OXO Brew 8-Cup Review

For those willing to spend a bit extra for better-tasting coffee or anyone looking for a convenient alternative to manual brewing, we think the OXO Brew 8-Cup is one of the best pour-over options on the market. It was one of our higher-performing models in every metric. Although it got the job done all across the board, we did feel that there were other similar performing brewers at a better price with more features that consumers are looking for, such as automatic brewing. Even though we were impressed with the brew quality, it was not the best coffee maker overall in our lineup.

Performance Comparison

Brew Quality

In our opinion, brew quality is the main selling point of the OXO Brew 8-Cup. This machine consistently produced great coffee in our tests; however, it does not match many of the higher-end brewers in terms of taste.

Overall, we think the OXO Brew is a great machine for those who prefer pour-over but are looking for greater convenience or the ability to make higher amounts of coffee more quickly. Unfortunately, in our tests, we found the OXO did not get the brewing temperature into the Specialty Coffee Association's (SCA) recommended brewing temperature range of 195 to 204 degrees. Pre-infusion helps this brew achieve above-average water distribution, but examining the brew bed shows visible holes where the water came in contact with the grounds. However, the coffee made with this brewer is more uniformly saturated, not pulling away from the sides of the filter.

User Friendliness

The OXO Brew features a very simple and intuitive interface. The brewer is not programmable, but it does offer a pre-infusion setting, a sneak-a-cup feature, and a separate button for the cleaning cycle.

We like the simplicity of this model when it comes to brewing different batch sizes. There is one switch to select whether you're brewing into a carafe or a single serving mug, two buttons to select how much coffee you're brewing, an on/off switch, and a button for running the cleaning cycle. The filter basket also has a switch to brew either into the carafe or a cup.

This brewer lacks automatic brewing, meaning you can't load the water and grounds the night before and wake up to a fresh pot of coffee. But, if you are considering the OXO Brew, you are likely concerned about taste quality and would not leave your grounds sitting in the filter all night anyway.

Ease of Cleaning

We found the Brew to be neither particularly difficult nor notably easy to clean. It uses paper filters that make disposing of grinds quick and easy, it doesn't create too much of a mess in normal use, and its descaling process takes a relatively innocuous 60 minutes. Most of the components are dishwasher safe: tray, brew basket, scooper, and spray head. The insulated carafe needs to be washed by hand.

Consistency

The OXO Brew had the best consistency of all the brewers by far. In order to ensure consistency, we brewed five pots of coffee back to back and measured pH, coffee temperature, and brewing time to be sure. The coffee brewed from the OXO was not very acidic compared to other brewers, with a pH of 5.48 immediately after being brewed. The difference in pH was just .21 after two hours — which is quite low. It also brewed quicker than most, with a standard deviation of just .01 between brews. Its brew temp consistency was most impressive of all. The brewer only differed .47 degrees Fahrenheit between all five back-to-back brews.

Value

The OXO Brew is on the pricey side and may not be a viable option for budget shoppers. However, for those seeking to maximize the taste quality of their coffee, we think this brewer certainly justifies its high price tag.

Conclusion