Cold Brew Equipment Guide: From Home Mason Jars to Commercial Tap Systems in 2026

By PURE EARTH COFFEE  ·  May 19, 2026  ·  Equipment & Gear

Home Cold Brew: What You Actually Need

The fundamental cold brew setup requires only three things: a container large enough for your desired batch, a filter, and a refrigerator. A wide-mouth mason jar or pitcher, a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, and 12-24 hours in the fridge is genuinely all you need to produce excellent cold brew concentrate. The limitation is volume and filter efficiency -- cheesecloth allows fine particles through, producing a slightly murky concentrate that is perfectly drinkable but not as clear as commercial cold brew. For a more polished home cold brew: the Toddy Cold Brew System ($45-55) uses a silicone stopper and paper filters to produce a cleaner concentrate with near-commercial clarity. The OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Maker ($40-50) uses a rainmaker water distribution disc that ensures even saturation of all grounds -- producing more consistent extraction than simple pour-over cold brewing. Our Brazil Dark Roast at 80g per 300ml of water, steeped 14-18 hours, produces the smoothest, most chocolate-forward concentrate available with any of these systems.

Intermediate Home Setup: The Glass and Stainless Options

For home brewers making cold brew weekly or for small offices, a dedicated large-capacity cold brew vessel ($60-120) with a built-in stainless mesh filter produces the most convenient workflow. Brands like Takeya, County Line Kitchen, and Hario produce purpose-built cold brew carafes in 1-2 liter sizes. These eliminate the straining step entirely -- brew, pull the filter, refrigerate the carafe. The investment is small and the quality improvement over mason jar and cheesecloth is meaningful.

Commercial Cold Brew: The Cafe Setup

Commercial cold brew programs operate at a completely different scale. For a cafe producing 2-5 gallons of concentrate per week, purpose-built commercial cold brew vessels ($300-600 for stainless 3-5 gallon units) provide the food-safe materials and large-volume capacity needed. These vessels are designed to withstand repeated use, are NSF-certified for commercial kitchens, and produce consistent results at batch sizes that match cafe demand. Cold brew on tap: A nitrogen tap system ($800-1,500 for the tap hardware plus nitrogen tank and regulator) serves nitro cold brew -- cold brew infused with nitrogen gas that creates a thick, creamy texture and cascading visual effect. Nitro cold brew commands $1-2 premium pricing over standard cold brew and has the highest visual impact of any cafe drink. The nitrogen system requires proper gas line installation and safety compliance, but the operational cost per serving is minimal. Contact our wholesale team for guidance on setting up a commercial cold brew program using Pure Earth coffee.

Cold brew is the most forgiving coffee format to make at home or at scale. The equipment matters less than the coffee and the time. Start simple, improve gradually. -- PURE EARTH COFFEE