Home » Coffee Gear » Coffee Makers

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review: Is It Worth the Brew?

If you’re a lover of coffee, you know that a good coffee maker is key to making a delicious morning brew that you just can’t wait to jump out of bed for. We got to be one of the first to try out the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker so let’s review it!

We’ve been and OXO coffee maker family for years. We had their 12 cup coffee maker up for longer than I can remember until receiving their new product.

I’ll be honest. We drink a LOT of coffee. (So much so that we have a coffee blog haha!) We were pretty concerned about moving from a 12 cup coffee maker to an 8 cup. Especially one that didn’t have a timer.

But we wanted to try it out and give it a shot so we did! And let me tell you…2+ yearw later and we are SO happy with our coffee maker!

Let’s get into it.

OXO

Oxo 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review

This post includes affiliate links.

First, a bit about OXO the brand. We are certain that you have heard of the brand OXO. They have everything from home appliances like our coffee maker to organizational products to utensils!

They’ve been around for a long time and are really good at what they do.

OXO was started by a father son team in New York City Sam and John Farber. They actually founded OXO after Sam’s wife got arthritis and started to have trouble cooking and cleaning. Sam (and John) started designing tools to help her!

OXO Brew Features

Let’s chat through the features of the OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker

1. Rainmaker Shower Head

The OXO 8-cup has a rainmaker shower head method which evenly distributes the water over the grounds. This helps all of your coffee grounds to get evenly saturated with water versus just one spot.

The integrated bloom cycle also pre-soaks the coffee grounds just like it would when making a pour over.

2. BetterBrew™ Precision

The BetterBrew controls water temperature, water volume and brew time.

3. Double-Wall, Vacuum-Insulated Thermal Carafe

Nobody likes cold coffee (unless you’re making a delicious iced cold brew recipe, like this one!)! One of the worst things about our last coffee maker was the carafe. The OXO 8-cup has a double walled, vacuum insulated thermal carafe to keep your coffee hot longer.

You also don’t need to worry about opening up the lid before pouring, all you need to do is pour!

coffee bar

One update on the thermal carafe. After about 2 years of using this coffee maker we noticed that the carafe didn’t keep the coffee as long as it used to.

I emailed customer service who asked me to take a temperature of the coffee grounds immediately after brewing and to feel the outside of the carafe to see if it was warm to the touch.

Turns out it was warm to the touch and that’s not supposed to happen! After I told them that they sent out a new carafe. Now that’s great customer service!

4. Single Serve Capability

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker with mug on flipped cover

If you want an afternoon cup of coffee or just want to make your morning cup to go in a travel mug, all you need to do is flip the bottom well cover to elevate your shorter mug so there’s no spilling.

There’s even a smaller brew basket filter accessory to make it easier to make single servings.

5. Specialty Coffee Association certified

This coffee maker is certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). This is a rigorous test that is given for meeting home brewing standards.

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker Review

Girl pouring coffee into mug

As someone who loves coffee and has used quite a few different coffeemakers in my day, the OXO Brew 8-Cup is truly one of the best I’ve used!

First up, it’s incredibly easy to use. It brews fast yet still brews delicious, strong coffee with no hint of bitterness. From the first brew to this morning’s brew, we haven’t had to try different variations of water/grounds/etc to have a better brew since it’s been amazing since day 1!

Having options for single serving or a full pot is perfect for families like ours. We will always go through one full pot of coffee and often times one of us wants an afternoon cup of coffee.

Now we can simply make a cup of coffee in the cup we want to drink it using the removable well cover which allows you to use a short mug or tall mug for single serve brews.

It’s also super sleek and compact and looks great on our counter! It’s makes efficient use of your counter space so this is perfect for smaller kitchens.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker with travel mug on it

Nobody likes cold coffee! This carafe has a brew-through, pour-through lid that keeps your coffee hot but allows you to easily pour your coffee out of it.

We’ve dealt with other coffeemakers that are either super hard to pour out of or don’t keep your coffee warm so this carafe is perfection.

Lastly it’s super easy to use with just 4 buttons on the front. You have a power button, a brew size button (either 2-4 cups or 5-8 cups) and a clean button.

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker Pros

  • Brews a full 8 cup pot in under 8 minutes
  • Compact, sleek look
  • Can brew a single cup or a full pot
  • Easy to pour carafe that keeps coffee hot
  • Makes incredible coffee!
OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker buttons

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker Cons

There aren’t too many cons and the ones that I have aren’t even that bad.

  • There isn’t a timer or clock option. We actually don’t mind this since the brewing time is so quick this isn’t even an issue!
  • The water tank isn’t removable. We use a large pitcher to fill up the tank which isn’t an issues but something to keep in mind!

How to Use the OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker

This coffee maker is incredibly easy to use. Here’s exact steps.

  1. Add water to the water tank. Like I mentioned earlier, the fact that the water tank isn’t removable is one drawback. It has easy to see lines so you know exactly where to fill it to based on the number of cups of coffee you want to make. One thing to note: your brew cycle will use all the water you put in the water tank so only put what you need in there!
  2. Put a paper filter in the brew basket. (Not a fan of paper filters? A permanent filter works too.)
  3. Grind your coffee beans and fill the basket with your coffee scoop. I prefer to grind my beans fresh but you can also use ground coffee.
  4. Pick the “brew into” slider to choose a cup or the carafe. If you’re making one cup, make sure to flip the single-serve accessory on the bottom to the higher option so you can put your cup on it. Making a full pot? Ensure your carafe is set in place.
  5. Push the power button and then the size of your brew.

That’s it! The ease of use is one of the biggest perks of this machine.

I hope this review helps you get a better understanding of the OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker to know if it’s a good fit for you. After using it for over 2 years we still love our coffee maker and are so glad we got one.

It gets used at least once every day (oftentimes more!) and still works great. We would 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a new coffee maker. Overall, the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is a great drip coffee maker that not only looks great but makes great coffee!

Want to check out other types of coffee makers? Check out one of these!

About bit of cream

Rishi and Jen are the creators behind Bit of Cream. They start each morning with a cup of coffee and are on the hunt to make that simple cup of caffeine better and brighter. Feel free to send them a message or follow along on Instagram!

2 thoughts on “OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review: Is It Worth the Brew?”

  1. We have had the OXO 8 cup brewer for almost 3 months now. A few notes that we have:

    Pros:
    – It makes some of the best coffee I’ve had. I noticed an immediate improvement using the same beans that I used in my previous brewer.

    – It is quite fast and the thermal pot keeps the coffee sufficiently hot for at least an hour, which is all the time we tend to need.

    – It is also one of the quietest coffee brewers I’ve owned. Even the beep signifying the end of the cycle is not intrusive.

    Cons:
    – Coffee tends to splash a bit when making into a mug, even when using the pedestal. A tall mug is a must.

    – Some water tends to be left behind in the reservoir. It would be better if the floor of the reservoir had been sloped for more thorough drainage.

    – The seam in the lid of the pot can leak a bit. The lid is not one piece, owing to the design. As a result, the seam is a weak point and I’ve noticed a small dribble on occasion, along with a whistle as the moisture bubbles out.

    Reply

Leave a Comment