SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER Review: Coffee Maker Worth It?

Coffee lovers keep asking one question in 2026. Can a drip machine brew pour over quality coffee without plastic touching the water?

The SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER answers that question with a bold claim and a bold price tag. It costs around $399 on sale, brews 8 cups in about 6 minutes, and puts glass and stainless steel everywhere the water flows.

I dug into the specs, the owner feedback, and the independent testing. Some parts of this machine impressed me. Other parts deserve a closer look before you spend that much money.

This review covers taste, build quality, real drawbacks, and three strong alternatives. By the end, you will know if THE BREWER belongs on your countertop.

In a Nutshell: Quick Verdict on THE BREWER

Short on time? Here are the points that matter most.

• The brew path really is free of plastic and aluminum. Water sits in borosilicate glass, travels through medical grade silicone, and passes across 304 stainless steel. Your coffee never touches a plastic filter basket or an aluminum boiler. That is rare in the drip market.
• The coffee tastes clean and sweet. Independent testers reported zero bitterness across full pots. The automatic bloom cycle pulses water over the grounds for roughly 30 seconds before the main brew, which mimics a manual pour over.
• Brew temperature stays inside the sweet spot. THE BREWER holds 195°F to 205°F through the cycle, matching the Specialty Coffee Association Gold Cup range.
• The name oversells things slightly. The outer body still uses plastic panels. The machine is low plastic rather than truly plastic free, and reviewers have called this out.
• Value depends on how much you care about materials. At $399 to $479, it costs more than a Moccamaster. You get a five year replacement warranty and replaceable parts, but no lifetime repair program.
• Best fit: households brewing two to eight cups daily who want clean materials and simple operation.

What Is the SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER?

Last update on 2026-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

THE BREWER is an automatic drip coffee maker built by Simply Good Coffee, a California company shipping from Los Angeles. The plastic free model sits at the top of the brand lineup.

The machine brews up to 8 cups, or 40 ounces, in a single batch. A full pot finishes in roughly 6 minutes.

The concept is simple. Take the classic Dutch style drip brewer and rebuild every wetted surface using glass, steel, and silicone.

You get a borosilicate glass water reservoir, a stainless steel boiler, a stainless steel flow path, a stainless steel showerhead, and a stainless steel filter basket. The carafe is borosilicate glass too.

Operation stays refreshingly basic. One switch starts the brew. A second switch triggers the bloom cycle if you want pre infusion.

The filter basket accepts standard #4 cone filters, the kind sold in almost every grocery store. Reusable metal mesh cones in the same shape also fit.

Simply Good Coffee includes a stainless steel scoop, a one month supply of paper filters, and warranty documents in the box. The company also sells a programmable version for about $469 to $519 if you want a wake up timer.

The brand claims over 40,000 homes now use its brewers. Customer ratings on the official product page sit near 4.7 out of 5 across more than 600 reviews, which suggests most buyers stay happy after the novelty fades.

Design and Build Quality Impressions

THE BREWER looks like a stripped back industrial appliance. Think laboratory equipment rather than kitchen gadget.

The glass reservoir sits upright on the left. The filter basket and carafe occupy the right side. Nothing about the layout confuses a first time user.

At 10.5 pounds on the official spec sheet, the machine feels planted. It does not slide across the counter when you lift the carafe.

One detail deserves real praise. Dose directions come engraved on the water tank. The machine tells you how much ground coffee to add for a full batch, which removes guesswork for beginners.

Another smart touch is the drip stopper on the filter basket. This small metal cover blocks the basket outlet so you can pour a cup mid brew without splashing coffee across the hot plate.

Fit and finish drew positive comments from reviewers. The stainless components look precise, and the milled showerhead spreads water evenly across the bed.

Here is the honest caveat. The exterior housing uses black plastic panels. Tom’s Guide flagged this directly and argued the plastic free name could read as misleading.

The brew path claim still holds up. Nothing plastic touches your coffee. The body simply is not metal.

Simply Good Coffee also sells vinyl color wraps for about $29 if the black finish feels too plain. You apply them yourself, and yes, vinyl is plastic.

The Plastic Free Brew Path Explained

This is the headline feature, so it deserves a proper breakdown.

Most drip machines hide plastic in three places. The water tank, the internal tubing, and the filter basket.

Many also use an aluminum heating element. Hot water sitting against aluminum is a concern for buyers focused on materials.

THE BREWER removes plastic and aluminum from all four spots. Cold water sits in borosilicate glass. The boiler is stainless steel.

