Disclosure: Primula Products provided me with an Infusion Pitcher for review. All opinions and photos remain my own.

Brewing hot coffee is fine and well, but what do you do in the summer? Once the temperature gets above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, I rarely drink hot coffee. My one-cup maker gave me the option to brew iced coffee, spouting out a double-strength brew that all you needed to do was add ice to it. Is it possible that I can get better results? Will I be able to give up the convenience of brewing over ice?

Primula Products has an answer to this: the Flavor-It Pitcher 3-in-1 Beverage System. The contents of the box include: a plastic pitcher, a tea/coffee infuser, a fruit infuser, and a chill core. With this, you can make cold-brewed coffee for iced coffee, iced tea, water infusions, even sangria. It truly is a “beverage system.”

Once again, instructions have been included with the product, explaining how to prepare the various beverages options. I found myself a tad confused by the instructions for cold brewing iced coffee, which stated to fill the infuser halfway with ground coffee and then fill the pitcher with water to the fill line, but then included a side note that if you’re filling the pitcher completely, you should fill the infuser 3/4 of the way with ground coffee. How far is considered completely? Why have the fill line at all if you can fill it completely? Why not just give one set of instructions?

Regardless, my first attempt was disappointing. A good portion of the coffee grounds floated to the top of the infuser basket into the cap and stayed there, remaining dry the entire time. Even after letting it brew for 2 days, the end result was weak and boring. It was more like flavored water than iced coffee, and there certainly was no chance I would add ice to it to water it down more.

Flavor-It brewed “iced” coffee on the left, traditionally brewed and refrigerated “iced” coffee on the right

For my next attempt, I wet the grounds slightly before inserting the infuser basket in the pitcher. There was an immediate difference in the color of the water between the two attempts, and this small touch ultimately resulted in a better tasting iced coffee. Better, but not great. Once again, even after leaving the coffee sitting in the fridge for 2 days, it was a watered down version of the iced coffee I love. Not unpalatable; just not very deep or rich.

I’m not entirely sure what the advantage is here. I could definitely see using the infusion pitcher for making infused waters (I have pineapple and mint going right now!), and I’m intrigued by the sangria idea–especially if it means no more getting bopped on the nose by fruit floating in the wine–but it does not seem like the best way to obtain a refreshing cup of iced coffee. It’s a lengthy process that requires premeditation and preparation, and ultimately it just isn’t as good as traditionally brewed coffee.

Verdict: Use the Flavor-It 3-in-1 Beverage System for flavored water infusions and sangria and brew your coffee the traditional way, either as a double-strength brew poured over ice, or as a regular strength brew stashed in the fridge in a resealable container.

How do you make iced coffee? What are your suggestions?

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Disclosure: Primula Products provided me with a stovetop espresso coffee maker for review. All opinions and photos remain my own.

Continuing on with the Coffee Quest, today I’m looking the good ol’ stovetop espresso coffee maker. This is the very same product that Marnely offered as her go-to piece of coffee making equipment.

Never used one before? It is essentially a percolator, something your grandparents likely used: the bottom chamber gets filled with water, a filter sits on top of that, full of coarse ground coffee, screw the top on and heat it on a stove burner. In just a few minutes’ time, enough pressure builds up in the bottom chamber to force the water up through the coffee grounds and into the top chamber. Once it starts steaming and you hear bubbling, turn the heat off–it’s done. Simple technology that packs a punch.

If you have a gas cooktop like I do, it’s important to turn the heat down enough that you don’t have flames flickering up the sides; it should only be touching the bottom of the maker. Even though you don’t have the stove turned up all the way, it doesn’t take long for the coffee to brew, allowing you to make a quick cup even if you’re on your way out the door.

Verdict: Just like with the coffee press, there were fine grounds present in the bottom of the cup. That said, the stovetop espresso coffee maker produced a much deeper, robust, flavorful cup of coffee than the coffee press. Filling it will give you just one cup of coffee (the 3-cups refers to espresso demitasse cups), but that’s perfect for me most days. The downside is that a stovetop is necessary in order to use it, which isn’t always available when I want a cup of coffee. And that you need to wash the coffee maker immediately after or you’ll get water spots inside, since it is aluminum. For hot coffee, this is my preference of the two options looked at thus far.

