OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review: What’s All the Fuss About?

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the world of coffee makers has gotten way more exciting lately. A new generation of machines has emerged, including the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker, all of which are ready to compete with manual brewing methods like Chemex and the Hario V60.

The OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker has a lot of people talking, which is why I ordered one to test out – I just had to to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

I’ve had a lot of fun playing around with the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker, and I’m still feeling the effects of all the coffee I’ve tasted. Later on, I’ll share my experiences using this nifty machine. First, let’s take a closer look at what we’re dealing with.

OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review Overview

I have to hand it to the design team responsible for the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker. These guys have obviously been paying attention to the recent trends in pour over-style coffee machines and have designed a sleek, minimalist product. That’s why I named this OXO product the “best coffee maker with thermal carafe” in my 2024 guide to the best coffee makers.

If you’re looking for a no frills, easy-to-use coffee maker that’ll look great on your kitchen counter, the OXO 8 cup coffee maker delivers.

Featuring a stainless steel casing with black accents, this OXO Brew coffee maker has a permanent water reservoir at the rear. The attractive stainless steel carafe sits under the brew basket, and the machine’s compact, space efficient design makes it ideal for smaller kitchens.

In keeping with the OXO’s minimalist design, the user interface consists of just four small buttons located below the thermal carafe and a sliding switch on the brew basket.

Don’t be fooled, though – a lack of bells and whistles doesn’t mean you can’t make fantastic coffee with this machine.

After all, the OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker is one of a select few machines that have been Golden Cup-certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). This means the OXO 8 Cup has met loads of rigorous home brewing standards, based on criteria like being able to control water temperature and brew time.

I must say, experimenting with the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker is really bringing out my inner coffee nerd!

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker Features

You won’t find a clock or a programmable delay brew function on the OXO coffee maker. That doesn’t bother me too much – I love the daily ritual of getting up and preparing coffee.

In any case, this machine is so easy to use that your fuzzy 6am brain shouldn’t have to work too hard.

Available for $159.95 on Amazon, this OXO coffee maker isn’t exactly cheap. Still, if you demand high standards from your coffee pot, there are plenty of features that’ll make it worth every penny.

Thermal Carafe

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I’m not a fan of warmer plates on coffee machines. No matter how sophisticated the warmer function claims to be, you’re always going to end up with truck stop coffee after an hour or two.

That’s why I love the stainless steel carafe that comes with the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker. This double wall, vacuum insulated thermal carafe keeps your coffee hot, and the brew through, pour through lid means you’ll never lose heat while there’s coffee inside.

Rainmaker Shower Head

The OXO coffee maker’s Rainmaker shower head is a big part of what makes this machine so special. It’s been designed to evenly distribute water over the coffee grinds, ensuring a consistent extraction during every brewing process.

Not only that, the integrated bloom cycle pre-infuses the ground coffee, allowing carbon dioxide to escape before the brewing process begins.

Two Ways To Brew

As the name suggests, you can brew up to 8 cups into the thermal carafe. There’s also a single cup, pod-free function, which I’m always happy to see. After all, if we don’t start reducing our single use k cup coffee consumption, it won’t be long before we’re swimming in k cups … literally.

Actually, the coffee maker’s single cup function is quite unique and very cool. The machine comes with an insert that fits in the brew basket and looks kind of like a pour over dripper.

It appears to be modeled after a Kalita Wave dripper, and you even have to use Kalita Wave filters.

Precision Brewing

As I already mentioned, the OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker has been Golden Cup certified by the SCA. You’re free to experiment with grind size and the amount of ground coffee; then let the machine take care of the rest.

Using BetterBrew precision brewing, the OXO brewer controls water temperature, water volume and brewing time to ensure an even and consistent extraction.

Brewing a full pot with this OXO drip coffee maker can be done with ease. It’s also simple to brew directly into an insulated coffee mug.

Note: having a great coffee grinder like the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder or Baratza Encore will help you achieve a consistent grind size.

What’s in the Oxo 8 Cup Box?

Here’s what’s included with the OXO coffee maker:

How to Use the OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker

Using the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker really couldn’t be easier. Let’s take a look at the steps for preparing a full carafe:

The single serve brewing insert has a more conical shape than the main brew basket and there’s only one small hole at the bottom, both of which slow down the flow rate. So, to prepare a single mug of coffee with the OXO coffee maker, you’ll likely want to use slightly coarser ground coffee.

It’s also important to remember that the OXO coffee maker uses all the water in the reservoir for each brew cycle. When the slider is set to mug mode, pressing the “2-4 cups” button will yield anywhere from 10 to 20 ounces of coffee. Having too much water in the tank and a cup that’s not big enough won’t end well!

Splashes

In theory, the well cover helps cut down on splashes during single serve brewing by elevating your mug. Allowing coffee to drip a long way down from the brew basket into shorter mugs can make quite a mess, so this is a thoughtful design feature.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the team responsible for this particular feature took the time to test it out. Brewing into my trusty Coffeeness mug resulted in quite the splatter effect, so I recommend keeping a damp cloth handy.

Although Kalita Wave filters for the insert aren’t included, they’re readily available on Amazon for $15.48.

