Okay, so how good can a cup of coffee be, based on the coffee maker? And, is it good enough to justify spending a HUNDRED more dollars than the usual machine that you can pick up for around twenty bucks? Is this worth the hype???
The answers are: the coffee can be FAR superior with a coffee maker like this, YES it is good enough to spend the extra for your morning Joe, and, absolutely, this is a rare case where marketing lives up to its claims!
I love my coffee. Don't we all? And, for years I searched for just the right beans, and finally found, unexpectedly, a dark roast that is just the perfect measure of everything that makes the perfect cup of coffee -- full and rich and joyful on the tongue, vibrant and wakeful to the palate, and a consistently awesome taste, every time.
However, when binge watching Breaking Bad, one weekend, I was intrigued in one episode where doomed chemist associate Gale Boetticher crafts an OCD version of the greatest coffee maker of all time, extracting every ounce of flavor from the java to deliver a far superior cup of coffee, based on brewing finesse. Could such a similar option exist, in a machine mere mortals could purchase?
Much searching led me to this coffee maker, which, at present, is one of only six brands to be certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (the SCAA certification is noted in the product description), and, if you're into coffee brewing magic, give a perusal of the SCAA web site to see just what it takes to earn that standing -- pretty impressive stuff! The reviews here seem a bit mixed, and ordinarily only 60 percent of folks giving five stars might make me think twice, but I cross referenced my research and, when it comes to supreme coffee makers, this one seemed the best bet, to see just what difference the brewing process can make, and it was one of the least expensive, by quite a large margin actually, versus other similar machines, plus it seemed the most straightforward in terms of operation.
I bought the one with the glass carafe, by the way, because it has a heater element to keep the coffee hot, whereas the thermal carafe, of course, relies instead on the carafe itself, and I don't particular like coffee out of a stainless jug anyway.
So, taste test! How much better was it? Well, it was better enough, to me, to take somewhat great beans, and make them taste at least 25% better, in my opinion, than a regular brewer (like a Mr. Coffee or whatever) and that was worth it enough, for me, to have spent this much money. Like I say, it's one of the least expensive "fancy" brew machines, about half as much cost, in fact, as other options, and it seemed to cover the main need, which is, of course, getting the temperature of the water high enough, and consistent enough, to really draw out the coffee's flavor so, while I likely would not spend two hundred dollars to boost my Joe up 25% in goodness, for a machine that is not much over a hundred bucks, that better tasting cup of coffee, for me, is worth it, especially since this brewer looks like it will serve well for many, many years to come.
The build quality is outstanding, and it works exactly as described. The water gets "pre-heated" before dowsing the coffee, and a wider
"shower" distribution system means better water coverage on the grounds. It even gives a little pre-soak of sorts, before the water comes out in earnest, and I was impressed with how quickly it brews, considering the two step process here, of first heating the water, before the water actually meets the coffee.
I especially appreciate that the warmer really keeps the coffee piping hot. It doesn't scald it, by any means, but it keeps it hotter than any standard coffee maker, so, even after brewing, you can enjoy a piping hot cup, right up to the auto shut off point.
The other reason I bought this unit was because I read that it makes smaller batches with just as much flavor. I don't like the "insta-cup" machines, partly because the last thing the world needs is to be polluted with is yet another throw away item that adds up to millions of landfill items dumped per day, for the mere sake of a perceived quick and easy shortcut, and also because I have never found a single serve machine that gets it right, in terms of flavor, and the coffee never tastes good, to me anyway. I don't know what it is about the single serve machines that fails to impress, taste-wise, but it's a somewhat general consensus that the one-cup method of those brewers is more about convenience than flavor and I don't slam nasty coffee just for a caffeine rush, I savor my coffee, and taste is paramount.
In that realm, this is truly the best machine ever, because I can brew my usual two cup day-starter, and it tastes remarkable. With a standard coffee maker, any smaller batch always lacked the fuller taste of an 8 cup brewing, but I hate to waste coffee when, for just me sometimes, I only will drink two cups, at the max. So, I was incredibly pleased that this will brew me a small batch that tastes just as wonderful as making a full pot here.
Clean up is super easy, use is super simple, and it basically is just the same as any brewing machine I've ever used, except that it produces a superior tasting cup of coffee, and, it may sound cliche, but I have never tasted coffee this good, ever. There might be one little coffee hut I found, on a road trip, that might exceed what I can now brew at home, but, in all ways, this is superior to any cup I'd be charged five or ten dollars for, or whatever, and so I now have the best coffee on earth, whenever I want it. Because it makes such a perfect brew, I find myself, in fact, enjoying coffee more often than before, which is great, given the reported health benefits of this amazing bean.
So, this is more than worth it, and I'm extremely happy that I took the chance to try a better coffee maker. While I can't call the difference to be night and day, I can say the taste is definitely superior enough to not ever want to go back to a standard brewer, like, EVER. Once I've had coffee of this caliber, I will always be using this coffee maker, and likely I will next get one for my office, since the coffee at work is now a very pale comparison to the morning brew created with this wonder machine.
This coffee maker delivers on every claim, and, considering it is much more affordable than other machines which state to do the same (but actually don't get as good of reviews, when you really track down all the data out there) I think it is the best of the bunch, when it comes to a "fancy" brewer system.
I highly, highly recommend!
Thanks for reading -- I hope this has been helpful!
