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Primula Burke vs Takeya Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
Overall Verdict
- Brew Quality (50%)6.6/10
- Design (15%)8.1/10
- Ease of Use (35%)9.2/10
- Brew Quality (50%)7.8/10
- Design (15%)8.9/10
- Ease of Use (35%)8.8/10
The Primula Burke is a nicely designed product. It produces up to 40 fl.oz. of cold brew coffee to a brew ratio of 1:12. It’s more round that tall, and the filter clips neatly onto the outer lid. Then, you can pour water before screwing in the inner lid. The two-lid design is quite practical and the outer lid also twists for pouring.
Despite the practical design, the Primula Burke fails to produce a worthwhile cold brew coffee. The reason being that the nylon filter is far too fine to allow for enough cross flow to develop a good brew. For this reason, we do not recommend the Primula Burke for cold brew coffee making.
The Takeya, however, has a very practical and workable design. It produces a good quality brew and it is completely spill-proof. You can brew with the vessel standing in a refrigerator door or laying on its side on a shelf. It also has an inner lid that twists for easy pouring.
Primula Burke Cold Brew Coffee Maker
- Bouquet (10%)6.0/10
- Drinkability (70%)6.0/10
- Sediment (20%)9.0/10
- Bouquet (10%)8.5/10
- Drinkability (70%)8.0/10
- Sediment (20%)7.0/10
Bouquet
The bouquet of the Primula was decidedly on the weaker side. It was light and sweet but our testers did, however, pick up a faint roasted note. This indicated that the brew was probably sub standard.
The Takeya cold brew coffee maker produced a moderately strong bouquet and one of the better ones we’ve sampled. Crisper and sweeter notes were present, but somewhat subdued. Earthy notes, with acidic overtones, tended to be more prominent.
Drinkability
With a typical one-to-one dilution, the final drink was very light, watery, and somewhat sweet. In fact, even without dilution, it was still watery with little complexity. There was a slightly sour aftertaste, so not so satisfying. Although the brew is drinkable without dilution, it lacks excitement or complexity, which also means that the Primula is uneconomical for the amount of coffee ground used.
With the Primula, we would suggest a longer brewing period or brewing at room temperature. Either that, or using the hot blooming method to get a more substantial and richer brew.
We diluted the Takeya concentrate 1:1 with filtered water. While the Takeya had a complex flavor profile, it was more medium-bodied. Deep earthy or chocolatey flavors came through the most with a strong roasted flavor. A tinge of sweetness made for a light aftertaste and overall it was smooth and enjoyable to drink. Adding cream to the water dilution resulted in a more finished taste.
Sediment
Having to filter a large quantity of liquid means cold brewing can be time consuming. Convenience, however, comes at a price. Our repeated testing has found that the permeability of an immersion filter is key to producing a quality brew.
The Primula recorded very little sediment, which at the same time betrayed its fundamental flaw. The filter, as good as it was, lacked the permeability to produce a worthwhile cold brew coffee concentrate. In this case, the cost of a perfectly filtered brew was the quality of the brew itself.
With repeated testing, we found that the Takeya has a tendency to produce quite a bit of sediment depending on how you handle it. You have to screw the filter tightly into the lid, and avoid shaking too vigorously. Though you can technically brew with the Takeya on its side, it’s probably best to brew standing up. We allowed the concentrate to settle, decanted into another container, and discarded the sediment left behind.
Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker
- Stopper / Lid (30%)10/10
- Filter (40%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (30%)9.0/10
- Stopper / Lid (30%)10/10
- Filter (40%)8.0/10
- Build Quality (30%)9.0/10
Primula Burke Cold Brew Coffee Maker In the Box
- Fully assembled unit
- Multilingual user manual leaflet
The Primula comes securely boxed with place holders and minimal plastic, but the package is nothing fancy. The unit comes fully assembled with a user manual inside that unfolds with instructions in English, French, and Spanish. Brew instructions, product care, and a few suggested recipes are included.
