“Love it , love it, love it! I roast my own coffee and this pour over maximizes the richness of my coffee. It is not only pleasing esthetically, but delivers a wonderful cup of coffee!”
“We love our Ratio 8! It makes the same quality coffee as our prior manually brewed pourovers. I particularly enjoy having this setup the night before to save time making coffee in the morning, and it looks fantastic!”
“This is a fantastic machine if you are looking for a way to cut down the time it takes to make high quality pour-over brews.
Chemex has been our go-to method of brewing for years. However, with 2 kids under 3 spending 15 minutes preparing coffee in the morning has been a challenge. I slightly overfill the Ratio, run through a bloom cycle into an empty filter, dump it out, add freshly ground coffee, and start the machine over again. It takes about 2 minutes of active work and the net result is a fantastic pot every time.
You will need a decent grinder (I use a Rancio espresso grinder on its most coarse setting). I'd watch it the first few cycles to make sure the grind isn't too fine. It'll overflow if you get to wrong.
I also highly recommend using a scale for any method of coffee preparation. I use a 16:1 water:coffee ratio unless the roaster says differently.
Last thing I will say is that Ratio support is great. I've had a couple minor issues and the customer service is top notch.”
“The Machine:
I ordered my Ratio in 2014. I had to wait a bit to actually reveive the machine because it was an initial production. This is an amazing coffee maker. Even calling it a coffee maker seems inadequate. It's a piece of art. The design and workmanship is impeccable. The weight of the machine is substantial. This is due to the top quality materials put into this graceful beast.
The Coffee:
This machine outperforms any machine I have ever tried. It's like having your own barista master in your home at your beckon call to perform a perfect pour-over. I find myself becoming even more particular about the bean choice, because the machine is perfection, but any mediocrity in the bean will diminish the Ratio experiences. The Chicago coffee culture has fortunately grown and evolved in recent years. There are many good choices to flex the capabilities of the machine. We have also experienced bad beans from small batch roasters. The Ratio can't make bad beans good.
Customer Support:
I experienced a dark day this week with respect to coffee. I pushed the Ratio button as I do each morning to brew the finest coffee possible. After 4 years, the machine stopped working. It was at this point that I realized how much the Ratio impacts my sense of well being. I tried to get it to work, but to no avail. I had to stop at Dark Matter Mothership to get my morning cup. Nice place, but no match for what I make at home. I called Ratio customer support to troubleshoot. I was very pleased with the response. Grayson from the Ratio Technical team assisted me and set up my service. They have a fantastic process for service. They stand by their product.
I will need to choose a new route to work and maybe hit Ipsento. Their baristas are masters. Please watch them measure their coffee. Their percission in pulling espresso shots is impressive. Big shoulders, Metropolis, and Intelligencia are also great! Tomorrow it will be Bake. She serves Metropolis and pulls a great shot. I will have to spend $ and try to enjoy while I wait for my Ratio to return.”
