REASONS TO BUY
Great design
Easy to use
Single-cup brewing option
Consistent performance
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
No auto-brew
OXO Brew 8-Cup Review
A sleek and simple design, consistently brewing great-tasting coffee without the extra effort of manual brew methods
This is a great option for those who love pour over, but want the convenience of a drip machine.
Credit: Laura Casner
RELATED: Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2024
Our Verdict
The OXO Brew 8-Cup is designed to match the quality and consistency of a practiced hand using a manual pour-over brewer. This brewer provides a sleek and simple interface that allows you to easily brew anything from an 8-cup carafe down to a single cup of coffee. It's one of the most consistent models we tested when it comes to brew temperature and time. The design is also fairly easy to clean. The only complaints we have with this machine are the lack of an automatic brewing function and the high price tag. If you have time to prep your coffee in the morning and don't mind spending extra for great taste, we highly recommend this machine. To see how it fares against the competition, check out our full drip coffee maker review.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product OXO Brew 8-Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Most Consistent Drip Coffee Maker |  Best Overall Drip Coffee Maker for Most People |  Best Bang for Your Buck | Best Drip Coffee Machine on a Tight Budget | |
| Price | $200 List $159.95 at Amazon | $80 List | $70 List $69.99 at Amazon | $40 List $36.99 at Amazon | $25 List $24.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A decent cup quality and solid consistency at a top tier price | Easy to use, programmable options give you the tools to brew your coffee to your liking | This inexpensive machine gives you a few key features without breaking the bank | An inexpensive brewer that makes decent coffee with programmable functions | While we think this machine gives a mediocre cup of coffee, it is convenient to use and affordable |
| Rating Categories | OXO Brew 8-Cup | Ninja 12-Cup Progra... | Hamilton Beach 2-Way | Black+Decker 12-Cup... | Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mi... |
| Brew Quality (35%) | |||||
| User Friendliness (30%) | |||||
| Ease of Cleaning (20%) | |||||
| Consistency (15%) | |||||
| Specs | OXO Brew 8-Cup | Ninja 12-Cup Progra... | Hamilton Beach 2-Way | Black+Decker 12-Cup... | Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mi... |
| Average Brew Temperature | 196.0 °F | 202.5 °F | 191.9 °F | 192.2 °F | 194.1 °F |
| Average Time to Brew 6 Cups of Coffee (minutes) | 5.37 | 8.48 | 7.9 | 7.88 | 8.09 |
| Scheduled Brewing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Preinfusion | Yes, not adjustable | Yes, not adjustable | No | No | No |
| Footprint Dimensions (H x W x D) | 13.5" x 7.0" x 10.5" | 14.5" x 9.5" x 8.3" | 13.9" x 12.2" x 11.1" | 8.2" x 12.2" x 11.0" | 10.0" x 6.5" x 8.0" |
| Cup Capacity | 2 - 8 cups | 1 - 12 cups | 1 - 12 cups | 2 - 12 cups | 1 - 5 cups |
| Single Serve | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Filter Shape | Flat | Cone | Flat | Flat | Flat |
| Power Draw | 1400 watts | 1100 watts | 950 watts | 975 watts | 650 watts |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
For those willing to spend a bit extra for a convenient alternative to manual brewing, we think the OXO Brew 8-Cup is one of the best options on the market. It was one of our most consistent 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.
Performance Comparison
The OXO is a great option for a consistently impressive cup of coffee with an extremely simple interface and brew process that just works.
Credit: Laura Casner
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 all of our tests.
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. The OXO did manage to reach the minimum temperature suggested by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), hitting an average brew temperature of 196°F. The suggested brewing temperature is 195°F to 204°F.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
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.
The OXO provides a fairly even saturation, brewing a decently balanced cup of coffee.
Credit: Laura Casner
User Friendliness
The OXO Brew features a very simple and intuitive interface. The brewer is not programmable, but it does have an automatic 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.
Adjust brewing quantity with either the 2-4 cup setting or the 5-8 cup mode.
Credit: Laura Casner
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. Its insulated carafe does a decent job maintaining the temperature of your coffee in between cups.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Ease of Cleaning
We found the OXO Brew to be relatively straightforward to clean. It uses paper filters that make disposing of grinds quick and easy. While some grounds splash back onto the shower head, it's easily removable and quick to clean in the sink, even on a daily basis.
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, which is simple to do, though water collects around the rim of the vessel, preventing it from completely draining when flipped upside down on the drying rack.
The OXO brew basket is dishwasher safe, but it doesn't sit well in the machine. The handle is a great feature, once you get used to it.
Credit: Laura Casner
Consistency
The OXO Brew was impressively consistent. We brewed five pots of coffee back to back and measured the brew basket temperature, coffee temperature in the carafe, and brewing time.
The brewing temperature increased very slightly with each brew but were much closer together and more consistent than any other model we tested. In comparison, some of the competition varied brew basket temperature by as much as 17 degrees Fahrenheit from one brew to the next. For those who want to be certain their coffee is being made precisely the same way each time, this machine is a great choice.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
It brewed quicker than most, with an average of 5 minutes and 22 seconds. Of course, when the machine beeped after the brewing cycle had finished, there was an additional minute or so we had to wait for the water to finish dripping out of the brew basket. Still, brewing time was insanely consistent and seriously impressive.
This machine makes good coffee, and we appreciate that is has a single cup option.
Credit: Laura Casner
Should you buy the OXO Brew 8-Cup?
The OXO Brew is on the pricey side and may not be a viable option for budget shoppers. However, for those seeking a simple machine that consistently brews a tasty cup of coffee, we think this straightforward, reliable brewer certainly justifies its high price tag.
What other drip coffee makers should you consider?
The OXO is an impressively consistent drip coffee maker, but there are other viable options out there. The Ninja 12-Cup is a slightly more affordable option with a programmable feature, which we love. If you're looking for more customizability and don't mind a higher price tag, you might check out the Breville Precision Brewer.
—
Liz Nelson and Kendra Ridenour
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