I bought a Bonavita 1800TH for my Birthday. All I can say is........ WOW! The difference is amazing. This machine will change your life.
I was using a Mr. Coffee for years and decided it was time to step up. I use fresh beans, filtered water so it was time for a good machine. The main reason I bought a Bonavita 1800TH was the price and it was recommended by the the SCAA. When it arrived, I brewed a pot in my Mr. Coffee and a pot in my Bonavita, no comparison whatsoever. With the Bonavita the Coffee tasted different, it was so smooth. I never knew that coffee could taste this wonderful. I brewed three full pots that day. (Did not sleep much that night, but it was a good trade off) The Carafe will keep Coffee hot for almost 3 hours, and the cord is long enough so that placement of the Machine will not be a problem. If it is not long enough, use an extension cord. It is not loud, my Mr. Coffee was louder.
I shared this wonder brewer with my friends as soon as I could. So I held an introduction party, and made Coffee for my friends. One went home, got online and bought Bonavita after my party. Another submerged his old coffee maker in water and then the next morning told his wife that the Coffee Maker broke and he was going to buy a Bonavita. Everyone else was impressed. Heck, even my father wants one.
It is a great machine at a great price. If you want to get serious about Coffee but money is tight, then this is the machine for you.
I am surprised that there is not an official review in the Consumer Review section of this site.
This machine could turn more people in to Coffee Geeks due to its low price and wonderful results.
Well that's my two cents.
KenpoJew
It is NOT an addiction....................its a hobby.
Adam, that is a great testimony - especially the part where your friend gave his Mr Coffee a "burial at sea" of sorts!
These Bonavita brewers really are earning all the love they are seeing lately - it sounds like you and your friends are enjoying theirs as much as I am enjoying mine.
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
I would like to know if anyone has any feedback on how difficult it is to see the water indicator level from the outside of the machine. I've read in a couple of places that it is a little dark, but I don't know how dark that is. I don't have the best eyesight.
Also, somewhere I thought I read something about perhaps there being no cup markings on ... I am not sure exactly what I read, but I may have read that... is it the glass carafe that may not have cup markings? (It may; I am not certain of what I read.) And if so, does one then go by the markings on the side of the machine? I think I would be fine with the carafe not being marked as long as there were clear markings on the water indicator level. I have never had a thermal carafe, so I do not know if they usually have markings.
However, if the water indicator level is difficult to see, that could be a problem for me.
Lastly, what do people mean when they say the filter basket sits on top of the Bonavita pot, and that it has to be removed prior to pouring? I have watched various video reviews but I can't seem to see what is meant by this when I watch the reviews. I have seen another pot made along these lines, but it isn't the Bonavita. It is a 5-cup coffee maker by Zojirushi.
If it is made similar to the Zojirushi, I wonder if I would end up spilling a lot of coffee grounds! :o
Thank you. :)
Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised. -- Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
I have the glass carafe model. If you look at images online (http://tinyurl.com/7n3zq58), you'll see the cup markings on the outside of the water reservoir of the machine. In reality, they are not quite as bright white as those marketing images, but I think they are pretty well defined (easy to see). You'll have to determine that. There are no markings on the carafes, however.
Regarding filter basket, yep, it sits on top of carafe...functions similarly to a Melitta pour-over: http://tinyurl.com/c34jvps Once the machine is finished brewing, pull out the carafe with basket from the machine, lift off the basket and dump the filter & grounds (or compost it). The basket just rides on top of the carafe, it doesn't screw-in or attach in any way.
So keep in mind that with this machine you cannot pour a cup while the filter is on the carafe. Does this all make sense? Don
Yes, I have seen some videos that show the bright white markings. In the videos I have seen, the markings look extremely clear and white. I wonder why I would have any trouble at all seeing them! :o But I have seen some reviews in which people have said they are not so easy to see. So I guess it depends on the person. I hope they are not that difficult to see as this does look like a nice coffeemaker. And like I said, my eyesight is not that great.
Thank you for explaining the filter basket and for the photo of the Melitta pour-over. I also happened to stumble across a new YouTube video on the Bonavita, Now I finally understand about the basket coming off the machine. Thank you for your help. :) Also, I'll bet that little Melitta makes great coffee!
I have one more question I thought of. Has anyone been able to determine how many ounces maximum water they can get into this machine? I know it says 40 but I was hoping for more than that. I see it has 8 cups marked at the top, and I've heard 40 ounes, but there is some spare room at the top of the tank. Has anyone measured to see, with a water bottle with ounces for example, how many ounces of water will fit into this tank? I ask because I would really like a 10-cup or a 12-cup machine but I am considering the Bonavita because of the benefits of this model, but if it would be able to fit a few extra ounces, that would be a plus.
Thanks! :)
Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised. -- Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
I have one more question I thought of. Has anyone been able to determine how many ounces maximum water they can get into this machine? I know it says 40 but I was hoping for more than that. I see it has 8 cups marked at the top, and I've heard 40 ounes, but there is some spare room at the top of the tank. Has anyone measured to see, with a water bottle with ounces for example, how many ounces of water will fit into this tank? I ask because I would really like a 10-cup or a 12-cup machine but I am considering the Bonavita because of the benefits of this model, but if it would be able to fit a few extra ounces, that would be a plus.
Most 10-cup machines are also 40oz machines. Most manufacturers use 4 oz cups, where Bonavita uses 5oz to calculate cup size. So saying 8 or 10 cup is mostly just semantics.
I would say that using less or more water would change the brew time, which is one of the things that make the Bonavita such a great machine, the repeatable and reproducible brew time within the SCAA standards. Add more water = longer brew time = over-extracted brew.
Most 10-cup machines are also 40oz machines. Most manufacturers use 4 oz cups, where Bonavita uses 5oz to calculate cup size. So saying 8 or 10 cup is mostly just semantics.
I would say that using less or more water would change the brew time, which is one of the things that make the Bonavita such a great machine, the repeatable and reproducible brew time within the SCAA standards. Add more water = longer brew time = over-extracted brew.
On an unrelated note, I am wondering if perhaps it is not possible to create a 10- or a 12-cup electric drip machine that would brew within the SCAA standards. Does anyone know if this is possible? The ones that have been created so far (and the newest one on the coffeegeek forum that is about to shoot for the SCAA certification, the Behmor Brazen) are all 8-cup models.
Is it because the 8-cup is more of a European standard that has been carried over to the U.S. market and the manufacturers like TV and Bonavita have chosen to stick with that size, or that such a machine is not possible to build?
I personally would love to see a larger cup model, although it could be TV and Bonavita are catering to a niche audience and therefore likely will not change to a larger pot even if logistically it were possible. But I feel in the U.S. with a lot of people looking for 12-cup coffee makers that if it were possible for them to make such a model that they would sell it.
Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised. -- Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
Almost forgot to ask for all of you who own a Bonavita with a thermal carafe:
Do you have to preheat the carafe?
Can you get hot coffee without preheating the carafe?
This is important to me, as I am trying to decide between glass and thermal. The thermal sounds great -- I've never had a thermal. This thermal is glass-lined, which retains heat and that sounds good. I do not want to have to preheat the thermal carafe.
Thanks. :)
Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised. -- Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
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