The Ratio Six is a single-button coffee maker that produces barista-level brew

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/02/19/the-ratio-six-is-a-single-butt.html

I’ll have to physically push a button like, like an animal?
What is this, something from the 1950ies?
Where is the disruptive IoT functionality, where is the app?

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I’ve got a white plastic Mr. Coffee thing that works exactly like this one except it’s godawful ugly. And cheap. Cost $11. TBH I’d rather have the Ratio Six, but at a savings equivalent to a chunk of mortgage payment I’ll keep the Mr. Coffee.

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The BB shop used to sell the Wilfa, a far better automatic drip maker, for under $100. Too bad that one sold out.

I also don’t see anything saying they’ve actually tried it, so once again they’re just shilling for a cut. Not really endorsing it.

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Is that all it does?

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I respect your choice to hang on to your 300 clams, but there is a huge difference between your Mr. Coffee and a good, premium drip maker (water temperature and drip speed being the biggest factors). You can get into a much better cup with something more reasonable, like a ~$100 Bonavita (which I own and use daily).

I also own a $300 Technivorm Moccamaster, and while it is a great coffeemaker, I wouldn’t have been willing to plunk down those dollarydoos without the superlative reviews it’s accumulated. Kickstarter campaign ad copy isn’t gonna do it.

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A car payment or a coffee maker? Hmmmm.

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Hey, man, don’t judge, but I’d rather drive a shittier car.

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sheesh…low car payment, I’m jealous.

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Can’t cut into my coffee funds!

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well, i just paid off my car, AND…our trust Cuisnart Coffee/Tea maker is finally dying…

So…one more car payment away!!!

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You could probably also wash your underwear in it.

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Bonus portion measure device included! Nice.

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“Simulated barista pour over process,”

In other words, it will do what you can do with a kettle and a $5 Melitta filter holder.

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I believe “Simulated barista pour over process” is fancy upcharge marketing speak for “drip coffee” maker, give or take some slight nuances. (very slight)

When I make a pour over manually, I add water until the cone is completely filled, and stop before spilling everywhere. Then, as the level drops, I add more water until it’s completely filled again, repeat until all water is used. I’m sure quality varies by how low I let it get in between adding water. From, standing right there constantly keeping it topped off, to doing something else and refilling when it’s stopped dripping, repeatedly.

I’ve yet to see a model that includes a camera, weight sensor, or something else to tell how full the water level is over the coffee grounds. Instead, they all look like they simply add water over some time schedule that’s conservative enough to not overflow.

The only difference in all these machines between “drip” and “Simulated barista pour over process” seems to be how aggressive that fill time is, trying to add more water earlier.

For the price, I’ll stick with my eyeballs for regulating the water rate. Now, if your priority is the “just one button”, then by all means, get whichever machine makes you happy. Nobody should be shamed for their choice of machine.

A good electric kettle will certainly produce more consistent hot water over time than any coffee pot, and bonus, it can be used it for all kinds of other cooking tasks that need hot water too.

After that, pick whatever filter process and brew vessel meet your specific requirements. The exact equipment needed when you only brew one cup for a single person is very different than brewing an entire pot for a group of people to consume immediately, to one person consuming a pot over many hours. Pick the components that solve a specific need.

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If I’m looking at that photo right, there’s an aluminum moka pot on a portable small induction burner(?), with a steel disk inserted between the induction burner and the pot so the latter will actually work on the former? And then that whole thing is put on another electric burner, maybe also another induction burner?

I snagged a Technivorm years ago from CL for $100 and have been happy with the purchase. That said, we splurged for a Gaggia Brera a few years back for… $400(?) for the day to day machine in the house and have been well caffeinated every since.