Braun OptiBrew Pro review: traditional drip coffee with a twist

TechRadar Verdict The Braun OptiBrew Pro is a drip coffee maker that makes excellent coffee, plus it offers some fun features you wouldn't expect. You can make a variety of different sizes ranging from a single serving to a full carafe. Make specialized cold brew or brew over ice. You can even froth your favorite milk with the built-in frother. Reasons to buy +Great range of coffee styles and sizes +Makes seven sizes ranging from a single serving to a carafe +Makes cold brew and coffee over ice +Makes concentrated coffee shots +Built-in milk frother +Has timed auto-brew function +Has a keep-warm feature +Can pause brewing +Easy to use and clean up +Makes great coffee Reasons to avoid -Must use pre-ground coffee -Milk frother only froths, does not heat milk -Somewhat pricey Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. Jump To: Two-minute review Price & availability Specs Design Performance Should you buy it? Also consider How I tested Braun OptiBrew Pro: two-minute reviewThe Braun OptiBrew Pro does even more than you might expect from a drip coffee maker. It makes five different coffee styles: Regular, Bold, Over Ice, Cold Brew, and Coffee Shot. There are seven different brew sizes: 8 ounces, 10 ounces, 12 ounces, 16 ounces, 20 ounces, a six-cup half-carafe, and a 12-cup full carafe. The Coffee Shot setting is not technically espresso but has a similar strength. This setting yields about three ounces of highly concentrated brew, perfect for making lattes and cappuccinos. A built-in milk frother tucks away when not in use.The machine comes with a reusable filter, though you can use a cone-shaped #4 paper filter if you prefer. It also comes with a double-sided coffee scoop, so you can measure out the precise amount of coffee you need for each brew size and style.The large, easy-to-read touch screen lets you set up your brew. You can adjust for high altitude and/or hard water if needed. Set up auto-brew for a specific time and you'll have freshly brewed coffee waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. The keep warm feature can keep your coffee warm for up to four hours at the temperature of your choice. You can also reheat cold coffee that way.Latest Videos FromTechRadarCleanup is easy, and most of the parts are dishwasher-safe. The Braun OptiBrew Pro is easy to use, and it produces excellent coffee in a variety of styles. (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Braun OptiBrew Pro: price and availabilityAvailable for purchase on Braun's website, Target, and Williams-SonomaRetails for $199.95 (roughly £151.10 GBP, $287 AUD)Only one colorway: black and silverThe Braun OptiBrew Pro is available on Braun's website as well as other retailers such as Target and Williams-Sonoma. It comes in just the one colorway which is black with silver accents. The retail price is $199.95 (roughly £151.10 GBP, $287 AUD).Braun OptiBrew Pro: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Name Braun OptiBrew Pro Type Manual/Drip Dimensions 6.9 x 14.6 x 11.8 inches / 175 x 370 x 300 mm Weight 10.14 lbs / 4.6 kg Brew styles Regular, Bold, Over Ice, Cold Brew, and Coffee Shot Milk frother Yes Coffee bean grinder No Braun OptiBrew Pro: designMany features in compact machine Comes with everything you needEasy to use and clean The Braun OptiBrew Pro is well-designed and has a lot of features for a compact drip brewer. The large and easy-to-read touch screen lets you set up whatever sort of brew you'd like. It comes with a reusable filter, but you can also use a #4 paper cone filter if you prefer. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) The Braun OptiBrew Pro has a large capacity water tank on the back, which you can remove for easier filling if you like. The tank is marked with brew sizes so you can always be sure you have enough water in the tank for the size coffee you're making.Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxSign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) The milk frother tucks neatly away on the left side; simply swing it out to use it. Pressing the top of it turns it on, let go to turn it off. Twist it to the unlock symbol to remove the frother for cleaning. It's the only part that's not dishwasher-safe, but it's easy enough to wash up in the sink. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) When you're making a single serving of coffee rather than a carafe, you can pull out a built-in platform that puts your mug close to the filter. This helps avoid any splattering and minimizes your coffee's contact with air. It's just the right height for a regular-to-large mug or a small-to-medium travel mug. (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)The included coffee scoop is two-sided, with one side being larger than the other. The user guide has a chart that tells you how many larger or small scoops to use for each brew style. This chart is a good guideline to start with, of course you can use more or less coffee to your personal tastes. The handle of the coffee scoop can be used as a coffee bag clip. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Other features include a keep-warm plate, which you can set for up to four hours, that you can also use to rewarm cold coffee. The OptiBrew has an auto-on feature so you can set up your coffee the night before.If you wish to pause the brewing mid-carafe to grab a cup, you can easily do that by switching the lever in front from "coffee" to "stop."Additionally, you can adjust for high altitude and water hardness if you need to. You can even adjust the beep tone if you like.Design score: 5/5Braun OptiBrew Pro: performanceStraightforward and simple to useFeature-richMakes delicious coffeeI tested out lots of different brew styles, all of which made some delicious coffee. There's something on the menu for everyone.Regular coffee I started by making a half carafe of just regular drip coffee. I made it "bold" style, which is how I like it. I also used the maximum amount of recommended coffee, which was four big scoops. This came out great, nice and strong. Some carafes spill as they pour, but this one is well-designed and doesn't do that. I tested the brew pause feature by switching the lever from "coffee" to "stop" during brewing, poured myself a cup, and then switched the lever back to "coffee." Very little coffee dripped out while I was pouring a cup (maybe a drop or two) and when I switched the lever back, brewing continued as expected. