Ratio Six Coffee Maker Review: More Than Eye Candy!

If you’ve checked out my guide to the best drip coffee makers, you’ll know I’ve tested a lot of machines. Furthermore, some are really pushing the boundaries when it comes to producing excellent drip coffee. That said, every so often, a coffee maker comes along that gets me really excited.

The Ratio Six coffee maker seems to be everywhere I look recently. I must admit to having paused my Instagram scrolling to gaze in wonder at it on more than one occasion. That’s why I just had to order a Ratio Six coffee maker to play with. From everything I’d seen and heard, I was in for a real treat.

Now that I’ve spent time testing the Ratio Six, do I feel like this intriguing coffee maker lives up to the hype? Well, you’ll need to keep reading my Ratio Six review to find out!

Incidentally, since I tested the Ratio Six, the manufacturer has issued a new Series 2 model. It’s pretty much exactly the same, but comes with an improved carafe. Apparently, the spout has been redesigned for easier pouring and there are no moving parts.

Ratio Six Coffee Maker Overview

Ratio is a Portland, Oregon-based company that’s been specializing in coffee makers since 2012. The manufacturer initially produced the Ratio Eight, a high end beauty with a hand blown borosilicate glass carafe.

Best Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

The Ratio Six coffee maker launched in 2020 as a more down-to-earth and affordable option and has been garnering rave reviews ever since. It’s little wonder I named the Ratio Six “best stainless steel coffee maker” in my coffee maker guide. The specs on this thing are incredible!

Although the Ratio Six is a little less flashy than its older sibling, there’s no denying that this coffee maker is a beautifully designed machine. With its sleek, minimalist aesthetic, clean lines and boutique vibe, the Ratio Six is going to be the star of your kitchen.

It’s a fairly compact machine, too, so finding a spot for it shouldn’t be an issue. The only problem I foresee is that everything else in your kitchen might look a little tired and ugly in comparison!

Price

Costing $359.00 from Seattle Coffee Gear, the Ratio Six coffee maker is far from cheap. A price like that certainly doesn’t justify a machine that just looks good; it needs to be super functional too!

Attention to Detail

Fortunately, there’s a lot more to this coffee maker than eye candy. The attention to detail that’s gone into the design of the Ratio Six is impressive, to say the least. From the stainless steel shower head meant to simulate manual pour over to the filter basket heat shield, the manufacturer has covered every angle.

Golden Cup Certification

Unsurprisingly, the Ratio Six is one of a select number of machines that have been Golden Cup certified for home brewing by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). This is a pretty big deal, and means the Ratio Six had to go through rigorous testing. This was to ensure it maintains the correct brewing temperature and performs consistently. Style over substance? I think not!

Ratio Six Coffee Maker Features

If you need a coffee maker with a clock, numerous brew styles and programmable features, you’d be better off checking out some of the other machines in my guide to the best coffee makers.

However, if you’re a pour over fanatic who demands the highest standards in taste and preparation, the Ratio Six coffee maker might be just what you’re looking for.

Let’s take a look at some of the features that make this beautiful coffee maker so special.

Colors

The Ratio Six coffee maker is available in three colors, each of which highlights the machine’s elegant form in a unique way. You can go with matte black, white with black accents or matte stainless steel with black accents.

Personally, I prefer the stainless steel Ratio Six. However, I was only able to get my mitts on the white version. Let me tell ya, those pesky supply chain issues are still a thing! With that said, whichever color you end up with, you’ll get a coffee maker that’s made from sturdy precision formed stainless steel.

Control Panel

When it comes to operating the Ratio Six, this coffee maker is a one-trick pony in the very best sense. Conveniently located on the front of the machine, right below the carafe, the control panel comprises just one simple button and three lights to indicate bloom, brewing and ready.

That’s it. That’s all you get. I just love that the manufacturer is so confident in the capabilities of this product that it doesn’t feel the need to complicate things further with unnecessary fluff.

Water Reservoir

Sitting to the rear of the machine, the Ratio Six coffee maker’s water reservoir is made from BPA free copolymer. Let’s face it: that’s just a fancy way of saying plastic.

Still, I won’t hold it against the manufacturer. It’s hard to get away from plastic these days, and most of the machine is made from precision stamped stainless steel.

The water tank has clear water markings from two to eight cups, and is accurate to within one ounce.

The reservoir holds 44 ounces (1.3 liters) of water to compensate for the fact that around 10 percent is absorbed into the coffee grounds during brewing. As it turns out, Ratio has thought of absolutely everything!

Supply Lines

I had to mention the supply lines in the Ratio Six coffee maker because they’re made from laboratory grade hand blown borosilicate glass. It’s not every day I encounter a drip coffee maker with such high quality and thoughtfully designed components.

Add in the fact that the Ratio Six employs a 1,400 watt die-cast aluminum heating element and you know you’re dealing with something special.

Shower Head

It isn’t unusual to see a coffee maker with a shower head these days. After all, manufacturers are trying to win over the pour over loving coffee nerds with features that take the blooming process into account and allow for even saturation of coffee grounds.

