Bonavita Connoisseur 8 Cup Drip Coffee Maker Machine, One-Touch Pour Over Brewer w/Thermal Carafe, Hanging Filter Basket, SCA Certified, 1500 Watt, BPA Free, Stainless Steel, BV1901TS Home & Kitchen

60 reviews for Bonavita Connoisseur 8 Cup Drip Coffee Maker Machine, One-Touch Pour Over Brewer w/Thermal Carafe, Hanging Filter Basket, SCA Certified, 1500 Watt, BPA Free, Stainless Steel, BV1901TS Home & Kitchen

Jan Cohen
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Great taste/Poor design Pros: makes great coffee.Cons: Cannot stack filter and coffee lid simultaneously. Have to remove one. Since coffee is not made with lid on, need to standby or coffee will cool. Insulated carafe is poor.
Amazon Customer
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice tasting coffee 5 month review. I make 4-6 cups with this machine daily. Performs as I had hoped, makes great tasting coffee. Overall, very pleased.
Irene
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect but I love it This makes an excellent cup of coffee. The carafe with the lid on does not drip at all when pouring. Nearly everything but the tiniest amount pours out. The carafe keeps the coffee hot and tasting 'just brewed' for several hours. It is easy to keep clean. It is attractive and has a 1 year warranty. As far as I am concerned it has checked all the boxes and merits a 4+ star....But nothing is perfect. Regarding some of the comments I have read, yes, when the buzzer beeps there is still water in the brew basket seeping down into the carafe. Do nothing. Let it continue for another minute before you remove the pot, Regarding the coffee staying warm in the carafe. Numerous reviewers have strongly suggested filling the carafe with hot water before making coffee. You can use hot tap water or hot water from the microwave but I find it easy and very effective to put about 4 or 5 cups of water in the reservoir with no coffee in the basket and run it. Then I throw away the water and make the coffee. The coffee temperature in the carafe when it is done brewing is 189. Three hours later is it 145, still good drinking temperature. Four hours later it is 135 and that, to me, is a bit too low. But 4 hours is a long time for a pot of coffee and usually mine does not last that long. Regarding the problem that you cannot leave the basket in place and still put the lid on the carafe, to me that is a very minor issue. I dump the contents, rinse the basket and when dry, sit the basket upside down on the lid of the reservoir. What you should be prepared for is the steam that pours out of the top during a portion of the time the coffee is brewing. That can't be good for under your cabinets. Actually since I usually pull any coffee maker out from under the cabinet to set it up for brewing, all that is required here is to not push it back until it has finished brewing.All in all this is a great coffee maker One person found this helpful
Michael McGeary
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes excellent coffee We slightly prefer the earlier model, in which the basket sits in the carafe. It slides into the new model separately from the carafe. Minor problem: it is easier to put the filter and ground coffee in the basket when sitting in the carafe than in the newer type basket, which sits on the counter to fill and has a rounded base.
Noelle A.
Rated 2 out of 5
July 1, 2023
2.0 out of 5 stars You would have thunk... I wanted to love this coffee maker, I did a lot of research as far as flavor goes you'll read this time and time again, it's as good a flavor as you're going to get for many top-notch coffee machine. Unfortunately the flaws for me outweigh the good and I wish I would have just bought a $300 machine that I was also looking at. For the price of this one I thought I'd give it a whirl. Full disclosure I bought the bonavita version of this coffee maker a few years ago and I had thought that they would have fixed the issues with the first one on the second version but I actually feel like they did worse somehow. The carafe poor is horrendous it gets all over the place it's very cheaply made plus the carafe does not keep the coffee very hot for very long so you better hurry up and drink your coffee if you want that Gold cup standard. The top comes off very easily especially once you realize that the thermos that it comes with of course does not fit under the coffee machine it is not fit there unless you take the top off the thermos which defeats the purpose of the thermos so you have to put the coffee with the coffee in it on the table top somewhere. Sitting on your counter its also not intuitive in that the on off button is crammed in the back left of the unit, as if nobody would care for a front facing on off button? like the idea was "Hey, lets use up as much counterspace as possible and put the button on the side, make it a PIA to have to pull out and push back in the coffee machine" If you try to transport the coffee maker for some reason don't grab it by the top because it will pop off easily. It goes back on fairly easily as well but just watch it so you don't pick it up and drop it and break something in there. Another thing I've noticed is that the shower head while works amazingly is angled correctly but the way that the whole top of the coffee that it's pouring on seems to be angled incorrectly which if it's not straight up and down I would imagine that shower head dripping on the coffee grounds evenly but then rolling to one side. If these things don't annoy you like they annoy me you're good to go. I actually tried to return it and realize I was over my 30 days so I am now a proud owner of a bonavita connoisseur coffee maker and I'll just have to deal with it! Enjoy.
Lori W
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes hot coffee, meets "gold cup standard" but.... I really wanted to love this machine. Temperature heats up very quickly and brews at around the 200 degree mark. Also this is probably the cheapest coffeemaker you can buy that meets the gold cup standard. Seems sturdily built and works just fine, once you figure out their cup measures 5 ounces, not the normal 4.However there are a few caveats that have me returning this coffee maker. First, its design while aesthetically pleasing, is just plain awkward. The paper filter barely fits into the filter basket. You have to brew the coffee with no lid and then place the thermal lid on the carafe once the brew cycle is finished, which the machine does signal. This didn't seem like a big deal until I found myself having to stand there and wait for the coffee to finish brewing and beep so I could put the lid on to keep the coffee hot. And while the thermal carafe does keep the coffee hot, it really doesn't keep it as hot as I'm used to. And that is with preheating the carafe and brewing a full pot of coffee. Plus, well again its just awkward. The carafe itself is awkward to pour from. And trust me, you don't want to pour your coffee without the lid on or you will most likely spill coffee. And last but not least, there is no timer so you cannot set your coffee maker to brew automatically. Don't do this very often but sometimes it is necessary.So even though this coffee maker does indeed work as stated, I am sending it back and will probably have to spend more money to get the features I need. One person found this helpful
RecordGeek
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Best affordable coffee maker you can find I am a pretty serious coffee snob - I have a lot of coffee making apparatus (pour over, chemex) and an elaborate espresso machine setup, as well as multiple grinders. I never thought I would actually own an automatic coffee machine but when it came time to buy one I asked my coffee geek friends and they consistently recommended the Bonavita as one of the top choices. It was also the most affordable among the choices they recommended (the others being the Technivorm Moccamaster, the Ratio Eight, Ratio Six, and various others). That said it costs more than many other mainstream brand coffee makers.But here's the thing - this machine works like a charm, and it does exactly what a good coffee maker should. It heats the water up to the right temperature, pre-infuses (if you turn that mode on which I do), and evenly distributes the water to saturate the coffee grounds, and extract a delicious pot of coffee. It's quick, easy, and makes consistently flavorful coffee.The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for a long time, I've had no issues with that at all - but as others have pointed out you do need to put the lid on right after the pot is done brewing because you cannot brew with the lid on, and obviously heat escapes quickly without the lid on. Others have complained about pouring with the lid off, and even some complain about pouring with the lid on. I haven't found either to be an issue, you just have to sort of get the hang of it.I've made dark and light roasts with different grinds (coarser and finer) and been quite happy with the results. A good burr grinder is a must obviously, but these days you can get a good one for relatively little (I am using a Breville and it works like a charm).I'd strongly recommend this to serious coffee drinkers - it's a bit of a no-frills design but it's the best automated version of pour over I've found and if you care more about the flavor of your coffee than bells and whistles, this is a great machine for you.
