OXO Coffee Maker Review: Is the 8 Cup Worth the Price?

Virtually every coffee lover in the world has, at some point or another, wished for a coffee maker that’s as dependable as it is excellent at making coffee. We know that we certainly have. Unfortunately, many coffee makers do not quite fit into that bill these days.

Far too often, they either have a problem with their versatility or reliability. Those who seem to do it all usually do so at the expense of great-tasting coffee. You know as well as we do that the taste of your coffee is something that a coffee maker shouldn't toy with, much less sacrifice for some other fancy feature.

Thankfully, there are exceptions other than the Moccamaster. One fan-favorite drip coffee maker in the market that has been getting a lot of good reviews from users is the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker. But is it really worth it? Should you put your money on this new coffee maker or stick to your ‘not so pleasing but slightly dependable one’?

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About OXO

In this article, we will spend the next couple of paragraphs analyzing the OXO brewer and how well it handles your coffee beans and ground coffee to make a full pot of a great beverage. For that reason, it’s only fitting that you have basic knowledge about the company that created it.

OXO was born from the idea of American Sam Farber and, to a slightly lesser extent, his son, John Faber. Now, the company is known for creating some of America’s best household appliances. The very first product the company ever had in its catalog was a handmade peeler. This not only made his kitchen work easier, but it also helped his wife, who had arthritis at the time and was having trouble using regular peelers.

Since that first little product, OXO has grown. Now, the company has a much more comprehensive array of products ranging from peelers and choppers to basic/sophisticated sink ware and, of course, automatic drip coffee makers.

Their products are often a demonstration of their keen attention to detail and their desire to attain perfection with every invention. They prove this through their ergonomic and durable designs, which, by the way, contribute in no small amount to solving the challenge Sam Faber’s wife initially had. 

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker Overview

Several things make this automatic drip OXO brewer particularly noteworthy. Immediately you set your eyes on it, the first thing you’ll notice is the sleek design. Now, some others in the industry come with awkwardly-placed clumsy buttons or handles that are hard to reach with colors that don’t even inspire a thirst for coffee. 

However, it appears that the manufacturers put a lot of thought into the creation of the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker. From its compact size and weight of fewer than 12 pounds to the blend of silver and black colors and its steel/glass build material, the OXO brew is a beauty to behold.

Beyond the sleekness of the OXO Brew drip coffee maker design is the BetterBrew precision, where you have your coffee dissolved in a single cup. This particular feature controls the brew cycle and the water temperature inside the OXO Brew drip coffee maker. This control over the water temperature, among others, easily brings the OXO Brew drip coffee maker up to the Specialty Coffee Association’s Golden Cup standard.

For context, the Specialty Coffee Association is the body in charge of setting the standard for good coffee in the United States and beyond. When a coffee maker meets the golden cup requirement of the Specialty Coffee Association, you can go out on a limb and say that it is fairly good at making fantastic coffee.

Apart from these neat little features, a few others, like the ten paper coffee filters that come with the product. There’s also the double thermal carafe wall on the mug that keeps your coffee as hot as you want until you’re ready for your drink. This thermal carafe makes your hot plate practically obsolete in keeping your full pot of coffee warm.

If you’re the type to fuss over cleaning, you really don’t need to with this coffee maker. The convenient cleaning button light on the OXO brew drip coffee machine will come on after 90 cycles, reminding you to clean it up. Once it does, you need little more than a mild detergent, an absorbent cloth, and a sponge to clean your OXO Brew 8-cup coffee maker, the thermal carafe, and the water tank.

Finally, and perhaps most notably, the OXO Brew 8-cup drip coffee machine has a rain shower head. This helps distribute water evenly across your coffee grounds, ensuring nothing is left out in making you great coffee every morning.

Technical Specifications

Weight: 11.48 Pounds

Dimensions: 13.5 x 10.5 x 7.0 In.

Capacity: 64 Fluid Ounces

Material: Stainless Steel, Glass

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OXO Coffee Maker Review

Design/Build Quality (5/5)

One of the things that make this OXO brew 8-cup coffee maker the best drip coffee machine is its design and components. Regarding size, it's worthy of note that the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is not the first of its kind. Before this version, OXO had previously released an OXO brew 12-cup drip coffee machine and an OXO brew 9-cup version.

Unlike the OXO brew 8-cup coffee machine, both of these took a lot of space on kitchen cabinets. While the Barista Brain 9-cup version might’ve been understandable to a reasonable extent, nobody really needs 12 cups of coffee every morning, even if it's delicious coffee.

Not like 8 cups is a necessity for survival either, but reducing the number of cups made way for a much more compact and visually appealing coffee maker. The OXO Brew 12-cup model was so huge and took up so much space on the kitchen counter that some particularly dramatic users online described it as a towering monstrosity.

This is a significant point of dissonance between this model and the others. It still makes great coffee, but its design takes up as little space as possible.

Beyond the size, there’s also the build quality. This coffee maker is a combination of steel, plastic, and glass. The external parts of the machine are steel. This offers a reasonable level of protection from falls and injuries that could arise on impact. In addition, the steel gives the product a calm, techno silver look of sorts, adding to its aesthetics.

The rainmaker shower head, among other parts of the OXO Brew 8-cup coffee maker, is plastic. This makes it pretty easy to clean after you brew coffee. Plus, considering that it is inside the machine and is protected by stainless steel material, you hardly need to worry about damage. Finally, the carafe is made of glass to enable you to get a proper view of quantity, among other things, before and while you brew.

