Hi everyone,
I'm fairly new to this forum, having only discovered and begun reading it recently. My favourite coffee shop just closed and considering how much time and money I have spent there, I am now considering at home brews.

I love coffee and am looking for the best value for my money. I do not mind paying more if I am paying for a better product.

A little bit about myself that may be helpful:
I was formerly trained in Chemistry and worked in many labs over the years. The best coffee I have ever had was definitely one that a coworker brewed for me using dedicated coffee making chemical glassware (i.e. it was glassware that had never been used for anything other than making coffee) with a Bunsen burner flame. Even though the brew was a bit strong for my liking, never have I appreciated the taste and richness of coffee more. However, I cannot replicate this set up myself because I since developed a disability that has made it dangerous for me to work in labs. I have lost a lot of the function in my hands that is needed for precise tasks.

As such, while my Chem degree instantly draws me to the Chemex and perfecting a pour over, I would most likely end up "pouring everywhere" . An automated system would be amazing and so the Chemex Ottomatic seemed perfect - designed by the same people who knew how to perfect a cup manually. The reviews (albeit sparse) seemed great and I was willing to pay the price tag until...

I dealt with their customer service. I did not have the positive experiences that everybody else seems to report. I need this shipped to Ontario, Canada and they only had a UPS option. UPS tends to slam Canadians on trumped up customs fees that I did not feel too happy about paying because of how weak our dollar has been lately. I emailed them requesting a USPS shipment but their representative took a while to get back to me, after which the product began appearing as "Sold Out" on the Chemex website. When I emailed them about this, no response. I then called in and was told that unfortunately nothing could be done and my order would not be processed, but I could wait until November for a December production. Especially frustrating and unfortunate and they didn't seem to quite care about the fact that I'd be waiting a whole quarter for a product that I was more than happy to pay a good chunk of money for.

The Ottomatic is still my first choice even though Chemex's customer service still leaves something to be desired. I was looking into other automated pour overs though and came across the Ratio. The Ratio seems great, though much more expensive. The cons (compared to the Chemex) are that condensation builds up on the shower head, the showerhead does not seem as wide as the Chemex, it's way more expensive and does not necessarily have the same legacy of Chemex to go with a reputation, and there appear to be very few units out in use right now so it's even harder to find reviews. It also doesn't seem to keep the coffee warm so I have to drink it within 20 minutes, which seems silly.

Right now it seems that all I can do is wait for the Chemex Ottomatic to come back in stock and hope that customer service is not as crappy as the first time. I figure that I'll pay the unnecessary UPS fees because leaving it to their representatives to handle was not effective and I don't want to be told that I need to wait 8 months before I can have a reliable coffee maker that meets my needs. This fall, I will be starting a new job at a university that requires late shifts and early starts so I was desperate for a caffeination strategy before then but I don't know if that will work out.

Any advice or suggestions?

In addition to the Chemex Ottomatic, is there another brewer I should be considering? Also, I do have a kitchen scale but was wondering what type of grinders people found best for automated machines?

As a Canadian I am well familiar with UPS gouging on customs.

What I (and a lot of other Canadians) do is use a US drop box in Niagara Falls (I use CBI) to ship to and then I drive down and pick it up. You become your own customs broker. Plus you get to see the Falls which never gets tired.

I don't know where you are in Ontario but this saves many headaches.

Hi and thank you for your response!
While I would love to drive, unfortunately, I do not have a car and might only be able to get one in December 2016.

Also just wanted to add this because I don't know if it would make a difference...

My preferred type of coffee is a cafe au lait, which is why I was planning to buy the Ottomatic, a grinder, and a Breville stainless steel milk frother. I don't know of any steamers that are better than the Breville, but then again, that could just be lack of knowledge on my part. Any suggestions or advice regarding this would also be appreciated

For many years the Technivorm Moccamaster was the only home brewer certified by the SCAA. In the last three years, however, several other manufacturers have stepped up with new products that met SCAA standards. The tests are rigorous, and manufacturers are often disappointed.