That said, Ratio has really gone to town on its shower head. It’s made from stainless steel and has many small holes so that water flows evenly. This, of course, ensures a perfect extraction. During my testing I was really impressed by how the Ratio shower head performs. I’ll go into more detail a little later.

Filter Basket

The Ratio Six’s stainless steel filter basket sits atop the thermal carafe and accepts Melitta 8-12 cup flat bottom paper filters. What’s really cool is the unique heat shield – a rubber “collar” that surrounds the shower head during brewing.

Not only does this enhance flavor, but it also helps maintain the ideal extraction temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93.3 degrees Celsius). For more open brewing, the heat shield can easily be removed.

Carafe

The Ratio Six coffee maker comes with a double wall stainless steel thermal carafe that’ll keep your coffee nice and hot for around an hour. I would have been happy with that, but Ratio likes to give you options.

If you like the idea of flexible brewing, Ratio has you covered. You can use the Ratio Six with the Ratio Eight thermal carafe, which features a porcelain dripper for a conical filter. You can even splash out on Ratio’s hand blown glass carafe, which uses Chemex coffee filters.

Anyway, the included carafe has to be one of the most impressive I’ve ever held. Seriously, this thing oozes quality. However, I will say that I didn’t like the way the carafe lid pours. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to get the coffee flowing, and I felt like I was in constant danger of spilling. Still, that could just be due to the fact that my hands were shaky from too much coffee!

Warranty

As I already mentioned, the folks at Ratio are pretty darn confident in what they produce. The Ratio Six coffee maker comes with a five year warranty, which is almost unheard of in the coffee maker world.

Not only that, the manufacturer will do its best to fix your Ratio Six even when a problem arises that isn’t covered by the warranty.

What’s in the Ratio Six Coffee Maker Box?

I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging, which is why you’ll find Chemex boxes decorating my kitchen shelves. Ratio certainly doesn’t disappoint in this regard; featuring elegant line drawings of what’s inside, the box is a wonder to behold. Let’s just say I can’t bring myself to recycle it just yet!

Here’s what’s included with the Ratio Six coffee maker:

Even the manufacturer’s unboxing video for the Ratio Six is cool and understated! Check it out:

How to Use the Ratio Six Coffee Maker

You didn’t come here for a lecture, so I won’t get too carried away. Still, may I gently remind you that using high quality, freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee beans is the key to getting great results from the Ratio Six coffee maker. After all, you deserve the best!

If you don’t already own a decent coffee grinder, check out some of the options in my guide to the best burr grinders. If you’re truly serious about achieving great tasting coffee, you might also want to consider buying a coffee scale.

Using the Ratio Six coffee maker is actually very easy. Elegance and simplicity are everything here, and the Ratio Six offers you a way to prepare excellent pour over style coffee with one button convenience.

Start by adding cold, filtered water to the water tank, then replace the stainless steel lid. Place a paper filter in the filter basket, then add your (carefully measured) ground coffee to the filter. The filter basket fits snugly on top of the thermal carafe, and both components are placed under the showerhead as one unit.

Now you’re ready to start brewing. Attach the power cord and plug it in. Then, simply press the power button and that’s it – the Ratio Six’s bloom light will come on, indicating the machine is evenly saturating the ground coffee with water to allow carbon dioxide to escape. Next, the brew light tells you the Ratio Six is performing the main brewing cycle.

Depending on how much coffee you’re making, just a few minutes later the ready light will alert you to the fact that delicious hot coffee awaits you! Once you’re ready to enjoy your coffee, remove the filter basket and carafe, place the filter basket on its drip catcher and attach the carafe lid.

Ratio Six Coffee Maker Observations

As is always the case during my coffee maker testing, I started out by following the manufacturer’s recommendations to the letter. I mean, this is how most consumers are going to do it, so it only seems fair. As you might expect, Ratio has included a fairly comprehensive brew guide in its user manual.

In the interests of not wasting a bunch of coffee, I decided to brew up a 2-cup carafe. I dutifully added 17 ounces (500 milliliters) of water to the reservoir and 35 grams of medium-ground coffee to the filter basket. I got a real kick out of watching the water bubbling up through the supply lines as the machine chugged away. Plus, the cool-blue indicator lights pulsate gently, which is a nice touch.

For my first brew I used a really special SL34 varietal from El Salvador with notes of lemon zest and raspberry. I’m happy to report that the Ratio Six knocked it out of the park. The machine perfectly represented this delicate coffee’s soft mouthfeel and light body. Seriously, I’ve never experienced such a clean, transparent cup from a drip machine.

Next up I brewed up a batch of Orange Bourbon from Guatemala. This time I did without the heat shield and increased the dose by a couple of grams.

Again, the results were nothing short of spectacular. The fully washed Guatemala is bright, juicy and sweet when I prepare it with a pour over dripper. However, the Ratio Six managed to tease out notes of citrus and chocolate that I’d never managed to get with my Hario V60. Let’s just say my mind was blown!

One thing I noticed is that when I used the heat collar the coffee was noticeably hotter. So, it works as advertised. However, removing the carafe and heat collar after brewing was a little tricky. Plus, the collar’s rubber seal consistently sprayed water droplets in my face when it came away from the shower head. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but something to be aware of!

