Crew Comparison: Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker vs OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup

How Does It Compare? We’re all about making great coffee you love at home and that includes the infamous drip brewer—they don’t have to be so infamous! The Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker and OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker brew at the ideal temperature (197.6 to 204.8 degrees F) earning their spot as an SCAA certified product, AKA these drip brewers deliver excellent coffee. To add some perspective, the SCAA (Speciality Coffee Association of America) has decades of knowledge, research and experience developing standards for coffee makers, so you can be sure you’re getting the best coffee at home. [caption id="attachment_13067" align="alignnone" width="474"] The Bonavita Brewer 8-Cup features the updated stainless steel-lined carafe.[/caption] Drip coffee has never been easier than with these machines. The Bonavita 8-Cup sticks to the basics with simple manual controls, while the OXO Barista Brain—as the name implies—features programmable settings for advanced convenience. For those convenience seekers, the OXO Barista Brain features auto-on for instant morning coffee—need we say more? Let’s dive into the brews and brains of these two SCAA-approved drip brewers. [caption id="attachment_13071" align="alignnone" width="474"] The OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker is an SCAA certified drip brewer.[/caption] Brew The Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker (model BV1900TS) brews up a flavorful cup of coffee thanks to the U-shaped filter basket. The U-shaped design works to fully saturate grounds and when we pulled the basket out to check, we saw even water distribution from the sides to the center. The OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker differs with a cone-shaped filter, so we saw more saturation in the middle. As we know, drip coffee makers, including the hybrid drip and pour over automatics like the Chemex Ottomatic, can have a tough time evenly extracting coffee, so we were more than pleased with the Bonavita 8-Cup’s performance. [caption id="attachment_12791" align="alignnone" width="474"] The Bonavita features a U-shaped filter basket that improves saturating grounds.[/caption] These brewers are named for their cup size, but in the coffee world, cup size is a tricky animal. When we talk about cups, we’re using the US coffee cup standard of 6-ounces. In the baking world, 8 ounces equals a cup (and, to be thorough, a European cup of coffee is 4.25 ounces). Bonavita and OXO, however, use 5-ounces for a cup of coffee. That’s why we’ll provide ounce measurements on our website. The Bonavita 8-Cup has a 40-ounce reservoir and the OXO Barista Brain has a 45-ounce reservoir. So if size matters, you’ll have one more cup of joe with the OXO. [caption id="attachment_13075" align="alignnone" width="474"] The OXO's 45-ounce reservoir makes enough coffee for the whole family.[/caption]

Brains

The OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup earned its name! The programmable auto-on feature is—going out on a limb, here—the highlight of any home brewer’s morning. It’s also not a hassle to program; to set the auto-on time, simply press and hold, then use the dial to spin to the time of your choice. You can also set the clock and change the number of cups you brew between 2 to 4 or 5 to 9 cups. Since the OXO Barista Brain comes with a stainless steel thermal carafe, there isn’t a heating element. But it’s not missed, the thermal carafe will keep your coffee toasty for about an hour. [caption id="attachment_13072" align="alignnone" width="474"] With the OXO, you can program the clock, set the auto-on or change the number of cups you're brewing.[/caption] Another brainy feature on the OXO Barista Brian is the pause and pour. Remove the carafe and the brewing process stops so you can pour yourself a glass midway—yes, please. Although, we did notice that there was a considerable amount of dripping coffee after removing the carafe. When you’re done pouring, make sure to place it back within 60 seconds to resume brewing or you’ll start the process all over. And, while this isn’t super brainy, we’ll add that OXO added a silicone mixing tube that channels the coffee from the carafe opening down to the bottom of the pot to thoroughly mix the brew. [caption id="attachment_13074" align="alignnone" width="474"] The OXO's pause and pour feature allows you to get a cup mid-brew.[/caption] The Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker, while built with basic controls, features something the OXO doesn’t have: pre-infusion! What we love about pre-infusion is it’ll create more consistent and even flavor extraction, thus giving you that bright, flavorful cup of coffee you deserve in the morning. See, drip coffee doesn’t have to be terrible. The pre-infusion needs to be manually started and then it will go into the brewing process. That’s to be expected since the Bonavita 8-Cup doesn’t feature an auto-on function. In all honesty, it’s not difficult to start, but it’s more involved than pressing the pot on and letting it brew. If you have 30 seconds in the morning—come on, we know you do—we think you’ll be able to use this feature. [caption id="attachment_12793" align="alignnone" width="474"] Use this button to turn on and activate the pre-infusion.[/caption] Beauty

The Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker’s brushed stainless steel casing sports matte black accents, creating a timeless looking coffee maker. And we enjoy the matching stainless steel lined thermal carafe, which will keep your coffee warm for about an hour. Bonavita no longer offers the glass-lined carafe’s and we haven't noticed any difference in the quality of the coffee. The only beef we’ve heard about the carafe is that it doesn’t pour out all the coffee. Fortunately, coffee friends, we tested it out for you and it only left 0.75 ounces in the carafe. Our solution was to tilt the carafe about 45 degrees over the cup to get the majority of coffee out.

[caption id="attachment_12790" align="alignnone" width="474"] The Bonavita's new stainless steel-lined carafe keeps coffee warm for about an hour.[/caption] The OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker has similar looks to the Bonavita with stainless steel casing and a glossy black body. However, the design feels robotic with the clear reservoir and sleek shape. The OXO’s digital display adds modern flair with convenient technology we see on products today. The best feature for the caffeine-deprived is the pause and pour—that’s luxury at its finest. As we mentioned, the only downside is that it’ll drip a little, but with no heating element to burn the coffee, clean up is a breeze. Conclusion

If you’re looking for impressive drip coffee, then look no further than the Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker or the OXO Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker. Both are SCAA-approved, which means they’re guaranteed to deliver hot and flavorful coffee. If you’re looking for more features and convenience, however, then we’d recommend checking out the OXO Barista Brain to fuel your mornings. The Bonavita 8-Cup is simple to use and features pre-infusion for those who want a little extra control. What do you think—if you had to pick between two SCAA brewers, which would you take home? Let us know in the comments!