Customer Reviews

Bunn NHB Professional Home Brewer, Black

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'm fond of some of the 'thicker' smokier coffees. Mocha Matari (while difficult to find) is among my favorites. Normal drip pots (including some expensive ones) don't provide the complexity of flavor I enjoy. (I suspect the water is too hot, the brewing cycle is too long, and the coffee is over-extracted.)

One of my daughters is a coffee fanatic. She brought me some Ethopian coffee that she insisted I just had to try. So I ground it up, brewed it with the Bunn, and tasted it. The coffee was great. But my daughter's comments were revealing. "This tastes so good at home, but so much better here. My birthday is coming up -- I know what I want for a gift."

And that's basically what it comes down to. Even supermarket "100% Columbian" coffee tastes pretty good, better than it has any right to taste.

There are a couple of down-sides, though. It keeps the water hot all the time, and that means that the water evaporates over time. Get accustomed to brewing a pot a day, and if you brew two pots in a row, you'll get more water than you expect and the coffee will be thin. Go away for the weekend, and you'll have less water than you expected when you return. Also, the brewing does not over-extract the coffee compared to most other brewing machines, and that means that to get the strength of coffee you want, you'll probably want to use about 20% more coffee than what you're accustomed to. Also, the quick extraction seems to brew the coffee with less caffeine, so if coffee is something you use to get started after not enough sleep, and not something to savor, this may not be for you.

But what you get in return is something that doesn't just open your eyes, but that tastes better than you probably thought was possible. For my money, there is no second choice.

Also -- stock up on the Bunn filter papers. They're deeper, and that's necessary to keep grounds from overflowing. The quick brew cycle means that there's more water in with the coffee than with typical coffee brewers, and standard filters can't contain all that water.

-R

I never take the time to write reviews, but this Coffee Maker deserves it!
I have purchased every high-end coffe maker out there over the past few years, and every one had issues of one kind or another.
This product is fantastic! Simple, with no bells and whistles. Just a great tasting cup of coffee in lightning time.
And it looks like it should last years with no problem.

I've never reviewed an Amazon item before, but will give it a shot because this coffee-maker is so great.
I do a lot of research before buying any home products, including televisions, audio equipment, and even my toaster. I typically drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning, and 1-2 cups in the evening. I was looking for a coffee maker that recreated the coffee-house experience, as most home brewers do not taste as good as a fresh cup from an industrial brewer.
After much thought and reading lots of reviews, I decided to try the Bunn NHB despite complaints of weak flavor, cool coffee, and a higher price than most brewers given the relative paucity of features.
After about 5 months, I love it. My girlfriend loves it. We can't drink coffee from other home brewing machines now. We use Peet's Coffee Major Dickason blend primarily. It is true that you need more grounds for this machine. I use about 2/3 to 1 tablespoon of grounds per cup as labeled on the side of the decanter. Realize that it takes about 2 "cups" by this scale to fill a regular coffee mug. This machine brews quickly without over-extraction, so you trade grounds economy for flavor essentially.
As far as coffee heat, 200 degrees is hot enough for me, which the Bunn is preset to brew at. 12 degrees hotter and you have steam, right? The warming plate works well and cleans up easily, made of ceramic and not metal. Keep in mind that after more than 20 minutes on the plate, the coffee will start to taste bitter. So if you're the type to milk a pot for an hour or so, the stainless steel insulated one may be for you. Since I drink two mugs worth myself, the 3-4 tablespoon for 4 cup ratio is great for me. I wouldn't brew less than this at any given time, as the machine seems to have trouble brewing smaller volumes accurately. To reiterate another frequently addressed point, if you brew less than 2x per week, add more water than you anticipate to need, as evaporation of preheated water will occur. More than a week on vacation, and you should use the vacation mode switch discussed in other reviews.
A typical problem for some folks is overflow. I have not experienced this as long as I use the taller Bunn brand filters, using up to 8 tablespoons of grounds with the high-flow 3-minute brewing spray-head. The filters cost more than regular filters, but over a year this equals one frappacino, so I got over it.
An added perk is that you have an instant hot water source. I like to switch it up sometimes and have French press coffee. Of course you need a coarser grind for this, but you just pour the requisite amount of water in the top of this machine, and within a minute or two there's perfect temperature/volume water. I've even made a cup-o-noodles successfully, for you college folks living in a dorm who stay up all night.
One more reminder. There is no "on" or "make coffee" switch or button. When you slide open the top of the machine, you are committed. The instant you close the lid, hot water starts flowing. Never close the lid without both the filter holder and pot in place. By the way, clean-up is a breeze. I love the removable filter holder; just dump grounds plus filter in the trash without dripping on your kitchen floor. The whole thing cleans easily, and the black color doesn't show brown stains after long-time use.
Overall, a great machine if you want a great-tasting pot of coffee fast and you're willing to spend a little extra for it.

Everything about this coffee maker should be excellent. It brews extraordinarily fast and it brews the most consistent cup of coffee I've ever had. All good, right?

Well, that's the problem with this coffee maker: is that it makes the exact same cup of coffee every time, just like the Bunn's I use in my restaurant background. So if you want a really strong cup of coffee, forget it. In fact regardless of how much you vary from your grind or amount, the coffee tastes exactly the same in 3 minutes. (which, frankly is amazing).

So this coffee maker is for a person who wants a medium, no-fuss cup of coffee. If you're looking for coffee with a lot of body and strength, I'd suggest another model.

