“Just the right size to keep on the kitchen counter looks great. It’s important to read the instructions first regarding to pre heat the water. When you pre heat the unit the temperature is great and the coffee is brewed correctly. The start button is very sensitive. If it turns on by accident just hold the start button for a few seconds it shuts off. You do get some drips from the basket when you remove the glass craft that needs to be wiped down. The Ratio 4 produces a great cup of coffee worth the wait.”
“4 out of 5.
Pro - Definitely makes great coffee, no bitterness. Right size for me, the only coffee drinker in the house.
Con - the start button is much too easy to press while loading the basket (happens about 90% of the time); this may inherent to these kinds of devices but inevitably it will drip into the tray while you're filling your cup, as it has no valve.”
“A great entry-level automated pour-over machine that makes fantastic coffee. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the Six or Eight, but it’s probably one of the best coffee makers at its price point. You won’t be disappointed with the flavor. Bonus: the tank, carafe, and filter basket are easy to clean AND the shower head is removable for cleaning. I’ve never seen that feature at this price.”
“The machine is great except for 2 glaringly obvious design flaws. The first and most significant is the placement of the brew button in relation to the filter handle: it is near impossible NOT to press the brew button when removing the filter.
The second flaw is that there is no drip stop: the machine continues to drip liquid LONG after brewing is complete.
I’ll also note that the sound the machine makes while brewing is an incredibly obnoxious high-pitched noise. Very glad I pre-ordered at the price I did, because I would not pay the current full price for the quality of this machine.”
Hey Kate! Thanks for the feedback. If you accidentally press Start button, just hold for 2 seconds and it will turn back off.
We have thought about a drip stop on the filter basket but decided to go with more of a traditional pour over style that doesn't have a valve. We have a ceramic dripper that can support the filter basket and catch those drips easily: https://ratiocoffee.com/collections/carafes-drippers/products/catcher-white
You should notice that noise diminish or go away as the pump wears in. We had to use a durable pump to match our 5 year warranty and so it makes a bit more noise than is ideal, but the pump manufacturer tells us this will wear in and reduce.
Thanks again for taking the time to send us your thoughts!
Key Kumiko! Thanks for the feedback; if you add an extra inch of water and let it run through the machine and carafe, then turn it off, add coffee and hit the start button again, it will raise the temperature by 6-8 degrees. We have optimized for best coffee flavor...
“I have no hesitation in recommending the Ratio 4. It does exactly what we bought it for, and does it very well. We've tried different brew sizes and have gotten very good results. It does exactly what it claims to do, does it very well, and is pretty quick about it.”
“This is a great, easy-to-use, coffee maker. It makes good coffee and is easy to keep clean. The brewer is a bit slower than others but makes up for the speed with well-made coffee.”
“I’ve been using my Four for about a week now. Really happy with it , especially with some small tweaks. The standard filter basket/carafe works well with any size batch, though Ive found that I can better replicate my standard v60 flavor profile by doubling up the paper filters in the filter basket. I’m using cheapo Amazon filters, so maybe they are thinner than the official Ratio filters? Looking forward to trying those. I have used my v60 directly with the Four and found it worked best (as in best flavor) when I used a small block under the mug such that there was minimal gap between the shower head and the top of filter. Never had an issue with splashing regardless of gap. I also love the usability of the removable water tank and the small overall footprint. Build quality is solid; the materials are not as luxurious as the 8 but good enough, and it looks great on the counter. The glass carafe is particularly nice. The only annoyance I’ve had is accidentally pushing the single button as I’m inserting or removing the brew basket. I’m getting better about resting my empty hand on top of the brewer to avoid this, but it is a bit counterintuitive at least at first. I’m thinking guests will still be able to use this without worry as it’s not much different from more familiar drip brewers, and that should be a welcome change from my potentially daunting pour over setup. Overall this is the best automated brewer for how I prefer to make/consume coffee: streamlined single serve pour over. Thanks Ratio!”
