Primula Burke vs Goodful Side-by-Side Comparison
Primula Burke cold brew coffee maker vs Goodful. The Primula looks great on paper but fails on fundamentals. Read more to find out why.
Specifications
Design
The Primula cold brew coffee maker boasts a couple of design features to really appreciate. One is the plastic jacket which also includes a base cushion, the other is the practical lid design. The height is comparatively low which allows you to brew easily on a refrigerator shelf, or in the door.
On the other hand, the 1.6 qt size and the thick glass make it a bit heavy when full. Additionally, even though the filter is high quality, our testing revealed it lacks sufficient permeability to make a good cold brew coffee.
The Goodful is a relatively large capacity brewer. It’s therefore quite tall and is best set inside a refrigerator door, however, it’s unlikely to fit a small refrigerator. The materials are hardy and durable, but the lid is clunky, and more detailed information on the device is lacking. The quality and look of the filter are a big plus overall.
Usability Comparison
The Primula certainly can’t be faulted for its easy-to-use design. Parts are minimal, with only a couple of silicone gaskets to keep an eye on. They fit well, are high quality, and the double lid design is an excellent feature. You can easily remove the inner lid to stir the contents, and also close the spout by turning it.
It’s quite easy to brew with the Goodful without measuring—although we measured everything carefully for our testing procedure. We particularly liked the filter design with a little handle to lift it out of the container.
Brew Quality
With its unique and practical design, the Primula was a pleasure to brew with. As such, we expected better results. However, the Primula failed to deliver a worthy cold brew coffee concentrate even when compared to brewers using a similar brew ratio. The design of the filter is fundamentally flawed, and the brew quality ranks as one of the lowest we have tested.
The brew produced by the Goodful was reasonable. We liked the slightly bitter edge to the otherwise mild-roasted flavor. The brew also had a sweetish aftertaste, but with a watery finish. We recommend drinking it straight rather than diluting it too much.
Overall Scores
Pros & Cons
- Detachable filter base
- Protective plastic jacket
- Lid design
- Easy to clean
- Thick glass
- Durable
- Removable filter base
- Turn-to-pour lid
- No measurement markings
- A little heavy
- Weak brew strength
- Not a good fit for small refrigerators
- Clunky lid
Conclusion
The Primula Burke gives the appearance of a much better brewer than the Goodful. It’s a robust glass carafe that holds a good 51 oz of liquid. The carafe is sealed to a plastic jacket that comes in different colors, and the twist-to-pour double lid makes brewing effortless.
The Goodful, a tall brewer that stands in the door bin of a refrigerator, is not made of the best materials and the lid, although very functional, is somewhat clunky.
Despite its quality flaws, the Goodful is the better brewer because the Primula fails on basic brew fundamentals, namely its filter is too fine. As a result, there’s little crossflow and the brew was one of the weakest we’ve tasted in our testing.
Behind the Comparison
Roger Shitaki is a writer, author, and editor. His niches are household appliances, health & wellness, and travel. He’s a freelance contributor to a Tokyo lifestyle website and a leading ophthalmology magazine in Asia.
