Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Making good coffee is actually quite simple: 1. Buy freshly roasted beans. 2. Grind the beans immediately before brewing. 3. Brew with 195 to 205 degree water. The brewer can only help you with #3, and although there are various manual methods you can use, there are only two drip machines that are rated to consistently deliver the water at the right temperature: the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer with Thermo Carafe and the Bonavita. I've been using the Bonavita for a month now, and I'm a very happy camper. PROS * The Bonavita heats the water quickly and brews at the temperature they claim. I measured the temp myself and it was right at 200 degrees. * It makes a full pot (40 ounces) in 5-1/2 to 6 minutes. That's how long it takes to extract all the flavor from the grinds, so you don't want a brewer that works any faster. Of course, the coarseness of your grind affects the time. Too coarse and the water flows through too fast; too fine, and it bogs down and over extracts. * It brews smaller amounts well, too. Just for myself, I make 3 cups (15 ounces) at a time. It takes two or three minutes and tastes just as good as a full pot. * The showerhead design distributes the water evenly so all the grinds get to participate. * The design is simple and attractive with a small footprint. * I'm delighted with the lack of useless bells and whistles. The Bonavita's only "feature" is that it shuts off automatically. I'm a believer in unplugging small appliances when they aren't in use (let me tell you about my toaster oven experience sometime... ) but the auto shut-off is a nice safety feature in case I forget. * The thermal carafe has a well-designed lid that screws on and keeps it sealed, so it should keep the coffee hot as long as coffee could be expected to stay hot in any thermos. I don't really keep coffee sitting around, so I have no comparison for that. CONS * The only real "con" is the price. I don't see why such a simple appliance has to cost $150, but since the only competition costs twice that much, the Bonavita is the best buy. * This is really more of an FYI than a con. A lot of steam comes out of the top so you probably don't want to leave it directly under the upper cabinet while brewing. Just pull it forward. UPDATE Please don't let my comment about the steam discourage you from trying this great brewer. Obviously, any brewer that heats the water adequately is going to put out some steam. Just to be clear, the steam vents are the dot pattern you can see in the picture, on top above the basket, so the Bonavita design nicely directs the steam in one small area. Keep in mind that you have to pull this or probably any brewer out from under the cabinet in order to fill the water tank anyway, so it's easy enough to just leave it pulled out while you brew. ONE YEAR LATER I've been using the Bonavita daily for more than a year now and it has held up well. I have no complaints.