Water then moves through medical grade silicone tubing and exits a stainless steel showerhead. The grounds sit in a 304 stainless steel basket.

Finished coffee lands in a borosilicate glass carafe with a mixing tube in the lid. That tube stirs the pour so the first cup and the last cup taste the same.

Silicone starts the only real debate here. Some people classify silicone as a plastic. Others call it a rubber.

Food safety bodies generally treat silicone as safe for normal cooking use. You can decide where you land on that question.

Borosilicate glass adds a practical benefit beyond purity. It resists thermal shock, so hot water will not crack it during repeated cycles.

Stainless steel 304 stays non reactive and flavor neutral. It will not pick up ghost flavors from yesterday’s dark roast.

If microplastics in hot water bother you, this brew path is one of the cleanest options available in an automatic machine today.

Brewing Performance and Coffee Taste

Materials mean nothing if the coffee tastes flat. THE BREWER performs where it counts.

Testers who ran dozens of pots reported consistently clean results. Every batch came out fresh tasting with a well rounded finish and no bitter edge.

One reviewer compared the flavor directly against a Moccamaster and found the two evenly matched. Another compared it against a Hario Switch immersion brewer and rated the cup comparable.

That is strong company. The Moccamaster has been the benchmark for automatic drip flavor for decades.

Extraction quality comes down to three things working together. Even water distribution, stable temperature, and proper contact time.

The stainless showerhead handles distribution. It wets the full filter bed rather than drilling a hole through the center.

Channeling is the enemy of drip coffee. When water finds one fast path through the grounds, part of the bed over extracts and part stays dry.

Dose flexibility looked good in testing. Reviewers found 60 to 72 grams worked well for a full 40 ounce pot, with a medium grind.

Batch size handling also impressed longer term users. One reviewer brewed more than 150 times and reported reliable results across small and large batches.

The hot plate holds temperature for 40 minutes after brewing. That trails the Moccamaster at 100 minutes, though 40 minutes covers most morning routines.

Fresh coffee beats warmed coffee anyway. I would drink it inside 30 minutes regardless of the machine.

Top 3 Alternative for SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER

Not sold on the price or the materials story? These three drip brewers earn their reputations.

Last update on 2026-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2026-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2026-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select remains the classic pick. It brews a 10 cup batch fast, holds excellent temperature, and carries a five year warranty plus lifetime repair support from the factory. It does use plastic in the housing and basket, so material purists will hesitate.

The OXO Brew 8 Cup earns its place through certification and price. It holds SCA Home Brewer approval, includes a rainmaker style showerhead, offers single serve and full carafe modes, and comes with a double wall thermal carafe. It costs well under half the price of THE BREWER.

The Bonavita 8 Cup One Touch keeps things minimal. One button, a flat bottom basket, a stainless thermal carafe, and SCA certification. Coffee shop staff have recommended this line for years as the budget route to proper extraction.

Pick THE BREWER for materials. Pick Moccamaster for longevity. Pick OXO or Bonavita for value.

The Bloom Feature Makes a Real Difference

Bloom is the step most drip machines skip, and it matters more than people expect.

Fresh roasted coffee holds carbon dioxide. When hot water hits the grounds, that gas escapes and pushes water away from the particles.

Pour over fans solve this by adding a small splash of water first. They wait 30 seconds, let the bed foam and settle, then continue pouring.

THE BREWER automates that step. Press the bloom switch and the machine pulses water over the grounds for roughly 30 seconds before the main cycle starts.

The taste difference is noticeable. Reviewers described the bloom setting as producing a cleaner cup with more clarity.

One buyer on the brand site called the bloom function life changing. That is marketing friendly language, but the mechanism behind it is sound coffee science.

Bloom helps most with light and medium roasts from recent roast dates. Fresh coffee degasses more, so it benefits more from pre wetting.

Dark roasts and older bags degas less. You may find little change there, which is fine because the feature is optional.

Very few automatic drip machines under $500 include a true bloom cycle. The Moccamaster does not. The OXO Brew line does include a pre soak phase, which is one reason it earns good reviews.

The bloom switch alone justifies part of the premium for anyone who cares about extraction quality.

Brew Temperature and Gold Cup Standard

Temperature separates good drip coffee from disappointing drip coffee.

Cheap machines heat water to roughly 175°F to 185°F. That range under extracts most coffee, leaving sour and thin flavors in the cup.

The Specialty Coffee Association sets the target at 195°F to 205°F. THE BREWER holds that window through the full cycle.

