Yama Cold Brew Maker I Ice Coffee Machine With Slow Drip Technology I Makes 6-8 cups (32oz), Large Capacity Cold Brew Coffee Tower, Black Wood Straight Frame

I recommend this unit even though it is a little bit pricey. After living in Japan years ago, I wanted to try my luck at making Japanese ice coffee at home. There are not that many choices around and considering that the Oji unit from Japan (seen at shops like Blue Bottle) goes for more than $1000USD w/shipping & duties, I took a shot at this little 8-cup Yama unit from Taipei for $200 here at Amazon. It's as good a coffeemaker as it is a conversation piece. Good ice coffee is no fad. This is a different (and SLOW) method to make really smooth and intense ice coffee with less than 2/3 the acid of hot-brewed.The unit arrived (via UPS) VERY well packed and unbroken. It took just a few minutes to put it together using the instruction sheet (see it here) [...] Be careful NOT to over tighten the 4 screw-in feet into the baseboard as it's easy to punch one thru the top of the baseboard as I did.The included filters; one rinsable permanent ceramic filter which goes into the bottom of the coffee bowl to trap grounds, and some paper filters to place on top of the coffee. Use of the top paper filter is KEY to full flavor. The purpose of the filter is to SLOWLY distribute water EVENLY over the entire coffee bowl. Without the filter in the top, the drip will hit dead-center in the coffee bowl resulting in the water making it's way to the bottom of the coffee bowl too quickly without completely extracting all of the coffee. I use those cheap unbleached (brown) paper filters for drip machines by folding it inward into a circle and fitting into the top of the coffee bowl. Cheap and works great.Without a scale to measure-out 80 grams, I will scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of coffee into the bowl for a full pot (quart). Works well. Experiment with different coffees for different flavors. Sumatran beans from World Market make a real flavorful brew. Make sure to grind medium to coarse. Fine grinds can result in bitterness.With the top jar full of water it makes about a quart of CONCENTRATED coffee nectar that can be placed in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks...as if it's really going to last that long! Old 2-qt OJ jars make for good fridge storage. The bottom glass beaker that catches the fresh coffee comes with a glass cap for fridge storage. It takes 3.5 to 4 hours to make a pot if you're dripping at the recommended rate of 35-40 drips per minute. The petcock regulating waterflow works well enough. You can use cold water without the need to add ice. Either way is OK.This "8-Cup Yama Water Drip Coffee & Tea Maker" is aesthetically quite pleasing in the corner of our countertop and the coffee is fun to make. It is a little over 2 feet tall. There are cheaper ways and methods to make Kyoto-style cold drip coffee but this method is not at all as messy as are some. All the glass and the ceramic filter easily rinse clean. And because the reviewer above stated that product support is solid if you break any of the 6 glass pieces, all the more reason to recommend.

UPDATE: I noticed my valve wouldn't stop dripping even when "off." I sent a 15 second video and my amazon order number to the company via email and got a response within an hour that they are sending me a replacement valve for free. I think the reviews that say "received it broken," etc, and gave one star - what jerks. The company can't control if sometimes in shipping something breaks - if the company is responsive and takes care of any damaged items (as they obviously do), what more can you expect?Ok, now back to the regularly scheduled review:I researched a lot of different cold brew methods and did the "jar of grounds in the fridge" for a month to make sure cold brew wouldn't have the acid (I have a mild ulcer and a cup of coffee a day for about two weeks and it starts hurting all the time). After a month, I was ready to commit.Then I started looking at all the cold brew methods out there. Honestly, I was planning to spend $50, maybe $75 for something nice for my "coffee ritual" and have a little show-off to my buddies.Then I saw the Yama brew tower and couldn't get it out of my mind. North of $250 is a serious commitment for a cup of coffee. And it certainly fits the bill when it comes to show-off. When my friends asked my how much it cost, I just send them the link to this amazon page and tell them they should buy one for themselves.On the show-off note - My wife told me she would make space for it in the kitchen, and I said "nothin' doin'." I had it setup on the counter in front of my bookshelf in my office, and besides looking amazing in my office, the smell is out of this world when I'm brewing.Speaking of my wife, at first she scoffed about paying $270 for something to make