Dash cold brew coffee maker instructions

Top positive review

4.0 out of 5 starsRefined Recipe - Consistent Brew now tastes great - Needs a Little Initial Patience

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2019

I found the brew recipes in the manual vague and I was very disappointed by the results ranging from weak stream flavor to tasting like grounds. FINALLY, I cracked the great concentrate brew code and am very pleased with the results I achieve with these steps:

1) Coffee Grind: I grind beans slightly finer than what you find in a Folger’s Can. Incidentally, I found Folgers’s grind to be pretty good in the machine and would recommend it.
2) Amount of Coffee: I fill the basket up to the top of the filler tube in the center of the basket, NOT to the top edge of the basket. It will be about a ¼” from the basket top.
3) Water (part-1): Fill to the MAX mark.
4) Brew Time: Set for the Full 15 minutes, press start.
5) Water (part-2), Once the cycle has completed, I run a SECOND cycle, but first, you will notice the water is down on the pitcher at least an inch, Top the water back up to the MAX mark.
6) Brew Time 2: Set for the full 15 minutes. You will see the coffee darken and this really sets the flavor in and makes for a great concentrate. Sometimes I run a 3rd cycle.
7) Mix: This is strong brew. I pour the 50oz pitcher into a 64oz jug, and top off with water. This is about right for me most of the time, but I do add more water at times. This is where your taste will vary the concentrate.
CLEANING SIMPLIFIED:
1) Clean each time - trust me now, believe me later.
2) With the pitcher and the “brew chamber” removed, unplug it and dump out the residue in the sink. Kinda shake it about to get the leftover coffee out of it.
3) Rinse out the machine (CAREFULLY)…With the machine up right, I use the faucet to spray hot water into each of the four ports that the pitcher and chamber mount to. You will see the coffee squirt out. Turn the water off, then turn the machine back over and shake it about again to get the water out of it.
4) Clean out the basket, Dump grounds, Spray Rinse basket with hot water until it looks like all the grounds are gone. Rinse the chamber too, turning it over too to rinse the ports as well.
5) Clean pitcher with hot water. Turn it over and rinse ports too. Refill to the TOP of the "fountain", past the MAX line, with hot water. Occasionally, you can add vinegar to this if you want, but then do an additional water only cleaning cycle after the vinegar cycle. You should not have to do vinegar very often if you rinse & clean each time.
6) Reassemble basket in the chamber, and then replace the chamber and pitcher on the machine.
7) Set short brew cycle, like 3-5 minutes. You are really just doing a flush at this point.
8) You choose: Leave it full of water, or dump pitcher, disassemble, turn over machine to dump ports, and dry. If you take it apart to dry, it is a little easier to make the next pot.

TIPS:
1) I HATE taking the lid off (The Hulk would struggle), and screwing it back in place. Use a kitchen “jar wrench” to open it. Before attempt to open, press in the ports on the bottom to release pressure.
2) Before screwing on the lid, I spray a little PAM on my finger and wipe it in the gasket on the lid. This is just a slight coating to assist in seating and removing the lid. It really makes a difference.
3) Make sure the lid seats evenly, it does not have to be “powered down” tight, just the be sure the lid looks even and about flush with the chamber edge.

Good Luck and let me know how this recipe works out. Other that the trouble removing the lid, and the struggle of finding a consistent brew, I really love the machine and the results.

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this if you drink cold brew regularly.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2018

Pros: Fast, easy to use, easy to clean, saves moneyCon: uses A LOT of coffee grounds to get a strong brew

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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2019

I found the brew recipes in the manual vague and I was very disappointed by the results ranging from weak stream flavor to tasting like grounds. FINALLY, I cracked the great concentrate brew code and am very pleased with the results I achieve with these steps:

