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OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review: Worth The Brew?


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Every committed coffee lover needs a dependable, versatile, and well-made coffee brewing machine to help get them through the monotonous day-to-day routine. However, not just any old machine will make the cut. 

Let us introduce you to the OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker. This dynamic duo of a machine offers carafe and single-serve brewing, as well as an innovative yet user-friendly technology that will make your morning coffee routine a breeze. We got the chance to review this machine for ourselves, and we are VERY impressed. Impress yourself as well by reading our full review of the OXO below!

If you want to look at other great drip coffee makers, check these out!

About OXO: An Impressive history

Meet OXO: one of America’s most innovative and creative manufacturing companies. OXO has been in the business of crafting everything from home appliances, cleaning & organization machines, and problem-solving home accessories for years now. When it comes to extreme attention to detail, OXO sees everything and misses nothing. Focusing on engineering products to make consumer’s lives easier, efficient, and improved, each device is made with the goal of perfection in mind–both in design and function. 

Based out of New York City, the company was created by the dynamic father-son duo: Sam Faber and John Farber. After the discovery that his wife Betsey was beginning to lose mobility in her hands due to arthritis and had trouble cooking, cleaning, and completing everyday tasks, Sam was inspired to alter and engineer everyday tools to help her complete these tasks.

It was this that inspired Faber to begin a manufacturing company to assist others with easily, effectively, and comfortably use the tools around them. As with the rest of their products, OXO also makes well-designed, award-winning coffee brewers, the 8-Cup being their newest, most innovative models!

MEet the New machine

oxo 8-cup review

As with the rest of their products, OXO also makes well-designed, award-winning coffee brewers! The OXO 8-Cup has evolved significantly from it’s older siblings: the 12-cup and 9-cup coffee brewers. 

Taking the most loved qualities of the original 9-Cup brewer, the new OXO 8-Cup not only meets the Specialty Coffee Association’s precise standards, but it also has a more compact size as well as award-winning certified brewing technology. This technology includes water temperature and volume control, and also has quality designed brewing cycles to create rich, robust coffee every time. Here are a few other features we think set the OXO apart from the rest of the coffee machine crowd. 

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The Rainmaker

oxo 8-cup review

A revolutionary water distribution method, the OXO accomplishes this through its Rainmaker shower head by accurately and evenly spreading the water throughout the coffee grounds. Saturating the grounds thoroughly, the integrated bloom cycle is engineered to mimic the water filtration that occurs during the pour-over method, encouraging the coffee grounds to bloom and release the inner aroma and flavors within the beans. Not only is it an impressive feature in the machine, but it’s also easily removable for efficient cleaning! 

the Carafe 

One of the most notable changes to compare between the 2017 and 2020 models of the OXO is the difference in carafe space. For starters, the new 2020 version has 8-cups in comparison to the 9-cup 2017 model.

The smaller size doesn’t make as large of an amount of coffee as other machines of it’s kind, but it makes a decent amount. Not only this, but the smaller volume space makes the machine more compact and easy to store. Furthermore, the carafe has a twist off-closing seal, reducing the risk of accidental spilling and ensuring that heat doesn’t escape from the carafe. 

oxo 8-cup review

We enjoy the carafe because it’s a thermal carafe, meaning that your coffee will stay warm for an extended amount of time. It also means that you won’t need a hot plate to keep your coffee warm! A thermal carafe can be better than a hot plate is because it won’t only remove a possible fire hazard, but it also prevents any accidental coffee spills from burning onto the plate. And as pouring the coffee is concerned, the spout is designed to give you a silky-smooth pour every time. 

the Buttons

The OXO is also efficient to operate and has a simple yet sleek user interface. There are only four buttons on the front of the machine: a power button, a 4-2 cup brewing button (for single-serve or smaller amounts), 6-8 cups for a larger or full-pot brew, and a clean button. Each of these buttons are clearly labeled and also light up when pushed so you know what cycle you’ve selected. 

oxo 8-cup review

brewing options

Brewing is a breeze with the amount of flexibility that comes with the OXO! The machine has BetterBrew Precision brewing, giving you an extreme amount of control over the entire brewing process. For example, some of the brewing factors that you can control are water volume, and the different cycles of brewing to give you the most consistent, high-quality results. In addition to this, the OXO also has an integrated bloom cycle, inspired by the pour-over method’s ability to extract the flavors within the coffee perfectly. 

If you’re wanting to brew a larger volume of coffee to sip on throughout the day, or if you’re planning on entertaining guests, the carafe is able to hold a decent amount of 8 cups of brewed coffee. It’s vacuum-sealed and double-walled to thoroughly insulate your coffee and keep it warm. 

oxo 8-cup brewer

Don’t feel like making an entire pot of coffee? Try the single-serve option! OXO offers a shorter, more efficient option for getting a cup of joe in the morning. By using a regular coffee filter and grounds (no wasteful pods), you can brew your coffee directly into your coffee cup or travel mug! 

