OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker - Single-Serve Carafe Thermal Stainless Steel SCA Certified

(Purchased with my own cash! - no promos!) Got it about a week ago. Prior to this, all we've had were Bunn units. We're no coffee snobs, but we know a "great" cup of coffee. It seemed like all we were getting was couple of years use out of the prior brand's units - and we're looking to get more towards five+ years use - hence, the change. It should be noted that when we had concern with the previous brand, we LOVED their customer service! I'm hoping that I never have to contact OXO. I just want the unit to function daily, and make a couple of pots. Thus far - this unit has done just that, and has been a simple joy to use. Put in the filtered water (from our fridge's water dispenser), scoop in coffee for your desired strength (we still use our Bunn filters), and hit the buttons. The unit then takes over. Quiet little gurgles tell you the unit is pre-infusing for blooming, then quick brewing ensues, dropping the HOT results into the thermal carafe. I look for the SCA approval, which should get you a good cup of coffee, and a unit build quality above standard consumer grade. The thermal carafe holds temp for a good long while between brews (usually 2 per morning or early afternoon). Note: I actually liked their design of their previous 9 cup model, but saw some operational complaints, thus opted for this cleanly designed model. Since being retired, we arise at different times. We like being able to load the unit the nite before (we had a Bunn "timer unit" just prior [when I arose at a consistent time]). Upon arising, hit the buttons, and go let our dogs out. Very soon there after - a GREAT pot of coffee awaits! I looked at and researched many models prior to choosing. If any manufacturers are reading this - and as I'm sure others also feel - all I'm after, is a simple to operate, LONG LASTING unit that consistent ly delivers a great cup of HOT coffee - which this model does! We've had the Bunn Speed Brews, Thermals, and their Timed units - and LOVED their coffee results. We now detract from the Speed Brew & Thermal, as they keep water hot at all times, and consume lots more AC. Note: I put a meter on this OXO unit - it pulls around 1200 watts during the brew cycle - and that's it. The thermal carafe keeps it hot therafter. Four simple parts - main heating unit, basket, carafe and lid - will produce a great pot of coffee. While I initially feel this unit is slightly overpriced - if it lasts a decent duration - it'll be WELL WORTH the money! Should anything change from my initial favorable observations - I'll update... UPDATE: It's been a couple of months (4) now - and we still love it! I read in other reviews about leaking on their counters - it can be avoided by making sure the brew basket is placed properly in its snapped position prior to your brew cycle. And another things we have noticed is that we use LESS coffee per cycle than our old unit (saving us money!). All in all - a great purchase... Read more

After using this every day for about 90 days, I will give this OXO coffee maker a high stamp of approval. I'm no coffee snob or connoisseur but I know a great cup when I taste it. When paired with a whole bean coffee (Cameron's blend from Costco) we haven't had a bad cup in the last couple months. It brews fast and quietly. The vents at the top of the machine are great to let out access steam and moisture during and after brewing. The build quality seems great and the minimal design is easy on the eyes. The only drawbacks are the price ($190 at time of purchase) and that it lacks features. There is no programmability (no clock), and doesn't make iced coffee. It can brew into the carafe or also includes a smaller piece to filter coffee into a single cup. Hoping this well be our coffee maker for the next 8-10 years. It looks great, the coffee has tasted excellent, and cleaning/maintenance is stress free. Read more

