OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker

So after my beloved National brand coffee maker (which I bought off a guy leaving Japan three decades ago) finally died at age 30, I went through the hell of trying to find a simple coffee maker to do the same great job. Yup, it took another five years to find one after failing with several costly others. This one by OXO was rated by several people on the web so of course it’s easy to be skeptical, but one review convinced me to try it. Lo and behold…delicious coffee SO simple to make is BACK! Keeps the coffee HOT without burning it like my beloved National used to do, so it one upped it lol. Yeah it’s great, Alice. Worth every penny. Get one.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review update

We have now had the unit for about two weeks and as a result I can give a more complete review.

The unit is a smaller coffee maker, unlike many other more conventional home brewers. It is able to brew anywhere from two to eight coffee industry standard 5 ounce cups, or 40 fluid ounces in total. I point this out as the Amazon description still lists it as making 64 fluid ounces. I sent in a note to Amazon about correcting that mistake but nothing has changed yet.

Interface:
– The interface is uncluttered and intuitive, with none of the stuff I don’t want.
– It has only 4 buttons: Power, 2-4 cups, 5-8 cups, Clean.
– No unnecessary clock or timer functions.
– Two brew baskets: the standard “main” basket and an insert for making lesser amounts
– The base has a recessed pedestal which can be flipped over to lift a mug up when brewing directly into the mug

Usage:
– I have now used all options for making a brew:
– 2-4 cups setting into both a pot and a mug, 5-8 cups into a pot.
– Water comes in hot and FAST. Initial bloom phase (flow then pause) lasts about 30 seconds to a minute.
– Coffee is ready in 7 minutes or less, depending on amount being made.
– No spills or leaks seen at any time.
– A few small drips and spatters when making the brew into a mug. Use a tall mug. Note: the included pedestal is your friend here. Make use of it.
– Coffee is hot. The pot keeps it between low 170s and mid 180s (°F) for at least an hour.

Quality of brew:
– Flavourful, especially at the larger volumes (5-8 cups).
– Flavour intensifies as it cools. This was expected.

A note on the coffee grind & amount:
– Grind:
– Medium, i.e. use as directed by the manual to start.
– Too coarse or not enough coffee and the flavour will be thin.
– Too fine or too much coffee and the resulting brew might be over extracted. It might even clog. See note on water flow above. I never saw this happen but I suppose it is possible.

– Amount:
– Use as directed (~ 8 gm / 5 oz cup) for larger amounts to start.
– Use slightly more for lesser amounts (2-4 cups), especially when brewing into a mug (~ 2 cups).

Once you’ve played with it for a while, I have no doubt the sweet spot will be found for your favourite coffee beans and the amount of coffee you like to make.

The one feature I have yet to use is the “Clean” function. That won’t be for another two months or so, given our use of the brewer.

All in all, a great coffee maker, well worth the price of admission.

I’ve been using this one for a while now so here’s my impressions.

Makes a good hot cup of coffee for sure. There’s a lot at play to make good coffee. Timing, water temp, water quality, grinds, etc… I really like this machine’s ease of use. Simple on/off and 2-4 cups or 4-8(?) cups. We use the additional grey cone for our normal morning two 10oz cups of coffee. It comes out plenty hot for me. A drop on my hand as I’m moving stuff around seems hot enough lol.

The maker is a more simple design, which does look good. Not large or imposing like it’s bigger brother. Coming from a Cuisinart that had a lot of plastic and was heavier, solid, and durable feeling. Even the brew basket door was 3 layers and very solid. The brew and water reservoir doors on this OXO are much thinner and bend a bit. Not like a cheap feel, just not heavy solid feeling.

Simple dump of water and it makes as much coffee as water you added into it. My old coffee maker had a water reservoir that was very difficult to clean. This one is very easy. Leave the water lid open after coffee finishes being made, then it will allow the excess steam to escape, just about drying the remaining water out. The water head is nicely placed with enough holes to saturate the coffee grinds well, which it does. However, this piece is very thin plastic. An area of this brewer that they must have thought doesnt need to be thick and sturdy. Might not really matter. I will just have to be careful when cleaning it.

You can brew into the carafe or your own mug, which we do a lot. It works well. Down side is that you must remember to manually move the lever in the brew basket front to allow the coffee to move through the basket and into the cup. If not, hot liquid coffee will spill out over onto your counter, etc… The carafe is very nice and solid with good insulation. However ,the design doesnt allow of all of the coffee to be poured out… or even vigorously shaken out either. It’s not much, but enough. Maybe an ounce or two? I let it sit on a drying mat for a couple days… water was still in there.

Paper filters are easy to find most retailers and on line. If I remember, the smaller grey basket for 2-4 cups needed one that is not as easy to find, cheaply any way. I just use #2 or #4 paper and fold the bottom seam seal over. Push down into the basket and youre good to go.

Over all, great machine a this price. Simple to use, can do single mugs up to a whole carafe. Good hot coffee comes out. What else did you want? It has some very minor issues that I really dont care much about.

I would buy this one again.

The main reason I purchased this coffee maker was because it brews a Gold-standard pot of coffee and is certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) as well as other reputable rating associations, and they are absolutely correct.

The OXO 8 cup does make an excellent pot of coffee and it runs quietly, that’s important if your a shift worker or need to get up before everyone else.

There is a barely audible beep that lets you know when it’s ready, not loud enough to disturb other sleepers.

The insulated carafe keeps the coffee hot and looks good enough to put right on the breakfast table, no trivet required.

The optional single serve has a special basket that lets you brew directly into a TALL travel mug which is a definite bonus.

Overall it’s a well made machine with attention paid to details such as a tiny trough, just below the water reservoir lid, to direct condensed moisture into the brewing basket.

Yes – I would recommend the OXO 8 cup for it’s quality and reasonable price.