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

This machine makes coffee taste like it came from a coffee shop - complex, dimensional flavor with lots of aromatics. It brews in about 5 minutes or less, which makes it fine that it's not programmable. The carafe keeps it nice and hot. I don't know for how long - I've always finished it within an hour and it's always piping hot during that time. Two important features: 1. it brews coffee at the exact right temperature and 2. it uses a "bloom" feature where it wets the grounds and waits for a moment then continues brewing. These are the two biggest factors that upgrade the taste from good to great. I also got it because it has a special basket for brewing single servings, which also turn out great. I have had no problems at all with the spilling that other reviewers mentioned. Maybe that's because I put the lid on correctly when I use it? Not that hard.

I got this for replacing a 16 year old Cuisinart coffee maker. So far this Oxo coffee maker has been doing a good job. The coffee does have slightly better flavor than my old coffee maker. It's easy to use. Of course I had to fiddle with it at the beginning but it is easy to use. After trying out the carafe for my first batch of coffee just to check how everything works. I've been using it primarily with the single cup filling feature. This lets me fill my coffee cup directly. I really like this feature since I use an insulated coffee mug so the temperature is well maintained so I can enjoy the coffee. This coffee maker as many others uses 5 oz as a standard for a cup of coffee. I've been filling up my water tank for three cups and used three scoops of coffee ground. I pour in water to bring the water level right to the 3 cup level line. So I'm starting with 15 oz of water and I end up with 13 oz of coffee in my cup. The final 2 oz of water won't drip out. There's a sliding switch to use when I'm making a single serving of coffee to a cup. The position is pushed to the left so that it will hold open the valve on the coffee ground basket. I also push the switch to the right to close the valve to make sure no coffee leaks out after I take my cup away to close the valve. One thing I don't like about the carafe is that coffee can drip from the pouring sprout and it drips coffee onto the body of the carafe and the table. I took off one star for that. There's a power button and two buttons to chose if you're making 1-4 cups of coffee and the other button is for 8-12 cups of coffee. I tried 8-12 for my single serving of coffee and it doesn't seem to make time difference. Over all I like this coffee maker. It looks simple and modern and is easy to clean. If fits easily under my cabinet. I was able to buy this at under $150 as there was some deal going on so I bought it. I'll have to see how long this one will last. June 13: I noticed after making a cup of coffee that at the hole where the water drains in to fill the holding tank. There was a slight bit of water backing up. I was curious so I used some descaling solution and did a cleaning cycle. This happened before the cleaning light turned on. After the cleaning cycle the water wasn't visible anymore at the end of a brew. So now when ever I see water backing up a bit I do a cleaning cycle. It may be too early but I guess it depends on how hard the local water is. I'll do it this way instead of the letting machine time it and give a signal to run a cleaning cycle.

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.