I will preface this review by saying I haven't owned a drip coffee maker since the late 80's. Mostly because I don't like the concept of making coffee in a plastic machine, I've done glass pour over or stainless steel French press or percolated coffee for decades. Am I fussy about my coffee? Yes. Am I a coffee connoisseur? Absolutely not. That being said, this is an attractive, compact, quiet and quick coffee maker. I followed Mfg. directions to a T the first time I used it. Holy strong coffee! They consider a cup of coffee to be 5 oz of water, but I haven't owned a 5 oz coffee cup in my life. So yeah, their water to coffee ratio was DOUBLE what I would normally use. But hey, I figured I ought to follow their directions at least once, because you never know. Well, now I know that was a mistake. I tossed the coffee out and started over again, using the water to coffee ratio I would normally use when making my regular pour over coffee. (Half the amount of coffee!) That turned out much better. However, 8 cups of coffee this coffee maker does NOT make! Again, that estimate is based on a cup of coffee being 5 oz. So realistically, I'm only going to get 2.5 cups of coffee from a pot, not 8 cups, because I use a Thermos travel mug that holds 16 oz. of coffee. Math. Not my forte. The unit itself is very sleek and simple. You fill the tank, add a filter and coffee to the appropriate basket, select single cup or full carafe and push a button. Super easy. I was pleased to find this coffee maker is actually whisper quiet. A little muffled gurgling can be heard at the very end of the cycle, but that's it. I was also pleased to see that there was very little steam produced as the coffee is being brewed, and the steam that did come out is vented toward the front of the machine, not the back. (You really can't even see the steam, but if you hold your hand over the vents you can feel it slightly) If you're putting your coffee maker under your kitchen cabinets that's a big plus, and has always been a pet peeve of mine. Why can't they make a machine that's sealed and doesn't spew steam under your cabinets? Anyhow, this machine does emit a little bit of steam, but it's greatly reduced compared to the drip coffee makers I've had in the past. The machine beeps once when the coffee is ready. Again, nothing obnoxious. The "on" button for the machine stays lit for an hour, but there isn't a hot plate to worry about or turn off, which is helpful if you're like me and get busy with your morning and forget to come back to shut things down. You can make a 'single' cup of coffee if your mug fits under the drip mechanism. There's a little removable plate that can either lift a smaller cup up closer to where the coffee comes out or you can remove the plate to buy more room for a taller mug. A 16 oz Yeti fits fine under the drip opening when the plate is removed. Again, I would measure the amount of water you'll need for a single cup of coffee by using the mug or cup you plan to drink from to fill the water tank. Regardless of what setting you use, either single cup or full carafe, the machine will make the amount of coffee based on the amount of water you put in the tank. The single cup or carafe setting is really more for how the shower head dispenses the water over the grounds than for telling the machine how much coffee to make. All of this is explained well in the directions, which are thorough and straightforward. When you are making a carafe of coffee you can remove the carafe to pour a cup of coffee if you're antsy for that first sip. The basket has a little ball that will stop the drip temporarily. That said, this machine is pretty quick to make a full carafe of coffee. I didn't time it, but I'd guess it to be somewhere around 6 minutes or so from start to finish? (It does pause briefly for about 30 seconds after it starts to let the coffee grounds "bloom.") There's no clock to set the machine to start at a specific time of day. In other words you have to be present to start it, which is fine by me, but might be a drawback for someone who wants to wake up to coffee that's ready to go. But I don't really see that as an issue given how fast this coffee maker works. The carafe seems OK. Lots of raving about how ergonomic is it and how nicely it pours. Meh. It's a carafe. I always pre-heat my carafe (and mug) with hot tap water prior to making coffee, so I'm sure that helps retain the heat a bit longer. Two and a half hours after I made a pot of coffee I found the second pour to be just as hot as the first, so the carafe appears to hold up to the hype. I also like that the carafe has a wide mouth, which makes for easy cleaning. Overall, I like this machine and can't find much to complain about except that I don't see it being my weekend coffee maker. It just doesn't make enough coffee for two people who both like to drink at least two 16 oz cups of coffee over the course of a long morning. (We are always up very early) I only got this machine because I'm going to be out of town in a couple of weeks and my husband wanted a simple, fool-proof way to make coffee while I'm gone. I'm sure this machine will do the job just fine. After that I'll probably use it to make coffee for myself during the week, but I see us going back to pour-over coffee on the weekend, when we will want to consume at least two 16 oz cups or so each. I think this is the sort of compromise you're always going to have to make unless you're willing to have a big, huge, honking machine that sucks up most of your kitchen counter, or you're lucky enough to have a dedicated space for a coffee bar. But if you just want simplicity and a nice cup of coffee (or two) from a machine that doesn't take up half of your kitchen, then this is the machine for you. Read more