The behmor brazen plus makes an excellent cup as well. The wife does mostly drip and loves it, it will make 4-8 cups and stays hot for at least an hour.

fzman wrote:So, being Mr. Impatience, I did buy one using the 20% off coupon from BBB. I liked the fact that the water 'pitcher' could be used just as a heater.

Took some time to get the grind and quantity right to get a tasty cup, then the brewer started throwing a descale alert,and would not brew the whole amount required..... After a week of light use? I have an undersink 3-cannister filter, so I think the water is not too hard.

I cannot abide this amount of maintenance, if it is not a defect, and if it is defective, I'm not sure I want to put up with trying another sample. I wish the smaller one had the removable water pitcher..... oh well. And, btw, the machine is too dumb to be able to brew an odd number of cups. wtf?????


How is the ottomatic? it looks way cool, but I really need something to do 20-24 OZ of coffee and keep it hot for a hour-- is that too much to ask for? How about the small Bonavita? Ottomatic? anything else come to mind?

Thanks!

I have the Ottomatic and it does a very nice job at brewing too! I enjoy using it because it is quite simple and it really is the most authentic to pour over. However, I need to sell it to help fund my latest espresso purchase - see my Buy/Sell Ad if you are interested. I do not want to become a collector of brewers! LOL which is tough.

After a couple weeks of daily use, I haven't been hit with the descale alert yet. I'll post here when I do and if I have any issues.

So, I returned the OXO to BBB today. I was not in the mood to put up withdescaling it that often- seemed to me like it was defective, or at least too fussy about water and maintenance for my taste. I was also a bit confused about why it coiuldn't figure out how to do odd numbers of cups. This morning, while waiting for some time to return the OXO, Imade my morning coffee with my Brazen plus, and it tasted waaaaay better to me than any pot I'd made with the OXO. I did use the grind setting I'd been using before with the Brazen, which was less fine that with the OXO, and uing somwhat less coffee per OZ of water.

I bought the OXO, not just for the cool factor, and the promise of the golden cup, but because the Brazen carafe does not hold temp for me without preheating it (for which I do not really have time in the morning. This with a 4-cup batch, where the second mug-full is tepid after about an hour or less of brewing. I did order the 5-cup Bonavita to try out thinking that making a full pot on it might solve the flavor and temperature issues in one fell swoop, and I can still return it if not.

I'll post my results if people are interested.

Oh I am sorry to read that you returned it. I have the 9 cup version and am totally satisfied and it really does a nice job. I make between 3 cups and 5 cups for the most part. I believe that for the 9 cup version, the "Brain" selection of 2-4 and 5-9 cups regulates the amount of pre-infusion and timing of the application of water to the grounds and in no way influences the overall amount of coffee being made. I understand this may be different on the 12 cup version whereas it can split the water between coffee and/or the "boiler" for tea..etc.
In fact, I sold my Ottomatic since the 9 cup is so good....for me at least... and those funds can now be used for espresso.

I was interested in the larger machine also, because of the water heater function, and that it was detachable. The 9 cup is neither.... It was a nice way to induge my gadject habit under the guise of simplifying. The large Bonavita can brew into a Chemex, but I got the small one to try. Life is compromise.

Well if your goal
Is to keep 2-4 cups of coffee warm for an hour your going the totally wrong route imo.

The thermos I am about to show you is the most incredible thermos ever. Coffee will be too hot to drink directly out of it 8 hours after you put it in. I have literally put ice cream in it (one time only) at 330am and it was just as hard as when I took it from the freezer later that day at 1230. This is what you want my friend. I have a couple different models of the same, all work equally as well. Way better than any other thermos.


http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-SA60 ... hi+thermos

I just registered specifically to post this.. Prior to posting, I just checked out the forums specifically to search for info/ reviews on the OXO brewers! I guess if there's a lack of opinions out there, and I have one, I might as well let others know.

So I have an 8 cup Chemex and it's my preferred way to get my daily fix. I also recently got extremely lucky, finding the 8 cup/ 1 liter Technivorm at a consignment store, for $30. Outstanding deal that I couldn't pass up, and I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Now I have a habit of checking that store almost daily for new coffee gear. Most recently, I was again super lucky to pick up an OXO 9 cup Barista brain brewer! I know very well the retail price is $199, but this one was $25. I don't understand people sometimes, but their loss is my gain.

Enough bragging..
I brought it home and tried it out.. It leaked onto the counter before I even pressed the brew button. So that sucked. I called OXO the next day, Monday, and because these machines have a 2 year warranty, they overnighted me a new brewer and I was able to make coffee Tuesday night!

High fives all around. Enough bragging again..

This this is definitely, immediately better than the technivorm. It has the key feature of the technivorm, the ideal brewing temperature, plus much more. Aesthetically, it looks 10 times better than the bonavita, technivorm, and the brazen. Functionally I can only compare it to the TV, but it's better for sure. The TV has a spray arm with 9 holes designed to evenly saturate the coffee.. These 9 holes, however, are all basically in the center of the brew basket. The only way I can hope for even extraction is by occasionally lightly stirring the grounds during brewing, thus not automatic. The OXO has a spray head similar to bonavita, in that it's a circular showerhead that actually fits the shape of the brew basket.
This results in, most importantly, a delicious cup of coffee. I would say its comparable to my Chemex brews, which is what I was aiming for in the first place. The 9 cup also has a brew through lid with some sort of mixing arm inside, basically the goal is to have the fresh coffee go to the bottom of the carafe for even distribution. Sure. Works fine, I guess.

Something I like more about the TV, is that the water doesn't touch plastic after being heated. The reservoir is plastic, but after heating, it travels from glass to steel to grounds. The OXO water sits in a plastic reservoir, then travels up a glass tube, to a silicone tube, to the plastic showerhead. Not a huge deal, in my opinion, but it's certainly enough to deter some people.

All in all, I'm initially happy. TV has been around for years because it's a well built, long lasting machine. I plan on selling the TV and keeping the OXO. I can only hope to get at least a few years out of it. We'll see what happens after!