OXO BARISTA BRAIN 9-CUP COFFEE MAKER: TREAT YOUR BREW RIGHT

The current generation of premium drip coffee makers has made bad coffee at home a thing of the past. With brewers like the Oxo Barista Brain on the market, there’s no reason to settle for a bland, burnt, or boring brew.

This coffee maker uses technical wizardry to produce a fantastic cup that tastes like it was hand-crafted by a trained barista, which is why it has received the coveted Specialty Coffee Association certification.

The Oxo 9-Cup Coffee Maker should definitely be on the radar of anyone looking for reliably great coffee with minimal effort.

The Full Oxo Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker Review

This popular high-end coffee machine has gone through a few naming iterations over the years, which is likely to cause confusion. Originally known as the Oxo On Barista Brain, it is now more often simply called the Oxo Brew 9-Cup. I suspect Oxo did some customer research and found that people weren’t into the word “brain” associated with an appliance.

Names aside, I fully expected this Specialty Coffee Association-certified (SCA) brewer to make excellent coffee. But I was equally curious about its performance in other areas like design, convenience features, and value for money. Read on for my detailed review.

How We Rated It

• Design
• Features
• Coffee Quality
• Ease Of Use
• Value For Money

4.4

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The Features That Guarantee Great Coffee

The Oxo Barista Brain 9-cup coffee maker is recognized as an exemplary home brewer by the Specialty Coffee Association. The SCA (formerly the SCAA) certifies home brewers that meet its Golden Cup standards, which include the ideal brew temperature, contact time, and extraction percentage, among other things. The manufacturer must submit multiple machines that are put through a series of rigorous tests to receive certification. 

Even Extraction

This brewer uses a conical filter basket and “rainmaker” style showerhead to ensure an even dispersion of water over the coffee grounds. To my surprise, it doesn’t have an automatic or programmable pre-infusion mode. Instead, it uses a microprocessor-controlled brew cycle (known as BetterBrew™ Precision Brewing technology) to distribute hot water in timed cycles. The idea is to mimic the action of a skilled barista preparing a pour over, hence the origins of the name Barista Brain (1).

After brewing, a ‘coffee ready’ icon flashes, and a count-up timer starts automatically. I love this feature, which so clearly speaks to coffee nerds. The freshness timer only counts to the 60-minute mark – the best window in which to drink freshly brewed coffee. But I found that the thermal carafe could keep coffee hot for about two hours.

Water Temperature

The Precision Brewing tech controls water temperature as well. The correct brew temperature is one of the most crucial factors in brewing a good cup of coffee, and in my experience, it’s the one most lacking in cheap coffee makers, which always run cold.

According to the SCA, the perfect temperature to brew coffee is 195 to 205 F (2). When I tested the Oxo Barista Brain, it consistently fell within that ideal range. I measured an average brew temperature of 197 F over the course of numerous brew cycles.

Thermal Carafe

A thermal carafe is the best way to keep coffee piping hot without ruining its flavor, which is why the vast majority of SCA-certified brewers use one. The Barista Brain has a 9-cup (45-ounce) stainless steel double-wall carafe with a brew-through lid so that the coffee maintains its temperature as it flows from the basket to the carafe. 

The display lets you know if the carafe is not in its proper position for brewing. This is a nifty little feature that was more useful than I expected, especially when setting up to brew on dark mornings.

Programmability

The Oxo Brew 9-Cup is a fully programmable coffee maker that can be set to brew on a 24-hour timer. There is also a Pause and Pour feature that relies on a drip-stop valve to let you grab a cup mid-brew. When you remove the carafe, the machine pauses the brew cycle for up to 60 seconds. If the carafe isn’t replaced in time, the brewing process is canceled automatically.

Using the selector dial and Oxo button, you can choose between a low-volume 2-4 cup setting or a larger 5-9 cups. Oxo’s BetterBrew™ Precision automatically optimizes brewing time to ensure full-flavored cup even when brewing smaller amounts.

I’ve seen people complain that this machine doesn’t have a dedicated single-serving option, but let’s not forget that a “cup” here is 5 ounces. So 2 cups is a 10-ounce coffee, which is a single serving in my books.

How To Use The Oxo Brew Coffee Maker

Using this machine is easy because there are few user-adjustable features to manage. You can’t change the water temperature or coffee strength; the idea is that these are already optimized for specialty coffee. 

To brew your coffee:

1. Fill the water tank with 10 to 45 ounces of water, depending on how much you want to brew.
2. Add a #4 paper filter to the brew basket.
3. Add medium ground coffee to the filter. (I typically use around 100 grams of coffee for 9 cups.)
4. Use the selector dial to choose the 2-4 or 5-9 cup setting.
5. Press the Oxo button to start the brew.

This brewer was impressively fast compared to others I’ve tested. I clocked it around 6 or 7 minutes to prepare a full pot of coffee. This is partly due to its smaller capacity, as most coffee makers have 10 or 12 cup carafes.

Setting The Wake-Up Timer

Set the clock by pressing and holding the Oxo button until the display flashes “12 hr” or “24 hr.” Turn the dial to select 12-hr or 24-hr format and press the Oxo button. The display will show the time, which you can adjust by rotating the dial and set by pressing the button. 

Once the clock is correct, you can set the timer. Just press and hold the Oxo button until the flashing clock icon pops up. Turn the knob and press to set the brew time. Next, turn the knob to select the number of cups. Press the button to finalize the automatic wake-up timer.

