# Toddy Cold Brew System Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/toddy-cold-brew/ Last updated: 2026-10-19 > Push the stopper into the Toddy's base and fit the felt filter. Add 12 oz (340 g) of coarse coffee and 7 cups (1.65 L) of cold water in stages, without stirring. Steep for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature, then pull the stopper and let the concentrate drain into the decanter. Dilute about 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water or milk, and refrigerate. ## At a glance - Ratio: 1:4.9 (340 g coffee : 1650 g water) - Grind: Coarse (sea salt) - Water temperature: Cold or room temperature - Category: Cold & Iced (Immersion) - Difficulty: Beginner - Origin: United States, 1964 - Also known as: Toddy, Toddy cold brewer, Toddy cold brew maker ## Steps 1. **Fit the stopper and filter**: Gently press the silicone stopper into the hole in the base from outside and give it a quarter turn to seal, then dampen the felt filter and press it into the base from inside. 2. **Add coffee and water in stages**: Pour in 1 cup (235 ml) of water and 6 oz (170 g) of coarse coffee, then slowly pour 3 more cups (710 ml) over it in a circle. Wait 5 minutes, add the other 6 oz (170 g) of coffee, then slowly add the last 3 cups (710 ml). Don't stir; lightly press the top grounds with the back of a spoon so they're all wet. 3. **Steep**: Leave it to steep for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. Longer gives a stronger concentrate. 4. **Drain**: Pull the stopper and let the concentrate drain into the glass decanter. 5. **Dilute and serve**: Start with about 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water, milk or plant milk, over ice. Keep the rest of the concentrate in the fridge. The **Toddy** is the original home cold brew system: a plastic brewing container with a **felt filter** and a **silicone stopper** in its base, and a glass **decanter** to drain into. You steep a big batch of coarse coffee in cold water for half a day or more, pull the stopper, and a strong **concentrate** drains through the felt into the decanter, ready to dilute. Toddy says its original method dates from **1964**. Here's Toddy's own recipe and how to use it. ## The short version - **A brewing container with a felt filter** and a stopper, and a decanter below. - **Toddy's recipe:** 12 oz (340 g) of coarse coffee to 7 cups (1.65 L) of water. - **Steep 12 to 24 hours** at room temperature. - **Pull the stopper** and let the concentrate drain. - **Dilute about 1 to 3** with water or milk; keep it in the fridge. ## How does the Toddy work? The Toddy is an **immersion** brewer, like a big [cold brew](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold-brew/) jar with a built-in filter. The coffee steeps in cold water for many hours, then, when you pull the **stopper**, the concentrate drains through the **felt filter** in the base into the **decanter**. Toddy's guide also describes a **dual-filtration** method, with a paper filter bag over the felt, which makes cleaning up easier. With the bag you can stir the grounds; with the felt alone, Toddy says not to, as stirring can clog the filter. ## How much coffee and water should I use? **Toddy's brewing guide:** | | Amount | | --- | --- | | Coffee | 12 oz (340 g), coarse | | Water | 7 cups (56 fl oz, 1.65 L), cold | | Ratio | About 1:5 | | Steep | 12 to 24 hours, room temperature | | To serve | About 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water or milk | It's a strong ratio by design: you're making **concentrate**, not a ready-to-drink coffee. Toddy says a batch gives about **38 oz** (about 1.1 litres) of concentrate. For a full pound (16 oz, 450 g) of coffee, it uses 9 cups (2.13 L) of water, and for 8 oz (230 g), 4.5 cups (1.07 L). ## What grind size should I use? **Coarse.** Toddy says to use the coarsest setting on your grinder, or ask a coffee shop to grind it for a French press. Finer coffee can clog the felt filter so it drains slowly or stops. ![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with coarse highlighted for the Toddy cold brew system](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#coarse "The Toddy uses a coarse grind.") ## How do you use a Toddy, step by step? These are the steps from Toddy's guide for the classic felt-filter method: 1. **Fit the stopper** into the base from outside, pressing gently and giving it a quarter turn, then **dampen and press the felt filter** in from inside. 2. **Add 1 cup (235 ml) of water and 6 oz (170 g) of coffee**, then slowly pour **3 more cups (710 ml)** over the grounds in a circle. 3. **Wait 5 minutes**, add the **other 6 oz (170 g)** of coffee, then slowly add the **last 3 cups (710 ml)**. 4. **Don't stir**, as it can clog the filter. Lightly press the top grounds with the back of a spoon so they're all wet. 5. **Steep 12 to 24 hours** at room temperature. 6. **Pull the stopper** over the decanter and let it drain. 