Wolf Coffee Maker Review: Leader of the Pack?

It was only a matter of time before I got around to a Wolf coffee maker review. After all, I’ve noticed people howling about this coffee maker for a while, and that’s piqued my interest. See what I did there?

I don’t think there’s any denying that this high-end drip coffee maker stands out from the crowd … but is its steep price tag worth the real estate on your kitchen counter? Let’s find out if this thing can deliver!

packed with great features

Wolf Coffee Maker

A sleek, high-end drip coffee maker

Durable stainless steel construction

Built-in scale

Brews quickly and quietly

Large water tank

Looks great

Expensive

Rather bulky

CHECK PRICE

Wolf Coffee Maker Review Overview

Since the debut of its first dual-fuel range oven, Wolf Gourmet has made its name with high-end, stainless steel kitchen appliances. All of its products share the same sleek stainless steel design, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything in the lineup for under $500. The Wolf Gourmet Programmable Coffee System is no exception.

At $569.94, this is one of the most expensive drip coffee makers I’ve ever reviewed. Not to mention, the market is saturated by coffee makers selling for a quarter of the price. All that to say, I can understand why some home baristas might be skeptical about the Wolf coffee maker.

Still, I can’t deny that this gourmet coffee machine makes a good first impression. As I said, it’s got a sleek stainless steel build. The large knobs and LCD screen lend this machine an industrial-chic vibe. It’s reminiscent of something you’d find in a restaurant or coffee shop instead of someone’s kitchen. Though not as flashy as a siphon coffee maker, it’s far from boring to look at.

Ultimately, I think that industrial aesthetic is exactly what Wolf was aiming for. Of course, some of the best features of the Wolf coffee maker are lurking beneath the surface, not above. Spoiler alert: there’s a pretty awesome built-in scale! If you want the full rundown, you’ll need to keep reading my Wolf coffee maker review.

Wolf Coffee Maker Features

From its user interface to adjustable brew strength, I’m not about to gloss over any of the juicy details in my Wolf coffee maker review. Let’s keep the ball rolling by diving into the machine’s many features.

Design and Build

At first glance, the Wolf Gourmet coffee maker might look compact, but it’s surprisinglyrobust. You can expect this machine to take up more than a couple of inches of counter space, even if it’s relatively lightweight at 13 pounds (5.8 kilograms).

Still, if you were hoping for a coffee maker that you could squeeze into a dorm room or camper, you may need to look elsewhere.

Despite the large size, I will give Wolf some credit for its straight lines. Those ninety degree corners won’t make this machine any smaller. Still, they may make it  a little easier to fit the Wolf next to other appliances.

User Interface

As modern as it looks, the Wolf coffee maker is still all about analog controls. Just take a look at those large red knobs on the front – you can’t get any more old-school than that.

Still, it’s not so antiquated that you won’t find clear labels next to each knob and button. Those labels make this interface all the more intuitive. In fact, I’d consider it a big step up from the confusing symbols that some drip machines use.

The top knob controls which mode you’d like to use the machine on: Clean, Manual or AccuBrew. Clean mode is, unsurprisingly, for cleaning the machine. Manual lets you handle all the hard work, and I’ll get into the details of that AccuBrew setting later on in my Wolf coffee maker review.

Keep in mind that the top knob also controls brew strength while the bottom knob controls how many cups you want to make. Those details will show up on the LCD screen, so you should never be confused as to what the machine is doing.

If you thought brew strength and volume were all you could adjust, you were wrong. Right under the LCD screen, you’ll find four more buttons: a power button, a clock button, a programming function and a zero (reset) button. I’ll have more to say about the programming function in a minute, but the zero button resets the scale back to, well, zero.

And that’s it! The user interface on the Wolf Gourmet drip coffee machine is far from simple, but it’s not trying to be. If it’s simplicity you want, there’s a plethora of drip coffee makers with nothing more than a power button to worry about. However, you also won’t get nearly as many features as you have here.

Adjustable Brew Strength

Most drip coffee makers contain some sort of adjustable brew strength, and the Wolf coffee maker is no different. The settings range from mild to bold with only a few settings in between. You’ll use the top knob to switch between those settings, which should display on the LCD screen.