SM
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Faulty but still better than most coffee makers I bought the Bonavita 8 cup maker last year and it's terrific. Great cups of coffee with consistency day after day. However, I have a lemon carafe. The carafe plastic split and started leaking any sort of moisture that may have collected at the top of the carafe. I emailed the company several times, no response- even though I was under warranty. Bonavita seems to have gone out of business or is not fully functioning. So, I just tried out the Wilbur Curtis Thermal Dispenser Seamless Pourpot, 64 Oz, Ss Exterior/Liner, Brew-Thru Lid for $37 and am grateful to say that I have a carafe that fits the Bonavita coffee maker, has no issues with coffee brewing into it, and the coffee stays crazy hot. The only down side is that there is a small lid lip to finagle when inserting the carafe into the Bonavita 8 cup maker, and the lip/pour mechanism isn't as nice as the Bonavita's- but there is no dripping when you pour. If you had this issue with the Bonavita and want to make the best of the situation, I recommend buying this carafe. 2 people found this helpful
cackleberry
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Still making great coffee after 5 years Five years ago I went on an exhaustive search for the best coffee maker we could afford. We tried a few different models from different manufacturers and eventually ended up with this Bonavita. Others had better features and were eaiser to use, but made poor quality coffee compared to this machine. We are lucky to have a great coffee roaster nearby so we use "the good stuff". This coffee maker makes delicious coffee, every time. The basket/carafe setup is a little clunky compared to others but it's worth it. The only issue we've had in five years is that the basket cracked along a seam after a few years of heavy use. The replacement piece was cheap and easy to get. If you value the taste of your coffee I encourage you to check out this machine. One person found this helpful
Matt A.
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Good coffee, bad mess. At home, I grind my own beans and use a Chemex to make pour over each morning. It’s my preferred method for a great cup.We’re restoring a family home and converting it to a short term rental. I wanted something that made a good cup but wouldn’t put off people that prefer an easy to use drip coffee maker. This fits the bill great.Things I really like: it’s simple to use. There’s one button. It makes delicious coffee with accurate guides using weighted measurements! The carafe keeps the leftovers warm for a reasonable amount of time. Easy to clean.My only dislike is that pouring from the carafe is a mess if you don’t have the lid on. If you’re filling the tank from the carafe or pouring coffee without the lid, liquid goes everywhere.If you’re after a good drip coffee machine, this is it. If you think you need a Bluetooth enabled coffee maker with GPS, a wifi camera that’s voice controlled, and a programmable brewing cycle, get one of those single cup toys. 3 people found this helpful
getintouch_ay
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars After a year of use - the on/off switch no longer functions properly Initially LOVED this product, especially that it's a stainless steel carafe. That said, after just a year of daily. use, the on/off switch has stopped working properly. Often times we have to turn the unit on - over and over again in order for the water to heat and run through the machine. NOT what I expected from Bonavita!
Lynn NagleLynn Nagle
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Broken carafe lid I bought this coffee pot because of the reviews on America’s Test Kitchen. They rated it as a number one coffee pot. Although, a bit pricey we wanted the best coffee. The lid started to leak and needed to be snugged, so it wouldn’t leak when the coffee was poured. The mechanism you push to have the coffee pour has since broke. The replacement lid is $15 and with supply chain issues the company has said we cannot get them right now. Understandable. On their website they say they are not responsible for repairing or replacing products purchased before October 15, 2021. We bought ours in September 2021. It seems like a lot of money for some thing that broke too soon.A review of the coffee maker, the carafe only holds 8 cups, not the typical 12. We knew this but really wanted the best coffee pot. We wish it held 12 cups. The carafe doesn’t seem to keep the coffee as hot as you would think it should. There is no timer on it and it took some getting used to, but it only takes five minutes to brew a pot. If you want it to stay hot you need to put the cover on as soon as it’s done brewing. All in all the coffee is great and but having a broken lid without being able to get replacement parts is a bummer.Per their website it says that the brand has recently undergone a business restructuring which has resulted in new management of Bonavita brand product distribution. Apparently the prior distributor is no longer supporting the products it’s sold. It’s not necessarily the companies fault and it’s a crazy time to get anything these days. They do say they will try to work with you and possibly get you a replacement. They are trying. 2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Few notes to watch for I love, love, love this coffee pot but there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration:If you are looking to be more of a coffee snob (or you are already one), but don't want to deal with a Chemex or a French press, this might be a good addition for you. My husband and I are always looking for the better cup of coffee, but sometimes we do not have the time in the morning to be picky. Our last coffee pot was scalding the bottom of the carafe and burning our coffee. Trying to get water into it was difficult as it was big and bulky and we would spill water all over. NOT WITH THIS GUY. This came equipped with an easy pour cover which I totally use for pouring water, because I am not a tall gal to begin with and it is so easy. There is a panel at the side that explains that if you put this much water in it, your coffee should weight this much in grams to get a good cup of coffee. But there are a few cons to consider:1. Once the coffee is brewed, you can only warm up your coffee in the microwave. That's right. There is no heating element in the bottom of the carafe. Once it's brewed, the whole system turns off and there is nothing keeping your coffee warm. Ours is stainless steal and it does stay warm for a long time.2. There is no setting where the coffee with just turn on. This was a little killer for me because my last coffee pot too forever to brew. If the first thing you do in the morning is grab a cup of coffee, and you want it to be ready right when you get out of bed, this will not happen with this pot. Although it is under 10 minutes to brew a full carafe. I figured I could deal with that.3. There is no automatic stop. Some coffee pots have the feature that if you pull the carafe out of the system, the coffee with just stop. Not with this. you must wait for it to brew completely prior to taking this out. Again, it takes under 10 minutes to brew.Although, some of this was a little swaying for us, we have totally adjusted. It is smaller than I thought it would be and I would buy another one if our goes out on us.
Chad
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee with a terrible design I bought this to replace my aging Bonavita coffee maker. I had such a great experience with that old one that I just had to stay with this brand. But the design of the old one was a filter basket that rested on the carafe. Moving to this design where the basket attaches to the rest of the unit is not ideal for two reasons: First, the paper coffee filter can easily get caught when you slide the basket in, meaning that the water will bypass the grounds. And there's no way to know if this has happened on sight. This is especially challenging with the tall filters they give you, less so with the replacement filters I bought. Second, the hovering basket leaves a big gap above the carafe so that every second after brewing that you don't put the cover on you're losing heat.I am going to return this one and buy the other model that uses the old design. One person found this helpful
Jane WinsorJane Winsor
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Sleek low-profile design, 2nd one that I've purchased, 1st one burned out power wire after 15 months Pro: This coffee maker has an attractive sleek design (only 1 button) and it has a relatively low profile: 12.5" high. This was a consideration for me because I need to put it underneath cabinets that are 18.5" above the countertop. There is just enough room to be able to open the hinged top of the water tank all the way and pour water from a 1-quart measuring cup. (See the picture.) Most other similar coffee makers are 14-15" tall, which is too much for my space. It looks nice next to other brushed stainless countertop items as in the picture.Con: I bought the same coffee maker before and it stopped working after 15 months due to a burned-out power wire connection inside. I've seen a few other people report the same problem, although I'm willing to take another chance. If you want to remove the bottom panel, to get access to the inner workings, you can use a very small ordinary (slot) screwdriver to remove the funny screws with triangular holes.
Evan
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Leaking lid makes this not as good as the old model I've had this coffee maker for about six months, using it nearly every day. Previously, I had the older 1900TS model for about five years of daily use. The only reason I bought the new model was that a power surge fried my beloved 1900TS. This new model seemed to have some improved features, so I bit. This new unit has a couple of major flaws that make it inarguably worse than the previous model and should not exist in a coffee maker at this price point.The first and most annoying is highlighted in scores of reviews on this page - The. Spout. Leaks. Uncontrollably. Unreal at this price point that probably 50% of the time I pour the first cup of coffee, it drips all over the counter. I've tried overtightening the lid. I've tried undertightening the lid. I've tried finding some kind of sweet spot. It doesn't seem to matter. I just grab a paper towel and clean it up. I reached out to Bonavita warranty support via email and never received a response.The second issue is that the unit has been redesigned and the carafe no longer fits underneath the coffee basket with the lid attached. What that means is that once you attach the lid to the carafe to serve the coffee, the carafe has to sit somewhere on your counter, instead of nicely docked in the coffee maker, like the old model. The only way to dock the carafe is either to remove the lid (which means you can't pour the coffee) or remove the grounds basket.To be sure, this unit makes pretty great drip coffee. For $150 it certainly should. It is dead simple to use - there's only a single button. The leaking lid, which seems to be a known issue with this design, make me wish I'd just bought another 1900TS. If you're reading this and deciding between the two, you definitely should. 2 people found this helpful
VM120
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the quality brand it once was This is the 3rd (and 4th) Bonavita coffee makers I’ve purchased. The previous two made great coffee and lasted for about 5 years. This one was returned for replacement due to the top easily separating from the water tank in the base. The second machine constantly overflows the basket during the bee cycle and the handle on the basket has broken after a couple of months of use. Seems like a few cents of cost savings on components have resulted in a significantly inferior product.