Warning, this is a critical review. I give this a 5 star because overall product merits an excellent rating. However, if I was to rate this based on value, I rate it a 3 star. I'm not a coffee snob. I like my cheap coffee. I've watched several coffee snob reviews on this product prior to purchase, and this is my take. What the heck is the difference between a $30 drip coffee maker and a $300 drip coffee maker? Well, it's the same difference between a 900watt microwave and a 1400watt microwave. This $300 coffee maker has a higher wattage heating element. Which means it'll heat the water of faster and hotter. Does it make that big of a difference? That's something only a coffee snob can tell you. I'll say this: I can tell the difference. It's not earth shattering, but it does make a difference. Does it make a $200+ difference? Most will say 'no'. So now I move onto rating the coffee maker on overall quality. This is where I get a little more critical. Why? Because it's OXO. I own lots of OXO products and I love them all. I'll be honest and say, this feels more like an OXO product in the making. It's not the user experience I'd expect from OXO. Translation, this misses the mark on being sensational. The insulated carafe is nice, but OXO could have done better. It's a quality carafe, but like some reviewers point out, it leaves about a table spoon or more of liquid when done pouring. It's a minor inconvenience. But ever day use will add up that frustration. Means when you clean the carafe, you'll have that fair amount of water left inside as well. I admit, it is annoying. Very surprised OXO couldn't have designed that better...for $300. The other complain perceived by many is the filter basket. This is my biggest complaint. For $300 and being OXO, this is really were they missed the mark. The basket is flimsy. Not the $300 quality I'd expect. The snap into place operation is clunky. It doesn't just easily slide into place. Little details you'd expect from a brand like OXO are completely missing here. I personally find the selection of 2-4 cup vs 4-8 cup a garbage design. I've used both modes. Makes little to no difference. I recommend using the carafe at all times. The 2-4 cup operation is a waste. And because of that waste, it adds to the frustration of the lacking filter basket design. The sliding lever you use to select 2-4 vs 4-8 doesn't lock into place. That will annoy you. The big difference between 2-4 vs 4-8 is having a choice of which type of filter you want to use. THAT is where OXO could have made a killing on their design. For whatever reason, most expensive coffee makers opt for basket style filters. I personally hate them. They're a pain to use and tedious to fiddle with in the morning. Conical filters are superior in my opinion. It's great that OXO created an option to use conical filters. However, as pointed out their filter basket design is garbage. Not worth using conical filters in the 2-4 cup mode. My advise to OXO, fix this aspect of your coffee maker! The filter basket design will make you crave your Mr. Coffee simplicity. This filter basket will make your $300 coffee maker feel cheaper than a $30 coffee maker. The coffee snob channels will detail how wonderful the filter basket design disperses the water and so on. Garbage observations. Even a $30 coffee maker does the same job. The last complain is so trivial, and yet surprised OXO could have designed this better. Why the two power buttons? You turn on power, then you actually need to select 2-4 vs 4-8 for brewing? Why? Maybe it needs to sense you're boiling less water vs more water. It couldn't have been designed to sense that? The fact that the coffee maker will auto shut off really hammers home the uselessness of having two buttons. Why am I complaining so much right? It's because it's OXO! You expect something different with OXO. You expect great quality and super simple operation. And I admit you don't feel that with this coffee maker. It should have been a one button design from the start. You expect OXO to be innovative. There's nothing innovating in this design. Nothing at all. It's just a quality coffee maker with seemly more complexity in it's cheap filter basket design than what's needed. OXO had a great idea in allowing both conical filters and basket style filters. It's a shame they couldn't have executed on that design better. I personally would prefer conical filters. Especially for an OXO product. Why? Because conical filters are always easer to work with. People buy OXO because they like simple quality and easy. Saying that, they may want to cater their next design to those that prefer conical style filters. I definitely have some criticism for this product. Keep in mind the harsh criticism is do to the $300 price tag and it having the OXO brand. You expect something different from both. Do I recommend buying the product? Oddly yes. I admit in the world of automatic drip coffee makers, no one really rises to the challenge of nailing the perfect design when it comes to quality and simplicity. That surprises me to this day. It's just a coffee maker! I commend OXO for it's styling. To be honest, that's why I bought it. I would have bought the Brawn if it had the better heating element. Overall it's a 5 star compared to competition. A solid 3 star in falling short of OXO expectations.

I have only had this coffee maker a few days, so I will update this review as time goes on, but the machine looks great and makes a fast, quite cup of coffee. However, my major complaint is that the coffee -- as per OXOs directions -- is simply not strong enough. Easy enough, I simply increase the 8 scoop ratio to 10, and then grounds come up over the top of the filter and into the pot. Looking for some bigger filters to put in this. Update: After 4 months, my original review stands. The amount of grounds need to be increased to 10 scoops, big scoops. And just throw the filters than come with the pot in the recycling and go buy some Bunn 14 cup filters, that is what you are going to need to keep the grounds from making a huge mess. This machine requires approx. 25% more coffee to make a decent tasting cup compared to my old cheap Cuisenart. W/ the price of coffee that is going to add up. I like the look of this machine, and how long it keeps the coffee hot w/o burning it. But when the time comes I am going to be looking at other options. It just uses to much coffee. Update: May 9th, 2024 -- I took away another star, I am tired of cleaning this thing -- daily. I like strong coffee and in order to get enough ground in this thing to get strong coffee the ground float all over the place. Into the water spout (which only partially detaches to clean) and into the clean water reservoir. Additional, there is a design flaw in the filter holder. It has a handle that flips out to pull it out of the coffee maker, that handle also flips down very easily when you are emptying the grounds so your filter full of grounds hits it and then ... I am not even gonna wait for this thing to wear out, I am gonna get a mr coffee, black and decker, Cuisenart or something that is designed for coffee drinkers. People who want a northwest strong as hell cup of coffee, and drink it by the pot. This thing is for the "craft brewed" "no thanks, I already had my one cup of coffee for the day, crowd" Let me be clear: the coffee this makes is good. I don't think the coffee is better than what I had nailed in with my Cuisenart, but good. However, the mess this things makes when you try and use it to full capacity, along with the amount of coffee this thing requires is simply ridiculous. This $200 coffee maker is going into the basement as the emergency reserve and I am about to order a much less expensive coffee maker that doesn't require such a production to clean up after every pot. Update June 2025: I removed yet another star. I tried to make it work -- for two years. Too many design flaws. The lid to the pot has not one, but two valves. Wanna guess what happens if one of them gets stuck while you are trying to make a pot of coffee? If you guessed you make your pot of coffee all over the counter you are correct. Wanna guess what happens if one of the valves get stuck after you have made your coffee? You would think no coffee would come out, right? Nope it comes out the top of the lid ... all over the counter. If I could give this zero stars I would. My family has assured me that however many more disastrous pots of coffee this makes between now and fathers day is the last number of clean ups I'll have to do first thing in the morning because of this thing. Purchase this coffee pot at your own risk. Get a subscription for 5 lbs of coffee 2x a month, thats how much your gonna need to make decent coffee and a case of paper towels.