coffee. She said "you'll play with it for a month and then never use it again." I figured she'd be biased enough to not really like the coffee. Now she comes in my office throughout the day for another cup. She absolutely loves it and can tell the difference between this and everything else we've ever used, which includes a $1,000 espresso machine, fridge-cold brew, and every latest thing that comes out of starbucks. This single stand easily replaces all of that stuff in hands-down amazing flaver.I compared the reviews of folks who were in love with their setup and found folks that used the "Toddy Cold Brew" were just as fanatical about the taste of their coffee as folks who bought a Yama tower.If you're like me, you're probably thinking "yeah, why not just spring for the $40 and buy the Toddy system?"Two main things bugged me about the Toddy: (1) It's plastic. I'm just not a fan of my drink being in plastic. BPA or not, I'd just rather use glass. (2) (and this is the big one) It's kinda one-size fits all. You don't have that much control over the brew.If you want the Toddy system, let me save you $40. I'll give you the $2 mason jar I fridge-brewed with. You'll get the same result.I noticed there are other towers out there that don't have the cool looking stand or the science-experiment looking coil, etc.So why the Yama instead of another coil-less tower?Again, two reasons: 1. It looks way cooler. 2. I think the coil does enhance the coffee because it's helping aerate the brew before hitting the flask, just like you do with a fine wine.As far as any other coffee you may have drank in your life - trust me. The Yama coffee tastes worlds different. I tell my friends it's like you can tell it's coffee, but at the same time, it's completely different.There is no comparison in taste.And yes, the coffee even ages. It will taste different each day it ages after the brew. Because of this I bought 2 more beakers, their caps, and even ceramic filters (I'm also going to cold brew lose leaf tea with this and want a separate ceramic filter for the tea).I now brew a beaker and drink it over the next couple days, and every day that same coffee brew has a totally different flavor. I can tell it's coffee, but it's totally different than coffee.I've never been the guy that could tell the difference in tastes enough to pair foods together, or wines, etc. But suddenly the age of the coffee tastes different with different foods. I can have the same breakfast two days in a row, and drink from the same brew and the second day the coffee tastes different and it brings out different flavors in the same breakfast than the day before. My coffee used to never bring out the flavor of anything I drank. Now it's like a central part of the meal.Yes. No kidding.So look, if you've read this far, I'm guessing you're going to buy it, so let me give you some tips for your best cup.0. Don't drink your coffee. Taste it. You don't have to do like some silly mouth wash routine like you see people do when they taste wines, etc. But just take small sips and taste what it's like in your mouth, and then pay attention especially to the after taste. Trust me. It won't be like coffee.After you've tasted it a bit, feel free to drink it.1. Don't be afraid to experiment.2. A brew you don't like today may taste better tomorrow, put it in a jar and let it sit on your shelf, taste it over the next couple days. I don't refrigerate mine, it sits right here next to the tower in my office.3. Use a burr grinder. Trust me. I have the kitchenaid burr grinder (you can buy them here on amazon, search for KCG0702CS to see what I have). Why a burr? Because you can use the dial to get the exact granular size of your grind and it does make a difference. Same beans with a different grind setting, brewed exactly the same, will taste different.I typically grind between 3.5 to 5 (not sure what that means anywhere else, but it's the settings on my grinder). A 1 is the coarsest grind, an 8 is the smallest. So this would be right around the middle setting of any other grinder you may use.4. Be a scientist. When I brew, I write the date and time I start the brew, which beans I'm using, what the grind setting was, how much water I'm using, and whether it is with or without ice. I typically always keep the drip the same, but if I were going to play around with that, I'd write that on the note too. That note stays with the coffee. As I drink it over the next couple days I decide if I like that combo or not and think how I will adjust things next time to get a different brew.5. Use different beans. Try them from all over. Never turn a bean down, you may be surprised how much you like the flavor. I say that, but I tend to stay away from dark roast because it's usually more "burnt" that "flavor". I've had my best luck with medium roasts, but I read that a lot of people love using a light roast with cold brew