D R
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Good coffee Coffee is great, pretty quick pot, but the brewer seems a bit flimsy. Also, the lid of the carafe and the filter basket don’t fit in the brewer at the same time. You have to remove the lid to brew anyway, however, you can’t nest it all together for storage. If I knew this, I would have kept looking. One person found this helpful
AmazonerAmazoner
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Great when it works! Not sure how long it will last I love coffee so much that I roast it at home but due to some changing circumstances, I just don't always have time to make a pour-over and I thought this coffee maker would give me good consistent results. I used to use a grind and brew that made ok coffee by Cuisinart but it lasted a solid 7 years of intermittent use. It was becoming buggy so time to replace it.I was not wrong. This coffee maker makes great coffee. Consistently.Huge props to Bonavita too for standing behind their products!If you are taking the time to read these reviews, you know this is a great coffee maker. Gold cup and all that stuff is legitimate. Bonavita has been around for a long time, and it is a well known brand in coffee circles.So why only 3 stars?The coffee carafe is awful. If you want to pour without the lid, it will spill. Fine, I will screw on the lid. The worst part, however, was that after less than 6 months, the internal seal started leaking into the vacuum cavity.I filled out the warranty form on the Bonavita website, received a response within a week, and a new thermal carafe shortly after.Awesome!Right around the same time, the coffee maker stopped its cycle half-way. It would complete it after I restarted it.I read some of the reviews stating the same before buying it but quickly dismissed them thinking it was user error. I thought everyone that was complaining about the coffee maker stopping half way were experiencing this issue because they were not descaling. Descale, descale, descale. Got it. When I started experiencing the same issue, I started worrying because I descale religiously.Another warranty form fill, another quick response, and a replacement unit shortly after. Great!What isn't great is that I don't know how long this will last and getting a new coffee maker through a warranty form seems like this is not what I was hoping it is.I took the coffee maker apart and didn't see anything too worrisome with the exception of one thing. Although I'm not a huge fan of the plastic at the bottom of the heating element, that's not it. I didn't see any rust or anything leading to believe there was a leak somewhere either.What is worrisome is that the control board was overheating in some areas. I can only guess that the temperature might have fried the relay. Nothing else looks "bad" per se.I am hoping this is just a QC issue and won't have to fill out another warranty form. 3 people found this helpful
KennyJ
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Good coffee with several disappointments I really wanted to like this coffee maker. I enjoy good coffee but am not obsessed about it. I like rich, hot coffee. I will sometimes drink it black and often use creamer. I have researched coffee makers before but stuck with my Farberware percolator until it seemed like it was going bad. Long story but the point is, I have looked at this coffee maker before and almost bought it and this time I researched again and pulled the trigger so to speak and got one. I read the negatives and positives. But got it anyway. Like I said, I really wanted to like it and when they came out with the new and improved Conniseur (spelling?) I was excited.The pros; I like the design, very sleek. I like the slide in coffee ground holder. The water tank lid has to be raised, so for under the shelf storage you have to slide the coffee maker out to fill. No biggie. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee warm for a little while but not very hot after a couple of hours. And most importantly, the coffee is good. Coffee brew cycle for a full tank of 8 cups is decent. Not fast not slow. The base of the unit where the carafe sits is not heated like many because it has the thermal carafe, the only heating element is for the water that soaks the grounds. It beeps when cycle is completed.The cons; The reviews rave about the company's expertise in thermal regulation and getting just the perfect water temperature every time. Well remember, if you add some creamer and like hot coffee, you might have to mic it to get it hot. If you drink it black, it's a good temp. If you let the carafe sit for awhile and get some more an hour or so later and add creamer, you will need to mic it.Once the cycle is done, remove the grounds and the plastic holder first otherwise you will be cleaning dripped coffee from the filter that leaks onto the carafe holding platform. Not a big deal just annoying if you're in a hurry and want to get that first cup down.Now for the real clinker. When I read the reviews, I scoffed at those idiots who can't pour water into the tank without spilling. Well, I've got news for you, I am an orthopedic surgeon and fairly agile and coordinated and I spill about 75% of the time. Even when you try to be careful, once it starts to spill it just gets worse. Especially if you are filling the whole tank. This was one of those points in the reviews that I ignored thinking what a bunch of losers. Well it's the truth. Why they can't make a carafe with better design so that it doesn't spill is pure foolishness. I have not had it spill when pouring coffee from the carafe, just when filling the water tank. I tried slow, I tried fast, I tried half full and it will spill all over the counter and coffee maker. Really irritating especially for this price.The plastic carafe lid that you must tighten to seal and insulate the coffee is sturdy but you have to really torque on it to get it properly aligned. Otherwise you might spill coffee too, and the heat will escape. In order to do so, you really have to put pressure and the only place to do that is on the plastic lid piece that you press with your thumb to dispense coffee. It hasn't broken but feels like it could.Lastly, the gold filter that is sold with the endorsement that it fits. Well it doesn't. It sticks up just enough that it will block the plastic coffee ground holder from fitting into the track.I am disappointed and will be returning it. If you buy this, you will get good tasting coffee that is hot if you drink it black or don't mind warming it up. Use paper filters and bring a mop! 3 people found this helpful
W. Hal Mcgee
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gourmet Coffee Maker In the past I used a Cuisinart Coffee Maker but wanted to upgrade. We have gone through at least four Cuisinarts at work but now I am home because of Covid and wanted something special. I read the reviews at various sites and decided on this coffee maker.UseI set this up for the extended brew cycle. I did this by holding the power switch on and after ten seconds you get two beeps. This cycle heats the water, wets the ground, then slowly feeds the water through the grounds to make a perfect pot of coffee. I use the Sboly coffee grinder to grind my beans fresh every morning.The basic routine is start the grinder. Pour out the remains of yesterdays coffee, rinse the pot. Rinse the lid. Fill the pot with water and put the lid back on. Fill the maker with water. Take the lid off the pot and place the pot on the maker. Be sure and put it in the center of the pad as it has a sensor and if it is off too much it won't brew the coffee. I get the filter basket, put in a fresh filter and the freshly ground beans. Put the filter basket in place and start the coffee maker. I sit down to my breakfast and by the time I am done the coffee brew cycle is complete. Dump the round and rinse the coffee filter basket. Put the lid on the pot and enjoy fresh delicious coffee.The coffee stays plenty hot and I do warm ups during the morning. My wife gets up about an hour after I start work and the coffee is still hot enough for her to enjoy her two cups.We have been enjoying buying coffee beans from the internet. I went to the Coffe review website and ordered some highly rated coffee from Paradise Roasters. Oh my goodness. Great coffee! We have shopped around and now get most of our coffee from Lexington Coffee Roasters out of Virginia. Their Blue Ridge coffee blend makes a great daily coffee. We still get coffees for special occasions from Paradise Roasters. Just a little pricey for every day for us.CleaningWe use the dishwasher for all the parts except the pot per the instruction manual. We even pop off the water dispenser and run that through as well. We have had no issues with this process and everything stays clean.ProsGreat coffee!ConsNo timer if you want a clock you'll need a different maker. This is actually not a con to us but is to some.ConclusionIf you want a great maker for gourmet coffee this is hard to beat. I know if you are a true coffee gourmand this is probably not what you would recommend. OTOH if you are like me and want an excellent cup of coffee to enjoy at home then this is very hard to beat. I've had no issues with the coffee being 'cold' using the process above. The carafe keeps the coffee quite hot. My wife agrees! Happy wife = happy life! One person found this helpful
ThrillerFan
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars America's Test Kitchen was right---this is a remarkable coffee maker---a brew hero I've had my eye on this since American's Test Kitchen rated this No. 1 in its class of brewer. Their No. 1 overall has always been the Technivorm Moccamaster that is in the $300 plus range and needs a lot more counter space, but this got their nod in its price range. I use Starbucks French Roast, which tends to be a difficult coffee to get "just right" since it's so strong. And getting rid of my glass carafe for this stainless steel protective one was key with a dark roast due to easy scorching. But it's the brewing process before it hits the carafe that stands out. I tested 4, 6 and 8 cup batches, using the 6 and 8 cup proportions suggested in the manual to start with (and they were perfect for my preferences first time out) and measuring the grams on a scale to get a good batch--1000ml water to 55 grams of coffee for 6 cups. Then 1300ml to 65 grams for the 8 cup batch. I used my own calculation of 36 grams for the 4-cup marker on the water reservoir and it performed equally well. But everyone will have to create their own taste test of water to coffee of course.I have the Connoisseur model with the basket that sits separately from the carafe and not resting on top of it. The other choice is the basket that sits right down in the top of the carafe. (The separate carafe with the basket above it just needs to have a nice lid screwed on after brewing which is a 5 second job before pouring, and it has an easy open/close knob on a spring to keep the carafe air tight between pourings.)One issue I was concerned about was whether or not the heated coffee going into the carafe before it could have the lid put on would lose too much heat. But that did not happen in brewing (I did put hot water in the carafe first and poured it out to heat the inside up a bit before brewing).Both the heat for brewing and in the carafe immediately after before the lid was screwed on were great temps, and after I tested them it was the same for the 4, 6 and 8 cup batches. (I used the pre-infusion setting to bloom the coffee before the rest of the water is dripped into the basket and it was also a great feature!).I stuck a needle thin instant thermometer carefully into one of the tear-drop shaped openings in the lid above the basket and into the grounds of the basket when it was mid-brew and it registered 205.2 degrees which is the high end of perfect (and as advertised). Then at end of brew and before putting the lid on the carafe, the coffee in it was 199.5 degrees. So any concerns about the coffee losing too much heat by brewing into an open topped carafe did not come about.This produced the best cup of coffee I've ever made at home, using all kinds of methods. Once again America's Test Kitchen was right. 4 people found this helpful