- Assembled brew decanter
- Inlay leaflet
- User guide
The Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker comes fully assembled. Both the inlay leaflet and the user guide are placed in the brew decanter. The User Guide has a product description, brewing instructions, five suggested drink recipes, and a 1-Year Limited Warranty notification.
Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Decanter
- Height With Stopper Lid:7.9
- Base Diameter:4.7
- Width:7.4" (18.8 cm)
- Weight:19.5 oz (553 g)
- Material:borosilicate glass & plastic
The decanter or brew carafe is made of thick borosilicate glass and enclosed in a plastic jacket. The jacket doesn’t detach and also forms a base cushion. While cleaning, we noticed that there is an additional silicone seal on the base of the decanter.
- Height With Stopper Lid:12.2 in (310 mm)
- Base Diameter:4.3 x 3.7 in oblong (110 x 95 mm)
- Width:5.9 in (150 mm)
- Weight:12.0 oz (340 g)
- Material:BPA-free Tritan plastic
The Takeya has a slightly oblong base which tapers up to a round top. It therefore tends to fit most refrigerator doors. The brew decanter has a screw-on frame with a handle and a screwable lid that also attaches to the filter. The high-quality Tritan plastic looks very clean and is also stain, odor, and shatter resistant. The decanter is made in the USA while the filter is made in China.
Stopper / Lid
- Diameter:4.9 in (125 mm)
- Material:plastic
- Additional Features:open/close function, silicone seal
The lid comes in three parts. The outer section has a silicone seal for an airtight fit. The filter attaches to the bottom and you simply press it into the carafe. With the inner lid removed, you can easily pour in the water and then seal the carafe for brewing. When storing decanted coffee, you can open this lid to stir the contents before pouring. To pour, you turn the lid handle to the open spout position.
- Diameter:6.3 in with handle (160 mm)
- Material:Tritan plastic
- Additional Features:silicone gasket
We tested the decanter vessel and were happy to find it did not leak. The product is very secure and tight. The lid partially unscrews for pouring, and then further unscrews to remove completely. The container can also hold hot liquids, but you should not fully seal the lid while still hot.
Filter
- Length:6.7 in (170 mm)
- Diameter:
- Material:polypropylene and nylon mesh
- Additional Features:detachable base
The filter is solid and well-made. In terms of design for a cold brew coffee maker, the plastic jacket appears to be limiting. It is uncertain how much permeability this kind of filter design will allow for proper brewing. In test brewing, we found the filter design to be fundamentally flawed.
- Length:0.4 in (265 mm)
- Diameter:2.7 in (70 mm)
- Material:nylon & polypropylene
- Additional Features:detachable extender
A key feature of the Takeya cold coffee brewer seems to be the full-length filter that maximizes contact with grounds. The grounds fill the filter and go part way up into the extender.
It comes in two parts, and the upper extender detaches for easy cleaning, which seems to be its key function. However, we found it a bit cumbersome to attach the extender to the filter. The filter is a porous nylon polyester and allows for a relatively good brew to develop. A filter replacement is also available as a separate purchase.
Build Quality
Overall we love the high quality of the materials and the convenient design. The mid-range 1.6 qt capacity is also very convenient, and we like how the brewer is wider rather than taller. The only fault is not so much the build quality, but rather the ill-conceived design of the filter.
9The Tritan plastic brew decanter is a high-class piece of equipment and the airtight screw top is well-designed. The long filter, however, requires more effort for cleaning. The way the filter assembles is also a little cumbersome. Additionally, the sediment test shows that the filter is not so effective if you’re careless when putting it together or if you shake the vessel too vigorously. While overall of good quality, there are more parts than we’d prefer.