The buttons are well within reach, and the ergonomic design allows for easy handling of the entire machine. As such, the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is undoubtedly one of the best drip coffee makers around.

Performance (4.5/5)

The excellence of performance of a coffee maker is measured mainly by its ability to produce great brewed coffee with the right amount of total dissolved solids. The OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker makes a mean cup of coffee with its array of special features. The easiest to notice is the BetterBrew Precision brewing function that gives you a lot of control regarding the precision of coffee making.

For clarity, BetterBrew Precision is a feature in coffee makers like the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker that allows users to control virtually everything about the brewing process. For instance, if you like, you could easily control how much water goes into your coffee alongside the brewing cycles and brewing temperature.

This level of control in the OXO brew 8-cup coffee machine helps you modify your beverage to your taste. You can rest knowing that your coffee's taste will remain consistent across each single-serve brewing cycle, giving you maximum satisfaction.

Additionally, this OXO brew 8-cup coffee maker comes integrated with a bloom cycle. It functions similarly to the pour-over method of brewing which allows for the perfect extraction of flavor in coffee.

All these attributes come together to help you make a great cup of coffee when you need one—or eight. 

The former is possible with the single-serve feature that lets you make only a tiny amount of coffee at a time. However, the only downside to its performance is that it doesn't come with a water filtration system of its own. You have to pour in the filtered water yourself when you want to make just one cup of joe.

Ease of Use (5/5)

This OXO brew 8-cup coffee maker easily gets an A+ for ease of use. You can break down its entire process of making coffee into a few steps. The first step is to use a coffee scoop to put your coffee grounds and wave filter into the single-serve accessory (the coffee scoop comes as a free accessory with the machine.) Then, place the single-serve accessory into the bigger brew basket before snapping it into place.

Once you’re sure that you have it in the brew basket already, add as much filtered water to the tank as is necessary. Usually, this shouldn’t be more than two to four cups. Just press the two to four cups button to brew, and that’s it! Your coffee will be ready in a few minutes, and you only need to wait until it's finished brewing.

Cleaning the product is incredibly easy too. You merely need to remove all removable parts and wash them like you usually would wash any dish after use. The best part is that they’re all safe to use with a dishwasher, save the lid and thermal carafe.

The outer part of the machine is perhaps even easier to clean than its insides. You only need a damp piece of cloth, and you’re good to go. 

To help you with the more serious part of the cleaning, there’s a clean light. This light comes on after 90 cycles. When it does, you’ll need to descale your machine. The product’s user manual has explicit details that will help you accomplish this easily. 

Value for Money (5/5)

Ordinarily, when you want to get a drip coffee maker, you'll need a budget that's around $200-$250, depending on several factors, including the seller. However, the same isn't quite the case with this OXO Brew 8-cup coffee maker. It only costs around $160-$170. At this price, it gives you a sleek design, up to eight cups of coffee, excellent performance, and ease of use. In our opinion, that's a pretty great deal.

Features (4.5/5)

The OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker throws in a couple of unique features, too. They include:

1. Simple User Interface

The user interface comprises the buttons on the OXO Coffee Maker that allow you to give brewing instructions to the machine. There are only three buttons on the machine – the power button, 2-4 cups button, and 6-8 cups. Each button performs its named functions.

You don't need a guru to tell you that the power button staring right at you is meant to be pushed for the machine to come on. Similarly, you don't need any more information to use the 2-4 cups button and its counterpart.

2. Removable Well Cover

This neat little addition to your mug can be inserted or taken out at will. If you put it at the base of your mug while brewing, it'll elevate it by a few inches and ensure you get coffee directly into your cup with no spillage. If you take it out, it gives you a few extra inches of space to fit larger mugs. This offers a reasonable amount of flexibility of usage.

3. Easy Setup Process

Unlike other machines where the setup manual or process seems to stretch on forever, the OXO coffee maker doesn’t waste a lot of your time. You could have it up and working in as little as 20 minutes. You simply need to wash the removable parts as you normally should for any products handling your consumables. They include the thermal carafe and lid, filter baskets, coffee scoop, and removable well cover. 

Once it's clean, you should run some water through the machine just like the instructions recommend. This would help you clean out the insides more thoroughly. Then, dry the device with an absorbent cloth and follow the instruction manual for assembly. 

These unique features make the machine all the more appealing, regardless of how you choose to look at it.

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Our Verdict

Several things are excellent about the 8-Cup Coffee Maker OXO. The OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker is, hands down, one of the best drip coffee machines you’ll find in the market at such an excellent price. The design is sleek and easy on the eyes. The functionality is superb: it can brew and consistently produce exceptional coffee.

All these convenient features come together to make any minor inconveniences like the lack of a water filter or a removable water tank seem inconsequential. So, if you’re looking for something that’ll make a great cup of coffee in the morning, you could consider going for this.

Here are a few of them that we particularly enjoyed:

Pros

• Excellent packaging and presentation, including a full manual guide to get started
• It offers a lot of flexibility with the brewing process and optional single serve function
• Heightened durability and protection against falls from kitchen cabinets
• Confirmation with the Specialty Coffee Association’s Golden Cup standard
• Inclusion of multiple accessories
• Clean light to assist in creating a cleaning/descaling schedule of sorts
• Compact size and weight for proper space management

Cons

Granted, there are several remarkable things about this product. However, there are still a few things that could use improvement here and there. 

• Unmovable water tank/water reservoir poses a slight cleaning challenge

• Lack of an inbuilt water filtration system in product’s water reservoir/water tank

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