The Green Phantasm
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars The Glory Days Are Over This new BonaVita still makes excellent coffee. But I much prefer the earlier model, the one we purchased years ago from some friendly people. In fact we loved that one...for years, until the lid broke and could not be replaced.The new version seems made of cheaper plastic, yet it costs significantly more, and at such a higher price, especially for such a cheaper product, should offer more than a meager 1-year guarantee.Moreover, the "restructured" company will not respect the 3-year guarantee of the former "structure." This makes me distrust the new owners/management.Also, there's a gap between the coffee flow and the receptacle, which I think leads to slightly more cooling than the earlier version. We're very disappointed, both with the product, which we once loved, and the new management, which seems to lack the heart and smile of the former. The attitude of the management was part of the dealbreaker to us. So we returned the unit. We do appreciate the chance to try it out, though. 4 people found this helpful
Barbara J.
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Not what it’s cracked up to be. I’ve owned a Bunn coffeemaker for years that was on its last leg. I decided to venture out and try something different and after watching YouTube reviews for 4 hours and reading reviews, I decided to take the plunge and buy this maker as it had the highest rated in the price range I was looking at I love my coffee and am by far not a coffee “connoisseur”. I just love a good strong cup of coffee to get my day going. I’m a Foldgers kind of gal occasionally who occasionally steps into the wild side and buys Starbucks coffee (already ground) and maybe some flavored coffee here and there.So let’s get to the “beans” of this. The maker itself is flimsy. As most pots do, it “sticks” to the counter as you pull it out to fill the water. The first time I pulled it out, I pulled the whole top section off the machine. Yes, heart attack ensued thinking I broke it. After wrestling with it and getting it back together, I push a washcloth under it for easier gliding. One would think for that amount of $$ it wouldn’t come apart quite so easy and wouldn’t be plastic. You’re unable to put the top of the carafe on while the filter is still in place. It’s not a huge thing, but beware of steam burns when you’re dumping the hot grounds.Next, when you dump the water from the thermos carafe into the maker, be prepared to have water all over your counter. As there isn’t a pour spout in the carafe it makes a huge mess. A pot of coffee is done in about 6 minutes which is nice. No waiting for 10-12 minutes. The coffee itself is, well a cup of coffee. I didn’t notice a huge difference from my Bunn, and I even ventured out and bought some fine ground Genevalia. The coffee is good and hot, which is where you can tell a significant difference from a Bunn. My Bunn temped at 165 and this one temps at 200 after a cycle completed. The thermos carafe does keep it warm, but not for an extended amount of time. Maybe an hour tops, but make sure you get the lid to the carafe on immediately when it’s done or a lot of heat is lost quickly. Now for my very least favorite thing about this maker. It states it’s a 8 cup coffee maker, which is true. BUT, one very grave point I breezed by in my research is the 8 cups is actually 8 5oz cups. Very few people I know, including myself, drink out of a 5oz coffee cup. Most coffee mugs are 10oz mugs, which means you get 4 regular sized cups of coffee from one carafe. This isn’t ideal when you’re jetting around getting ready for work and have to stop to make another pot.To sum this up, I’m disappointed with this purchase and had I not have thrown the box away when I got it, I’d send it back and buy another Bunn.
Amazon CustomerAmazon Customer
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Broken lid after 6 months Update March 29.2023: I was able to contact the seller directly and had immediate response. They are sending out a new lid! I did have to complete a form and include model#, model date (located on the bottom of unit), original receipt, purchased from and include photos.I am extremely impressed with how this was handled and response time. Customer service was spot on! I would definitely recommend this unit.March 29.2023: I purchased this as a house warming gift. Great simple coffee maker with a hot pot of fresh brew within 7mins! Simple minimal design with a couple flaws.1) make sure to pour over the sink this does leak.2) the lid push lever broke after 6 months.Would I recommend this product...Yes, several reasons.It makes a fresh brew (no bitters) within 7mins. I have read comments regarding flavor of coffee I suspect they are not using fresh (whole bean) grind at home.I like the carafe. I like the simple design with one push button on/off design.This all being said after the hefty price tag I feel the lid design and leaky pour should definitely NOT be happening.I have had other pricey models with heated reservoir and 6 minute drip. The Bonavita makes a perfect cuppa in 7mins and without a bitter taste, this model fits under the cabinet. Good looking sleek design, and great customer service.
AnotherXer
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee, vacuum carafe disappointing I had an older Bonavita with a glass carafe that provided 10+ years of excellent coffee. It was destroyed, along with my home, in a devastating fire. We received a Mr. Coffee pot as a gift afterward and it was fine, but it died right before Christmas and I decided to get myself a present by replacing it with this Bonavita. I kind of regret getting this model. It still makes excellent coffee and I'm glad to have the hanging basket, but the carafe is truly terrible. It doesn't do a great job of keeping the coffee hot. It pours poorly through the sealing lid and is AWFUL pouring without the lid. And you can't actually get everything to pour out of it, ever. That's all said in other reviews. It's partly on me for not believing that I was going to be bothered by it. I'm surprised that they continue to sell it this way. I still love the coffee and the design simplicity of the coffeemaker, but I'd get a different model if I had it to do over. 2 people found this helpful
Orerockon
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Get this if you want an insane cup but don't mind putting up with the annoyances I've been roasting my own beans for 15 years, I started with a generic grind & brew Cuisinart then went through an espresso machine and another Cuisinart before I got fed up with the weak brew. I bought this because of the promise of a perfect cup (yes I know there is no such thing from any home coffee machine) and the price point. I use an Italian espresso burr grinder and you might as well stop reading this if you don't use a $50+ adjustable burr grinder. The grinder more than anything else excepting water temp is what determines flavor. And set it to the correct grain size for automatic drip. So to put the good thing first it makes an amazing cup. Better than my (expensive) espresso machine on "coffee" setting (which is kind of a cruel joke anyway, espresso machines were never meant to brew coffee). I'm using a mocha java blend from Coffee Bean Corral (the real stuff with Yemen and Java beans) and it brings out the fruity, chocolatey, earthy, and floral flavors and aromas wonderfully. Most of the mocha java blends out there use cheap Arabian beans that are not from Yemen and run of the mill Java beans. It's a rather simple machine so there is less room for the problems that expensive machines can develop. I think that it's darn near the perfect brewing temp for properly ground beans. Note: if you are using burned beans (anything darker than dark chocolate) you won't get any benefit from this machine. Burnt coffee tastes like burnt coffee. Any darker roast is only acceptable for a true espresso machine IMO. I don't take anything beyond a full city now, and even that needs beans suited for that roast. If you're using relatively cheap commercially produced blends they're probably 100% central America beans, and very few of those are suited for darker roasts.Now for the negative part. It is easily the most horribly designed and built machine I have ever owned. Obviously cheap parts and shoddy construction. Whoever thought this was an acceptable design obviously had never used an automatic drip brewer. Getting the water into the tank from the carafe is almost impossible without spilling some on the counter. You have to more or less dump it out and hope for the best. Hats off to you if you can do it without spilling a drop. The carafe in no way holds the temperature as well as a basic Cuisinart type carafe. It's tepid in a matter of hours. Also it seems like the machine will just self destruct or fall apart at some point.I gave it 4 stars for the perfect cup, not the construction. If it wasn't so good I'd downgrade it to a 3 or even a 2. 4 people found this helpful
Jewels
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Used?! Home use... doesn't get very hot so I used a thermometer to check it. Doesn't reach any hotter than 180°F, that won't do! Discovered a gift note inside the box. This has been previously owned! I thought his smelled of coffee & pot looked a bit colored. I need to return it. For $200, I need to be "wowed", right?