This is the current list:

• Technivorm Moccamaster
  Bunn Phase Brew 8 Cup Coffee Brewer
  Bonavita 8 Cup Exceptional Brew Coffee Maker with glass or thermal carafe
  Brazen Plus Customizable Temperature Control Brew System
  KitchenAid Coffee Maker KCM0802
  Bonavita Coffee Maker (model BV1900TS)
  Bonavita BV1900TD 8-Cup Digital Coffee Brewer

For SCAA's standards and testing protocols, see here: http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2.

So are fellow forum posters recommending I just wait for the Ottomatic?

No. If you are willing to use them, 3 from Marshall's list with which I am familiar are the:
Three listed Bonavitas and
Technivorm

All make superb coffee and are available on Canadian Amazon.

The Ottomtic will use Chemex filters which create a discernable filter taste (for me). The paper filter from Chemex is just too thick in my book. The Ottomatic is overpriced.

Good day,

I am like you and recently became interested in a more controlled brew. I researched all the SCCA approved coffee makers and even purchased the Bunn, but returned it. I recently purchased an Ottomatic and have had it for about a month now, and so far am pleased with the results. I wrote a small review over on CoffeeGeeks a few weeks ago. I am not done "dialing" in my perfect brew yet and I will explain why. The first 3 weeks of use, I used store bought ground coffee because I did not have a grinder and knew I would be purchasing a Lido 2. Many people would say, why even bother using store bought ground, but the Ottomatic did take off some of the bitterness that I experienced using my old Krups. I received the Lido 2 last week and have been experimenting with the grind (store bought whole bean...still not the best), which I am discovering needs to change based upon the volume I am brewing.

Like many auto coffee makers, it is difficult to brew 15-20 oz of coffee because the extraction time is quite fast and in many cases the coffee is weak. There are some SCCA approved coffeemakers that help adjust for this, and I think the Brazen is one of them. I am working on the grind to help compensate for this along with the benefit of the Chemex filters. I use bleached filters and they do not have the papery taste as the unbleached ones do. The spray head on the Ottomatic provides good coverage over the grounds and is much wider than that of the Wilfa - based upon the You Tube Video comparison. I wished it offered longer bloom time, but it pulses water over the grounds nicely.

Last night, I purchased some fresh roast from Mountain Air (located just north of my location) and should be getting that this week, Now that I will have fresh beans, and a grinder and both these get me much closer to a high quality cup of coffee than I have ever been before, no matter what brewer I use. Now I believe l will get the added benefit of the Ottomatic.

Is the Ottomatic a perfect auto pourover brewer? No. Are the others better? I do now know, but no brewer is perfect. But I was willing to take a chance on the Ottomatic and so far have been pleased. For me, I wanted a simple automated brewer and not the abundance of parts and attachments found on the other brewers. So the simplicity, the spray coverage, and the design sold me enough to buy one. Is it worth the money? For me, yes, but I am an experimenter and will probably use the next "best" auto pourover...within reason!! I am intrigued by the Ratio, but we all have our limitations on cost. The Ottomatic was at my top threshold for cost.

My next steps? I will use the fresh roast and see what I can do given all the right materials and components. I look forward to it!

What I really need to do is to purchase a long stem temperature controlled kettle and use that on my Chemex and compare it to the Ottomatic to get a true sense of its worth.

Hope I have given you some insight. Good luck with your decision!

You could also spring for an immersion brewer such as the Clever dripper or the Espro Press.
The Espro Press in particular is the one I'd get if I were to start over with buying filter gear. I've had great coffee from those and they could not be simpler to operate.

One of the key factors that SCAA tests for (and so many machines fail) is reaching and maintaining proper temperature. I'm not saying that no other brewers do this, but you have more assurance if the machine has been certified.

That being said, I'm with Bluecold on single-cup brewing. I've used a Clever (or the ceramic Bonavita version) for several years for its simplicity and consistency. I just dispense the hot water directly from a Zojirushi water boiler. It's basically a French press immersion system without the cleanup mess or any grounds in your cup, and the hot water is always available on demand from the Zojirushi.