Ratio - Ratio Six

I am also local to PDX and that was a factor in my buying the 6. I have heard these issues have been sorted out with the newest model, but the build quality is abysmal. I have had to get mine in for warranty service twice because the finish was flaking and chipping off under totally normal use due to the following design flaws: 1. The rubber gasket on top of the filter basket and carafe catches on a “lip” at the end of the top of the machine, and the steam/coffee oils/acid weaken the finish, which over time starts to peel off due to the gasket catching on this lip (hard to explain in words) 2. The carafe has six little plastic nubs on the bottom which scratch the finish on the base of the unit. There is a very specific way you can assemble and disassemble the whole “brewing stack” to avoid these issues, but frankly I don’t think a coffee maker in this price bracket should be this fragile and fiddly. Anyway, the third time this happened, Ratio told me they couldn’t fix my model anymore due to not having any more parts in this color and suggested I just buy a new one. No “hey we’re sorry your $400 coffee maker has been such a problem, here’s a discount on a new one” or “we only have parts in this color, is that okay” or “here’s the updated carafe design which will prevent the problem from getting worse,” nothing. I wasn't expecting them to do anything for free since the machine is out of warranty, but they made no attempt to accommodate me as a longtime customer who's had repeated, documented problems, just “buy a new one.” The Ratio makes better coffee, but only slightly, and the MoccaMaster wins on build quality, repairability, and customer service imo.

The Moccamaster is a fine auto drip coffeemaker but another one that is SCA certified and about the same price is the Ratio Six...quality through and through and a flat bottom brew basket...it has auto bloom which the Moccamaster lacks. It makes very very good tasting coffee once you experiment and get your optimal coffee to water ratio and grind setting.

Ratio Six! SCA approved! Coffee is HOT! Expensive but solid quality build and automatic bloom.

Ratio Six > Moccamaster KGBV > everything else We had one of those really fancy expensive Breville brewers, but it tasted like plastic even a year later.

Oh gosh, a long long time. At least 5 years. Very happy with it. Still have it.

If you’re in the US, go find a local TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. They typically have Breville Precision Brewers for on sale for $179. I actually got one for $89 recently. Any of those on your list will be perfectly fine though. I like the OXO stuff for the money, but if you can wait on a moccamaster sale you’d be in good shape. It’s not my favorite brewer at MSRP (I much prefer the Breville precision, the Ratio 6, and the Fellow Aiden—all of which I’ve owned), but if you can get it around $200 it’s great.

If you’re using a good machine and grinder there’s really no quality difference whatsoever once you’re dialed in. Drip and pour over are conceptually the same thing, it’s just a matter of if you wanna do it yourself or not. I make pour overs for smaller weekend or evening cups, batch/drip for mornings before work to save time and brew larger cups. Using a Fellow Aiden currently, which has been great but also have the Breville Precision (also great) and have had the Ratio 6 and Moccamaster previously.

If you’re going to experiment with different beans/roasts from different roasters then get a conical burr grinder (Baratza encore) and a Moccamaster. Take good care of them and they will last you a long time. If you’re just going to buy ground coffee from a typical grocery store then I wouldn’t bother w it and just get a Ninja. I’m not a snob about it (i still drink Dunkin every day) but the Moccamaster is easy to use and clean and it really does brew in such a way that it brings out the different notes in different coffees. It made me look forward to trying out different roasters because I knew I would get a correct brew w the machine and I look forward yo trying new roasts. If you do get the Moccamaster get the thermal carafe if you plan on enjoying coffee over the course of a day. It keeps it warm a long time; I initially had the glass carafe and even though it had a heating plate it would shut off automatically and the coffee cooled down quickly. Just a note, my favorite roaster (George Howell) recently said he preferred the Ratio Six over the Moccamaster because it distributes the water more evenly. I gave it a shot and while I think it makes an excellent cup equal to the Moccamaster I find that it’s just not as well designed overall and has more parts to clean and the way the filter slots in between the spout and carafe is annoying to me. Best of luck whatever you do. There are so many great roasts out there waiting for you to try.

Technivorm Moccamaster is good but it has dry spots so you need to stir with a spoon during extraction. AFTER PAYING $250 for it. Bonavita has shower head so this problem doesn’t occur. Ratio Six has too shallow a bowl and coffee grounds can float up over the side unless you use a coarse ground. So you’ve paid $350 for a drip machine where you can’t fine tune a grind for best flavor. Using higher wall Bunn paper filters helps a little bit. Love the Clever. Lobe the Bonavita with thermal carafe. Love Chemex. Love Technivorm with thermal carafe. Sowden Soft Brew works kinda like a French Press but makes a smoother coffee.

Ratio Six checking in! Great brewer. There have been a bunch of improvements since Hoffmann reviewed it couple years ago

I’m curious why there was no mention of the Ratio 6. I love mine for batch brewing. I am hoping when mine kicks the can down the road an Aiden 2 is out or something similar. Personally I am one of the people that really wants to see good materials. I found the plastic off putting in showrooms.

I was going to update this but got delayed. I ended up ordering a unit from Breville (took 9 days to receive), but decided to return it after opening the box and looking at the parts. The showerhead is silicone, and is also super small with just a few holes spread about 3/4" in total ... so it blooms by saturation, filling the basket in water vs. wetting the grounds evening from the showerhead. The hot water path appears to be all plastic up through the stem and over to the showerhead ... so not what I was looking for. For what it's worth I ordered a Ratio Six with the glass carafe bundle directly from Ration (another 9 day wait). After using that for the past week with different options (thermal vs glass carafe, different filters, etc.) we found that the Ratio glass carafe with the Chemex circle filter and using the heat shield makes an awesome 8 cups of dark roast. Also avoids any plastic from the hot water onward, so pleased with our final upgrade.

Depending on how much you want to fuss over coffee, either Aiden or Ratio would be my recommendation.