Brew 9 Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

We reviewed all of the custom coffee alternatives like Moccamaster, Breville Luxe, and Fellow Aiden, but given our standard 8-10 "cups" of coffee, we don't have time for the experimentation. We are so far very pleased with the very simple Oxo Brew 9-cup. What are the positives? - Simple set-up and use - Great, clean cups of coffee, top to bottom - The thermal carafe is shockingly great; I kid you not, it keeps coffee hot for more than 3-4 hours - Quite pleasant to view the boiling water filter bottom to top The negatives: - The base, or platform, is quite plastic-y and flimsy; without the fill of water or coffee, it tends not to reliably rest flat on the counter - The filter basket is also a little flimsy, leaving the carafe placement ever-so-slightly unreliable But overall, the Oxo deserves 5 stars, ideal for people whose preference and priority are great coffee rather than tinkering and experimentation. So, if you've infatuated about an Aiden or Breville or Moccamaster and concerned that they may be overkill, then this Oxo is ideal for you (while saving ~$150).

I have owned two Capresso machines for a total of six years and I have owned two Bonavita machines for another six years. I find this machine to be better than either. At their best I would say that all three coffee makers are capable of making very good coffee, and I would be hard pressed to support the claim that the coffee made in this machine is consistently better than the best coffee from either of the previous brands. That said, it is very good. At Starbucks or at good restaurants I rarely find coffee that I enjoy so much. I don't seek out coffee esoterica and I don't consider myself a coffee snob; but I do buy good beans and I grind them for each use. If the coffee made in this machine is not measureably better, why would one spring for the extra money for the OXO machine instead of the Bonavita or the Capresso? Before we answer that question, we must explain why the thermal caraffe. The answer is that burners that keep uninsulated caraffes warm invariably burn coffee and they do not keep out air. The combination of oxygen and excess heat too quickly turn the tasty brew from beverage to burnt battery acid. Keep excess heat and air from fresh-brewed coffee and it can taste good for hours. Need it to be warmer? Pop your mug of coffee in the microwave for half a minute or so. A good thermal caraffe can keep coffee tasting fresh-brewed for four hours or more. And the caraffe on the OXO is that good. WHAT MAKES OXO BETTER? -- 1) The caraffe on this machine works better. It keeps coffee tasting fresh from the time it is made at 5:00 AM until lunchtime, around noon. None of the previous machines did this - although all were ten or fifty times better than open pots, there was always a bit of oxidation bitterness, even if the lid was kept on the thermal caraffe. A constant irritation with the Bonavita was that the pour spout was so poorly designed that (it seemed like) fully 10 percent of the coffee ran down the side of the caraffe onto the counter. Of course, pouring slowly could sometimes help a bit, but I never could do this. The people who will benefit most from this difference are absentminded guys whose wives hate cleaning up their reckless coffee spills. In such a case, this difference alone could help save a marriage. 2) The OXO machine's fit and finish are better. I cannot tell why, but this machine just looks better sitting on my black granite countertops. Perhaps it is the shiny black plastic. Or the sculptural curves. In any case, it has the presence of a work of art, FWIW. This machine is, however, taller by about two inches. It has a greater kitchen presence. This extra size may sometimes be a tiny drawback - especially in a tiny galley kitchen. 3) The brew-stop feature really works. Remove the caraffe and two things happen: 1) a spring loaded plunger closes to stop coffee flow. 2) the machine senses the absence of the pot and pauses the brewing cycle. With the Bonavita, I always scalded my hand if I wanted coffee before the cycle finished; both features are missing from it. 4) Number 4 coffee filters actually fit. With the Bonavita, one must fold the paper filters over at the bottom and side joints, then hope that sliding the pot into position does not nudge the top of the filter closed - the consequence of which is a plugged machine with scalding hot water and coffee grounds flowing across the kitchen counter and floor. This little accident has happened probably two dozen times in the six years I've operated Bonavita machines. Diligence and determination reduced the frequency of occurrance, but it was always a hazard. With the OXO, the bin that holds the filter is deep enough that this kind of problem is much less likely. No folding, no sliding, no scalding coffee floes. 5) The clear water reservoir helps one see how far the brewing cycle has gotten. The Bonavita and the Capresso coffee makers had smoke tinted plastic reservoirs which allowed one to observe the water level from nearby; but not from acrosss the room. With the OXO I can observe the progress from across the kitchen. 6) Of course, once the novelty of it wears off I'm sure that this won't count for much, but I happen to think it's mildly amusing watch the water bubble up through the central heating tube. So does my wife. Who buys a coffee maker as a source of entertainment? I admit it's not much, but we take our amusement where we can find it. 7) "The caraffe is not in place." Fortunately, this coffee maker does not scold you for being neglectful as some cars did in the 1980's with spoken phrases like "your door is a jar;" but it does turn on a red light when it senses that the pot is not in place. Absentminded people might find this of some help when they have started the machine by pushing the start button, but nothing has started happening ... because the caraffe is in another room! 8) The microprocessor counts how many times you have brewed coffee since descaling. When it gets to 90 it tells you to descale the machine. Since I have lost 4 machines to scale, I like the idea that this might extend the life of this machine to the point that it actually has a lower cost of ownership than my previous machines. I know that it is saving me on electricity already because in my old Bonavita it now takes two cups of water to make one cup of coffee -- it's evaporating half of the water. That's very energy intensive. It did not do this when it was new. Sadly, my experience with Bonavita machines is that once I notice that they need descaling, it is too late. So a friendly reminder might help me extend the life of my machine and keep brewing costs down. My impression of OXO kitchen tools has always been that they are very carefully and thoughtfully designed. And that they are well executed. This coffee machine extends those brand values to coffee makers. At the point it completes the cycle, the coffee made by this machine is certainly as good as, if not perceptibly better than that of the Bonavita or Capresso; but the coffee keeps better in the caraffe, it pours into the cup better, and it is much less susceptible to filter handling errors that result in rivers of hot coffee running across the counters, down the cabinets, and onto the floor. It looks better, and I have reason to hope it will ultimately have a lower cost of ownership thanks to its descaling reminders. I've had it for a week and I am very pleased with it.