If I’m being honest, I would’ve expected a few more brew strength options from a machine in this price range. Granted, I think most people will find a setting they like and just stick with it. But if you were hoping for a lot of experimentation or limitless options, this machine might disappoint.

AccuBrew Technology

I said I’d come back to the AccuBrew technology, didn’t I? I consider this to be the crowning feature of the Wolf Gourmet coffee machine. This isn’t a feature I see often on drip coffee makers, and it helps the Wolf coffee maker stand out from the pack – pun intended.

You’ll still need to set the brew strength and number of cups, but once you do, the coffee maker handles the rest of the leg work. Using the built-in scale, the coffee maker will let you know how much ground coffee you need in the filter. The display flashes when you’ve added too many coffee grounds, and lets you know when you need more.

The idea here is that you’ll get the perfect coffee-to-water ratio, which should yield more delicious results. As I said, this is the crowning feature of the Wolf coffee maker, although it’s not as intuitive as I would like. You’ll probably need to peruse the user manual a couple of times until you pick up on the learning curve.

Still, I think the end result will be worth it. You won’t need to play guessing games with your coffee maker anymore, and you’ll get a better, more consistent cup of joe.

Timer

I know that timers aren’t a new feature on drip coffee makers. Still, I want to talk about the timer function on the Wolf coffee maker anyway. Not only can you schedule your brew, but you can keep track of how long it’s been since your last brew.

Not everyone may need the visual stopwatch, but if multiple people use the same drip coffee maker, it might come in handy. You can save your taste buds the trouble of figuring out if the java in your coffee mug is more than an hour old.

Thermal Carafe

Was I expecting any less than a thermal carafe from the Wolf coffee maker? No, but it’s still worth mentioning. The stainless steel thermal carafe holds 10 cups, but it’s also designed to keep your coffee hot. You can thank the double-wall construction for that.

Regular Coffeeness readers will know that I always prefer a thermal carafe over a glass carafe with a keep-warm function. Seriously, the thought of all those poor folks drinking coffee that’s been slowly cooking on a hot plate just breaks my heart!

Brew Cycle

Not only does the Wolf Gourmet coffee maker brew ten cups in less than seven minutes, but it’s got its own formula for pumping out delicious coffee. It all starts with the extraction process. Whether you’re in Manual mode or using AccuBrew, the machine sticks to the same optimal brewing temperature each time. So, there’s less room for inconsistency between batches.

Not to mention, the design of the machine ensures water sprays evenly over the grounds. Even water distribution means better extraction, and that means better coffee.

These sorts of behind-the-scenes features may not seem like much, but they can make a big difference to the taste of your coffee.

Brew Basket

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to start my mornings by playing tug-of-war with a substandard brew basket. That’s why you won’t hear me complaining about this front loading brew basket. It smoothly slides out whenever you need to add coffee grounds, which is pretty classy.

Essentially, it’s just another indicator that the Wolf coffee machine has been thoughtfully designed.

Incidentally, you’ll need to use #4 paper filters with the Wolf Gourmet coffee maker. I know that some of you might be expecting a permanent coffee filter to come with this machine. However, trust me when I tell you your coffee will taste cleaner and more complex with an unbleached paper filter.

Water Reservoir

Along with an included water filter, the removable water reservoir on this machine is quite hefty at 50 ounces (1.5 liters). That’s good news to me – it means fewer trips to the sink. Plus, the sturdy handle on the side makes it easy to take the thing out. Plus, you won’t need to worry about the handle giving way and water flooding your kitchen. That’s always a positive!

Warranty

Most coffee makers I review, including home espresso machines and super automatics, only carry one or two year limited warranties. So, it was a bit of a surprise to see the Wolf Gourmet coffee machine’s five year limited warranty, but not an unwelcome one.

For as much cash as you’re dishing out for this machine, you might want the extra protection. Anyway, it’s great to see a manufacturer really standing behind its product. We need more of that in the world!

How to Use the Wolf Gourmet Coffee Maker

You may think you know how to use a drip coffee maker, but if my Wolf coffee maker review has proved anything, it’s that this isn’t your average drip machine. That isn’t to say it’s hard to use, but with features like AccuBrew, there’s more involved than just flipping the ON switch.

You’ll need to start by installing the water filter in the machine. You’ll need to soak the filter pod in a cup of water for fifteen minutes, and then pop it in the water filter housing. The housing will pop into the reservoir, and you’re in business! Well, you’ll still need to fill the reservoir with fresh water.

