Takeya Deluxe 2Qt Cold Brew Coffee Maker

UPDATE: I've since solved the financial benefit issue. I found a large bag of whole bean coffee at BJ's whole sale club...like 4 times the size a regular bag at the grocery store. I think I've filled over 4 of the below mentioned STOK containers on a single bag, which cost about $15...and I still have at least one batch left. This works if you're not super picky on your coffee - it still tastes very good.ALSO: BJ's also had a grinder on site. I set it to the coarsest setting and ground the beans. This definitely helped with the filtering issue, but did not solve it. Even with a coarse, french press grind, it needs to be filtered. I'm just using 2 layers of paper towel now. It filters through much quicker...especially if you don't shake it right before you filter. I get quite a bit of sediment at the bottom, which if left alone, won't clog the "filter". The paper towel absorbs some of the coffee, but I literally kind of ring it out...which sounds weird, but why let it go to waste?ORIGINAL:I think 3 stars is fairly generous, but the quality of the container itself isn't bad, and with a bunch of extra work, I'm getting good coffee...but let's talk options:I was previous buying Stok brand Cold Brew Iced Coffee from my grocery store (Publix). It comes in Black and Slightly Sweetened (what I normally get) in 48oz containers for $4.99. Not too bad, but I figured making it myself would have to be cheaper. The reviews made it sound quite easy.First impressions: This thing is SMALL. Smaller than what you think when you hear "pitcher". Build seems alright, lid deals tight. Screen seems OK but I was immediately skeptical it would act as a true filter. I read somewhere it's difficult to pour from, and I didn't find that to be true, you have to unscrew the lid almost all the way and line up the whole in the life with the spout.I bought some pre-ground Starbucks coffee from Publix and also ordered a couple different kinds online that were supposed to be a course grind. Depending on sales, your're probably gonna pay $7-$11 per small vacuum sealed bag. Each of those bags gives me about 3 to 3.5 "batches" of cold brew. I'm using about 1 cup of grounds per brew. I saved an empty STOK container for comparison, and so I could transfer the brewed coffe and start the process again. A bag of grounds failed to fill the STOK container twice, which means that it was nearly a break even for me, if not MORE expensive, if you're buying expensive coffee.The Process: Like I said, I used about 1 cup of grounds, filling the inner "filter" almost to the top of the screen. I let it brew in the fridge for 12 hours. This seems to be a sweet spot for me. The first time I could tell it needed to be filtered and I had none in the house so I used paper towel. This actually worked better than filter b/c it's more porous and filtered it quicker BUT, some of the coffee gets absorbed and wasted. There is so much sediment, when filtering, I have to change filters (or towel) 2 or 3 times, otherwise it gets clogged up and won't strain through (at least with any quickness). This is a total pain in the butt.I understand comments may be "you need to go buy french press grounds from your local coffee shop" or grind it yourself, etc. Maybe....BUT, that just sounds even more expensive, so now I'm paying even MORE to do all this work, when I could just go buy the STOK.Also, the instructions keep talking about making a "concentrate" and adding water after the brew. I guess maybe if you leave it a really long time...but I tried that once (24 hour brew time) and I hated the taste, with or without water...was horrible and very hard to filter. Generally, I add a splash of milk and a Truvia, ice and good to go. The ice doesn't melt much in the Yeti style cup, so it doesn't get watered down. Obviously, it all depends on the coffee, the pitcher isn't providing flavor, but what I'm making does turn out pretty dang good.I'm only getting about 2.5 cups out of each brew (you won't get a full quart, water gets absorbed into the grounds and filter), so remember, you have to have another container to transfer this into, so you can start another brew before you run out, otherwise you have to wait 12+ hours. Also, I'm planning my life around this stupid thing. I have to plan ahead and not start a brew if I know I'm not going to be home (and have time to filter) in 12 hours.Usually, you spend a little more for convenience and to save time; however, in this case, I've found that I'm actually paying more (not even considering the initial cost of the pitcher and filters) to cause myself a lot more of a headache in the long run.Maybe if you're a super coffee snob, who has to have this certain type of bean and roast, etc then you need something like this...but still, there are probably better ones (no idea really). But if you're just a normal person who survives on caffeine and prefers cold brew, check out your local grocery store first. Yes, this is still cheaper then hitting D&D or SB every day, so there's that.