Coffee & Espresso review
Ratio Six Review: 204.4°F, and the Basket Sits on the Carafe
TechGearLab measured the highest average brew temperature of any machine in their group, then scored user friendliness 4.9 out of 10 because of where the filter basket lives.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Ratio
Ratio Six
Good · researched from 3 sources
The hottest and among the most consistent brewing in its test group, in a machine built like laboratory glassware and operated by a single button. The filter basket sitting on the carafe is a design decision you will feel every single morning.
- Buy if
- Light roasts, which two sources single out · Anyone who wants one button and no settings at all · Households that leave coffee in a thermal carafe rather than on a hotplate
- Skip if
- Anyone who wants presets, timers or adjustable temperature · Large batches, at 40 oz · Cooks who want everything in the dishwasher
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The hottest brew in the group
TechGearLab measured an average of 204.4°F, at the very top of the 195 to 205°F window the SCA specifies, and note that it consistently brews at some of the highest temperatures of any machine they have tested.
Coffeeness and Whole Latte Love both put it around 200°F. That four degree spread is most likely where the thermometer sat rather than a disagreement about the machine.
The result is a brew quality score of 8.5 out of 10 and a consistency score of 8.1, and two sources independently reaching for light roasts as the thing it does best. Coffeeness describes a clean, transparent cup.
And then the basket
The filter basket does not attach to the machine. It sits on the carafe.
Which means that when brewing finishes, before you can pour anything, you lift a hot basket full of wet grounds off the top of the carafe and find somewhere to put it.
TechGearLab calls that a significant usability problem with real mess and spill hazards, and it is why user friendliness scored 4.9 out of 10 on a machine whose coffee scored 8.5.
Nothing about it is broken. It is simply a decision you will interact with every morning for as long as you own the machine.
Built like laboratory equipment
Coffeeness' inventory is worth reading in full: a precision-formed stainless steel housing, hand-blown borosilicate glass supply lines, a 1400 watt die-cast aluminium heating element, and a BPA-free plastic reservoir.
Behind it, a five year warranty, which Coffeeness singles out as unusually comprehensive.
The carafe is double-walled stainless steel with no hotplate underneath, which is the correct answer: a hotplate slowly cooks whatever is sitting on it.
How long it holds heat is the one thing the sources disagree about. Coffeeness says about an hour. Whole Latte Love says still warm and fresh after four. Whole Latte Love sells the machine, so weight that accordingly.
One button
There is no timer. No temperature setting. No strength control. One button, with indicators for bloom, brew and ready.
For a machine at this price, that is unusual, and it is deliberate: the argument is that the SCA certification already fixed the variables and there is nothing left to adjust.
If you want to change how it brews, buy something else. The Breville Precision Brewer elsewhere in this catalogue lets you set bloom time, flow rate and temperature, and TechGearLab ranks it above this on their overall score and below it on nothing that matters to the cup.
The rest of the cleaning story
The carafe is not dishwasher safe and its opening is narrow, which TechGearLab found makes it awkward. They scored ease of cleaning 5.5 out of 10.
Coffeeness found the carafe lid's pour spout difficult to manage with a real spillage risk, which is a second complaint about the same part from a different direction.
Coffeeness otherwise describes maintenance as easy, and the filters are ordinary Melitta 8 to 12 cup flat bottom papers rather than anything proprietary.
How it scored
The overall 7.1 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Performance
TechGearLab scored brew quality 8.5 out of 10 and consistency 8.1, measuring an average brew temperature of 204.4°F at the top of the SCA range. Coffeeness measured about 200°F.
Value
TechGearLab scored 68 out of 100 and calls it expensive for the feature set. Coffeeness considers the price justified by the materials and the attention to detail.
Build quality
Stainless steel housing, hand-blown borosilicate glass supply lines and a 1400 W die-cast aluminium heating element per Coffeeness, with a five year warranty.
Ease of use
TechGearLab scored user friendliness 4.9 out of 10, because the filter basket rests on the carafe rather than the machine and must be removed before pouring.
Ease of cleaning
TechGearLab scored cleaning 5.5 out of 10, noting the carafe is not dishwasher safe and has a narrow opening. Coffeeness calls maintenance easy.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab measured an average brew temperature of 204.4°F, the top of the SCA range
- SCA Golden Cup certified, which two sources confirm
- An automatic bloom cycle before the main brew
- Hand-blown borosilicate supply lines and a stainless steel housing per Coffeeness
- A double-walled stainless thermal carafe with no hotplate
- A five year warranty, which Coffeeness calls unusually comprehensive
What we didn’t
- TechGearLab scored user friendliness 4.9 out of 10
- The filter basket rests on the carafe and must be lifted off before pouring
- The carafe is not dishwasher safe and has a narrow opening
- Coffeeness found the carafe lid's pour spout difficult and prone to spilling
- One button and no settings, so nothing is adjustable
- Expensive, which TechGearLab raises directly
Specifications
| Brew temperature | 204.4°F average measured by TechGearLab; about 200°F per Coffeeness and Whole Latte Love |
|---|---|
| Brew time | About 6.5 min per TechGearLab; a 45 s bloom then a 7 min brew per Whole Latte Love |
| Bloom | Automatic, using about one cup of water and starting roughly two minutes in per TechGearLab |
| Capacity | 40 oz brewed from a 44 oz reservoir per Coffeeness; TechGearLab rates it at 5 cups |
| Carafe | Double-walled stainless steel thermal, no hotplate |
| Heating element | 1400 W die-cast aluminium per Coffeeness |
| Supply lines | Hand-blown borosilicate glass per Coffeeness |
| Filters | Melitta 8 to 12 cup flat bottom papers |
| Certification | SCA Golden Cup |
| Warranty | Five years |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
TechGearLab tested it against other drip coffee makers and supplies the measured average brew temperature, the timed brew, the bloom cycle behaviour, the category scores and weights, the capacity rating and the usability and cleaning criticisms, scoring 68 out of 100. Coffeeness supplies the construction detail, the wattage, the reservoir and brew capacities, the filter type, the certification, the carafe retention estimate and the pour spout criticism. Whole Latte Love supplies bloom and brew timings, a dose figure and a second carafe retention observation; they are a retailer selling the machine, their review states no criticisms, and their evaluative claims are treated accordingly and not used for the verdict. The three sources give brew temperatures of 204.4°F and about 200°F and both are reported.
What we read
Common questions
How hot does the Ratio Six brew?
What is wrong with the filter basket?
Is it SCA certified?
How long does the carafe keep coffee hot?
What are the drawbacks besides the basket?
The bottom line on the Ratio Six
The hottest and among the most consistent brewing in its test group, in a machine built like laboratory glassware and operated by a single button. The filter basket sitting on the carafe is a design decision you will feel every single morning.
More home & kitchen reviews
Coffee & Espresso
1Zpresso JX-Pro
Forty clicks a rotation and more than two hundred settings, on 48 mm burrs that are larger than most electric grinders carry. It weighs 800 grams and you turn it yourself.
Coffee & Espresso
Baratza Encore
Every espresso review tells you the grinder matters more than the machine. This is the grinder they mean, and it is also the one that cannot pull espresso.
Coffee & Espresso
Breville Barista Express
It puts a burr grinder inside the machine, which is why beginners buy it. One reviewer measured dose variation of two to three grams between shots, which is why they outgrow it.