OXO On Barista Brain Review

Are you ready to move on from the cheap, $20 coffee maker that you’ve relied on to brew a half decent cup of coffee? The Oxo Barista Brain 9-cup Brewing System is honestly a taste of the finer things in life because it is an ideal buy for those of us that like to make sure that each cup is a bit more special.

If you have needs that go beyond a cup of coffee, you can also us the Oxo Barista Brain for brewing tea, hot chocolate, or any of the other recipes you can make with the use of a hot water kettle.

Open up the box

When you receive your brand new Oxo Barista, you’ll have to go through the relatively quick calibration process before you can brew the perfect cup of coffee. So, you’ll just have to set your machine up on your counter and plug it in. After that, you’ll press down on the single button below the display. The rim of the button or the temperature dial around the button will glow red.

Once you’ve finished that, just unplug the Oxo Barista and plug it back in, then turn it on. Your Oxo Barista is all set up!

When you make your first cup of coffee, you can twist the dial to adjust the amount of coffee that you’d like to make. You can do this in 2 cup increments, and you can make as little as 4 cups of coffee and as much as 9 cups of coffee. While you’re brewing coffee, you can also pull the carafe off of the burner mid-brew. The magnetic plates underneath will sense when the carafe is back and resume your brew.

Performance

The Oxo Barista brews a great tasting cup of coffee. It brews coffee between the optimal temperature points (197.6-204.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and exposes your brew to water for the recommended time specified by the Specialty Coffee Association or the SCA – check out the full list of SCA certified coffee makers. This is a big win for OXO because competing brands like Keurig still haven’t mastered preparing coffee at the right temperature.

The Keurig stops just shy of the best temperature to brew your coffee.

Its excellent temperature control allows your favorite specialty coffees to flourish. You’ll be able to taste the subtle, smoky notes of the dark roast you’re drinking, or the bright, nutty and citrusy notes of the bright roast that you adore most. The Oxo Barista allows your coffee of choice to flourish because it’s brewed in the absolute best conditions.

Maintenance

This coffee maker is just as simple to clean as it is to use. The removable shower head and water delivery tubes are easy to clean, which is a critical component of making a long lasting coffee maker.

Design

• The Oxo Barista does look impressive yet overwhelming at first glance. It almost looks like a chemistry set, but it’s actually comprised of a water kettle, stainless steel thermal carafe with a rubber grip on the handle, and the brewer basket.
• The Oxo Barista is a full brewing system, so it’s going to appear larger than the average coffee machine. However, it’s serving more than one function compared to the number of things that a mid-grade brewer can do. It is 15.4 inches tall, 14.7 inches wide, 7.5 inches deep.
• You’ll have to carve out a respectable amount of counter space but it’ll still look less cluttered next to your other appliances than a standard coffee maker and even some of the other Keurig models.

Features

• A metal rod connects the hot water kettle and the carafe and brewer basket.
• Rainmaker showerhead in the brewer basket.
• A programmable timer.
• Backlit LED screen and dial.
• Cone shaped brewer basket.
• The brewer sits on a circularly shaped pedestal

Price

The Oxo Barista is pricier than most people are used to, even its competitor, Keurig, retails their newer models at a little under $200.

Other Uses

At $200, the average coffee lover might expect the Oxo Barista to do more than just brew coffee. In that regard, it definitely delivers. You can brew your favorite teas using the hot water kettle, and the perfect temperature can help you make sure that your tea flourishes.

Additionally, you could use the hot water kettle to make meals like instant oatmeal, ramen noodles, and more, which is why it could be a good buy for the busy office worker, college student, or parent that needs to get their cup of coffee brewed and food on the table within five minutes.

About OXO

OXO was founded by Sam and John Farber (father and son), entrepreneurs in the housewares industry. Sam Farber pick the name “OXO” as an ambigram that renders the three letters regardless of their orientation, either vertically or horizontal.

In 1990, the first OXO kitchen tools were introduced to the U.S. market at an exhibition in San Francisco, California. Now, OXO offers over 1000 products including coffee makers.

Conclusion

Is the Oxo Barista Brain 9-cup Brewing System for everyone? Well, let’s go down the list. There may be some of our readers that are looking to move on from the cheap gas station coffee that they chug down before work every day, and a new home brewer might be exactly what they need.

Given that the Oxo Barista Brain 9-Cup Brewing System retails for around $200, a new coffee or tea drinker might want to start with a simplified drip brewer.

However, true and seasoned coffee lovers might enjoy the option to have an independent water heater/kettle, coffee brewed at the perfect temperature with a variety of blends, and the option to make tea and small meals.

The $200 can certainly be worth it if you’ve been looking to move on from the cheap coffee maker you bought forever ago, you need more variety and a streamlined approach when it comes to your coffee.

The Oxo Barista Brain 9-Cup Brewing System is promising a lot in one machine but despite the $200 price tag, the multifunctional system is definitely worth buying one of your own to see if it lives up to all of its expectations.

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