Using the OXO Coffee Maker Together With the OXO Coffee Grinder

I figured it would be fitting to use the OXO coffee grinder during my OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker test. Anyway, having recently reviewed the OXO grinder, I felt confident that it could do a great job of providing consistent grind results for a coffee maker.

I wanted to see how well the coffee maker would perform when making a single mug of coffee. I always use a medium grind setting to test coffee makers, so I set the level on the OXO grinder to 8 out of 15.

Seeing as the OXO coffee maker comes with a handy coffee scoop, I figured I wouldn’t use my coffee scale. After all, I know that most of you are still measuring ground coffee using the measuring spoon method.

During all my testing I used a fully washed Ethiopia Guji coffee with a fairly light roast profile. I just love the floral notes I can tease out of this coffee with my Chemex. I have to say my first experience using the OXO coffee maker was underwhelming. The ratio of two scoops of ground coffee to 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of water resulted in a weak and watery cup.

Making Adjustments

Not to be deterred, I increased the amount of ground coffee to three scoops and used slightly less water. Let’s just say I was all smiles after tasting this second cup – it was more full bodied, the notes of jasmine and peach were perfectly balanced and the coffee’s sparkling complexity just improved as it cooled. As it turns out, the OXO coffee maker really can rival a pour over!

I used a slightly finer grind (6 out of 15 on the OXO grinder) to make a carafe of coffee. The results were almost as impressive as when using the single cup insert. The stainless steel carafe does a great job of keeping the coffee hot.

Another thing you should know is that the OXO coffee maker is really quiet when it’s brewing. Plus, there’s no “the world is ending” alarm when the coffee’s ready – just a single, muted beep.

See also: OXO Coffee Grinder Review 2024

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Cleaning and Descaling

I shouldn’t have to tell you to keep your coffee machine clean – especially one as pretty as this eight cup coffee maker from OXO! Anyway, you can wipe down the machine with a damp cloth to take care of any minor splashes or stains.

The manufacturer would like you to know that all removable parts are dishwasher safe. I’d stick with handwashing, though. Use warm water and a mild detergent and all will be well.

As for the thermal carafe, don’t even think about putting it in the dishwasher! That goes for the pour through lid, too. Again, warm water and a little Earth-friendly soap is all you need.

The “Clean” button on the front of the coffee maker lights up after every 90 brew cycles. This convenient cleaning mode lets you know when it’s time to descale the machine.

The manufacturer recommends using a descaling solution, but white vinegar or a citric acid cleaner will work just as well.

You simply pour water and a descaler into the reservoir and then run a brew cycle. Once the clean cycle is complete, run another brew cycle with just water, and your OXO coffee maker will be like new once more. As a bonus, your warranty will still be intact, too!

OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker Specifications

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker vs the Competition

Whenever I evaluate a coffee maker, I always like to compare it to similar machines to ensure I make the right choice. After all, it would be a real bummer to invest in a machine, only to find out that I could have gotten a better one for a similar price.

The same logic applies to this OXO Brew 8 Cup coffee maker review. Below are two machines that people often consider when investigating the OXO 8 cup. Ironically, one of them is also from OXO.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker vs 9 Cup

Costing $183.99 on Amazon, the OXO 9 Cup Coffee Maker is another of the manufacturer’s SCA-certified machines for home brewing.

Like the 8 cup model, this coffee maker features a thermal carafe and also allows you to brew a single mug. The main difference between the two machines, other than the brew capacity, is the OXO 9 Cup Coffee Maker’s programmable interface and digital display.

A cool push-button dial allows you to select your brew size, and you can also set the wake-up timer to brew at the desired time.

The OXO 9 Cup Coffee Maker is on the larger side, and I have to say I prefer the straight lines and compact dimensions of the 8-cup model. But if you are really into OXO and want a programmable coffee maker, the OXO 9 cup is the way to go.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker vs Bonavita Connoisseur

Here’s a manufacturer that took the whole “no frills” idea to heart and ran with it. The Bonavita Connoisseur 8 Cup Coffee Maker features a similar design to the OXO brewer.

There’s a fixed water reservoir at the side and a double wall stainless steel thermal carafe with the brew basket suspended above. There’s no single serve function – Bonavita has simply made a one-button coffee maker.

Of course, that’s not the whole story. The Bonavita Connoisseur has been certified for home brewing by the Specialty Coffee Association, so this coffee maker brews excellent coffee at precisely the correct brewing temperature.

There’s also an optional pre-infusion function as well as a showerhead that ensures even saturation of coffee grounds.

In short, this is another machine that produces excellent gold standard coffee.

The downside to the Bonavita is availability. Global supply chain issues have sent prices for this machine soaring!

OXO 8 Cup vs the Competition Comparison Chart

Verdict: OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review

I don’t think I’m alone in feeling pretty pumped about the new breed of drip coffee makers. It’s great that manufacturers are stepping up to the plate and delivering machines that can produce excellent coffee within strict brewing parameters.

I know the SCA feels the same – they wouldn’t have started giving coffee makers their seal of approval otherwise.

Personally, I love the ritual involved in preparing Chemex and pour over coffee, but there are those times when I’d love a machine to take care of it for me. I have to say I’m really impressed by the quality of the coffee the OXO coffee maker produces. Not only that, it looks pretty darn cool in my kitchen. Who knows … maybe it’ll become a permanent fixture!

OXO Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker FAQ