If you’re more than the average coffee lover and want better-tasting coffee, the OXO 9-cup Barista Brain Coffee Maker might be your new best brewer. This intelligent drip coffee machine guarantees each cup of coffee hot and delicious, with easy-to-use controls and features.
Check out this extensive list of the best drip coffee makers on the market today before you make your final decision. Purchasing a coffee brewer is a big deal, and you want to make sure it has all the functions you need in the price range you want.
Keep reading to see why the OXO 9-cup Barista Brain coffee maker could be the automatic drip coffee maker for your home.
What’s So Great About the OXO 9 Cup Barista Brain?
The OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker is kind of a big deal. It’s one of the smartest devices currently available and includes a 2-4 cup setting and a 5-9 cups setting. The only thing it doesn’t have is a single-serve option.
Each cup of coffee tastes like pour-over coffee, a method that most coffee aficionados know results in excellent coffee. And you’ll know that each sip meets the Gold Cup Standard set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA).
The OXO BREW 9-cup coffee maker is for any coffee drinker who wants that manual pour-over coffee quality without all the hassle. You’ll feel like a barista in the comfort of your home with this high-tech drip coffee maker.
Why Choose the OXO Barista Brain 9-cup Coffee Maker?
OXO took great care to ensure that each cup of coffee brewed in the OXO Barista Brain 9-cup Coffee Maker meets the Gold Cup Standards, or what we call the four T’s: brew time, perfect water temperature, turbulence, and total dissolved solids. In other words, bolder flavor and quality coffee.
This high-tech OXO coffee maker includes fully programmable features to brew the set amount of coffee, including a programmable timer to wake you with your favorite delicious coffee smell.
If you want an easy-to-use, simple interface with fully programmable features and a coffee maker that delivers great-tasting coffee with pour-over coffee quality, then this is the machine for you.
We also love the Pause and Pour feature that lets you grab the carafe mid-brew to fill your cup. Once the machine detects the OXO 9-cup’s thermal carafe has been removed, it pauses brewing, and a red carafe light appears on the LED interface. The brewing cycle resumes and finishes if you replace the pot within sixty seconds.
And talk about brewing time! The OXO Barista Brain 9-cup coffee maker takes an average brew time of six minutes to complete the brewing cycle. You won’t wait long for your not-so manual pour-over coffee.
This machine uses standard paper coffee filters and includes ten to start you out. It also comes with a handy coffee scoop for measuring coffee grounds.
So why wouldn’t you choose the OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Maker?
Well, for starters, it’s massive. I can’t stress this enough. At over 17 inches wide and 15 inches tall, this bulky coffee maker towers over the average coffee machine and takes up some serious real estate on your kitchen counter.
The stainless steel thermal carafe is also challenging to clean. You’ll want to invest in a special dish brush to reach the bottom. It can sometimes leak if you don’t clean it well.
And, though all plastic parts are BPA-free plastics, none of them are top-rack dishwasher safe.
Finally, this attractive coffee maker brews some of the best-tasting coffee you will ever drink. But it comes with a hefty price tag. If you can only afford a budget coffee maker, you may want to look elsewhere.
Things We Like
- Rainmaking Showerhead
- Pause and pour feature
- Programmable features
- Easy-to-use OXO Button
Things We Don’t Like
- Not a compact drip coffee maker
- Water reservoir not removable
- Difficult to clean
Highlights of the OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker
Basic Specs
| Dimensions | 15" x 8.3" x 17.2" |
| Weight | 11.4 lbs |
| Carafe | Stainless Steel Thermal |
| Water Reservoir | 9 cups / 36 oz |
| Brewing Basket Type | Automatic Drip |
| Warranty | 2 years |
The OXO Coffee Maker is a high-tech piece of machinery that is sure to serve up perfectly heated, flavorful coffee at the push of a button every time. The manufacturers took great pains to ensure this coffee machine meets the highest standards to rival any professional machine you’ll find at a coffee shop. Below are some of the great things the OXO Barista Brain has going for it.
And check out this YouTube video to see this product in action.
Appearance
This machine is oversized -15 inches tall by 8.3 inches thick and 17.2 inches wide – so you’re sure to feel like a professional while using it. However, its sleek design looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, and it will wow any guests.
If you have the counter space!
The digital screen and circular dial sit on one side of the machine, set inside the black plastic housing. A stainless steel band at the top of this side separates it from the large, transparent water reservoir. The top is black-finished plastic.
On the opposite side, separated by the hinge, is the top that lifts so you can insert your filter basket and coffee grounds. The housing for the filter and coffee is also shiny metal. Underneath is the Oxo 9-cup’s thermal carafe, made entirely of stainless steel with a plastic carafe lid and handle.
The sleek black and silver design compliments any home decor and adds a touch of style to your kitchen. If you have the extra counter space, your OXO Barista Brain can become another of your beloved appliances.
Temperature Control
If I am to enjoy my coffee, it has to be at the optimal temperature. I’m not one of those people who likes coffee warm. The OXO Barista Brain heats the water to the ideal brewing temperature of 197 to 205 degrees before it brews coffee into your carafe.
The included stainless steel carafe is double-walled and vacuum-sealed to keep your coffee fresh and hot for hours. Inside, a silicone mixing tube blends the coffee before pouring, so each cup tastes fresh and yummy.
