Coffee Bear Cold Brew Coffee Maker In-depth Review

The Coffee Bear brand has a limited range of coffeeware and not much of the information on their homepage has been updated since their launch in 2017. Still, as of mid-2022, their cold brew coffee maker is still available. The design is practically identical to that of Coffee Gator, but we confirmed that the two are not related.

Key Specs

Where to Buy Price at publication $25.64

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Compared to Other Cold Brew Coffee Makers

7.2 Brew Quality

The brew quality of the Coffee Bear corresponded with its brew ratio and the functionality of its filter. The brew was decidedly average and lacked complexity with a watery aftertaste.

7.0 Bouquet

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

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

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.

8.8 Design

There’s nothing to fault about the quality of the glass carafe and the lid design. The silicone base pad, on the other hand, is not the best quality and the handle is a little small.

In the Box

• 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 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

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

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.

8.5 Build Quality

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.

8.7 Ease of Use

Using the Coffee Bear is quite simple and straightforward. The most practical aspect is the lid, but besides that, the product doesn’t offer any added value. It’s easy to miss spots when cleaning the black-framed filter, but the detachable filter base does make a difference.

8.5 Brewing

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

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.

8.5 Cleaning and Storage

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.

Compared to Other Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Coffee Bear cold brew coffee maker appears to be a generic copy of Coffee Gator. Coffee Gator is slightly smaller and produces a better quality brew. The Coffee Gator filter is also easier to clean, and the brewer comes with the added value of a stainless steel measuring spoon and a silicone funnel. 

For a larger volume in-door brewer we recommend the Takeya, and for a similar volume you can try the County Line Kitchen 2-quart brewer. For more choices, see our full selection of cold brew coffee makers including free-style brewers for making a full-strength cold brew coffee concentrate.