Paul Freeman
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Coffee Maker....with an * A few months ago, I had the pleasure of having a cup of coffee made with a good high end coffee maker. Using the same coffee, the taste was noticeably better than what I had become used to each morning. I decided then that I wanted to experience coffee on a new level instead of just as a way to help wake myself up in the morning.I began a search and arrived at the Bonavita 1901TS.The Pros:1. It makes a REALLY good cup of coffee. I didn't do a bunch of tests to see if the water reached recommended temperature, but the coffee was much better than I've had in the past, and the grounds appeared to be equally saturated. The taste was without the bitterness to which I had become accustomed using a prior mediocre coffee maker. Some claim that they gave up creamers, etc after using a '"high end" coffee maker. I'm not ready to jump to that level, but I have noticeably reduced the amount of any after-products I put in my coffee.2. I like the wider mouth on the carafe. If need be, the average hand has a little room to help clean the insides.3. The size is nice and compact compared to many coffee makers that push 16-20 inches high. The footprint under your cabinets or in the open is small. Be aware, though, that this Bonavita does release a lot of steam during the brew process.4. It's a very aesthetically pleasing design. Simplicity.*The Cons:1. Lack of auto-brew. My schedule is such that I get up at 3am. I tried for the first month to brew coffee after I got up. Sorry, but that's an extra 10-15 minutes grinding and brewing that I could use for more sleep. I'm barely functional as it is and would prefer my coffee "ready to drink" when I get up. Even if I used pre-ground coffee, I still had to get up and turn the brewer on, THEN wait til it was done to put the top on the thermal carafe. Otherwise you lose heat the longer the top is off the carafe.2. The brew basket will drip some extra drops after the chime goes off. This is a very minor annoyance for me, but you will have some drops on the carafe holder base, unless you immediately dispose of the filter/grounds or leave the lid off the carafe to catch the extra drops.....but then you lose heat as I mention above.3. A caveat to the simplicity of the design. One switch controls both the brew AND the bloom. I wish the bloom had it's own individual control, or just allow the coffee maker to bloom every time. I don't think that hurts pre-ground coffee.4. You must remove the basket if you want to store the covered carafe back on its base. That means either the basket OR the carafe lid is always sitting free with no convenient storage option.In the end, the lack of an auto-brew was just too much for me to overcome. It's too late to return it, but I'm selling it as I already purchased a different SCAA-certified coffee maker (with an auto-brew) feature. If I was retired or worked more normal hours, I could make fine use of this Bonavita, even with its minor limitations. As I said earlier, it makes an awesome cup of coffee! You will not be disappointed in that respect.Yes, I rated it four stars. For me, personally, the decision to get a different machine was more about how the Bonavita doesn't fit into my current lifestyle than about specific performance issues with the machine itself. 401 people found this helpful
John Doe
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Broken Hearted I was replacing my 2013 Bonavita after it began to act up. It ran perfectly for 8 years! From my experience this is an extraordinary lifespan for a coffee maker. Ordinarily I would have to replace my coffee maker (popular brand) every year. They would just stop working and have to be tossed. But the Bonavita lasted. I loved it. It is compact, simple, and brews great coffee. I can’t believe I am writing this review but after 8 years, saying good bye to this trusted friend is impacting me in a way I didn’t expect. My wife says if this is the only thing you are sad about, you are lucky. But she doesn’t get it. I make the coffee in the morning; she just comes down and enjoys it.So the Bonavita finally gives out after 8 years (it still works but it struggles). No big deal. I will buy a new one. But this is where the story gets sad and why I was compelled to write this review. There are two new Bonavita models. I was wary of the one with the insulated carafe because I didn’t think it would keep my coffee hot. I like it very hot and drink it over a couple of hours during the morning, so I went with the glass carafe with the hot plate. I wasn’t happy about the glass carafe because they replaced the sturdy plastic handle with a thin glass handle. It looks nice but feels delicate in the hand. But not a big deal because I figure I can just use my old carafe.All was good as I sipped my coffee until the hot plate turned off after 40 minutes. Had to be a mistake or something I could adjust. I pour over the manual. Nope. It is set to turn off in 40 minutes. Why? I have no idea but clearly it was not designed for people who like to leisurely drink coffee in the morning. So I return it and opt for the insulated carafe. Unfortunately, that too was not ideal for exact the reason I expected: the carafe didn’t keep the coffee hot and it went tepid too quickly. I like iced coffee and hot coffee but definitely not tepid coffee. That’s just the way it is.Sadly, I returned this Bonavita too and was forced to move on from my trusted friend. I bought instead the highest rated coffee maker, very popular, a brand that I never would have associated with coffee makers. It had many features, too many, and too many parts and buttons. Bonavita was beautiful in its simplicity with three parts: the coffee maker itself, the carafe, and the cone for the filter and coffee. It had one button that started the brewing process and no chimes or annoying beeps that wake up the rest of the house. This new one had it all. It had removable water basin (which I like), a lid for the basin, a carafe with its own strange lid, a cone insert that pops out for cleaning, a dashboard of buttons of brewing options and another glowing clock because we need these everywhere.The coffee tastes good, very good even, but I am sad and hoping this review will reach Bonavita who will make some adjustments to their newest models. Really just two adjustments: extend the hot plate time back to the original 1.5 hours minimum, and keep the old design to the carafe. It was a perfect coffee maker and I miss it. 3 people found this helpful
Saliannadana
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Way below what was expected What I liked: It makes coffee.What I didn't especially like: It's no better than other coffee makers.The review for this coffee maker was through the roof, esp. by CNET. I was looking for a coffee maker that would take the place of our years-old Mr. Coffee that was dying. That had a stainless carafe, as does this Bonavita, and the Bonavita was touted as being at the top of the list for everything - speed, flavor, keeping the coffee hot longer, etc.Wanting to try a really good maker, I bit. In fact, nothing about this coffee maker is special except its price: It's nearly three times as expensive as a similar Mr. Coffee. Timer? None. Our Mr. Coffee had an auto-on feature we really liked (acting like a "wake up call"!) Better carafe? Not even close. It does not keep the coffee hot for more than an hour, at best. Our Mr. Coffee kept the contents hot for at the very least two hours, and I could drink it for the better part of four hours without reheating. Brewing process? 1. The basket is a basket. I use our reusable gold/plastic filter basket within, and it works the same as others. BUT, a couple of times, we used regular coffee filters and they collapsed and ran over, making a mess all over the counter and dumping grounds into the pot. Unusable. But it happened each time and since we've been making coffee for fifty years, we pretty much know we did it correctly. 2. The coffee brews into an open pot -- the lid does not get put on until the brewing cycle is done. Bad design. That accounts for much of the heat loss -- it's a big hole! Our Mr. Coffee pot had a carafe with through-the-lid brewing. Much better at brewing and keeping the coffee hot.Finally, flavor. Eh. Makes good tasting coffee, but that's largely dependent on the actual grounds used. We buy bagged and sealed coffee almost always, and grind our own beans. We've tried different blends, ground the beans to varying "size," and the coffee simply isn't any better with this pot than we had before.Bottom line is that if you want to spend $150 on a pot just to impress others, don't. It's a blah looking thing, makes good coffee, has fewer features than our $50 pot, and really falls down on carafe design -- does not keep the coffee hot long enough. One person found this helpful
Sarah
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Leaky Carafe Simple to set up and use, this coffee machine is great for every day use. However, after the coffee is done, the carafe needs to have the lid put on and immediately goes into the sink. This is because no matter how you pour your cup of coffee, the carafe will leak a drip or several down the side and on to your counter tops resulting in rings to clean later. We have tried pressing the lever half-way, 1/4 way, sacrificial offerings to the underworld, and myriad pour speeds all resulting in coffee dripping down the side. Have fun explaining to company over breakfast why it's 2023 and we as a species haven't perfected the vessel to pour liquid from without making a mess. I plan on finding a replacement carafe as soon as possible and dramatically casting the original into the sea. One person found this helpful
Gigi
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Coffee’s hot and stays hot in the caraf. It’s a darn good coffee pot.Simple
beachmomma
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the same as older versions My first Bonavita lasted 4 years. The last one just 18 months before it wouldn’t even turn on. Bonavita changed hands and also the warranty from 3 years to 1. So it goes in the trash and I’ll buy another brand. Customer service was no help. Find something else for almost $200 or just a buy throw away coffee maker for $50.