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Regular coffee: single servingI tried out some different single sizes of regular coffee, using the coffee dosage chart in the user guide. Each time I chose the maximum coffee dosage and selected the "bold" setting. I made a 12oz mug and a 16oz travel mug using the built-in platform. Both came out great. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Regular coffee: auto-on and keep-warmIf you want to have your coffee hot and ready for you when you wake up in the morning, use the auto-on feature. I tested this out and it worked perfectly. You can set the keep-warm feature to your desired time, up to four hours, so it will still be warm when you go for a second or third cup later. All of this worked exactly as expected. You can even set how warm you want your coffee to stay. I used the medium setting and found the coffee to be plenty hot even hours later. Hot enough that I had to blow on it before drinking. The red indicator light under the warming plate lets you know it's hot. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Cold brewThe Cold Brew setting takes a bit longer and brews the coffee at a lower temperature. It took about 12 minutes to brew 8oz of coffee. I found the brew to be quite smooth and tasty. I tasted it before adding ice and noticed that it was definitely lukewarm rather than hot. This minimizes ice melt. This feature was a real highlight for me, and rather unexpected for a drip coffee maker. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Brew Over IceIf you don't have the time to wait for Cold Brew, the Brew Over Ice setting gets you to iced coffee in about 1/3 the time. It took about four minutes to brew an 8oz cup. However, I found it a little bitter, so for me the extra time for the Cold Brew setting is worthwhile. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Future) To make a true espresso, you need an espresso machine, which uses pressure. This is a drip machine, so you can't make a real espresso. However, the Braun OptiBrew Pro does make an ultra-concentrated brew they call a Coffee Shot.Frankly, I found it too strong to drink on its own, but it makes a great base for latte or cappuccino-style beverage. I used the milk frother and made myself a sort of cappuccino. Now, the frother only froths, it doesn't heat the milk, so the user guide suggests microwaving your milk first if you want hot foam. I did that and it worked out fine. I used 2% dairy milk and the foam was copious and quite sturdy. It even stood up to vigorous stirring. My drink was delicious! And the frother was easy to detach and wash afterwards. Image 1 of 12 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Performance score: 5/5Should you buy the Braun OptiBrew Pro? Swipe to scroll horizontally Braun OptiBrew Pro score card Attribute Notes Score Value While I think the features make the OptiBrew Pro worthwhile, it's more expensive than your average drip brewer. 4/5 Design Tons of features are packed into a machine with a relatively small footprint. 5/5 Performance The OptiBrew Pro does everything it claims and does it extremely well. 5/5 Buy it ifYou just want good coffeeAt its heart, this is a drip coffee machine that makes excellent drip coffee.You want a lot of different brew stylesIt doesn't just make a carafe of drip coffee, it makes a variety of single serve sizes, has two different methods for iced coffee, and even brews a highly concentrated coffee shot for espresso-style drinks. It also froths milk for a cappuccino type of beverage.You want some more fancy featuresSet your coffee up in advance with the auto-on feature. Keep it warm or reheat it with the adjustable-temperature keep warm feature. You can adjust for high altitude or hard water. Even change up beep tone if you like.Don't buy it ifIt's too priceyYou can find a simple drip coffee maker without the bells and whistles for about a tenth of the price.You want true espressoThough the OptiBrew Pro makes a highly concentrated coffee shot that you can use like espresso for your frothed milk beverages, it isn't technically espresso. You need an espresso machine for that.You are looking for an automatic bean-to-cup machineThere is no built-in grinder. You have to measure and scoop your ground coffee into the filter yourself. This is not an automatic or even semi-automatic machine, it's a manual machine.Braun OptiBrew Pro: also considerNinja AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine Want lots more bells and whistles? This automatic machine makes drip coffee, iced coffee, espresso, and milk-based drinks. Go from whole beans to cup with the touch of a button.Check out my Ninja AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine reviewCuisinart Grind & BrewNot only is this one a little cheaper than the Braun OptiBrew Pro, but it has a built-in coffee bean grinder so it can take either whole beans or ground coffee. It makes a tasty brew that stays hot for hours. However, it lacks some of the other features such as a milk frother and a cold brew option.Read our Cuisinart Grind & Brew review.How I tested the Braun OptiBrew ProI made and drank lots of coffee! I brewed a half carafe and a full carafe. I made single serve brews, both the 12oz and 16oz sizes. I made iced coffee two different ways: Cold Brew and Brew Over Ice. I made a Coffee Shot and added it to 2% milk that I had microwaved and then frothed with the built-in milk frother. I made both regular coffee and decaf. I utilized the auto on, keep warm, and pause during brewing functions. I cleaned the filter, filter holder, and milk frother after every use.First reviewed October 2026 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Karen is a world traveler, writer, teacher, family woman, and occasionally a movie extra. She has been writing about Apple, consumer tech, and lifestyle products since 2010 for various publications including TechRadar, CNET, Tom’s Guide, iMore, Macworld, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.