Thank you for visiting our site. We have been a trusted and expert coffee authority for over five years. The support of our readers and members sustains our site. Should you purchase products from retailers through links or adverts on our site, we may earn commissions at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases made on Amazon. These commissions are vital in maintaining the operation of our site. We curate some content and strive to provide valuable links to some of the best places on the internet. Please read our disclaimers policy for more information. We trust you will enjoy our site!
Ratio Coffee makes stunning automated coffee brewing machines. Ratio Coffee is a small company in Portland, Oregon with high standards, attention to detail, and quality products. The company has been around since about 2012.
The story goes that the founder, Mark Hellweg, had been collecting high-end espresso machines but realized there wasn’t an automatic coffee maker with a minimalist design. Consequently, Mark teamed up with scientists and designers to create the Ratio 6 and the Ratio 8 coffee machines.
By the way, we have found Mark to be friendly and accessible despite the fact that he is very busy. As you may expect he is busy pouring everything into his company (a little bit of a pun at Mark’s expense). Mark is a great representative of his brand.
These two Ratio machines are often referred to as automated pour-over coffee makers. We’ve previously discussed the difference between pour over coffee and drip coffee machines.
The Ratio coffee makers are certainly more sophisticated than most drip machines especially when it comes to the bloom. However, we still hold our view that a true pour-over coffee is one that you do yourself.
Pour-over coffee is all about manually controlling the brewing process with a good gooseneck coffee kettle and filter coffee equipment. We will look only at the Ratio Six coffee maker in this review. Note that we may write Ratio 6 as well as Ratio Six throughout this post. We know this is being inconsistent but hopefully, it helps people find this post if either phrase is typed into a search engine.
The Ratio Six Coffee Maker
Ratio 6 Coffee Maker is Ratio’s latest attempt in raising the bar within the coffee automation industry. Ratio 6 features an elegant minimalistic design, a one-button functionality, and a three-step brewing process that focuses on precision and consistency. It is not an understatement that Ratio 6 makes great drip coffee with the touch of a button.
It was only a matter of time before we reviewed it and it’s time to present you with our findings! And who knows, this might be the perfect brewer for that special spot on your kitchen counter.
Before you even consider purchasing a Ratio 6 Coffee Maker, you should first know your product. If you love your cup of coffee as much as we do then you know that choosing the right coffee brewer is a very important decision.
We are going to help you figure out if this one might be right for you, so let’s start by breaking the Ratio 6 down to its parts, specs, and main features.
Ratio Six Coffee Maker Parts & Specs
Ratio 6 Coffee Maker package
- Ratio Six Coffee Maker
- Ratio Six Insulated Thermal Carafe + Filter Basket
- Lid for Filter Basket with Heat Shield
- Catcher for Filter Basket
- Ratio Microfiber Towel
- Basket Paper Filters – 4 sample filters
- Operation guide
- Removable power cord
Ratio 6 specifications
- Brews up to 40oz. (eight 5oz. cups)
- It comes in three colors: stainless steel, black, or white.
- Powerful 1400 watt/120-volt heating element (available in Europe in 230V)
- Dimensions: 13.5″ deep x 6.75″ wide x 14.25″ tall
- Weight: 8 lbs
- 5-year warranty
Main Features
Ratio 6 offers one-button functionality making the brewing process simple and consistent. The coffee maker itself is built with thick, precision-stamped stainless steel with satin stainless steel or matte black finish for a sleek look.
The water lines are made from hand-blown borosilicate glass while the copolymer water tank is BPA-free. The tank capacity is 44 ounces / 1.3 liters and water markings from 2 to 8 cups ensure ease of use.
There is a removable heat shield around the showerhead which is an amazing addition as it stops the water from spraying around and keeps your coffee at the right temperature while brewing.
The carafe is insulated to keep your coffee hot and fresh.