After years of making pour overs, I decided to take a risk and allow a machine to make coffee for me. The costs wasn't a concern, as long as it made a strong cup of coffee. With it's high ratings, and SCA certification, I determined this would be the one for me. I had also tried a Breville Grind Control, for twice as much, and it was a disappointment for several reasons. I love the OXO brand though, so I proceeded forward with the purchase. Coming from a background of pour-overs, it's extremely tough to beat the flavor I'm accustomed to. But, with the benefit being some major time-savings, I figured it's worth it. Now the big question; how did it do? PROS: - It's a very nice looking machine, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The brew process itself can be fun as you get to see the action in live time. - The controls are a cinch, using a single turn-dial only, truly showing the power of design simplicity. - It is extremely quiet, and very fast. It brewed a large 9-cup pot for me in around 5 minutes, and even less when doing a single cup. - Other components exist, such as it's showerhead, and bloom function, that do likely contribute to a better tasting cup. CONS: - Some may find it to be a bit big, but this doesn't bother me personally - There are a significant number of plastic or rubber parts, including the basket that holds the grounds. - It does not contain a grinder component. As beans should only be ground right before the brew, this eliminates the ability to use the timer function UNLESS of course you're okay with a significantly worse cup of coffee. - The water tank contains a large cylinder directly in the middle, of which has caused quite the mess several times when refilling. - The plastic / manufacturing process creates a rather deep-seeded taste that took work to remove. I received this machine a week ago, and ran 3 full flushes of water through. I then began making coffee, of which the first few cups were atrocious. I've now ran about 10-15 cups through and it's finally beginning to taste like coffee, and not plastic. THE COFFEE (Conclusion): The coffee it's produced is Average. It's still in line with coffee-maker coffee, and therefore a sacrifice in taste over a pour over. It's strength is also not there, which means I'm using more beans per cup, just to get a stronger taste. You'll also need to grind your own beans, and you'll have to grind them the night before if you want to wake up to a "fresh" pot. The SCA certification and advertisements made me believe this would make a pour-over equivalence, and it does not. I'm sure however that it likely does better than say the $20 Mr. Coffee machine. With that said, it's just a tough market. You can buy an expensive auto-pour machine, or waste your money on other high-end machines like the $400 Breville Grind Control. If you want a machine that is likely better than most for under $300, this is a strong contender. The taste has been improving as it' works out the strong chemical taste, and I do appreciate the few things it does that likely makes a marginally better cup. If you're an average coffee drinker, you'll likely be impressed by this machine. Just note it may be overkill if your just running Folgers/Starbucks through it. On the other end of the spectrum, if you drink specialty coffee, it's simply not going to hit like a manual brew process.

