a good brew. Very fine filters, on the other hand, tend not to brew so well.
We would recommend letting the brew settle after removing the filter, then decant, rinse out the container, and return the brewed coffee. Make sure you have a larger container or enough on hand for two liters of liquid.
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot Design
- Stopper / Lid (30%)7.0/10
- Filter (40%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (30%)9.0/10
- Stopper / Lid (30%)8.5/10
- Filter (40%)9.0/10
- Build Quality (30%)8.5/10
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker In the Box
- Box WDH: 4.9 x 4.3 x 11.8 in
- Brew decanter
- Detachable filter
- Manual
The Hario Mizudashi comes in a very nice box. On the side are simple instructions highlighting its key features. There is no unnecessary plastic covering, and inside you find the decanter, detachable filter, and a handy instruction manual.
- Box WDH: 11.8 x 7 inches
- Assembled brewer
- Instruction leaflet inside
The Goodful is completely made of plastic, so it’s quite durable. Perhaps for this reason it didn’t come in a fancy box. We received it bubble-wrapped and bundled with other cold coffee brewers we had purchased.
The Goodful reminded us of another cold brew coffee maker we have reviewed — the Takeya. Goodful, however, has a slightly larger brewer. It’s also oblong shaped to fit in a refrigerator door, the lid design is similar, but the filter is quite different. The Goodful filter is made of stainless steel mesh and not nylon, and the filter base is detachable. We were really interested to see how the two would compare.
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot Decanter
- Height With Stopper Lid:11.5
- Base Diameter:3.7
- Width:5.4" (13.7 cm)
- Weight:15.0 oz (425 g)
- Material:heat-resistant glass, polypropylene plastic
The Hario Mizudashi brew decanter is quite attractive in its design and this is a key reason why people choose to buy it. It fits easily into the door of even a small refrigerator and looks good on the table. The handle is fixed to the glass and cannot detach and there are a number of colors to choose from.
- Height With Stopper Lid:11.8 in (300 mm)
- Base Diameter:4.5 x 3.9 inch oblong (115 x 100 mm)
- Width:7 in (180 mm)
- Weight:14.1 oz (400 g)
- Material:plastic
It appears that the decanter is made of Tritan plastic. However, there is no clear information about the materials used either in the included literature or on their website (Amazon store website only). There is also no information about the BPA-free status of the device, but it is made in China.
In our small 97 L refrigerator, the brewer didn't fit in the door bin so be sure to check all measurements carefully before purchasing. In comparison, the Takeya fits a small refrigerator door bin, is made in the USA, clearly labeled BPA-free, and made from Tritan plastic.
Stopper / Lid
- Diameter:3.7 in (95 mm)
- Material:polypropylene plastic
- Additional Features:N/A
While we liked the slender and practical design of the Hario Mizudashi decanter, the lid design is not completely airtight. This we thought to be a fundamental design flaw especially for odor contamination in the refrigerator and excess oxidation while brewing. The lid itself has a snap mechanism so it doesn’t slip off accidentally.
- Diameter:6.3 in (180 mm)
- Material:Plastic
- Additional Features:2 silicone gaskets, detachable grip
The lid consists of three parts. There is a rim with an attached handle that screws over the top, and an inner lid that partly unscrews for pouring or completely removes for brewing and cleaning. Each part has a silicone gasket, and the handle has a detachable silicone grip.
We really liked the comfortable grip and size of the handle. However, although airtight, the rim and the inner lid are rather clunky when screwing.
Filter
- Length:6.5 in (165 mm)
- Diameter:3.3 in (85 m)
- Material:polypropylene frame, polyester resin
- Additional Features:detachable base
The best thing about the filter is the removable bottom which makes it easy to clean. Additionally, it’s small, stores away easily, and appears to be of high quality. However, the relatively short length of the filter and its lack of porousness created a weak and rather sourish brew.
- Length:8.1 in (230 mm)
- Diameter:2.6 in (75 mm)
- Material:Plastic & stainless steel mesh
- Additional Features:Flip-up plastic handle, detachable base
The brew core is of robust construction with a significant amount of plastic cover. The filter itself is made of a stainless steel mesh. We wondered if this type of design was permeable enough to produce a good brew, but the brew test results were favorable. The handle fully extended is 9.1 in (260 mm), but this function is only deployed during decanting.
Build Quality
The Hario Mizudashi is well built. The brew decanter is elegant and the plastic parts fit well. The filter is also easy to clean thanks to its removable end cap. However, the design is flawed in the short length of the filter and the non-airtight lid.
The Goodful cold coffee maker is pretty solid and durable. We liked the quality and build of the filter, and the detachable silicone grip on the handle. The screwable parts, however, don’t have the best feel and are somewhat clunky. There was also very little information about the materials used for the different parts.
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Review
- Brewing (45%)10/10
- Decanting (35%)10/10
- Cleaning and Storage (20%)8.5/10
- Brewing (45%)9.0/10
- Decanting (35%)8.5/10
- Cleaning and Storage (20%)9.0/10
Brewing
Brewing with the Hario Mizudashi is very straightforward. You don’t immerse the filter into water, but instead gradually pour water over the grounds once the filter is put in place. After pouring, you mix the grounds around a little.
There’s no real need for measuring. The prescribed 80g of coffee more or less reaches the top of the visible portion of the filter. You then add water until it reaches the level of the plastic neck.
As per the instructions, you fill the filter, or brew core, to the top of the mesh windows which is 16 tablespoons or 3.8 oz of grounds. After carefully inserting the filter, you should pour two cups of water to dampen the grounds. The rest of the water should rise to the top of the brew core mesh windows.
We measured the grounds to 3.8 oz (107 g) and poured approximately 68 fl oz (2 L) of filtered water. The brew ratio was, therefore, 1:18 which suggested a weaker kind of brew.
It took quite some time to pour all the water without the grounds overflowing. It may be better, therefore, to prefill the decanter with at least 800 ml before inserting the filter and pouring the remainder of the water. Goodful recommends brewing for 24 hours, but we brewed for 18 hours according to our testing procedure.
Decanting
Decanting is about as effortless as brewing. You simply pop the lid off and remove the filter. You may want to leave the filter at an angle in a glass to catch any remaining concentrate as it drips out.
Decanting simply requires removing the filter. However, the clunky lid design can make removing and securing the lid a little frustrating. The flip handle for lifting the filter, however, is a handy feature. Based on our sediment test, you may want to decant the contents to remove the sludge settled on the bottom.
One thing worth noting is that with the filter removed, you can lay the decanter on its side when storing in the refrigerator. The Goodful is somewhat similar to the Takeya brewer. With the Takeya, the filter screws into the lid and you can brew in a horizontal position, but you can’t brew this way with the Goodful.
Cleaning and Storage
One thing the Hario Mizudashi has going for it is the practical filter design. The bottom comes off so it was very easy to clean. The slender brew decanter is too narrow and long for hand cleaning, but you can use a brush. All parts are also dishwasher safe. Once everything’s dry, store it fully assembled. Its height is the main concern when it comes to storage.
Cleaning the Goodful is a breeze because it has a removable filter base and it's easy to reach inside the sizable container. The filter is reasonably robust and the handle makes it easy to hang on a hook. You can also put everything in the dishwasher, but we would recommend removing the silicone gaskets first. The container is quite large, so storage may be a factor depending on your kitchen setup.