towers. Try a large variety and figure out which one(s) are your favorites. (come back and leave a comment with your experience, share your recipes, I will write you back.When you try different beans, remember to try them at different grind settings. It will change the way the coffee tastes and you may like different grind setting depending on the bean.What's the worst that can happen? You taste a bean/grind you don't like even after letting it sit for several days. It helps you appreciate the combinations you really like.6. I pack my grounds down in the middle beaker and then loosen the top of the grounds a little and then put the paper filter on top. Check out the pictures to see what I mean. Why do this? You'll see the starting picture the grounds are lower in the beaker, and then after it's going for a little bit (maybe an hour or more), the grounds have risen up to the top. After that, they shrink back down. If you leave the grounds "as is" and don't pack them down, the water can find it's own little path through the grounds and not wet the entire beaker. But there's no mistake when the grounds have risen like you see in my pictures that all the grounds are completely saturated. Also, if the top of the grounds is a little uneven when they are packed, it's ok, when they rise they will even out.Here's what happens:For the first 45 min or so the grounds absorb water and begin to rise.Then the first drops start coming through after the grounds are completely saturated. The smell is amazing. Put your nose down around the beaker opening, is almost a sweet smell. You've never smelled anything like that.Those drops are thick and black, kind of like a lose syrup.You'll notice the water is dripping in much faster than the coffee is dripping out. That's because the grounds are still "processing" the water. Once they've risen all the way up, it's almost like a soup. If you tap it, it will act kind of like jelly.After the grounds have risen all the way up, it's like they reach this saturation point were suddenly they absorb the water and at the same time flush out everything and for the next couple hours the grounds will go down while the dark black drips out. The drip speed coming out of the middle beaker will be a lot faster now than the drip speed of your water because it's "catching up".Once the grounds have shrunk almost all the way back down, you'll notice the drip coming out is now very very light brown, so light you can easily see through it. Now all the dense part of the coffee has been brewed out and the remaining flavor is being pulled out of the grind.My process takes about 5-6 hours. Sometimes I do it at night where I can monitor it for the first 3-4 hours, because you do have to adjust the drip as it's going. It's just the nature of the silicone in the valve to shrink and expand as it heats and cools, causing the drip rate to change a little over time.I really hope you've enjoyed this review, and hope if you buy the Yama tower you come back to this review and leave a comment about your experience. Not sure if this is allowed by amazon, but if you'd like to email me with your cold brew experiences, my email is my first name at my first name last name dot com.

We saw this in a restaurant & had to buy it for 2 reasons - 1. Because it's fun, 2. Because the coffee was SMOOTH and delicious. Yes, in that order. YES there are other great ways to make coffee - we own 9 ways to do so. YES there are more compact, effective cold-brew methods. We had the perfect place on a side buffet to park this thing - it's like a functional work of art. & yes, it's a art to perfect the brew based on personal preference. We think it's FUN to mess with the drip flow to get it to a drop every 1.5 - 2 seconds. We think it's FUN to try different grinds/packing of ground density to make the perfect brew. We think it's FUN to then figure out the perfect amount of almond milk to add to have a rich,ice-cold glass of heaven. We REALLY think it's fun to introduce others to it, explaining it to guests who see it.If you are looking for compact & function only, you might not be so enamored - keep looking at other methods.It arrived perfect, nothing broken, everything included to start the brew except the coffee beans themselves!As far as making the brew, as other reviews say, it's definitely all about method to get it right. Our 1st batch was way too light - we didn't know to WET the grounds completely first to start the process. Watched a YouTube video or two, that helped. BEST TIP: If you order this thing, READ THE REVIEWS HERE, all the detailed brewing tips you need are here to make a dense, low-acid, delicious brew - even better than any of the videos we watched!My added tip would be that we re-use the paper filter circle by simply rinsing it out with hot water. If you don't feel like doing that & run out of circles, just cut some from normal filter paper.