The coffee maker arrived as promised in two days in perfect condition. We have only had it for 2 days but have made 2 full batches of morning coffee and 2, 4 cup batches of evening decaf coffee and the coffee maker worked as described. It is very simple to set up and use. The coffee in each case was one we had been using for many months in our old coffee maker but the flavour was noticeably better using the Oxo coffee maker. The full batches stayed hot until gone but the smaller batches of decaf were not quite as hot but still excellent. Next time I will preheat the carafe for small batches. The other thing we noticed is that while the coffee maker was done pumping the water and starting tracking the time since the coffee was made, a large amount of water remained in the filter so we had to wait several more minutes before pouring the coffee. This was especially noticeable with the decaf coffee, but that is always the case with decaf.

So glad I bought this coffee maker. It makes great tasting coffee in just a few minutes. Easy to use. The temperature of the coffee is amazing, very hot!!! My coffee stays hot in my thermos for hours!

Purchased on sale for $200 (regular price at the time was $300). Yes, it makes good coffee at least in the beginning. But if you're willing to spend around this price point have a look at some of the other brands out there. I've been scrupulous about constantly cleaning and descaling this unit since it arrived in October. There are a few things that have come up since I bought this that I wish I'd known about before investing this kind of money in a coffee maker. 1-The brew temperature will slowly start to to go down. When first purchased the first cups right after brewing were scalding hot. Over a few months I've had pots that were only warm. It seems to vary now, I'll get 3-4 days of hot, then out of nowhere a pot comes out warm. This alone makes it two stars at best. My old $35 drip machine never had this issue. Yes I do preheat the carafe every time. 2-The pump grinds and shudders when I start the brew cycle, which I assume means parts are already starting to fail. 3-The smell - silicone? - from the water container does not go away. Honestly, this smells like skunk, I kid you not. You can wash the bridge (I did) but it won't help. And the shape and size of the container makes it impossible to properly wash and rinse. You can wipe it with a damp paper towel but nothing will kill that smell, which goes through the whole kitchen. 4-Over time the filter basket has started to leak excessively from the bottom after removing the pot when the brewing is done. And when you lift the basket lid to take out the used filter, water goes pouring back into the water container. 5-Washing the pot properly becomes a problem because after using dish soap and warm water on the lid, you have to rinse the entire thing for an insane amount of time or suds will be trapped inside it. Soapy coffee anyone? Follow-up: Three months after purchase So, with daily use (4 pots a day) this naturally needs more frequent cleaning and descaling. The lid is unfortunately a complete deal breaker. Because whether you use soapy water or a cleaning/descaling solution, some of it will always stay trapped inside, affecting the coffee taste for many pots afterward. And just rinsing with hot water will do nothing to clean out the grime inside. $200, 90 days, and now this is headed to the garbage dump. I've also noticed that some plastic parts (carafe rim and lid) will stain in spots that won't clean up. If you can afford a coffee maker at this price range, do yourself a huge favor and buy something else. Downgrading to one star and learned my lesson - don't get taken in by all the reviews from people who've owned this for all of two weeks. Piece of garbage.

This coffee maker makes great coffee and the carafe keeps the coffee hot for a number of hours. However, the basket seal, to prevent dripping onto the base when the carafe is lifted out, is really poor. It needs a better seal or a stronger spring. I would fix it myself but the plunger, spring and seal are all hot pressed on at the factory.

This unit makes great coffee. I selected this based on a recommendation from thewirecutter.com. Hot water at 205F, the carafe keeps the coffee warm, easy to use. All true. I bought one for a vacation property and it lasted 13 months, only 1/2 a year of use. The programming stopped working. US based customer assistance was great, and we tried resets and other possible solutions to no avail. It was past the 1 year warranty. So I bought a replacement thinking this was a one time issue, possibly caused by the unit freezing for 3 months. I bought a third one for home during this period. It died after 6 months. The OXO service for Canada has now been moved to a Canadian third party from a US 800 line. It has been a week since our call and conversation. The agent (to be clear, it's an independent agency providing support in Canada now, not OXO employees) who spoke very poor English, believed the issue was a demagnetized carafe, and promised to sent a replacement immediately. One week later no carafe has arrived as of yet. We live in Toronto and would expect that prompt delivery methods for warranty support to Toronto should be part of the planning for the company, since over 20% of Canada lives in the GTA and therefore over 20% of their service requests would be from here. No tracking information was provided either, a standard requirement for shipping these days. Based on the performance of the unit and the poor service levels in Canada I would not recommend this product to any Canadian customers until OXO improves the support process. It does cause one to pause when considering other OXO products as well if they delegate support to a third party with such a poor performance.