7. **Dilute** about 1 to 3 to serve, over ice. For hot coffee, Toddy suggests 1 part concentrate to 3 parts steaming hot water. ## How long should it steep? Toddy's guide says **12 to 24 hours** at room temperature. Seattle Coffee Gear notes that longer steeps (18 to 24 hours) give a **stronger, more robust** concentrate, and suggests 12 hours if yours comes out too strong. Pick a time and stick with it, so you can adjust the grind or dilution next time. ## How do you store Toddy concentrate? Keep it in the **decanter** with its lid, or another sealed container, **in the fridge**. Toddy says it stays fresh for **up to 2 weeks**. Dilute each glass as you go rather than the whole batch. ## Toddy vs other cold brew methods | | Toddy | [Cold brew in a jar](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold-brew/) | [Kyoto drip](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kyoto-drip/) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How it brews | Steep, then drain | Steep, then strain | Slow drip | | Filter | Felt, plus optional paper | Cloth, paper or sieve | Paper, metal or ceramic | | Batch | Large | Any size | Small to medium | | Time | 12 to 24 hours | 12 to 24 hours | 3 to 12 hours | ## Who invented the Toddy? Toddy's own guide calls the felt-filter method "our original tried-and-true method developed in 1964". Retailers' product copy, such as Sheldrake Coffee Roasting's, credits **Todd Simpson**, a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell, with developing and patenting it. Toddy, which says the system is made in Loveland, Colorado, still sells it today. ## How do you clean the Toddy? Throw the grounds away (and the paper bag, if you used one), then take the **felt filter** out by hand, not with a knife from underneath. Toddy's care instructions: - **Rinse the felt filter with water only**, no soap. - **Store it damp** in a resealable plastic bag **in the freezer** between brews. - **Replace it** after up to 10 uses, or after 3 months. - The other parts are dishwasher safe, but Toddy recommends washing them by hand for a longer life. *General guidance only. Keep cold brew concentrate in the fridge in a clean, sealed container, and throw it away if it smells or tastes off.* ## Toddy vs other methods - **[Cold brew](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold-brew/):** the full guide to cold brew in a jar. - **[Cold brew bottle](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold-brew-bottle/):** a one-bottle cold brewer for the fridge. - **[Kyoto drip](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kyoto-drip/):** cold water dripped through coffee, drop by drop. - **[Japanese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/japanese-iced-coffee/):** brewed hot, straight onto ice. Explore every cold method in the [cold chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold/). ## Words used in this guide - [Coffee concentrate](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/coffee-concentrate/): A coffee concentrate is coffee brewed much stronger than you would drink it, using less water, and then diluted with water, milk or ice to serve. - [Immersion vs percolation](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/immersion-vs-percolation/): Immersion brewing steeps all the coffee in all the water at once, as a French press does. - [Steeping](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/steeping/): Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew. - [Agitation](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/agitation/): Agitation is any movement of the coffee and water during brewing, such as stirring, swirling or a turbulent pour. ## FAQs ### What is the Toddy recipe? Toddy's brewing guide uses 12 oz (340 g) of coarse coffee with 7 cups (56 fl oz, 1.65 L) of water, steeped for 12 to 24 hours, then drained into the decanter as a concentrate. ### How long should Toddy cold brew steep? Toddy says 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. Seattle Coffee Gear notes that longer steeps, 18 to 24 hours, give a stronger, more robust concentrate. ### How do you dilute Toddy concentrate? Start with 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water or milk, and adjust: some prefer 1 to 2 for a stronger drink. ### How long does Toddy concentrate keep? Toddy says up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I'd keep it in a sealed container and taste it before using older batches. ### Who invented the Toddy? Toddy's guide says its original method was developed in 1964. Retailers' product copy credits Todd Simpson, a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell, with developing and patenting it. ## Sources - [Toddy brewing guide](https://argo.webstaurantstore.com/documents/pdf/toddy_brewing_guide.pdf) - [Toddy cold brew system product guide](https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/pages/product-resources/toddy-cold-brew-system-product-guide) - [How to make cold brew at home with the Toddy cold brew system](https://www.stonecreekcoffee.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-cold-brew-at-home-with-the-toddy-cold-brew-system) - [Toddy T2N cold brew coffee maker](https://www.talkaboutcoffee.com/toddy-t2n-best-cold-brew-coffee-maker.html) - [Toddy cold brew system](https://www.sheldrakecoffeeroasting.com/products/toddy-maker)