Ratio Coffee has its own specialized basket paper filters for consistently precise flow-through performance. These filters are designed to properly extract the full potential of your coffee and are made from laboratory-grade paper. However, you can also use a flat bottom basket filter or #4 paper filters such Melitta.
Brewing with the Ratio Six
There is nothing complicated about brewing coffee with Ratio 6, in fact, your brew will be ready, quite literally, at the touch of a button. The main steps to brewing with the Ratio 6 are
- Fill the tank
- Choose your filter
- Add coffee grounds. Ratio recommends starting with 14 level tablespoons (70 grams) for a
full batch or 8 level tablespoons (40 grams) for a half batch. - Warm the carafe. You can preheat the carafe with hot water from your kettle or by running a brew cycle of any size without coffee.
Alternately, you can fill the tank beyond your intended batch size and stop the brew cycle when the tank reaches the
desired level by touching the button. If you run more than intended, just top off the tank as needed. - Begin the brewing cycle by pushing the start button.
The button on the Ratio 6 activates a three-step brewing process: Bloom – Brew – Ready which we’ll discuss in more detail later.
Ratio 6 removes variables like water temperature, extraction time, and pour-over pattern so you can worry less about making your coffee, and more about drinking it.
All you really need to do is fill up the water tank according to how many cups you want to make and add coffee in the filter basket. Then you just wait for the magic to happen!
So, how does it differ from all other automated drip coffee makers out there?
Well, aside from the high-quality features we described previously, Ratio 6 offers two bespoke elements for coffee aficionados: the bloom function and the brew shower head.
The Bloom Function
During the ‘bloom’ phase, the Ratio Six delivers enough hot water (at 195ºF/90ºC and 205ºF/96ºC) to fully saturate the coffee grounds for optimal extraction at any brew volume. For a full batch, this is about 5 ounces (140 ml) of water.
Blooming is a super important step of the pour-over and drip coffee brewing process because it’s the moment the coffee grounds come in contact with the water for the first time. When this happens, the grounds release carbon dioxide which results in the formation of small bubbles in the coffee bed.
These bubbles create channels for the water to pass through and if that happens unevenly then your coffee will not extract to its full flavor potential. So, during blooming the idea is to wet all the coffee grounds evenly for about 30-60 seconds before continuing with the brewing process.
This is why when brewing with Ratio 6 you will notice a short pause between the bloom and the brewing step as the water is saturating the coffee grounds. This is definitely not a function you find in most automatic coffee drip coffee makers, so hats off to Ratio for keeping up with the coffee industry standards!
The Brew and the Shower Head
When the Ratio Six switches from ‘Bloom’ to ‘Brew’ hot water continues to be delivered from the shower head. Depending on the amount of water you add to the tank, the brewing time will take between 5 and 7.5 minutes, including bloom rest period and final draining of coffee grounds.
The heating element will keep the water temperature between 195ºF/90ºC and 205ºF/96ºC. If the tank is empty, the heating element will turn off.
When brewing has completed the machine enters the ‘Ready’ stage. The water may continue to drip through the
coffee grounds for about 10 to 40 seconds depending on the grind.
The Ratio Six will turn itself off automatically after the carafe has been removed. If you do not remove the carafe the ‘Ready’ light will blink for 20 minutes.
Standard automatic brewers and even manual brewers usually feature up to three holes that distribute the water to the coffee bed. This is a common cause for uneven extraction as the water is poured directly into the middle of the coffee grounds and only runs through there.
The great thing about the Ratio 6 shower head is that it features multiple small holes that are brilliantly placed with such precision to achieve uniform water distribution on the coffee bed. And since the coffee bed is flat-bottomed all coffee grounds are evenly saturated at the same time.
If you ask any coffee professional they will tell you this has a great impact on the final result, as the water extracts all those amazing aromas and flavor notes of the coffee directly into your cup!
