“I've only had this machine for a week, so I can't speak to durability long term. However, I like everything about it except that there is a sensor built into the base of the machine that turns the machine on or off if you remove the thermal carafe that it comes with. I understand this is pretty standard on all coffee machines. I don't feel the feature was adequately explained on the website. It should read something like "We built in nanny tech so that only our carafe can be used with the Ratio Six. If you try to use your own pot, mug, or glass the machine will not turn on." Also I knew it didn't have an auto start feature when I bought it, but it certainly should, as that is a very simple add. Remove the dumb nanny tech, add auto start, and this is a nearly perfect coffee maker.”
“Love the white color, also love the cup that comes out of it but I hate the power cable positioning, which is very annoying if you’re trying to place the machine next to a wall with the buttons facing the other way. Also, the positioning of the power button and lights should be on the side of the machine, not in the front.”
“Got this for my dad compared to the ratio 8 and he actually likes it better! I am extremely happy with my purchase and so is my dad! I would highly reccomend this to anyone that is a coffee addict.”
“I work in the specialty coffee industry and have nearly two decades of experience as a barista, roaster, industry educator and director of coffee. Over these years, I've had my hand on many pieces of equipment, and feel I have a fairly broad knowledge of many coffee brewing technologies. I'll provide a very cut and dry, objective review focusing on the technical aspects of this brewer, as tested it in my lab, and in comparison to competing models such as Bonavita 8-cup and OXO 8-Cup.
PROS:
-Aesthetic: while a subjective aspect of the brewer, one could objectively say it has a higher aesthetic than many other brewers out there
-Brew status indicator: this is a nice design feature, as most home brewers don't alert you as to when the brew cycle is finished.
-Flatbottom Filter: always provides a more even extraction than conical and modified wedge design filter baskets. One big gripe of mine regarding the Technivorm KBT, which I think this brewer directly competes with, in terms of price anyway.
CONS:
-Inaccurate Tank Fill indicators: the marks on the tank were not true to volume. This is the first thing I always test with a new brewer. I measured my water externally with a graduated pitcher, then poured it into the tank. The marks on the tank read about 200-300 mL too high, so you can't really use them if you want any accuracy with your brew ratio
- I was able to brew a 1:16 ratio with a medium roast at a full fill (1300ml), but not without some struggle. I initially tested with a Baratza Vario W grinder, as one might have in their home, if they have the dough to spend on a nice home grinder. But the Baratza couldn't grind coarse enough; that is, the grind quality at the coarse end on the Baratza is not very good and produces a very uneven grind, resulting in overflowing in the brew basket, extended brew time, and over-extraction. I could only remedy this by using a commercial-grade grinder, a Mahlkonig EK43, which I doubt anyone, except maybe some Google execs are going to have in their home. Depending on the quality of your grinder, you may find that you'll be limited to a reduced brew volume to avoid overflow.
-Dispersion Screen/Spray Head: I wish this was both wider and/or designed to direct the streams to hit the coffee towards the outside of the basket. As designed, the water mostly dribbles into the center brew bed. This wasn't too much of an issue with the EK43 grind, but with a typical home grinder, this results in some amount of cratering of the brew bed.
Overall, I was expecting more for the price point. I was able to brew the same size batch on both the Bonavita and OXO with the crappier grinder and avoid too serious of an overflow issue, I think this is mostly due to their superior dispersion screen designs. Considering both of those brewers are less than half the price of the Ratio 6, I'd lean towards those if I were a price-conscious consumer who valued quality in the cup over aesthetics. But if you desire a higher aesthetic and have the means to pair this with a high-quality prosumer or commercial grade grinder, then this certainly will meet the all criteria.”
“I do love the Ratio 6 coffee maker for several reasons. It looks great. I love the fact that the hot water goes through glass and not plastic for the majority of the machine. It is beautiful when you take it out of the package. The white looks better in person than I was expecting. It makes a really good cup of coffee. For almost $400.00, there are some reasons I would not give it 5 stars. Once used daily, it becomes more of what it is- a coffee machine. It makes a great cup of coffee but not amazing. The temperature is really hot. The carafe and basket take a bit of time to clean by hand. I do not feel any coffee machine should be at this price point. I will not return the machine due to internal structure being glass and not plastic. This is the main reason I purchased the machine. I so wish the price point was toward the $200.00 range to make this more accessible to customers. And for the price point I do hope the machine continues to work for a very long time. I will probably purchase the glass carafe at some point so there will be less clean-up and the temperature of the coffee being hot but not scalding. Overall I would definitely give the machine 5 stars if the price point was lower. It is a very good machine. Customer service has been prompt and helpful.”