4+ star item to consider
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This Item  Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $196.70 | $149.95 | -30% $251.20 List: $359.00 | $299.95 | -25% $59.99 List: $79.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 29 | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 29 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Dec 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 29 | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 29 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | — | VerSure | PremierReward | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| capacity | 8 cups | 40 fluid ounces | 40 fluid ounces | 40 fluid ounces | 60 ounces | 60 fluid ounces |
| material | Stainless Steel, Glass, Plastic | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Glass, Metal, Copper | Glass, Brushed Stainless Steel | Glass, Plastic |
| input interface | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons | buttons |
| voltage | — | 120 volts | 110 volts | — | 110120 volts | 110 volts |
| wattage | 1400 watts | 1400 watts | 1100 watts | 1475 watts | 1650 watts | 1100 watts |
| model name | — | OXO | 5 Cup Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe, | KBGV Select | the Breville Precision Brewer™ Glass | Ninja CE251 Coffee Programmable Brewer |
Beautiful machine... Watery coffee. I really, REALLY wanted to like this coffee maker.
This machine comes highly recommended by "coffee snobs" everywhere. I love the compact size and form factor of the unit. It is well constructed and very attractive in person. 8-cups is a very practical and reasonable size. It heats up fast. The hot plate (glass carafe version) is a good temperature, and it's nice that it's aluminum and won't rust. It keeps the coffee warm but doesn't overheat it like most coffee makers do. I really, REALLY wanted to like this coffee maker.To me, however, the coffee tastes bland, weak, and watery--like tea. I was totally taken off guard by this, and figured I must be doing something wrong. But brew after brew, it was the same. To test, I setup a Mr. Coffee BVMC-TJX from Target next to the Bonavita, grinded an equal amount of beans for each, and did a side-by-side comparison. The Mr. Coffee provided a nice full flavor, while the first thing I tasted while sipping the cup of Bonavita was water. I couldn't believe it.I figured either I was crazy or there was something wrong with the coffee maker. But after having a conversation and a little tasting session with a friend who is big-time into coffee (he won't even USE a drip machine of any kind), I think I figured it out: The people who like this kind of machine like their coffees to taste more like TEA than coffee. Strong coffee roasts/brews like Starbucks are out of fashion now. They don't like ANY bitter notes in their coffee. To me, that takes away a lot of what is unique about about the taste and experience of coffee (I like medium roasts). I like my coffee to tickle my tongue a little. I surely don't want this to overshadow the rest of the flavors, but to be part of the balance. Alas, coffee fashion is fickle.Also, the Bonavita "showerhead" is really nothing special. There are four extra holes for the water on the periphery of the shower head, but they rarely actually pass any water through them, with most of the water coming straight through the center holes. I found that the grounds were actually very unevenly saturated throughout the brew, and there was a large cavity / hole left in the center of the basket when it was done brewing. This varied with the coarseness of the grounds and type of coffee, though. The Mr. Coffee BVMC-TJX actually had a similar type of showerhead, but it had more openings at the periphery and seemed to do a better job. There is also a Melitta unit I have at work with a similar wide showerhead design.I tested the unit mostly with Eight O'Clock coffee, which I always got good results from in my Capresso CoffeeTeam grind & brew that recently kicked the bucket. I suspect that some coffee snobs would not approve of this (or any other coffee that can be purchased at a supermarket at a reasonable price, for that matter). But if it tastes good in a Mr. Coffee, it should taste AT LEAST as good in this thing--not worse.
Top reviews from other countries
Hellen
Bonavita: A Taste from Heaven (Taste comparison: Bonavita VS Krups)
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2017
Hellen
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2017
Life is too short for bad coffee, especially for a coffee lover like me. Although I knew the Cuisinart I use at work is a good choice, I wanted to try something new or better if possible. I started to looking for good coffee maker. Bonavita jumps out after reading all the reviews. The online ordering is very convenient, and delivery is very fast. I got my machine today, 4 days after I made my purchase.
Immediately I want to try it out. But just before I put my Krups away, I thought why not do a taste test for both two machine and see the difference. So below is my comparison.
1. Brewing time: tried it with 8 cups water without coffee, the running times are
Krups: 8 Min VS Bonavita: 6 Min
2. Water Temperature: tested the water in the carafe
Krups: 83.7 C/182.66 F VS Bonavita: 85.4 C/ 185.72 F
3. Coffee Taste: Used Salt Spring Espresso Medium Grind 13g with 2 cup water
Krups: a bit plain in flavor VS Bonavita: a slight sweetnese after taste
Overall, the taste difference is very small, after a few sip, the difference is almost unnoticeable. One thing I noticed is that the Cuisineart coffee grinder's measurement is not very accurate. The amount of grind came out the automatic grinder is 6.5g/cup, less than the recommended 7-9g per cup (in Bonavita menu). Will try the recommended amount again.
PS. So far, all the features and nice build of the machine are to my satisfaction. I will try my favorite coffee and update the review later.
To be continued. :)
3/9/2017
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Updated below: 3/19/2017
After trying a couple days, brewing 2 cups every morning, I still feel that my coffee tastes a bit plain. Just wondering if I should return and buy the Cuisinart model I use at work, I decided to give it a final shot. This time, I brewed 4 cups with slightly finer grind. I've heard that same machine usually have a better coffee when brew more cups at a time. Weirdly enough, it is true! This morning's coffee taste beautifully! Definitely a taste from heaven! I am keeping it!! And it is a five star!
Best coffee ever, best coffee maker ever!
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Dan Goldberg
Whole lotta hoopla for what's ultimately just a pot of drip coffee.
Reviewed in Canada on May 10, 2017