1) Coffee Grind: I grind beans slightly finer than what you find in a Folger’s Can. Incidentally, I found Folgers’s grind to be pretty good in the machine and would recommend it.
2) Amount of Coffee: I fill the basket up to the top of the filler tube in the center of the basket, NOT to the top edge of the basket. It will be about a ¼” from the basket top.
3) Water (part-1): Fill to the MAX mark.
4) Brew Time: Set for the Full 15 minutes, press start.
5) Water (part-2), Once the cycle has completed, I run a SECOND cycle, but first, you will notice the water is down on the pitcher at least an inch, Top the water back up to the MAX mark.
6) Brew Time 2: Set for the full 15 minutes. You will see the coffee darken and this really sets the flavor in and makes for a great concentrate. Sometimes I run a 3rd cycle.
7) Mix: This is strong brew. I pour the 50oz pitcher into a 64oz jug, and top off with water. This is about right for me most of the time, but I do add more water at times. This is where your taste will vary the concentrate.
CLEANING SIMPLIFIED:
1) Clean each time - trust me now, believe me later.
2) With the pitcher and the “brew chamber” removed, unplug it and dump out the residue in the sink. Kinda shake it about to get the leftover coffee out of it.
3) Rinse out the machine (CAREFULLY)…With the machine up right, I use the faucet to spray hot water into each of the four ports that the pitcher and chamber mount to. You will see the coffee squirt out. Turn the water off, then turn the machine back over and shake it about again to get the water out of it.
4) Clean out the basket, Dump grounds, Spray Rinse basket with hot water until it looks like all the grounds are gone. Rinse the chamber too, turning it over too to rinse the ports as well.
5) Clean pitcher with hot water. Turn it over and rinse ports too. Refill to the TOP of the "fountain", past the MAX line, with hot water. Occasionally, you can add vinegar to this if you want, but then do an additional water only cleaning cycle after the vinegar cycle. You should not have to do vinegar very often if you rinse & clean each time.
6) Reassemble basket in the chamber, and then replace the chamber and pitcher on the machine.
7) Set short brew cycle, like 3-5 minutes. You are really just doing a flush at this point.
8) You choose: Leave it full of water, or dump pitcher, disassemble, turn over machine to dump ports, and dry. If you take it apart to dry, it is a little easier to make the next pot.

TIPS:
1) I HATE taking the lid off (The Hulk would struggle), and screwing it back in place. Use a kitchen “jar wrench” to open it. Before attempt to open, press in the ports on the bottom to release pressure.
2) Before screwing on the lid, I spray a little PAM on my finger and wipe it in the gasket on the lid. This is just a slight coating to assist in seating and removing the lid. It really makes a difference.
3) Make sure the lid seats evenly, it does not have to be “powered down” tight, just the be sure the lid looks even and about flush with the chamber edge.

Good Luck and let me know how this recipe works out. Other that the trouble removing the lid, and the struggle of finding a consistent brew, I really love the machine and the results.

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019

I have had my cold brew maker for about six weeks now, so I am ready to write an honest review.

First of all, I love it and do not regret buying it. But this product is definitely a learning curve! I think *they* even changed their mind, because deep cleaning instructions that are in the printed manual (and did not work for me) are not in the online manual.

The manual is not very helpful. It is way more of a recipe book and it’s pretty, but it doesn’t give a lot of useful information.

I was having very spotty luck- my cold brew was coming out the color of iced tea, even with the maximum amount of time and coffee, and minimum amount of water. Thankfully, I found the cold brew Reddit, and they suggested two things that went *against* the instructions in the manual: Only put about a cup and a half of coffee in, because the designers didn’t think about how the grounds expand with water; and to turn the carafe to the open position while brewing.

I actually only use a little over a cup of coffee at a time, but having the carafe lid open changed my brew to a dark, rich, yummy concentrate.

Also note: The lid on the coffee part must be screwed on tightly. If you accidentally leave it loose or it’s off kilter, you’ll have water all over the counter and floor.

My only real complaint is the design of some of the parts. The lid of the coffee filter, that clicks into place, is so wide, and it just wants to click from side to side. You have to get it in the middle to get it open. I can see someone with arthritis having real issues. This is very frustrating when you just want COFFEE- and it could be solved with a simple redesign.

But worse is the carafe lid. My first one broke within a few days. They sent me a new carafe free of charge (register your product!). But pieces are very flimsy plastic, and the lid will only go on in one certain spot. Then when it’s full of water, the extra weight makes it hard to turn and hard to lift the lid on and off (again, you can only do so from ONE exact spot). The top of the carafe has only a half inch raised, smooth plastic circle, impossible to grip with wet hands. Again, a simple redesign- a little higher, with a ribbed texture, would make this so much better.

I do recommend this product. But- make sure both pieces are firmly seated in the maker, and that you’ve followed my advice above. Maybe don’t leave it alone for a whole day. It is worth the headaches, compared to 12-24 hours of waiting!

How much coffee do you put in a cold brew coffee maker?