How Do You Clean It?

All the removable machine parts are top-rack dishwasher safe, making cleanup easy. However, the stainless steel carafe and its lid need to be hand-washed. Remember to clean the area under the removable filter basket, as I noticed debris tended to accumulate there.

The LED ring encircling the Oxo button lights up white to indicate that you need to descale the machine, which is every 90 cycles. Just fill the water tank with descaling solution and water as directed and run the automatic cleaning cycle. It takes about 25 minutes.

SCA-Certified To Make Great Coffee

You hardly need me to tell you this coffee maker brews delicious coffee given that the Specialty Coffee Association has already weighed in. Their collective expertise certainly surpasses mine. But I can discuss my experience.

The coffee I brewed with the Oxo On Barista Brain 9-cup brewer was reliably hot, well-extracted, and flavorful. Often with lower-end brewers, every coffee tastes roughly the same. But with this machine, I could taste the nuances of different roasts and coffee bean types. 

I was also impressed with the low-volume setting. Even when I brewed as little as 10 ounces, the flavor profile was on par with a full carafe.

If I had a complaint, it would be the lack of control over brewing parameters. The Barista Brain brews only to SCA specifications, but what if that isn’t your taste? Personally, I sometimes prefer a slightly bolder cup, especially if I’m adding milk or cream. Or I might want to tweak brewing variables when trying different roast levels or origins (3).

You can exercise some degree of control by changing the grind size (if you have a coffee grinder) or the amount of coffee you use. But I’d still be happy to see something as simple as a “Bold” brew function.

A Standout Design And Durable Build

The Oxo Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker sports a sleek and modern look. I love the clean lines and minimalist design, with just a single dial and a subtle digital display. Its body is mostly brushed stainless steel accented by glossy black plastic. Any parts you might need to touch, like handles and lids, are heatproof – either soft-grip silicone or BPA-free plastic.

On the other hand, if you don’t share my love of the design, you probably won’t appreciate this brewer’s massive size, especially given its relatively modest capacity. It’s footprint is relatively standard, at 15 inches wide by 8.3 inches deep, but it’s a towering 17.2 inches tall – dwarfing even my espresso machine. It can’t be comfortably tucked away under upper cupboards, so plan on having it out on display. The Barista Brain 12-cup version is only slight larger (15”x10.12”x17.12”).

The build quality is above average but not top-of-the-line. It’s a huge step up from the cheaper drip machines I review but not on par with industry leaders like the Moccamaster or Ratio Six. I felt like the joints and seams could be fitted better, and I’d love to see the plastic casing replaced with aluminum. 

Oxo kitchen appliances and tools are consistently mid-range, both in quality and budget, and this brewer is in keeping with that tradition. However, the Barista Brain is backed by a 2-year warranty, which is better than the year offered by many manufacturers.

Is The Oxo Brew Worth The Price?

This machine typically costs just over $200, though it is often on sale. I think this is great value for an SCA-certified coffee maker with a thermal carafe. Home drip coffee brewers with SCA credentials range from just under $200 to almost $400. So the Oxo Brew 9-Cup is at the lower end of the range while still delivering the same quality of coffee, some nice programmable options, and a gorgeous design.

I was a little disappointed at the lack of accessories in the box. All you get is a coffee scoop, and let’s be honest, you probably own a spoon that will do the job just as well. Plus, anyone who cares enough about coffee quality to buy a certified brewer is probably weighing rather than scooping their coffee anyway.

There is no reusable metal mesh filter – something that even the cheapest coffee makers include these days. And there is no water filter, even though Oxo recommends brewing with filtered water.

Don’t Buy The Oxo Barista Brain 9 Cup Coffee Maker If…

• You want to control every aspect of your brew: This Oxo coffee maker lets you choose the coffee volume you want to brew but doesn’t offer any other control over the coffee brewing process. If you want to experiment with things like brewing temperature, pre-infusion, and flow rate, turn to the Breville Precision Brewer instead. It’s a bit pricier but gives you nearly as much control as a manual pour-over!

• You want something more affordable: I think the Oxo is great value, but it isn’t the least expensive SCA-certified brewer. For that, take a look at the Oxo Brew 8-cup coffee maker or the Bonavita drip coffee maker, both of which brew the same Gold-standard coffee. The trade-off? They have slightly lower 8-cup capacities, aren’t quite as attractive, and can’t be programmed to brew on a timer.

• Build quality is paramount: I was impressed by the quality of the Oxo Brew series of coffee makers, but if you want the best of the best, go for the iconic Technivorm Moccamaster. It costs about $100 more than the Oxo, but each one is handbuilt in the Netherlands and comes with a 5-year warranty.

The Verdict

The Oxo Barista Brain coffee maker is perfect if you want barista-quality coffee with the convenience of one-touch brewing. Thanks to Oxo’s BetterBrew Precision Brewing technology, you’re guaranteed a perfectly extracted morning cup every time. And you don’t just need to take Oxo’s word for it (or mine); it’s been independently confirmed by the experts at the Specialty Coffee Association.

My experience with this coffee maker was overall positive. It was easy and enjoyable to use, and my coffee was consistently good-quality. While I wish I had a bit more control over brewing parameters, I can honestly say I never made a bad cup of coffee with this machine.

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