The stainless steel boiler makes this possible. It heats 40 ounces quickly at 1,540 watts and keeps output stable as the tank drains.

Simply Good Coffee states the machine meets SCA, ECBC, and Gold Cup quality standards. Independent temperature probing in reviews backed up the claim.

Why does this window work so well? Solubility.

Coffee compounds dissolve at different rates. Acids come out first, sugars next, and bitter compounds last.

Brew too cool and you capture the acids without the sugars. The result tastes sharp and hollow.

Brew too hot and you pull the harsh compounds. The result tastes burnt and drying.

Sitting inside 195°F to 205°F for the whole cycle gives you the balanced middle. Sweetness, body, and gentle acidity arrive together.

Contact time matters alongside temperature. THE BREWER finishes a full pot in about 6 minutes, which lands close to the 4 to 6 minute ideal for cone filter drip.

Faster brewing under extracts. Slower brewing over extracts and adds bitterness.

The 6 minute cycle is well judged.

Ease of Use in a Daily Routine

Complicated coffee gear collects dust. THE BREWER avoids that trap.

The whole routine takes under a minute of hands on work. Here is how a typical morning runs.

Fill the glass reservoir to the marked line. There are notches for 2 cups, 4 cups, and the 8 cup maximum.

Grind your beans to a medium setting, roughly like coarse sand. Add the grounds to a #4 paper filter in the basket.

Press the bloom switch if you want pre infusion. Check that the drip stopper is open, because a closed stopper leaves your coffee trapped in the basket.

Flip the main switch. Walk away.

Six minutes later, a full pot is ready. No app, no menu, no dial, no learning curve.

That simplicity carries real value. Anyone in the household can operate this machine without instructions, including guests and less caffeinated family members.

The engraved dose guidance on the tank helps beginners land in the right ballpark immediately. Many people never weigh coffee, and this feature protects them from weak or muddy results.

The 36 inch cord gives reasonable placement flexibility. You will not need an extension cord for most kitchen layouts.

One small friction point exists. Only the programmable model offers a timer, so the standard version requires you to press the switch yourself each morning.

If waking up to finished coffee matters to you, budget for the programmable version instead.

Cleaning, Descaling and Maintenance

Drip machines fail from scale buildup more than from mechanical wear. Maintenance planning matters.

The good news is that THE BREWER breaks down easily. The reservoir lid, showerhead, filter basket, basket lid, carafe, and carafe lid all detach.

Those removable parts are dishwasher safe according to the manufacturer. Hand washing works fine too and probably preserves finishes longer.

Glass and stainless steel clean up faster than plastic. Plastic holds coffee oils and picks up stains over time, while glass stays clear.

Daily cleaning takes two minutes. Toss the paper filter, rinse the basket, and wash the carafe.

Descaling is the job people forget. Mineral deposits from tap water coat the boiler and slow the flow rate.

Simply Good Coffee sells branded descaler at roughly $22 for a six month supply or $39 for a year. Third party descalers like Durgol work as well at around $16 for 25 ounces.

Descale every one to three months depending on your water hardness. Soft water areas can stretch the interval.

Filters cost little. A pack of 100 #4 cone filters runs about $8, so ongoing consumable cost stays low.

Replacement parts availability is a genuine strength here. The company sells the carafe, showerhead, filter basket, lids, and seal kits individually.

That policy keeps a machine in service after an accident instead of sending it to landfill.

Price, Warranty and Real Value

Now the uncomfortable part. THE BREWER is expensive.

The plastic free model lists at $479.99 and frequently sells around $399.99 with free shipping. The programmable version runs about $469.99 to $519.99.

For comparison, the Moccamaster KBGV Select sits near $359. The OXO Brew 8 Cup costs around $229, and the Bonavita Enthusiast lands near $230.

So you pay a premium of roughly $100 to $250 over strong competitors. What does that money buy?

Materials, mainly. Glass and stainless steel cost far more to manufacture than injection molded plastic.

You also get the automatic bloom cycle, which most rivals lack. And you get the drip stopper convenience feature.

The warranty picture improved recently. Simply Good Coffee raised its coverage from two years to a five year replacement warranty as standard.

That matches Technivorm on paper. Technivorm still wins on service depth because it offers lifetime repair support beyond the warranty period.

Returns policy looks fair. You get 30 days to send the machine back for a full refund if the coffee or build disappoints you.

Reviews are not universally glowing. Some owners on the brand page reported coffee spitting and spattering from the basket area, and one Reddit thread from a frustrated buyer criticized the purchase outright.