john Eric osborn
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Great Coffee When my Mr. Coffee machine Broke down after 11 years, I seized the opportunity to finally upgrade to a coffee maker that brews high quality coffee. I did an extensive amount of research and read a lot of reviews and came across the Bonavita Connoisseur. It came highly recommended by coffee gurus online and the price was more reasonable than that of other acclaimed coffee makers like the Moccamaster or Breville.I’ve had my Bonavita Connoisseur for about a week and a half now and I can say with certainty that I love it. It brews a great, balanced and smooth cup of coffee in just 7 minutes. It’s easy to set up and use. It does not have all the bells and whistles like a timer, a heating plate, etc. If you are particular about such features, this may not be the coffee maker for you. However, if you’re seeking a high quality cup of joe, than you’re in luck. The machine is made of steel and BPA free plastic. The design is simple, attractive and easy to use. The shower head part can be disassembled and washed which is a nice feature. Contrary to complaints from other reviewers, the carafe pours coffee just fine. There is hardly any liquid left on the bottom of the carafe when the last of the coffee is poured out. It also pours quickly. I like freshly ground coffee in the morning so not being able to preset my coffee maker the night before isn’t an issue. It takes only a minute to grind coffee anyway! I preheat the carafe with hot water so that the coffee stays hot as long as possible, usually about 2.5 hours. Then I grind my coffee, medium grind size is best. I find that two table spoons of coffee per one cup of water is the perfect ratio for me. I also enjoy the pre-infusion setting that this maker comes with. It pre-soaks the grinds prior to the brew cycle so that you can extract extra flavor from the coffee. The brew cycle takes only 7 minutes. You can’t pause the brew cycle to pour a cup early but by the time I make toast and let the dog out, the coffee is ready. Contrary to other people’s complaints, there’s no dripping from the machine once it’s done brewing. As soon as I hear the finish beep, I place the lid on the carafe, I pour a fresh hot cup and enjoy. Some people complain that the carafe does not fit on the machine base when the lid is on it, unless the brew basket has been removed. That is true but it’s hardly an issue. Why wouldn’t you want to remove the basket and dump the grounds right away?! I remove the basket immediately and rinse it out. It’s a perfect incentive to keep your coffee maker clean and ready. Before my old Mr. Coffee machine broke, I’d sometimes forget the grinds in the basket which could sometimes result in staining the basket or worse - mold! The Bonavita is easy to set up, easy to maintain and keep clean, and brews perfectly balanced coffee in just a few minutes. 7 people found this helpful
Sylvia Bee
Rated 1 out of 5
July 1, 2023
1.0 out of 5 stars Malfunctioning after only 5 weeks. Terrible customer support. Look elsewhere. We have been using Bonavita coffee makers since 2014. This is our third one. The first one worked great. We used it for four years before upgrading. We gave it to a friend. The second one worked great for 5 years. It recently stopped turning on, so we bought a new one, the Connoisseur 8 cup. It worked very well for about 5 weeks. The carafe was bad, as other reviews shared. You can’t empty it all the way, the lid is finicky and you can’t put it back on the coffee maker without removing the brew basket. However, it was simple and made good coffee.We noticed after 5 weeks that it was getting very loud. It had been incredibly quiet prior to this. It sputtered and gurgled throughout the brew cycle and only a few of the water holes were working. The ones that were working were working hard and left big holes in the coffee grounds. We tried descaling it 4 times, but it did not help.So, I contacted Bonavita support through their website’s chat feature. They suggested descaling it which we had tried and then asked me to fill out a warranty claim and gave me the wrong URL. I found the right one and sent it in. “Great!” I thought to myself that they will help us either get it fixed or get a new one. I didn’t hear anything back, so after a few days, I chatted with them again. They said that they never got the warranty claim and to try again. I filled it out again and waited. After about a week, I emailed their support to find out the status. They apologized and gave me a list of things to try including turning off the pre-infusion cycle, leveling it, and trying a different power outlet. None of this worked. They wanted a video, so I recorded one and sent it in. They replied by asking me to fill out the warranty claim again. I told them that I had done this twice and that the start of this email thread was the claim. They apologized again and replied that they viewed the video and that the loud noise is normal and is the sound it makes when it pumps water. Sigh. They obviously aren’t going to do anything.This will be our last Bonavita. It’s almost $200 wasted. We’re moving on to finally getting a Technivorm Moccamaster that is handmade in the Netherlands. They have a 5-year warranty and will repair their coffee makers indefinitely. They may be more expensive, but we’ve spent almost $500 on Bonavita’s over the past 9 years. $329 for a coffee maker that will last at least 5 years and is repairable, is a bargain in comparison.There is an interesting article online called “The Rise and Fall of automatic drip coffee pioneer Bonavita”. It outlines the messy changes at the company and the multiple lawsuits. They used to have a US distributor who actually had great customer support. We had worked with them in the past when our previous model had an issue with the clock drifting. It’s now an entirely Chinese-run company, Smartco, which now makes a terrible product and doesn’t care at all about its customers. If you want a SCA-certified coffee maker, look elsewhere. These are now junk. 3 people found this helpful
john c klann
Rated 2 out of 5
July 1, 2023
2.0 out of 5 stars No better than 25$ Mr Coffee Its a fine coffee maker but not for $108+.We have a 10 yr old Mr Coffee my fiance bought in college for $25 and we were ready for an upgrade.So I decided to test via comparison after landing on this highly rated mid range maker:I ground the same amount of coffee from the same bag, same grind setting, same coffee filter and same amount of water.Served up a cup of each and then we tried, I could not tell much difference and I knew which was which, my Fiance who did not know which was which, couldn't tell much difference. In the end we both were able to point to which was the new maker as tasting a little stronger but not in a life changing $100 way.We also tested with the pre-infusion setting and it was the same result for us.At this point I was happy to keep it until I noticed some gaping issues that against speak to it not being worth so much.Usability issues:1. The Carafe does not have marking on it to know how many cups you have when filling up the tank, this can lead to not putting enough in and having to get more (annoying) or getting to much then dumping some out and wasting the water.2. The carafe does keep it warm and probably is much better than our existing glass carafe with hot plate. However you have to use the lid for it to stay warm which is fine but with the lid on it no longer fits in the coffee machine. Why? Thats annoying takes up more counter space.3. The grounds drip container does not have a spring loaded drip release (probably due to the way the carafe is placed under it). And you guessed it its annoying too, so you can cheat and get a cup earlier before its completed and it makes a mess as it constantly has a little drip when done and you have taken out the carafe and put the lid on.4. The Beep! So we like to keep small appliances unplugged in out house unless we use them, well when you plug this thing in it bleeps one loud murderous beep that seems worst than my morning alarm. Maybe it seems worst because all of the other annoying features of this coffee maker.Also why beep at all its no necessary there is an LED light to show it has power which is probably also not necessary.5. The carafes pour spout is not precise without the lid on and even with it on it can be leaky and messy.6. Its larger than our old MR Coffee, which can brew 4 more cups than this.7. The old MR Coffee has an delayed auto start setting, this does not an I knew that going it and thought it must be worth it for the amazing coffee it will be brewing.8. The old MR Coffee also told you how long it has been on for and you can determine how aged the coffee is. Again I knew this going in but if $25 machine can doe this why not a $100.9. The fancy shower head is supposed to be some much better with watering all of the grounds consistently and thoroughly. Upon comparing the grounds after they look no different.10. It sounds like its peeing when flowing into the carafe and that is distracting for many reasons.Here the pros we found,1. The grounds drip container with a handle and easy removal is a nice feature. (With out the spring loaded drip stopper it can make a little mess on the way to the trash.)2. The Tank seems like it would be easier to clean.3. It looks more pleasing, I guess.4. It is a bit more quite.Overall I will never buy a mid range coffee maker again. One person found this helpful
Carrot Ironfounderson
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars It does make a good cup of coffee I bought this Bonavita 1901TS to replace an old Krups coffee maker. The Krups I have is an old version of the Simply Brew Family and it's worked great for about 6 years, but 6 years. It's time to replace. Don't.Both coffee makers make a fine cup of coffee, I cannot tell the difference when making 1L of coffee. So for me, I bought a new coffee maker that did not improve my coffee making. As I said, it makes a fine cup of coffee proved you do your part with beans, grind and water. I read in other reviews about how the top of the carafe is sold, so you cannot brew with the lid in place and this leads to cold coffee if you don't hang around to cap as soon as brewing is complete. Okay, that's not really an issue for me.What's an issue is there there is no place to store the carafe lid when the maker is not in use. You cannot put the lid on the carafe and put it back in the maker, when the filter basket is installed. So you have to find somewhere else to store the carafe lid or the filter basket. Yes, that's a weak peeve but there it is.The large mouth of the carafe makes cleaning the inside simple. Someone else stated that this means you have to put the lid on when pouring or the coffee goes everywhere. Well, maybe. It's like trying to pour from a sauce pan if you don't install the carafe lid. However if you make the carafe mouth small so it's easy to pour from without a lid, then you cannot get your hand in there to clean.Make sure you have a space to brew that does not have anything wooden above it, like cabinets. During the entire brew cycle, it looks like you're running a steam humidifier. That amount of steam will soon cause issues. 2 people found this helpful