Compact Size & Flexibility

Though we fully support any coffee addict’s addiction, it is important to ensure that your addiction doesn’t take up all of the space on your kitchen countertop. With dimensions of 13.5″ x 10.5″ x 7″, the OXO is a relatively small-sized brewer for the amount of power it possesses. Due to its compact and smaller size, the OXO will sit cozy and snug on your kitchen counters or tucked under cabinets.

oxo 8-cup review

Furthermore, the OXO also has a removable stand that makes it easier to fit in cups and mugs of all shapes and sizes for you to brew into! The removable well cover sits within the brewer so that its low enough to support the carafe during the brewing process, but can easily flip over to become a stand for shorter mugs and cups. 

oxo 8-cup brewer

OUR OXO REVIEW: 

Things We Liked

We got the chance to brew with the OXO ourselves and simply stated: there are MANY fantastic features that we enjoy on this machine. A great contribution to any coffee lover’s kitchen, the OXO is sturdy, sleek in design, and extremely well-made. Not only that, it makes even better coffee as well. Here’s a quick overview of some of the characteristics that impressed us the most.

The packaging

oxo 8-cup review

Someone once said that first impressions are the most important impressions, and the OXO certainly doesn’t disappoint. When this package arrived at our doorstep, it was packaged securely, it was well-labeled, and there didn’t seem to be any flaws on the machine OR the box as we began unwrapping it. 

oxo 8-cup review

However, OXO goes a step further than just a shiny presentation, the box itself is covered in all of the information that you could ever need to know about the machine, how it works, etc. Inside of the box, you’ll find a well-written, thoroughly detailed instruction manual to explain all of the parts and pieces of the machine and what to do with them. The assembly process, cleaning process, and brewing process are all covered on the box and inside of the manual as well, leaving you everything you need to begin making delicious coffee! 

oxo 8-cup review

The Accessories

Another great thing that we enjoy about OXO is the number of accessories that come along with it. Whenever your OXO arrives in the mail, you don’t have to worry about not having certain brewing equipment–because OXO will include all of those extra tools for you! 

In our delivery, we received several additional accessories to complement the OXO brewer. Some of the brewing tools that we got are a 1-cup coffee scoop, an optional single-serve brew basket, 20 disposable coffee filters, and an in-depth, fully-detailed instruction manual. We found that all of these features make the machine super easy and efficient to work. 

oxo 8-cup review

The Durability 

As a whole, OXO puts a lot of thought into the engineering and design of their products. This means that the 8-Cup Brewer is designed to last you for a significant amount of time. You can trust the OXO to consistently produce high-quality coffee for years to come. The most prominent example of the machine’s long-lasting quality is the material that it’s made of.

oxo 8-cup review

For example, the thick, metal material of the carafe will withstand any serious tumbles off of the countertop and onto the floor. Unlike regular glass carafes, you won’t have to worry about the possibility of the carafe shattering.

Brewing Abilities/Settings

oxo 8-cup review

Of course, the impressive brewing abilities in this machine also can’t be ignored! Switching between full carafe and single-serve brewing is a breeze with the simple switch right on the front of the machine. Not only is it easy to choose which brew cycle you prefer, but the brewing cycle itself is also incredibly quiet. This feature is ideal for those who brew coffee in the early mornings and may need to keep the noise level down to prevent disturbing others around them. 

Things To Consider:

We’re extremely impressed with the OXO, but there are a few minor improvements to make a good thing great. Here are a few things that we think could be improved to make the OXO the best brewing machine on the market. 

No Timer On The Machine

For the coffee lover who likes to plan ahead, having a method to pre-plan the brewing process before an 8 am shift at work in the morning is definitely a must-have. One minor thing that we noticed is that the OXO doesn’t come with a timer to pre-schedule brewing cycles. The addition of a timer could be a major improvement, especially when it comes to increasing the efficiency of the machine as a whole. 

No Removable Water Tank

oxo 8-cup review

Though the OXO has a great amount of flexibility when it comes to brewing ability, one part of the machine that’s permanent is the water tank. Able to hold an impressive amount of water, the OXO has great storage space in its water tank, 40 ounces to be exact, but the water tank cannot physically detach from the machine. As a result, this can make refilling the tank a little bit more difficult, though not impossible. 

The Water Supply

oxo 8-cup brewer

One important thing to keep in mind when it comes to brewing with the OXO is that the machine seems to brew all of the water that’s in the water tank at once. Because the volume settings on the machine range from one cup, to 2-4 cups, to 5-8 cups, the machine doesn’t have the ability to portion out only brewing one smaller amount of water at a time. So, it’s important to remember that when you begin brewing, only put the amount of water into the tank that you intend to brew in that cycle. 

oxo 8-cup brewer

The Verdict

Ultimately, the OXO is one of the most well-engineered, professionally designed machines on the market today. We were impressed with the many abilities of this machine, enough to where the minor inconveniences could easily be overlooked. Brewing power, compact size, and thought out design make it a great addition to any coffee lover’s kitchen.

The OXO 8-Cup Brewer is the best fit for the coffee lover who wants to pour the water, press a button, and have the machine brew delicious coffee for them without any extra work. From that perspective, the fact that the machine brews all of the water that’s in the water tank at once according to the brew cycle amount is a feature that can actually be viewed as a simple, easy, worry-free quality of the OXO. Likewise, selecting a range of how many cups you prefer instead of choosing the exact amount yourself also takes the pressure off of the brewing process, especially on an early, groggy Monday morning. 

The OXO will give you all the bang for the price you pay for it, but before purchasing it’s important to consider if a machine like the OXO best fits into your daily routine. And if it does, it’ll be an investment that you’ll be happy with for years to come! So have fun brewing, and as always:

Happy caffeinating! 

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review: Worth The Brew?
IMG 9754

OXO is back with it's best coffee maker yet! Meet the 8-Cup Coffee Brewer and find out why it'll be the last coffee maker you ever purchase.

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4.7
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