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Disclosure: Primula Products provided me with a coffee press to review. All opinions and photos remain my own.

Once I had gathered my unusual suspects for the Coffee Quest, I’ll admit I was a little nervous. This all should have been so simple–no electricity required, after all–but it was a whole new world for me. Where do I begin? The coffee press seemed the most recognizable to me, so I selected it first.

All Primula Products coffee makers come with an instruction booklet in multiple languages. There is additional information available online, as well. I read through the booklet, washed and dried my coffee press, reassembled it, and got to work.

Why use a coffee press? The theory is that, when you use a filter, you trap the oils found naturally in the coffee beans and therefore lose a good portion of the flavor instantly. By allowing the coffee to sit in the hot water directly, you can extract more flavor and get a fuller-bodied cup of Joe. Just add your ground coffee to the beaker, bring your water to just about boiling on the stove (if you have a natural gas cooktop, like I do, you don’t require any electricity for this process), pour the hot water over the coffee, stir, cover, and let it steep for 4 minutes before pressing down on the plunger and pouring.

It’s very important to use coarse ground coffee, or you’ll end up clogging the filter screen and quite possibly drinking the grounds. It’s also essential that you do not over-tighten the press parts. The first time I made coffee with the press, I tightened everything down really well in a misguided attempt to make sure it was all perfect. When I placed the lid on the pot, the plunger would not stay up–it dropped immediately, letting the filter fall into the grounds and making one heck of a mess. I kept pulling up on the plunger but I could not get the filter pieces to stay up. It was incredibly frustrating. Let’s just say that the first cup of coffee I had from the coffee press was a bit disappointing.

I decided to watch the video on Primula Products’ website explaining how to use the coffee press. It was a little embarrassing, but clearly I was missing something here. I watched the video twice, but still couldn’t figure out how to keep the plunger in the up position–it was glossed over, assumed that you knew exactly what they were talking about.

Next I asked my co-worker, hoping she could shed some light on the situation. She said it should stay up easily–it shouldn’t be the struggle I was having–but she didn’t know why I was having a problem. I wanted to ask another co-worker how he brewed with his press (he keeps one in the office), but I ran out of time. It would be up to me to figure out.

At home that night, I looked at all the pieces closely again. I noticed there was a little topper that would flop around loosely if the discs were tightened down entirely, but if I loosened them up a bit, it could be threaded on the spindle with the discs and hold the discs in place. Was this what I missed? This tiny little piece forgotten, assumed that the user would know exactly how to assemble without overlooking that step?

It turns out that, yes, that was the key. Once I assembled it correctly–leaving the discs loose enough to tight down that little cap that serves the function of a nut on a screw–the coffee press worked the way it should. The plunger remained in the upright position until I gently pressed down on it when I was ready to pour. The puzzle pieces were finally put together properly–I was able to brew a cup of coffee press coffee the right way.

The printed instructions recommend 1 Tablespoon of coffee per 4 ounces of water, and you can brew up to 8 4-ounce cups at a time (32 ounces) [the video recommends 3 scoops of coffee, utilizing the included scoop, for an 8-cup press] . Most coffee mugs hold 12 ounces or more of coffee, however, so you’re more likely to only get 2-3 cups of coffee out of a full coffee press. Don’t expect this to be the way to make coffee for a crowd, but it does a decent job when you know you’ll be looking for more than 1 cup at a time.

Verdict: This is a nice option if you are away from a stove but have access to a microwave or hot water tap (at work). It takes a bit longer, especially if you have to heat the water first. The first 2 times I made coffee with it, I thought the coffee was a bit weak, but I think it was more my ineptness that was the problem. The last cup of coffee I had from it was pretty divine. Deep, rich, flavorful. Every time I had fine grounds in the bottom of my cup.

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