Review: Barista & Co Brew It Stick
The Brew It Stick from Barista & Co is a coffee infuser that recently caught my attention due to it's unique design and convenient size.
I recently bought one and after a few months of regular use I'm able to share my thoughts.
In this review I'll cover the quality of coffee you can brew with it, the functionality, ease of use and whether I think it's worth the money.
Things I like:
1.Quick and Easy To Use
One of the key selling points for the Brew It Stick (and what I like the most), is the fact that it’s so simple to use and convenient. All you need to do it fill the basket with coffee, screw the handle on and let it sit in hot water for around 5 minutes. When you’ve finished brewing just remove the Brew It Stick and empty the coffee grounds. It’s a quick process that lets you brew ground coffee with minimal mess.
TIP: Don’t overfill the basket or it won’t extract properly, only fill it around 3/4 full.
2. Travel Friendly
If you want something to take with you when going on holiday, camping or commuting to work, then this could be a really good solution. It’s compact and would only take up the space of a small water bottle in your bag. Easier than travelling with a Moka Pot or French Press.
3. Smart Design
If you are thinking of displaying this with your home coffee setup, then having an attractive design will be a bonus. The Brew It Stick has quite a smart design in my opinion. It comes in a range of colours and has a clean look when sat on your countertop.
4. Brews Tea Too
I know I mainly focus on the coffee, but the brewer can also be used for making loose leaf tea too. This is particularly useful if you have a mixture of tea and coffee lovers in your household. You can brew tea in exactly the same way as you would coffee, just using loose leaf tea instead.
Things I Don’t Like
1.Getting a Great Extraction Is Difficult
I’ve found that when using the Brew It Stick, it’s difficult to control the extraction process and therefore there isn’t much brewing consistency. If you want full control over the brewing process and want a precise extraction, then you would probably be better off with a V60 pour over brewer instead. Barista & Co recommend controlling the extraction by twisting the stick to agitate the grounds which I’ve found to be quite abrupt as it can very quickly over extract.
2. Small Coffee Capacity
The basket size is quite small compared to other brewing methods meaning that if you want a standard size cup of coffee, you can easily end up with it either being either too weak or over extracted. You can only fit around 9 grams of ground coffee compared to Espresso and V60 which tend to fit around 18-20 grams per serving.
Summary
Despite a couple of flaws, the Brew It Stick is a great brewing tool for those who want a quick, hassle-free cup of coffee. The product is marketed for convenience and simplicity which is what it does very well. If you want to brew a perfectly extracted coffee then this product probably won’t be for you but it will still produce a good cup of coffee. This is a great piece of kit to have in your home coffee setup when you don’t have the time to get the V60 out or warm up your espresso machine.
Barista & Co Brew It Stick
Travel friendly
Easy to clean
Super convenient
Makes a light brew