Ratio Six Coffee Maker Cleaning and Descaling

I’m pretty obsessive about keeping my coffee equipment clean. Limescale, mold and bacteria are all enemies of great tasting coffee and they aren’t doing your insides any favors, either. The Ratio Six coffee maker is actually very easy to keep clean.

The machine’s body and the stainless steel shower head can be wiped down with a damp cloth, and you’ll get a Ratio microfiber cloth in the box. That means those Instagram closeups will be free of lint and coffee dust!

During my testing I was consistently impressed by the Ratio Six’s efficient use of water. Unlike most other coffee makers, there was very little dripping or condensation after the brewing process was complete. Come to think of it, even the brew basket was fairly dry once I’d discarded the used filter.

As always, I strongly recommend ignoring the dishwasher when it comes to things like the carafe lid and other removable parts. The thermal carafe itself will quickly become damaged if put in the dishwasher. Rinse everything with warm water, and you can even use a little mild detergent here and there.

Even filtered water eventually causes limescale to build up inside a coffee maker, so you’ll need to descale the Ratio Six every so often. There’s no way for the machine to let you know, but I’d say once a month is a safe bet.

You can use products like Urnex Descaling Solution or descaling powder, but I find that a vinegar and water solution works just as well. After all, what’s going to happen to those Urnex plastic bottles once they’re empty? I’ll give you a clue: it starts with land and ends in fill.

Ratio Six Coffee Maker vs Other Ratio Coffee Makers

No Ratio Six coffee maker review would be complete without a quick look at the manufacturer’s other coffee makers. Let’s see how the Portland company’s other offerings compare to the Ratio Six.

Ratio Six Coffee Maker vs Technivorm Moccamaster

Long before the current crop of specialty drip coffee makers showed up, the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select was widely considered to be the best drip coffee maker of all time. In fact, many folks still stand by this Dutch workhorse. First released in 1968, the trusty Moccamaster has changed very little over the years.

Personally, I absolutely love this coffee maker and use it on a regular basis. Featuring an iconic design and high-quality materials, the Technivorm Moccamaster is incredibly reliable and durable. And as with the Ratio Six, this machine displays the manufacturer’s passion for quality and attention to detail. For example, the Moccamaster is also equipped with glass supply lines and a nine-hole spray arm.

Costing $320.44, this SCA-certified coffee maker will last you a lifetime and consistently provide you with exceptional coffee.

See Also: Technivorm Moccamaster Review

Ratio Six Coffee Maker vs Ratio Eight

The Ratio Eight is the manufacturer’s original coffee maker, and it’s where all the hype surrounding this company began. Instead of a filter basket and carafe, the Ratio Eight brews directly into a hand blown borosilicate glass carafe that looks just like a Chemex.

In fact, the Ratio Eight uses Chemex paper filters, although you can also use a Kone reusable stainless steel filter.

As you might imagine, the Ratio Eight is a beautiful machine, although I’m not the biggest fan of its wooden accents. That’s just a matter of taste, though.

The Ratio Eight has recently been given a makeover, and the S2 version comes with a host of upgrades including a redesigned water path and the option to brew a half carafe.

Costing $649.00, this machine is very expensive. Still, if you consider the fact that the machine is assembled by hand in Portland using the very highest quality materials, the price seems a little more reasonable.

Ratio Six Coffee Maker vs Fellow Aiden

While the Ratio Six is a study in elegant simplicity, the SCA-certified Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker shows what happens when coffee maker designers are allowed free reign. Sure, the boxy Aiden isn’t the prettiest machine around, but in terms of functionality it’s hard to beat.

When I tested the Fellow Adien I couldn’t quite believe how many brewing parameters I could tweak. So, if you’re the kind of home barista that needs to adjust flow rate, bloom duration and the number of pulses, this is the coffee maker for you. I was particularly impressed by the Aiden’s intuitive user interface, which makes it super easy to go deep into the details of your brew. Plus, the machine will gladly take over and guide you through the process.

At $399.95, the Fellow Aiden is another expensive machine. But those looking for the ultimate in control over their pour-over coffee won’t think twice about dropping the cash for the Aiden. 

See Also: Fellow Aiden Review

Ratio Coffee Maker Comparison Chart

Verdict: Ratio Six Coffee Maker

By now, you will have gathered that the Ratio Six coffee maker really gets me pumped. Although the price might seem a little steep to many of you, I’m of the opinion that spending $359.00 on this coffee maker is entirely reasonable. After all, such attention to detail and high quality materials is surely worth every penny.

I love preparing pour over coffee. Still, I hadn’t found an automatic coffee maker that could match the perfect cup results I get using a gooseneck kettle and a Chemex. Not until I got my hands on the Ratio Six that is. After having spent time testing this thing with some of my favorite beans, I can confidently say it’s the real deal. In fact, the Ratio Six has earned a permanent spot in my kitchen. Turns out, sometimes it’s worth believing the hype!

Ratio Six Coffee Maker FAQ