Brew Control Handover
Regarding brew control, if you are someone who enjoys manual brewing methods but is thinking of trying an automatic coffee maker, you need to be prepared to give up some of your brew control over to Ratio 6.
With Ratio Six you won’t need a timer to tell you if your coffee is ready, nor will you be the one who controls how much water is poured over your coffee and in how much time. What’s more, Ratio 6 doesn’t offer mid-interrupts, where you can stop the brewing process and agitate the grounds if you normally wish to do so.
You are basically relying on Ratio 6 to do all the job for you. It’s definitely less hassle, less use of the equipment, and a much quicker process. But if you are someone who loves changing different variables while brewing this might take a while to get used to!
Cleaning and Warranty
A not-so-fun part of brewing a cup of coffee is the cleaning that comes after. Thankfully the Ratio 6 can be easily taken apart and cleaned so you don’t have to deal with much hassle.
Cleaning the Ratio 6
The cleaning process is as easy and quick as the brewing process. You can simply compost or discard the used paper filter and rinse the thermal carafe with hot water. The Ratio 6 also offers a product called the Ratio Wash, which you can use for a more thorough and deep clean every now and again.
Warranty
Ratio 6 is one of these coffee makers that are just built to last. It features an innovative build process and each part is made with materials of the highest quality, hence the hefty price tag.
This coffee maker really is the definition of an investment though. It might seem a bit expensive at first glance but the price reflects its outstanding quality and Ratio knows this, that’s why they offer a 5-year warranty for it.
Reviews
We could only find two reviews of Ratio 6 on Amazon with one a 4-star rating and the other a 5-star rating. One reviewer didn’t like the structure of the carafe because it didn’t pour well. Ratio 6 is currently unavailable on Amazon.
Newsweek called the Ratio 6 “A brilliant hands-free pour-over coffee maker”
Wirecutter hasn’t reviewed the Ratio coffee makers. We think that they are missing a great coffee maker.
Jori Korhonen from BaristaInstitute.com website said that the Ratio 6
“…brews delicious coffee.”
We assume that Jori used his favorite coffee for the brew so that he knew what to expect.
Pros and Cons
The Ratio 6 is definitely an impressive coffee maker but is it right for you? Let’s break down the pros and cons to help you figure it out.
Pros
✅ Brewing precision
✅ Insulated double-walled vacuum-sealed stainless steel carafe
✅’One-touch’ operation
✅ No plastic screws, tubes, or environmentally harmful parts
✅ Hand-assembled in the USA from cast metal, borosilicate glass, and real hardwoods
✅ Optimized shower head
✅ Bloom function
✅ Elegant and attractive design
✅ Keeps your coffee at the perfect temperature
✅ Easy to dismantle and clean
✅ 5-year warranty
Cons
❎ No mid-interrupts. That is, once the brewing has started you can’t interrupt it to manually stir the coffee grounds
❎ Relatively expensive
❎ You do not completely control the brewing process
❎ No control over the total brewing time
❎ Not ideal of those who only brew 1-2 cups per day
Final Thoughts
The Ratio 6 Coffee Maker brings together a sleek and innovative build with optimized brewing functionality and high-quality materials. What impressed us the most is the meticulous attention to detail throughout every stage of the brewing process.
The Ratio Six is a great coffee maker. I think its automatic pour-over method brews good coffee so that even those who aren’t coffee snobs will notice a difference from a standard drip machine.
The Ratio 6 has definitely a lot of things going for it: it’s fast, it looks awesome and it brews an amazing cup of coffee. So, if you are someone who is on the lookout for a top-quality coffee maker, the Ratio 6 is definitely worth the investment.
Currently, Ratio Coffee is offering a 15% discount on Ratio 6 so get in quick before the sale finishes!
Ratio 6 on YouTube
Related Posts
Some related posts you may like.
The Best Electric Drip Coffee Makers
Best Automatic Pour Over Coffee Makers
The Perfect Cup. 7 pro tips for making French Press Coffee
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.