Michael AMichael A
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as advertised The media could not be loaded.  This is a fine coffee machine. It's easy to get using straight out of the box with clear instructions for utilizing the one function option. This option is for a "blooming" of the coffee grounds to eliminate built up CO2 than can affect flavor. Turning this option on involves simply holding the ON switch for a few seconds.I like the machine's simplicity and the double-walled carafe will keep coffee warm for a long time (although if you're going to want it to stay warm for more than an hour, I recommend heating the inside by running 2 cups of water through the machine before brewing or filling the carafe with hot tap water for a minute or two).My biggest complaint is that the one thing that's supposed to make this machine so great is its "showerhead" sprinkler system. It's designed with an array of holes, but from what I can see, in mine, only two of the holes seem to work.The flavor of the coffee is fine, but I'm not sure it provides the same depth or balance as pour-over. Possibly this is because the sprinkler system isn't working properly. I'd have given 4/5 stars for design, ease of use, and performance but took off one star because it doesn't function as advertised. Awaiting response from Bonavita.Picture 1 - Brewing. You can clearly see the sprinkler system and the fact that only two holes are working.Picture 2 - Post brew picture of grounds. Clearly water was mostly coming from center hole and grounds along the outer edge of the filter are not as saturated. Two small dry spots visible at about the 2:00 and 3:00 positions from center.Video 1 - Brew cycle. 4 cups of water yields a brew time of just over 5 minutes. The point of posting a full brew cycle video is to illustrate that most of the sprinkler system isn't working.Updated April 20, 2020....Customer service was easy enough to deal with. Contacted them online and submitted the same pictures and video I posted here.After being asked to fill out an online form which they linked me to via email, I was informed that they were sending me a brand new machine. It has arrived and while not all of the holes in their “shower head” design are active at all times, it seems to be working MUCH more effectively than the original. I have increased my rating to 4-stars. If the machine continues to function well for a month or so I may come back and increase the review to 5-stars.Not every item can be prefect but when your customer service is good and easy to work with, I’ll come back to your company. 29 people found this helpful
JTHT
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better drip coffee makers I have used in recent years. I purchased this coffee maker in June of 2021. I rarely write reviews, but when I do, it will only be for a product that I have used for a while so that I know my review will be honest and accurate, and hopefully useful. As drip coffee makers go, this one is pretty good. Much of the time I make percolated coffee in a glass percolator on my gas stove, or pour over coffee, one cup at a time. These two methods will always produce coffee that is superior to coffee made in a drip machine. It will be more robust in flavor, and hotter. That said, the Bonavita is pretty good for a drip coffee maker, superior to others that I have tried in recent times. It took a few tries to determine how coarse or fine to grind the coffee and how much to use. The Bonavita has better extraction than other drip machines ( time water is in contact with the grounds) and the coffee comes out pretty hot. There is a pre-infusion mode you can use with the Bonavita, and it helps. Also helps to wet the filter with water after putting it in the holder before you add the grounds. Years ago manufacturers would make drip machines that delivered very hot coffee, but that stopped. The one thing that would VASTLY improve the coffee delivered by the Bonavita ( and every other drip machine I have tried recently) would be to have a a truly good insulated carafe. If I want the coffee to stay hot, I immediately transfer the coffee to my Zojirushi insulated carafe. If the Zojirushi fit under the filter, I would brew directly into it, but it does not. 6 people found this helpful
Jon
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars This makes coffee, and then it doesn't... So, I bought this based on a lot of very favorable reviews. Looked it up on several other "coffee review" websites and it got a lot of praise. We transitioned from a Cuisinart K-Cup machine, which was costing huge $$$ for K-cups, to something that would make plain coffee for the family. First things first - the machine died completely just out of warranty. Simply would not do anything at all. Could be a bad switch, bad heating element, sensor, I dunno, it wasn't worth the hassle to try to figure it out. This is because the machine had several other flaws that made it easy to decide to replace.The carafe is supposed to be thermal, holding your coffee hot and ready for a few hours. Even two hours would have been OK. In reality it lost temperature quickly, dropping to below 150° in less than an hour and basically requiring microwave reheating. The carafe was also impossible to empty completely unless you held it upside down with the lid off and shook it over the sink. Poor design. The lid was multiple pieces and if you wanted to clean it completely, you had to take it apart. The grounds basket was pretty sensitive to quantity - if you ground the coffee too fine, or put a bit too much in, it overflowed the filter and the basket and made a big honkin' mess. Not having a removable water reservoir was a minor irritation. Finally, the quantity of coffee it produced works for two people, barely. We all use travel mugs, so 14-16 oz of coffee is normal. The third person, if there is one, gets a 4-5 oz pour and then has to make a whole new pot. Not good if you're desperate for coffee.Overall, it made decent coffee, and would be great for a single person or a couple who wanted a very simple machine and were ready to drink the coffee the minute it was done brewing. But, I gotta ding it for dying less than three years into ownership. I replaced it with a Ninja and it's a world of difference. One person found this helpful
M. Radin
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the $$ This coffeemaker is a genuine pain the ass!! 1. As you can see from any photo, the lid does not attach to the pot when not in use; it has to live elsewhere. 2. The steam vents above the basket issue manhole-cover amounts of steam. And make sure the steam release area is nowhere under any cabinets. In addition, the amount of steam released during brewing is quantitative; you're losing water that could be coffee. I duct-taped the vents to help reduce the amount of steam released to no effect in functionality. 3. The coffee does not pour well from the pot without the displaced lid being screwed on. 4. And once again, after your pot is empty and cleaned and you need to put the device away, where does the lid go? I've been using this device for over 2 years & still swear at it every single morning. The only compliments I can give are because of the thermal carafe, the coffee does stay warm (not hot) until your second pour and because the base is not a heater, the base stays clean. All in all, NOT worth the expense. ***The stars for "Taste" depend solely on the brand of coffee and your brand of water. 2 people found this helpful
JJ
Rated 2 out of 5
July 1, 2023
2.0 out of 5 stars What's Happened to Bonavita? This model NOT as good as the older 1800... I loved our old Bonavita 1800, which served us well for over 9 years. It had a few quirks, like a leaky thermal carafe top, and an occasional overflow from the basket, but otherwise it was a study in simplicity that worked flawlessly and produced hot, well-brewed coffee. What's not to like with that?When the older 1800 died recently, however, I immediately sought to replace it with an equivalent Bonavita model. Unfortunately the 1800 was retired, but there were good reviews for the "Bonavita Connoisseur," which was intended to be that model's successor. So I went ahead and ordered it.My experience so far is mixed. The newer model looks a lot like the older one, which is a good thing to me. Nothing overtly gadety or fancy - straightforward design. However, the quality of materials is definitely cheaper, and the assembly and operation of the newer Bonavita Connoisseur is not as good. The panel door where you add water on top is flimsy and awkward to use. I have tried flipping it open the wrong direction and the top flings off from the top of the tank. And since the top cover connects to the pipe that feeds the pour-over faucet over the basket, that has to be reattached as well. Frustrating. Moreover the basket design is now flat, using "doilie-style" design, and it's easy to spill coffee while filling it or if you need to resettle the basket for some reason. Overall the product feels somewhat flimsy compared to the far better Model 1800. The coffee the Bonavita Connoisseur produces, however, tastes good and comes out hot (though not as hot as what was produced by the older 1800).I do not recommend this coffee maker. There are better options for the money. I am considering buy an industrial style Bunn to get the best quality. Bonavita, like so many other companies over the last decade, has cut manufacturing costs by using cheaply fabricated plastics from far-east countries, and the result is a cheaper quality product. In every category the Bonavita Connoisseur is NOT as good as the older "parent" product it was intended to replace. Too bad.My advice to Bonavita -- don't cheap out! Charge your customers more and give them a quality product. They will be loyal to you and keep coming back. As for me, I am afraid you have lost a customer, even though your older product line was really good....
