Takeya vs Willow & Everett Side-by-Side Comparison

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.

Initially, we poured around one liter of water into the glass brew jug and then lowered the filter, filled with grounds, into position. We drew on our experience with numerous other brewers and left an inch of unfilled space at the top of the filter. This worked out to be a perfect 7 oz (200 g) of coffee grounds. 

The rest of the water we poured over the grounds cup by cup to measure how much water the brewer could take. After each pour we waited a couple of minutes for the water to soak through the grounds and level out. 

The final water volume was 63.5 fl.oz, or 1,850 ml — a brew ratio of approximately 1:9. The final weight was 105 oz (2,976 g). The full capacity of the jug without the filter and grounds was 68 fl.oz, or 2 liters.

We then sealed the lid and placed it in the refrigerator to brew for 18 hours. Since the soft and bendable mesh filter was a first for us, and considering the favorable brew ratio of 1:9, we were excited about the impending results. It’s worth noting that the County Line cold coffee brewer, a similar type of mason jar design, has the same brew ratio.

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.

We decanted the brew by opening the tap and draining the liquid into another container. Once again, it proved difficult to turn the tap with one hand. After some liquid had flowed through, it loosened up again. We also noticed that it flowed out in a splattery manner until we fully opened the tap.

Given the tap’s position, it's obvious that a good 20% of the liquid remains below the tap line. This means that ultimately you will need to pour the brew out the top of the vessel. This just adds additional inconvenience. As nice as this brewer appears, and as good as its brew tastes, the design is not well executed.

Lastly, the filter is quite large so when you take it out you should allow it to drain into a dish. We left it for 30 min and collected an additional 50 ml of liquid coffee.

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.

The Willow & Everett brewer is quite easy to clean. Both the filter and the glass brew jug are big enough for any hand to reach inside. We also recommend cleaning the spout by running clean water through it. We worry that coffee oils might clog the mechanism over time but haven’t run it through enough cycles yet to say. 

While cleaning, we noticed the inside of the mesh filter is a little rough at the seam, so you have to be selective about the kind of sponge you use. Also, take care to avoid pricking your finger while you work with it.

Because there are minimal parts, everything fits together easily as one unit for storage. Take care not to lose the small filter that plugs the rear of the tap assembly.