OXO - Brew 8 Cup Coffee Maker

I have the OXO 8-cup. It’s a simple, dumb machine that has been brewing good, single mug coffee for me for 5 years now. The “descale me” light no longer shuts off even after a clean cycle now. But that’s OK as I just run a citric acid solution through her on a regular 6-month schedule. It’s Jan. 1, so that means she’s due as of today.

What "Features"? I got a drip machine to make coffee easy. Espresso is a whole different thing. Don't spend that much on a lark. The Oxo and MM will make similar coffee, the KBGV Select will do a better job of small batches, and is more BIFL as its more repairable. Spend the leftover on a grinder.

I’ve had very good results with this coffee maker. OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9G93WK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It’s worth pointing out that you’d almost certainly need a different grinder for good espresso. The general consensus is that the grinder is worth spending more on than the machine for espresso (or will make the bigger difference). Your Encore is great for filter, French press etc. so you might want to focus on those if you’re not wanting to open the grinder can of worms. I have an espresso machine, an OXO 8 cup, French press and aeropress and am very happy with all options. I tend to use whichever feels like less work at the time, which oddly varies. Aeropress is sensational value for a really good cup of coffee. Hope that’s useful :)

I am really happy with my Oxo 8 cup. It has two brew sizes and very little electronics. I have had it for a few years already and don't really see how it would fail. https://www.oxo.com/8-cup-coffee-maker.html Edit: I now see this won't fit your requirements... but the simplicity of this and similar makers is what makes them last a while.

+1 for Oxo. Browse FB marketplace, we found ours brand new unopened for half off.

Yes. This unit gets the temperature and drip just right.

>price The one without the warming plate has an insulated vacuum carafe instead of a glass one, and that's what you're paying extra for. The warming plate version has a cheaper glass carafe. The vacuum ones will keep it hot for a while even if they're not in the machine (so you can brew it and take the whole pot to another room), and won't make your coffee taste burnt after a while like hot plates often do. Downside is being hand wash only. >Pods It's saying that it has to ability to brew a single cup, something not always possible on this type of machine, by using a smaller filter holder (included) instead of a k-cup or whatnot. Both machines appear to come with the accessory if I'm reading the description right, so you can just ignore it as a deciding factor between the two.

When I had the same desire, we ended up buying this machine: [OXO 8-cup coffee maker](https://www.oxo.com/8-cup-coffee-maker.html) Especially if you do a good job keeping it clean, it does a good job making 2 cups of coffee using the Kalita wave insert. We drink light roasted coffee, usually fruity natural Ethiopians. We use 40 g of coffee at about 630 g of water. Although you are supposed to use the Kalita wave insert along with the larger brew basket, I stopped doing that so that it was easier to keep the machine clean.

My wife and I used to make pourovers every day before we had kids, but for the last few years, we've been trying to simplify. We switched to a machine. I wanted one that could do a good job making 1-2 cups of coffee and be able to brew a big pot whenever we wanted. We chose the OXO 8-cup coffee maker. [https://www.oxo.com/8-cup-coffee-maker.html](https://www.oxo.com/8-cup-coffee-maker.html) It has an insert that uses a Kalita 185 filter, and I find that this works great for 20g of coffee (one cup, ground on our Fellow Ode Gen 2 at about 4) or 40g of coffee (two cups, ground on the Fellow Ode Gen 2 at about 7). I like that it has a bloom phase, too, even if it's not adjustable. We mostly use the machine to make 1-2 cups. To keep it easy to clean, I have made the following modifications: 1. Contrary to what the instructions state, I completely removed the big filter holder and only use the Kalita 185 filter holder by itself. It's a little wobbly, but it prevents you from either having to clean the big holder or from developing off-flavors from a poorly-cleaned big filter holder. 2. I brew into an old glass French press carafe when making 1-2 cups of coffee. I only use the OXO's included stainless steel carafe to brew an entire 1L+ batch. Honestly, if I had a bigger French press, I would never bother with the stainless steel carafe--I find it next to impossible to keep stainless steel from smelling like stale coffee, and the carafe design makes it hard to get the last 50 mL of coffee out. Our French press comes out sparkling clean from the dishwasher. We also use Urnex Tabz every few months. [https://urnex.com/tabz-z61-coffee-equipment-cleaning-tablets](https://urnex.com/tabz-z61-coffee-equipment-cleaning-tablets) 3. The water distribution is just okay, so I do a quick stir with a small spoon after two minutes. I wish that I didn't have to do this, but it's just making the best of the machine we already have. I'm usually in the kitchen, so it's not a big deal to me, but it does mean setting another timer in the morning. 4. James taught me to stir my coffee with a clean spoon before pouring, so I do that, too. Good luck! Let me know if you find something that works better for you--I'm interested!

> why would the one with a warming plate be cheaper? This requires a little explaining. Basically: the warming plate costs nothing. The reason the other one is more expensive is because of the carafe: the glass carafe on the warming plate version is way cheaper to manufacture than the thermal carafe from the other one. (Relatedly: you definitely want the thermal carafe version. Warming plates are the enemy of good-tasting coffee.) > What exactly is meant by 'podless'? Aren't they both podless? Yeah you have this right, and it's a stupid word. However, the point they're making isn't "podless", it's "podless single-serve". Which is still a stupid phrase. But here's the deal. Pod machines are designed for _single-serve_ coffee: they make one cup. The 8-cup coffee maker linked above (both versions) has an accessory designed to let you do the same: stick a smaller amount of water and coffee in the thing, and brew it into a cup instead of the usual carafe. The glass carafe version comes with that accessory, whereas the thermal carafe version does not; you have to buy it separately. That is why the glass carafe version says "podless single serve" in its title. > Is one coffee maker better than the other? Ish. In general: yes, not all drip coffee makers are created equal, some are much better than others. This is a good one. However, of the two you linked, you *definitely* want the thermal carafe one. Again: hotplates are the enemy of good-tasting coffee.