Some customers did experience problems getting all of the coffee out of the carafe; they often had to throw away the last half cup or so. There have also been numerous complaints that the coffee maker continues to drip liquid once you’ve removed the carafe. There is no drip-stop option.
There were also some cleaning issues. The carafe must be hand cleaned, which can be difficult for those with large hands.
BetterBrew Precision
To ensure each pot of coffee is made to the Gold Cup Standard, the OXO Barista Brain 9-cup Coffee Maker uses a controlled brew cycle, which mimics the pour-over brewing method.
The brewing starts with a short cycle of hot water poured into the cone-shaped brew basket, equally saturating all of the grounds simultaneously, thanks to the seven-hole rainmaker showerhead.
After the first short cycle of water, the remaining water continues to disperse in controlled portions after being correctly heated to the desired temperature. Your coffee is sure to be full of flavor and equally heated. There’s no worry about hot spots with this auto-drip coffee maker.
Programmable
Programming my automatic coffee machine to brew the nectar of the Gods at a specific time is a crucial necessity for me. For others, it might not be such a big deal. It seems like the folks at OXO Brew agree that a brew timer is a necessity.
The OXO Barista Brain can be programmed with ease to brew the proper amount of coffee at whatever time of day suits your needs. Simply hold down the OXO button – the only button on the machine – until the display switches to the 24-hour start timer.
Now, you’ll set your time using the selector dial – the OXO button. Be sure you pay attention to the AM or PM, so your coffee brews at the proper time. I’ve made this mistake a time or two.
Next, select whether you want to brew a small pot, which means turning the selector dial to the 2-4 cup option, or a more significant amount, which means you’d choose the 5-9 cup option.
Large Water Reservoir
To control exactly how many cups of coffee you end up with, you’ll have to use the transparent reservoir, which holds up to nine cups (40 ounces) of water – enough to make a full pot. The water tank is labeled for your convenience.
Unlike other coffee makers, the reservoir cannot be removed for filling. However, the OXO Barista Brain design makes it easy to refill the tank by lifting the lid and pouring in the volume of water you want to use.
LED Screen
I love coffee makers that include a working clock, and the OXO Barista Brain doesn’t disappoint. The clock is constantly displayed on the backlit screen in bright, large numbers. It even lists AM or PM, which I genuinely appreciate.
Another cool thing that you’ll see on your OXO digital screen is a freshness indicator. A timer starts to count up to 60 once the brew cycle ends. This indicates how many minutes have passed since you brewed the coffee. You never have to worry about drinking stale coffee again!
When you remove the carafe, a small red carafe icon starts blinking on the digital screen, and the area around the backlit button control turns red. It’s a great way to remember to put the carafe back after you’ve made your cup of coffee so the OXO Barista Brain can resume its brewing cycle. You gotta love that automatic pause and pour feature.
Additional Products
If you’re going to purchase the OXO Brew 9-cup Maker, you’ll need great-tasting coffee beans. This machine requires that you grind the coffee before brewing instead of using whole coffee beans.
I recommend the Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder with its conical burrs and multiple grind settings. With an easy twist of the hopper, you can change the ground coffee from coarse for cold-brew coffee makers to fine for espresso.
OXO even makes an excellent product for making cold coffee and their own French Press. OXO also produced a 12-cup version with a removable 45-ounce (1.3 L) water tank that doubled as a hot water kettle. However, that model has been discontinued.
OXO makes an 8-cup machine very similar to the 9-cup version in terms of excellent coffee, but it’s half the size.
Unfortunately, there are no attachments you could purchase to make this coffee maker do specialty drinks like cold brew, mochas, coffees, or teas. Given the size of the machine, it would be nice if it did more than make delicious cups of coffee.
How It Measures Up
Compared to other advanced coffee machines like the Bonavita BV 1900TS or the Technivorm Moccamaster, the OXO Barista Brain is similar in performance. However, users found the OXO Barista Brain to have more intuitive controls than its competitors.
The Technivorm Moccamaster 10-cup coffee brewer has some features we’d love to see incorporated into the OXO brewer, including a manual brew basket or an independent hot plate and glass carafe.
The Bonavita BV 1900TS has many features similar to the OXO Barista Brain, including a stainless steel carafe. But for me, the OXO is much more stylish. What I do love about this model that isn’t available in the OXO line is the automatic pre-infusion cycle, which pauses the water after the first shot so that the coffee can bloom for more balanced flavor extraction. However, it can only make eight cups at once.
You Can’t Go Wrong with the OXO Barista Brain
The OXO Barista Brain is sure to become your favorite coffee maker. It only takes three steps to have a piping hot pot of flavorful coffee ready in about six minutes.
- Put in the filter and pre-measured coffee
- Pick your serving size (and start time if you’re using automatic brewing)
- Push the OXO button
The hardest part about owning this Specialty Coffee Association-approved coffee maker is the wait, although you do have that nifty pause and pour option so you can stop it mid-brew. You may not be able to make any specialty coffee drinks, but this OXO Brew 9-cup will deliver complex flavor and excellent coffee.
Happy Caffeinating!
OXO Barista Brain 9 Cup Coffee Maker Review
This big batch coffee maker is like no other! Check out our full OXO Barista Brain review if everyone you know loves their coffee.
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