It makes great coffee and does so fairly quickly. The 8 "cup" capacity is based on 5oz cups of coffee and actually serves my needs perfectly. The build quality for the appliance itself is pretty good, but the stainless steel carafe leaks where the plastic collar meets the metal. Its not a huge leak, but it's there and annoying for a product that is so expensive considering how basic it is.

At this price point, the OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker, being SCA Certified, produces a rich, robust brew that is smooth rather than bitter. This is accomplished through a brew temperature of 195-205 degrees and bloom technology. To finesse the taste, you can stir the grounds between the carbon gas release and the shower head final phase. Functionally, it is well-made with good hinges and a straightforward brew process. I would highly recommend the vacuum carafe since I like hot coffee available at the table. Final note: it is well packaged so you do not have deal with little scratches and dents.

Just purchased this OXO coffee maker a couple of weeks ago. It's a second coffee maker as we also use a Dynamica which is great for specialty coffees, latte's, cappuccino, etc. Our initial reactions to the coffee maker were positive. The unit looks simple and nice. We love the thermal carafe, it feels and looks solid. Now that we've been using the maker for a few weeks, the initial pleasure has evaporated. Here's why, including both criticism and things we like.: User interface: Pretty simple, there are only four buttons to use. ON/OFF, 2-4 Cup, 4-6 Cup, and clean. The print could be larger near the buttons to prevent the clean button being mistaken for a "GO" button after the size is selected. Carafe: Looks great! The thermal build does make that first cup at a perfect temp but, then cools quicker than you'd think. Within 30 min, we have to heat up our fresh pours in the microwave. The handle is solid and doesn't feel flimsy like some other brands we've had over the years. As others have mentioned, the pour spout is not a good design. It easily is overwhelmed by the water or coffee coming out and spills everywhere. You also can't pour out the very last tablespoon or so of liquid (Including soapy water). Per the instructions that come with this maker, we've only hand washed all pieces. The lid to this carafe is a big fail. We use both a sponge and 1/4" bottle brush (for straws etc.) to clean it. The hole in the lid where the hot coffee enters the carafe from the brew basket can become obstructed with seemingly some inside plastic. When this happens, the coffee starts by sounding normal, but then within 2 minutes, you can see the area around the top of the carafe filling with coffee and soap bubbles coming out of the pour spout. Thinking this must have been our mistake, we washed it again, rinsed copiously, dried it, looked through the hole to make sure it looked good and that's when we saw these strange plastic projections into the middle of the hole. It could be some sort of design that is supposed to catch errant coffee grinds, but that seems like a bad place for this as a clog can and does occur. Thinking we had just missed seeing this initially, we went ahead and brewed another pot since the first attempt at coffee was on the floor and counter. Same thing happened. The quick fix is to brew the coffee with no lid on the carafe, but that is just so frustrating with a brand new $200 coffee maker. Soap bubbles are still coming out of the lid. Shook the lid to see if it sounded like water was trapped in there and didn't hear anything that would indicate this. What we did hear is some light piece of possibly plastic clicking around in there. Not sure if it came that way or this is a new development... Water reservoir: A smaller reservoir as it only holds what you are planning to brew at that time. Lid to the reservoir is lightweight and due to the carafe having to be poured certain ways to avoid a mess the two pieces just don't work well together. Brew Basket: As others have mentioned, our brew basket area is just a large reservoir that seems like it's missing a smaller basket to hold your filters and grinds. We have had to purchase a $50 filter to make up for this flaw in the design. Unit Housing: Easy to clean, looks nice. Time to brew: Less than 5 minutes to brew a full pot. Not as advertised: Although the item description says it fits easily under you cabinets for easy accessibility, it's just not true. You cannot open the lid to the reservoir and use the carafe to fill it. There simply isn't room, and since the carafe pours rather messily, it only adds to the frustration. Although this is a minor thing, it was purchased with this feature being one of the ones we most desired. An easy accommodation is to just slide the maker forward so it's not under the cabinets prior to use. WRONG: This unit has the best non slip footings of any appliance out there. You can't slide it out. The options are to lift it and move it or put somethings under it that does slide. The caveats to putting something under it are 1: You have another thing on your counter that takes away from the aesthetic of your kitchen, sounds trivial, but to some it matters.. 2: Whatever goes under the coffee maker can't be flammable, for safeties sake. We are going to return the maker as a $200 coffee maker shouldn't have such bad design flaws. This is the only OXO product that hasn't met or exceeded our expectations over the years. The fact that all sorts of accommodations and need for constant observation while brewing make this a regretful purchase for us. We will update with the return process when completed.