PS. the 3 minute brew time is amazing.

Over the last month I have purchased four coffee brewers and returned them while searching for the best machine I could find. When I received my Bunn, I was impressed with the quality and design of the machine right off. Once I made my first pot of coffee I knew this was the one I had been searching for. While this is the latest Bunn design for home use, it functions very similar to the more standerd version. The initial setup takes a bit of thought and preperation because unlike other brewers, the Bunn alsays keeps a pot of hot water ready to brew. So you first have to fill up the storage tank, then add another pot and only then turn on the machine and wait about fifteen minutes for it to warm up. Once you have accomplished the initial setup, making a cup of java is as simple as one, two, three. Just put your coffee in the filter, and place it in the holder, add the water and close the swivel top. Almost immediately you have coffee flowing into your pot. Ten cups in less than three minutes. Want another pot, just one, two, three again. Here are some of the things I noticed. Compared to other brewers, this one weighs more. I suspect that is do to the fact that unlike the cheeper brewers it is not all plastic, but rather has a stainless heating tank etc. The light which indicates the warming pad is active is lighted and easy to see from anywhere you roam. The unit comes with a Three Year warranty from the manufacturer. The pot has a wide mouth which makes it easy to clean. The warming plate is coated for easy clean-up. It is made in the good old U S of A. SUMMARY: If you want a well made, simple to use, coffee brewer that makes great coffee in less than three minutes. If you want to make a statement that you know about coffee and how to brew it. If you insist on quality, then this is the one for you. If on the other hand you want a bright red or blue designer piece of plastic, with little lights, a clock and timer. Perhaps even something that lets you know when the coffee is finished, then perhaps this is not your best choice.

I like this machine. It keeps the next pot of coffee water hot using a low power heater in the tank in waiting for you to start the next brew cycle. The coffee basket is so easy to access, the basket filters are easy to fill (unlike some cone or swivel baskets) and easy to empty. I just pour in the new water (I do 5 cups at a time), put the carafe in place and activate the warmer plate ... in less than 2 minutes the coffee is completely done. Bunn's customer service is excellent, I called for a restricter to slow down the coffee brewer so I can get a stronger result and it arrived within a few days no questions asked.

One more thing, this machine makes coffee well, that's it. It doesn't beep at you, it doesn't tell the time, it doesn't need a programming guide, it just makes coffee. That's all I want from my coffee maker!

I read all the pros & cons, I researched and am happy with my choice to purchase this ten cup Bunn Coffee Maker. Like many others, I had to fine tune my "RECIPE" for coffee.

The results: use the proper filters, add half a cup of ground coffee - shake to make level in the filter, pour in 9 cups of cold water and within a couple of minutes there are 8 cups of coffee waiting for us. The coffee has been fabulous. I now search for different brands of coffee to try. Dunkin Donuts Coffee is my personal favorite - or is it Folger's Hazelnut ??? Depends on my mood.

I am not a coffee specialist, I just know when it tastes good and this pot has never made a bad pot. I mentioned concerns about the electric usage since the pot always has hot water ready and my husband said, "If we can afford the pot, we can afford the extra power it uses". My electric bills are still going down after a hot summer, meaning I did not detect a noticable increase in the amount of electric used by this coffee maker.

This was a great choice for my home. I should also mention that my father told us kids to always buy a Bunn if we wanted to enjoy our coffee. Once again, Father Knows Best.

I purchased the Bunn NHB to replace an older drip coffee maker. Bunn coffee makers have a water resevoir which keeps the water heated to the proper temperature. The resevoir also means that it makes coffee quickly-a pot in about 3 minutes. The NHB design is simple and elegant. The grounds are easy to remove and the hopper has a generous sized handle. This coffee maker seems to work best with a slightly finer grind that over the counter drip coffee (your experience may vary). I found that using the over the counter drip grind requires you to use slightly more coffee. However, if you grind your own, experiment with the grind and you will find that it doesn't take more coffee once you've found the right grind. The coffee this machine produces is flavorful and not bitter.

I've gone through many coffeemakers. The Bunn was a replacement for my Krups (which I loved) because I broke the carafe and it wasn't worth buying a replacement. I decided to 'bite the bullet' and pay the extra cost for a Bunn. Boy, I'm not dissappointed. The coffee tastes wonderful, and it makes a full pot in less than 3 minutes. If it lasts as long as I've heard, it will end up being a bargain in the long run. The replacement carafes are $10.00 which is very reasonable. I highly recommend this Bunn.

This is my first review, had to go for it. I'm a 49 year old coffee drinker since my teens. Have always drank it black due to certain locations of work not having sugar or cream.
This is by far the best tasting coffee ever served at my home! I have always used perculators, drip and later Mr. Coffee coffee makers, didn't want to spend the extra money on the "you know" coffee makers. Sure glad I finally have. This coffee is your regular cheap store bought brand (Sam's) that drove me to write this review, can not imagine the expensive coffee grinds being better! For your info, this pot of coffee had exactly 1.1 ounces of coffee for 8 cups of brew. The 20% more grinds for what I used to use is pretty much on the money. I followed the manufactures directions for start-up of the coffee maker to a T and all went perfect. One more thing, I ordered the restricted flow spray head and it was used for this first pot of coffee. This spray head took +/- 4.5 minutes to make 8 cups of coffee.
Take it easy.