Primula Burke Cold Brew Review
- Brewing (45%)9.0/10
- Decanting (35%)9.0/10
- Cleaning and Storage (20%)10/10
- Brewing (45%)8.5/10
- Decanting (35%)9.5/10
- Cleaning and Storage (20%)8.0/10
Brewing
The Primula filter takes around 3.5 oz / 100g of coffee grounds, which means about an inch to a half below the filter rim. After securing the filter onto the outer lid, you insert both into the decanter. Next, pour enough water to wet the grounds. After a couple of minutes, you slowly continue pouring water until the rising water hits just below the top of the plastic jacket. That’s about 40 fl.oz (1.2 L) or 6 measuring cups. Finally, screw in the top lid so that the spout is also closed.
The brew decanter can sit in the door of your average 33- or 36-inch refrigerator but may be too big for an apartment-sized refrigerator. Brewing was relatively straightforward except for the lack of markers on the vessel. We also found the full carafe to be a little heavy. It weighed 4 lbs or 1.8 kg, so make sure to grip it firmly and avoid letting children handle it.
The Takeya cold brew coffee maker doesn’t require any gradual wetting of the grounds. Just put 170g of grounds in the filter (it should come to 2 inches from the extender rim) and you’re ready to go.
Then, you screw on the lid and immerse it into the pitcher with 7 cups of cold water. If you prefer metric, that’s roughly 1,680 ml — about an inch from the top of the vessel.
After inserting the filter with the grounds, we shook the container and let it sit for 10 minutes. The brewer was shaken thoroughly once again before going into the refrigerator on its side. We shook the container periodically another four times over the 18 hours of brewing. This device therefore takes a little more attention than other methods, but overall it’s quite straightforward.
A key selling point for this brewer is its airtight seal. This means coffee odors will not contaminate your refrigerator while brewing. There is also less oxidative stress, so you can store your coffee longer.
Decanting
We found that decanting worked best by simply lifting up the outer lid with the filter attached. Because the base of the filter is not permeable, it’s best to let the filter stand in a dish as quite a bit of extra brew still trickled out.
You can immediately remove the filter from the lid. We found a few granules of coffee had gathered around the edges so it’s best to completely rinse off the lid before putting it back. Once again, make sure the spout is closed to prevent coffee odors building up in your refrigerator.
Decanting the Takeya simply means unscrewing the lid and taking out the attached filter. Next, unscrew the filter from the lid and then screw the air-tight lid back onto the pitcher.In this sense, it’s one of the most convenient immersion brewer designs.
After removing the filter, the manufacturer recommends you place it in a tall glass for 45 min to catch remaining concentrate. You should also clean the lid of any grounds before screwing it back onto the decanter. These tips are only found on the product homepage.
As pointed out, if you fail to attach the filter extender securely, or shake the vessel too vigorously, you may have to decant the contents a second time.
When you need to decant some coffee to drink, partially unscrew the lid to align the gap to the spout. It’s safe to pick up the container by the lid handle because the lid ring remains securely attached.
Cleaning and Storage
Cleaning the Primula is effortless all round. It separates into seven parts. The filter parts and the lid can go on the top rack of a dishwasher while the decanter on the lower rack. It’s probably best to just rinse off the silicone seals. While cleaning, we discovered an additional seal at the base of the decanter. The plastic padding on the base gives a comfortable feeling when placing on the table, and peace of mind when storing away. We loved the quality of the decanter, except that it can be heavy for some when full, but the grip and pour is good.
In total, the Takeya separates into seven cleanable parts. The online instructions state that all parts, including the filter, are dishwasher safe. We presume, however, that it would be better to not put the rubber gasket for the screwable lid into the dishwasher. For hand washing, it’s very easy to reach inside the brew vessel.
The filter itself is quite long, and was difficult to clean without a bottle brush. Without proper cleaning, over time coffee oils can clog the fine holes and produce a stale smell. For deep cleaning, you should soak in a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar.
Cleaning was not as straightforward as it seemed like it should be. The handle has a nice silicone sleeve for comfortable gripping. It took a little effort to remove that for cleaning and to replace it again.
Storage is easy enough because all parts screw together and you are unlikely to misplace any parts if you reassemble properly. Replacement filters can also be purchased online.