At this price, expect near perfect execution. Most buyers get it, but a minority clearly did not.

Simply Good Coffee also offers a cheaper Brewer Glass model near $199 with a plastic basket if you want the brand without the premium.

Pros and Cons of SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER

Here is the balance sheet in plain terms.

Pros

• The brew path contains no plastic and no aluminum, using borosilicate glass, 304 stainless steel, and medical grade silicone throughout
• Coffee tastes clean and sweet with no bitterness, matching Moccamaster quality in side by side testing
• Automatic bloom cycle pre wets the grounds for 30 seconds, delivering pour over style clarity without manual work
• Brew temperature holds 195°F to 205°F across the full cycle, meeting SCA Gold Cup requirements
• One switch operation keeps daily use simple for every member of the household
• Dose markings engraved on the glass tank remove ratio guesswork for beginners
• Drip stopper lets you pour a cup mid brew without spilling on the hot plate
• Removable parts are dishwasher safe and individually replaceable, including carafe, showerhead, and seals
• Five year replacement warranty plus a 30 day satisfaction guarantee
• Full 8 cup pot finishes in about 6 minutes

Cons

• Price of $399 to $479 sits well above excellent competitors like the Moccamaster and OXO Brew
• The plastic free name overstates reality because the outer housing uses plastic panels
• Silicone tubing may bother the strictest plastic avoiders
• Hot plate holds warmth for only 40 minutes versus 100 minutes on the Moccamaster
• No timer on the standard model, so programmability costs extra
• No lifetime repair program like Technivorm offers
• Some owners report coffee spitting or spattering during brewing
• Footprint of 14 by 8 by 15 inches is not small
• Branded descaler and consumables add ongoing cost
• Not available in the UK at the time of writing

Who Should Buy THE BREWER and Who Should Skip It

Last update on 2026-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Buy THE BREWER if reducing plastic contact with hot liquid ranks high on your priority list. No other automatic drip machine in this price band offers a fully plastic free and aluminum free brew path.

It also suits households brewing multiple cups daily. The 8 cup capacity and 6 minute cycle handle two or three coffee drinkers without a second batch.

Pour over fans who want to stop pouring manually should look hard at this machine. The bloom cycle plus stable temperature gets close to a handmade V60 result with none of the effort.

Beginners benefit too. The engraved dose markings and single switch operation make good coffee hard to mess up.

Skip THE BREWER if value drives your decision. The OXO Brew 8 Cup delivers SCA certified coffee for less than half the price, and most drinkers will struggle to name the difference blind.

Skip it if you want a machine repaired forever. Technivorm supports its brewers for decades, and that track record is proven.

Skip it if you demand literal plastic free construction. The body panels will disappoint you, and the naming may annoy you.

Also skip it if counter space is tight. At 15 inches tall with a glass reservoir, it needs a proper home.

Espresso drinkers should look elsewhere entirely. This is a drip brewer and nothing more.

For everyone in the middle, the 30 day return window makes trying it low risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is THE BREWER really 100 percent plastic free?

The brew path is. Every surface touching water or coffee is borosilicate glass, 304 stainless steel, or medical grade silicone. The outer housing still uses plastic panels, so the machine is best described as low plastic overall.

How long does THE BREWER take to brew a full pot?

About 6 minutes for the full 8 cup, 40 ounce batch. Smaller batches finish faster. Adding the bloom cycle extends the total by roughly 30 seconds.

What filters does THE BREWER use?

Standard #4 cone paper filters, available in most grocery stores for around $8 per 100. Reusable #4 metal mesh cones also fit the stainless basket.

Does THE BREWER keep coffee hot?

Yes, the hot plate holds the glass carafe warm for 40 minutes after brewing. That is shorter than the Moccamaster at 100 minutes.

Is THE BREWER better than a Moccamaster?

They taste comparable in side by side testing. THE BREWER wins on materials and the bloom feature. The Moccamaster wins on price and lifetime repair support.

What warranty comes with THE BREWER?

A five year replacement warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal home use, plus a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee.

Can I program THE BREWER to start automatically?

Not the standard model. Simply Good Coffee sells a separate programmable plastic free version with a timer for roughly $469 to $519.

How often should I descale THE BREWER?

Every one to three months depending on water hardness. Branded descaler costs about $22 for six months, and third party products like Durgol work too.

Is THE BREWER worth the price?

It depends on your priorities. If clean materials and pour over style flavor matter to you, yes. If you want the best coffee per dollar, the OXO Brew 8 Cup or Bonavita 8 Cup offer better value.