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Best coffee maker - is there a consensus?

OldSaw

The wife's investment
The Technivorm has the visual advantage with the brushed metal body compared to the metal veneer on the body of the Bonavita. The body will never ever break on either model if used but not abused. The weak link for both is the clear plastic reservoir. This material is reasonably tough and can handle pressure from water forever but would be the most likely part to suffer damage in an accidental fall from the counter. Neither has a clear advantage in this weakest area. The rest of the body is a tie between the brewers for durability.

What might be considered an advantage with the Technivorm is the copper heating coil. The Bonavita heating coil is steel or aluminum - I am not sure - it might even be an aluminum with a steel inner lining like the heating coil in the Capresso MT-500 brewer. Both heat the water quickly and both separate the heated water from the cool water in the reservoir so the results up to the shower head are similar with regard to time and temperature.

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I like the shower head better on the Bonavita but the ability (a necessity really to make an excellent pot) to tweak the flow and stir the grounds in the Technivorm is nice. Both of my brewers have glass carafes that look and pour similarly. I doubt you would make a mistake with either brewer. Looks and counter space will matter more than any technical advantage I can see.

Thanks for the detailed reply. For now the Brazen will have to do, but I need a new brewer for my cottage as well and the Bonavita just might be the ticket.
 
Technivorm definitely the way to go. Nothing can beat my ability to run late in the morning and have a consistently perfect pot of coffee in 5 minutes. Also, it is built in Holland rather than China like the others.
 
Technivorm definitely the way to go. Nothing can beat my ability to run late in the morning and have a consistently perfect pot of coffee in 5 minutes. Also, it is built in Holland rather than China like the others.
The Bonavita is equally quick.

Also, why would something being built in Holland be better than something being built in China? Are you sure the injection molded parts (many on the TV) are made in Holland? Perhaps these parts are made somewhere else but added to the assembly line in Holland. This slope is a slippery one - be careful where you stand on it...
 
...and there are some well-made products coming out of China despite the stereotype of Chinese products. Be careful with broad, sweeping generalizations on any topic.
 
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OldSaw

The wife's investment
...and there are some well-made products coming out of China despite the stereotype of Chinese products. Be careful with broad, sweeping generalizations on any topic.

I remember when anything from Japan was considered junk, now we look at Japanese made products as well designed and well made. The evolution of China's industrial explosion will certainly go through many changes. The biggest problem I see with Chinese products is that there is no original design, just copycats, forgeries and outsourcing.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
The Brazen arrived today and I made two test pots. The first pot using a paper filter was the winner over the second pot using the gold filter.
 
I'm in the market for a new coffee maker. I have been looking at the Brazen by Behmor, but wanted to see if y'all had any other recommendations? Thanks!
 
I, too, and in the market for a new coffee maker. My Cuisinart quit on me after eight years of service and right now I'm using a Melitta that I borrowed from my girlfriend. I may go with another Cuisinart because of the dependability, but along time ago I had a Bunn that made better coffee. Trouble was, the Bunn lasted only three years.

For the best cup of coffee at home, nothing beats the little, no-name French press I have. It makes one 8 ounce cup at a time. Not something to use when I have a lot of coffee-drinking company, though.
 
I have been looking at the Technivorm KBTS 8 cup. Lots of good reviews on it and my father is a fan of Technivorm, but still wanting to hear about other options before I spend over $200 on a coffee maker.
the good news is I have found a great local roaster and so far have enjoyed all the different coffees I have tried from them.
 
I just picked up a used Bunn off of Ebay about a week ago for a good price. It's hard to beat a pot of coffee brewed in 3 minutes (and at the correct temperature). I also have hot water at the ready for the 3-4 cups of herbal tea I have been drinking in the evening lately. :thumbup1:
 

Legion

Staff member
We just got a Nespresso at work. I wasn't expecting too much, I prefer freshly ground coffee, and I usually use a moka pot, but I must say, the Nespresso makes a nice tasting cup of Joe. It is also very fast and easy to use, and keeps itself very clean.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
I'm in the market for a new coffee maker. I have been looking at the Brazen by Behmor, but wanted to see if y'all had any other recommendations? Thanks!

I have been looking at the Technivorm KBTS 8 cup. Lots of good reviews on it and my father is a fan of Technivorm, but still wanting to hear about other options before I spend over $200 on a coffee maker.
the good news is I have found a great local roaster and so far have enjoyed all the different coffees I have tried from them.

A Technivorm will set you back about $300. There is another brand (can't remember the name just now) that is a Technivorm knock-off for around $150.

I started a thread on the Brazen. The things that I like most about it are that the temp can be fine tuned to the coffee you are brewing and for your taste. Plus it is programmable, which the Technivorm is not. The biggest down side is the 8 cup carafe, but the Technivorm is the same size. The only other negative is that the carafe only keeps the coffee hot for about an hour.

My first one had a defect where it only brewed half the water in the reservoir. Joe Behm from Behmor sent me a replacement that is working flawlessly.
 
I've been looking at the Bonavita BV1800. Anybody have experience with one?
They're rated fairly high on Amazon and some coffee sites.
 
My decision was made easier. A friend of mine who has a fairly new Technivorm KBTS got a great deal on a commercial Bunn and is now selling me his Technivorm for about the same price as the Bonavita and a little less than the Brazen. Picking it up this weekend and can't wait to start using it next week.
 
I have them both - the TV is more fun because of the flow control valve (tinkering is my life) which overcomes sub-par results from the the poor shower head design - but on the other hand the Bonavita shower head disburses well enough on it's own that it makes this a non-factor with regard to taste in the cup. Buy them both - life is short! :wink2:
 
I went with the Bonavita. After brewing about half a dozen pots now, I can say it's one great machine.
Depending on the grind the brew time is about six minutes. Haven't checked the temperature.
And it's as simple as I am.
 
I have been using my Technivorm KBTS for around a week now and I am loving it. The directions call for 1 scoop for every 2 cups of water, but for my taste I have found that using an extra half to full scoop works better. I have also started closing the drip basket for the first minute after the hot water has started to flow into the coffee grounds to allow for a nice pre soak and then I set it for the slow drip setting. I can really tell the difference in coffee with this machine over others I have had and of course the burnt coffee from the big chain coffee house. It delivers a very smooth taste that allows me to pickup some of the other taste notes in coffees that I have missed out on with lesser machines.
The one thing that I was worried about is that since I have the thermal carafe version with no hot plate would the coffee still be warm for my second cup of coffee. I can say that after an hour my second cup is still hot, but if you go much over an hour and half the temp drops significantly For me this is not a problem because I typically brew a pot first thing in the morning when I wake up and then have my second cup about an hour later. I have found that brewing at the 4 cup mark works out just right for me.
Other than the large price tag the other big Con is that the look is not for everyone. My wife can live with it, but it is not her favorite. She says it looks like it belongs in a warehouse not on a kitchen counter. Another drawback for some would be there is no auto brew, so you can not wake up to already made coffee.
I give it a 4 out of 5 and would recommend it to others if you want a great drip machine for home and it is in your price range.
 
I've been very happy with my commercial Bunn drip maker. I had a commercial 3 liter air pot brewer previously but the wife said I was drinking too much coffee so we sold that and got a more standard pot brewer that makes about half as much coffee. I still transfer the coffee into an air pot so it stays hot all day long, I just don't make as much as I did before.

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I know it is not the most beloved coffee maker in this forum, but I have been happy with my Breville, and the customer service has been exemplary. It makes a good hot cup with the auto-timer and the thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for quite a while. Getting the dregs out of the carafe is a problem, as has been noted, but over all I really like the machine.
 
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