Drip coffee maker recs: Technivorm, zojirushi, bonavita, others?

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+1

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switched from Capresso to Tevhnivorm–happy.
alan

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Have had Technivorm for years; and, a Newco for a few years. I marvel at the quality of the coffee both can produce. It sounds like the Newco’s price has caught up, but…I don’t see the quality of the coffee between them as significantly different…nor is the speed of making it. I think both of these machines, (and probably the others mentioned here) are all about making great coffee by spraying the grounds with water that is hot enough…and is significantly higher than the more popular consumer brands. I’d be surprised if they were all that different from each other in that regard. (Though I know Alan bought a Newco and didn’t like it for some reason.)

PS. Just read about the Brazen…on the link posted by "Stu, above, http://coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/592585. It sounds space age and great. From time to time, when I have the patience and time, I will let my machines pre-soak the grounds by turning off the maker when they are soaked. I do think it helps the gasses from the coffee grounds end up in the cup. This BraZen has that feature one can program automatically with each pot. That’s a wow for me. Also, the ability to control brew temp would be interesting, too…though I think the Technivorm/Newco’s one temp is fine. I would consider this one seriously, especially given the programming capacity the author wants…and the price, which is half the Technivorm.

And, the Bonavita doesn’t look too shabby,either. Both it and the Bra Zen are cheaper than the Newco/Technivorm. One reviewer said that the Bonavita is less durable seemingly. And, it is important to know that the Bra Zen and Bonavita have 8 cup max per pot; Technivorm is 10; Newco is 12. Not crucial, but important to know, I guess.

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was at a Kona coffee plantation last week and the owner (Mr. Paterson) had every coffee maker imaginable. He says there will soon be some on the market that do the intermittent pourover that he believes makes the best coffee–pouring an oz or two at a time into the coffee, waiting and repeating. Interesting guy, many wine parallels.
alan

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Technivorm at both places. Quick brewing, easy, and the carafe is well insulated, keeps the coffee hot for a couple of hours. Had mine stop working and called the help line. Sent it in and it could not be fixed, (was related to using ro water) so replacement (new machine) was only $99. Good service.

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On the other hand, the top of that Technivorm thermos carafe can be blade-like. I’ve cut myself twice over the years. Called them twice for a FYI. Never any followup to either call. And, another family member also cut himself on it. I don’t think anyone at Techivorm USA really cared enough to respond.

Why did you have to pay anything to replace something that just died…unless it was your fault?

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I also agree. I have tried others but I decided to stick with the Technivorm. I just grind coffee the night before to avoid waking anyone up.
The endorsement of 2 anesthesiologists who need to be awake early in the morning when our patients are asleep should make you want to run out and get one ASAP> pileon [winner.gif]

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As mentioned earlier, I bit on the Brazen and the wife saw the box before our anniversary so insisted that we open it (who am I to argue). We’ve made 4 pots so far and I’ve been really happy with the results. Even some uber-roasted beans that I’ve not been happy with for espresso (Weaver’s French roast and Kicking Horse 454) worked pretty well with the Brazen (short 40 second pre-soak, and 200° brewing temp). The thermal carafe is incredible and keeps the coffee hot for at least 6 hours. My only (minor) complaint is that the whole apparatus is so well insulated that you can’t even smell the coffee brewing, and I like waking up to the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee permeating the kitchen. It is a nice machine though, and I haven’t made an espresso/cappuccino since its arrival. Thanks for the suggestion Stu!

cheers,
scott

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Glad to read this, Scott. I have also learned to pour slowly from carafe to mug to avoid the dripping I mentioned. Not SUPER slowly, just not my usual high volume pours of the past.

My Aeropress already misses me (!).

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Thanks for the info on the Brazen, Stu, and for your input on your new machine Scott. I plan on my Technivorm lasting for a while so I don’t have an imminent need for another brewer but I might switch if/when my machine dies! As far as the soak goes, my model has the manual filter adjustment so you can do a pre-soak. I don’t generally time it but it takes about 2min to push through ‘2 cups’ worth of water out of the reservoir so that the grounds are fully soaked and the cone is full. If I get back in time to move the switch, I place it on the 1/2 flow so the grounds are continually soaked throughout the brew cycle. It will start overflowing the filter and go into the pot if you don’t get back in time, which becomes a bigger issue if I am using a larger size pot and the grounds overflow the filter basket and get into the coffee.

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In the spirit of full disclosure, Brent, today I received my $.28 commission check from Roastmasters for Scott’s purchase. Looking forward to maybe one more sale from this thread…then I’ll go buy one of those Turley Cabs Mr. Buzz was asking about… [snort.gif]

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My wife’s coffee maker died after 5 years of use. Which one of these coffee makers works best for a single coffee drinker in the household? She only drinks 2 tall coffee mugs a day so I don’t know if these makers are overkill or not.

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get the thermal carafe that
can come w Technivorm.
alan

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I went to the Terroir website to find a pic of the thermal Technivorm but they seem to no longer sell it, however they offer the Bonavita at about half the price of the Technivorm.

http://store.terroircoffee.com/equipment/bonavita_brewer.html

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Although I am not in the market for a new machine, this thread has made me drool (coffee) over the Brazen. Not only are its features and construction a “wow”, but…the the video and comments on this link show it in action. http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/behmor-brazen-coffee-brewer#Description

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Anybody care to guess how the Brazen can deliver more features at half the price of the Technivorm? Is it as simple as cheaper labor or is there some more efficient design?

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I just ended up ordering the Technivorm Thermo Moccamaster CDGT with Thermal Carafe. I hope my wife loves it. It will be an early x-mas present once it arrives.

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Scott…you must have money to burn. As far as I can tell (and I own that same Technivorm and a Newco), the Brazen provides more features and sturdier construction…for a hundred dollars less. And, it is very adjustable.

But, Technivorm has the name…even if the thermal’s top is more lethal than a dull knife.

Tim…I think it says more about how overpriced Technivorm really is…for its limitations: no spread out spray; no delay spray for blooming grinds; no adjustments of any kind…and a good deal of plastic in its construction…it is coasting on a reputation, I think. Several makers make machines that make at least as good coffee…for much less…

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Let’s see here. 5 coffee makers in 16 years. 2 of them that got repaired twice. I hope the Technivorm lives up to it’s reputation in quality and cost of owning one. Fingers crossed or my wife is going to have to go cold turkey on Coffee drinking. I am hoping this is so good that it will keep her away from Starbucks.

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Technivorm. Love it.