From there, you’ll need to select Manual or AccuBrew mode as well as how many cups you’d like. If you select AccuBrew, you’ll need to adjust brew strength and hit Zero to reset the scale. That should prompt the LCD screen to display how much more (or less) ground coffee is needed.

Of course, if you’ve selected Manual mode, you won’t have a helping hand from the built in scale. Either way, the next step is hitting the Start button once you’ve added all your coffee grounds.

The display will let you know exactly what stage of the brew cycle your machine is in. While it’s brewing, you’ll see BREWING on the screen. Go figure. Once it’s finished, that’ll change to READY. Now you can start pouring the black gold into your favorite ceramic travel mug or coffee thermos.

This is also when the clock will start counting down, which may seem a little more ominous than it is. There’s no bomb going off – it’s just the stopwatch letting you know how long it’s been since your last brew cycle. After an hour, it’ll return to standby mode.

Wolf Coffee Maker Cleaning

It’s everyone’s favorite part of my Wolf coffee maker review – where I talk about cleaning and descaling. Well…it’s my favorite part. Even for those of you that aren’t clean freaks about your coffee setup, I think you’ll find the Wolf Gourmet coffee machine relatively low-maintenance.

Like any drip machine, you’ll need to rinse out the brew basket and water reservoir on a regular basis. Plus, after 30 brew cycles, the machine will prompt you to change the water filter inside the reservoir.

Fortunately, you only need to descale the machine after 300 brew cycles – not unlike descaling an espresso machine. You can use a combination of white vinegar and water, but personally, I’m partial to this citric acid descaler.

Don’t forget to wash out the carafe after each use, but steer clear of the dishwasher. Unless you want to rinse hundreds of dollars down the drain, I’d stick to washing the Wolf coffee maker parts by hand.

Wolf Gourmet Programmable Coffee System Specifications

Wolf Gourmet vs Other Drip Coffee Makers

I’ve given you the rundown in my Wolf coffee maker review, but I’ve still got to tell you how it measures up to the competition. Let’s take a look!

Wolf Gourmet vs Moccamaster KBGV Select

The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select won’t save you that much money at $359.00. It’s got all the behind-the-scenes workings of a great drip machine without the complicated control panel.

If you want great coffee at the flip of a power switch, the KBGV Select may be the better pick. There’s a reason its design has been virtually unchanged since 1968. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? That isn’t to say the KBGV Select is perfect, but it can go toe-to-toe with the Wolf Gourmet coffee maker any day.

The biggest advantage the Wolf coffee machine has is its built in scale and AccuBrew mode. You won’t find any training wheels with the KBGV Select, but that may be a perk for some home baristas. The Wolf coffee maker may be a stand out, but the Moccamaster is still leading the pack.

See Also: Moccamaster KBGV Select Hands-On Review 2024

Wolf Gourmet vs Breville Precision Brewer

Listen, I’m a huge fan of Breville espresso machines. However, the Breville Precision Brewer has never completely sold me. Its $299.95 price tag isn’t much help.

The Breville’s user interface is a little less intuitive, and despite boasting six brewing modes, only two of them really matter. That said, I do appreciate the temperature control settings on the Precision Brewer. Still, I’m not sure it’s enough for me to recommend it over the Wolf coffee maker (or the Moccamaster).

Check out: Breville Precision Brewer Hands-On Review 2024

Wolf Gourmet vs Other Coffee Makers Comparison Chart

Verdict: Wolf Coffee Maker Review

packed with great features

Wolf Coffee Maker

A sleek, high-end drip coffee maker

Durable stainless steel construction

Built-in scale

Brews quickly and quietly

Large water tank

Looks great

Expensive

Rather bulky

CHECK PRICE

I’ll be the first to admit the Wolf coffee maker represents a steep investment. However, if you can’t tell from my Wolf coffee maker review, it’s also a very well-made machine. It’s thoughtfully designed and I love features like AccuBrew and adjustable brew strength.

Still, it’s only worth the price if you plan to take advantage of those features. If the control panel is just going to collect dust, there are plenty of more affordable drip machines that’ll make you delicious coffee at the flip of a switch.

Wolf Coffee Maker Review FAQ