Ratio 8 Coffee Maker Review: Is It Worth It?

Pretty and practical, the Ratio Eight coffee maker is a coffee lover’s eye candy. But looks can be deceiving, and you may be surprised to learn Ratio 8 is actually an automatic coffee maker rather than a true pour over. Furthermore, one look at the cost may send you running for the hills instead of fishing for your wallet. Is it worth the sky-high price tag?

Summary: Ratio Eight Coffee Maker

• Easy-to-use automatic pour over coffee maker
  
• Beautiful design with a hand-assembled borosilicate glass carafe
  
• Available in many colors and as a thermal set to keep coffee hot

As a coffee lover, I think it brews the best-tasting automatic coffee I’ve ever had. It’s simple to use, it has lasted me many years . . . the machine is perfect.

– Owner Review

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The Full Ratio 8 Coffee Maker Review

Here we review the Ratio 8, one of a small number of automatic pour over coffee makers on the market. We’ll consider its design, features, coffee flavor, ease of use, and value for money. Find out if the quality of the brew justifies the size of the price tag. 

How We Rated It

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

3.4

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Design – 5/5

Why should espresso machines get all the attention? The founders of Ratio Eight started in 2012 with a vision to innovate an aesthetically pleasing premium automatic coffee maker (1).

Every Ratio 8 coffee maker is meticulously assembled in Portland, Oregon, with the best materials (2). The quality design deserves praise; it is rare (and impressive!) to find a made-in-America coffee maker these days. It features a heat-resistant borosilicate glass carafe, a stainless steel shower head, and a BPA-free water tank with a brewing capacity of 40 oz for a full batch or 16 oz for a half batch (3). 

The Ratio Eight’s carafe takes inspiration from Chemex and is only compatible with Chemex paper filters. Or you can use a stainless steel Able Kone filter for a more full-bodied cup. 

The thick glass carafe won’t keep your coffee hot for more than 15 minutes, and the Ratio Eight doesn’t include a hot plate. If you don’t plan to drink it right away, opt for the thermal carafe version, though it adds another $100 to the cost.

Ratio Eight coffee machines are nicely sized, weighing 12 lbs and measuring 14 x 13.5 x 9 inches. The power cord is removable to declutter your kitchen countertop when it’s not in use.

It’s available in white, bright silver, matte black, and oyster – a soft grey – with walnut or parawood accents.

The Ratio Eight will last you longer than the standard 2 to 3 years of common appliances. All Ratio Eight coffee makers come with a 5-year warranty plus a limited 2-year one.

Features – 3/5

You can enjoy an amazing cup of coffee with the touch of a button thanks to the smart brewing algorithm of the Ratio Eight. It runs 3 brew phases in sequence: Bloom, Brew, and Ready. 

Water is first heated to an ideal extraction temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit using a powerful heating element of die-cast aluminum. This is followed by a bubbly interaction called the bloom phase, in which just enough hot water is released to saturate the grounds. Finally, the water flows out of the shower head in concentric circles, mimicking the process a skilled barista uses when preparing a pour over with a gooseneck kettle. The result is more even distribution of water for improved extraction.

You can’t really adjust any aspect of the limited blooming or brewing processes, so only a user looking for hands-free convenience will benefit from this lack of custom automation.

The magnet at the bottom of the coffee machine triggers a specific sensor when its carafe magnet counterpart connects to it, so not much can be done if you want to use another compatible carafe. 

Coffee Flavor – 3/5

The Ratio Eight delivers coffee similar to Chemex, very clean and full of nuanced flavors. It brews exceptional medium and light roasts and excels at revealing the complex flavor notes of niche single origins – both areas where lesser machines struggle. As always, buy fresh roasted coffee and grind whole coffee beans right before brewing to get the most flavorful cup.

Just as when preparing a pour over brew, you’ll get the best flavor by experimenting with grind size. While a coarser grind is typical with Chemex to account for the slow drainage of the thicker filters, with Ratio 8, this can yield a sour, watery, and under-extracted brew. This is perhaps why the Ratio Eight hasn’t been awarded an SCA Certification like its sibling, the Ratio Six coffee maker.

I’ve found the best workaround is to grind a bit finer and agitate the grounds with a quick stir during the bloom cycle. The resulting coffee taste is more balanced and delicious. However, it’s disappointing that an automatic brewer requires manual support when extracting coffee. And to spend a pretty penny for coffee that varies wildly in quality is not reassuring.

Ease Of Use – 4.5/5

Using the Ratio Eight is incredibly easy – no need to learn any precision brewing technique. All you have to do is fill the water tank, set the pre-wet Chemex filter in place, add freshly ground coffee beans to the filter, and press one button to start. It’s that easy!

Rinse the carafe under the sink after each use, and don’t stick it into your dishwasher. As per Ratio’s recommendations, aim to descale your coffee machine roughly once a month.

Value For Money – 2/5

The Ratio Eight is a couple of hundred dollars more than even the most expensive automatic coffee makers. 

Is it worth it?

Only if you really love the design. The lack of compatibility with non-Chemex filters and issues with under-extraction don’t seem to be worth what you’re paying for, which is ultimately a pretty drip coffee maker masquerading as a pour over.

Drinking coffee from the Ratio Eight coffee maker is like driving in a luxurious new car that’s thousands of dollars over your budget. It may look good and feel nice, but you can easily get to where you want to go with a more reasonably-priced car. All this to say, you don’t have to break the bank for a perfect cup of joe.

Do Not Buy Ratio Eight Coffee Maker If…

• You need to stay under budget – This one is pretty self-explanatory, given the whopping cost of the Ratio Machine. If you don’t want to break the bank, check out the Chemex Ottomatic 2.0 Brewer from the makers of Chemex, which is about half the price. 
  
  It’s designed to fit the classic 6- or 8-cup Chemex and automatically brews hot or cold coffee. The hot brew temperature corresponds with specialty coffee industry standards, and the built-in hot plate keeps your coffee at optimum temperature for up to 90 minutes. As an added bonus, the rawhide string comes in many fun colors, including original leather, green, yellow, orange, red, blue, grey, and black.

• You want an SCA-certified coffee maker – From the same brand, Ratio Six coffee maker has been awarded the coveted SCA Home Brewer Certification. A rigorous testing process guarantees this brewer makes extraordinary coffee. It’s hard to argue with that! Plus, Ratio Six coffee maker is more flexible than Ratio Eight when it comes to filters and has a less hefty price tag, though it’s not quite as pretty.

The Verdict

The Ratio Eight coffee maker is the right pick for you if you want a coffee maker with a design that will elevate any environment, provided you’re able and willing to splurge. Using it is hassle-free, with just the press of a button standing between you and a freshly brewed pot of great coffee. If you’ve been manually brewing pour overs, it will simplify your daily routine.

However, no amount of good looks and top-quality construction can cover the fact that the Ratio Eight coffee maker is super expensive, offers no adjustable features, and doesn’t always yield the most evenly extracted grounds.

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