Selina1
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Love this machine. We like our new Bonavita Coffee maker.My boyfriend and I share a pot and can get two cups a peace, so that is enough.The taste of the brew is perfect.We grind fresh beans, and use bottled or filtered water, and believe we get the best results this way.I do think a machine at this price range should come with a filter basket. We ordered ours separately, because we believe no matter what type of paper filters you use, you can taste a difference.Of course, the paper type makes for easier clean up.Wish it had a heater on the bottom too, but the coffee does stay hot a while specially if you warm the carafe as instructed before you brew.Easy to use.Pouring the coffee might be a bit difficult for us with small or hands that are not strong, but other wise it is a nice product. 2 people found this helpful
IndyGo
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee, HORRIBLE carafe The coffee maker arrived yesterday afternoon and I used it for the first time this morning. It makes great coffee - way better than the "K-cups" that I have been using at work for the past 2 years. I don't claim to be a real expert, but this is a good cup of coffee.The Carafe is so bad it almost made me decide to return the machine after the first brew. Really, this carafe should be a deal breaker (looking at you Wire Cutter).Before returning the machine I decided to buy a different carafe to see if that will make the whole package better. I will update this review after I try that work-around. If it is good, I will post the carafe I am using. If it isn't notably better, I will probably return both items and update accordingly.Don't buy this coffee maker if you have no interest in buying a second carafe. The included one is completely infuriating.a. You have to take the lid off to set it on the coffee maker. So, do I store the carafe with lid on next to the coffee maker? Or, do I store the lid by itself somewhere else? Why can't they all just be together for the 20 hours a day they aren't in use?b. You must put the lid on to pour or else it pours everywhere other than your cupc. The opening for the lid is on the very top which means you need to turn the carafe totally upside down to get the last of the coffee out (not huge, but annoying)d. it's an odd shape (short and stout) that makes it hard to replace and also leaves significant surface area for heat loss if you don't put the lid on right away One person found this helpful
K. Lake
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes good coffee, but makes a mess. I just got this thing and bought it for it's simple operation. I have used it a few times now. It is simple, and easy to use. But has a few things that I was not expecting.The coffee filter hits the shower head as you slide the basket into the machine and folds out over the coffee grounds. When the water is distributed out of the shower head, some of it hits the outside of the filter and never hits the grounds. The result is hot, thin coffee.I thought that not having a brew stop valve was a nice idea. Less things to clog up and fail. But there is no way to tell when the coffee has drained through and when you pull the carafe out the grounds basket always drips. Sometimes it drips a lot. There is no way to tell when the water has finally dripped through. It makes a pretty big mess. A valve would help contain the mess.It is a small thing, but if you use the carafe to put water into the machine, the carafe without the lid pours really poorly and makes a mess. Also, I am right handed and pour the water in the right hand side of the reservoir, but the calibrations are on the left side. It would not have killed them to put water level markers on both sides.But if you are careful, it does make good coffee, and the carafe keeps it hot.
someguy
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied customer Our normal go-to coffee device has been the aeropress for some time, for its balance of taste, ease of use and cleaning, volume (one cup at a time) and portability. However, after being home as much as we are right now with the pandemic and young kids, my wife and I found we were using it multiple times a day each.After staying at a bnb with a Keurig and liking the automatic ease of an auto-brewing machine, I decided to look for a machine that would brew multiple cups. Thesearch across multiple sites generally comes down to this machine vs. the OXO 8-cup vs. the Technovorm. While I appreciate the Technovorm's Nordic modernist design and 27 color options, it didn't seem worth paying more than 2X the price. The OXO had finally surpassed the Bonavita in recent reviews, but was sold out, and (likely from dropping to second place in the reviews), the Bonavita was now $30-40 cheaper than the OXO, instead of more expensive. My mind was made up.Now that I was getting a machine capable of brewing me a Golden Cup, I decided we should also start grinding beans at home instead of the store, so paired it with the OXO Conical Burr Grinder, which still matches the Bonavita's stainless steel and black plastic aesthetic. After about a month, I can say we're both quite happy with both purchases (at first my wife thought the grinder was an unnecessary additional device that would just take up more counter space, but it's quiet, fast, relatively small and lets us have fresh grinds with every brew while buying coffee much less often).I also use a small digital kitchen scale to weigh out beans. I put the filter basket and filter on the scale and tare it, scoop in beans to 65g, pour them in the grinder, then grind and pour the grounds back into the basket. I get a full carafe of filtered cold water from the fridge and pour it into the reservoir to the 8-cup line, slide in the filter basket, press the button, and several minutes later pull out the carafe and twist the lid into place. We have our coffee from 8 or 9 am until early afternoon, and it's exactly what we need.In other words, I'm fully satisfied with this - good product at a good price! One person found this helpful
DJO in Chicago
Rated 2 out of 5
July 1, 2023
2.0 out of 5 stars Cumbersone and costly Pros: quick delivery of up to eight cups. Taste is acceptable for first cup.Cons: Too many steps for processing. The water must be added into reservoir using a beaker or a different carafe with spout. The Bonavita thermal carafe is round, therefore not designed for easy pouring. It sits under the filter basket. After brewing the (heavy) carafe has to be removed and a sealed cover with spout must be screwed into place. That assembly cannot be placed into the machine without first removing the wet filter basket. After disposal of spent filter and grounds it has to be washed and set aside. For an eight cup brew, yielding two mugs of hot (?) coffee, unused coffee in storage in the thermal carafe cools too quickly to be drunk until first reheating. The cost, the eight-cup limit and its marginal thermal preservation over a conventional 12-cupp Mr Coffee with lighter glass carafe and hotplate makes it a poor choice for anyone who does not want to drink a full carafe immediately.
JMM
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars As a coffee maker, its my cup of tea! This machine is all it is advertised to be. It brews an 8-cup pot of coffee quickly and at a consistent temperature providing a superior brew. It's solid, compact and easy to clean. My only suggestion to the manufacturer would be to add a timer so you can put in the necessary ingredients at night, set the timer, and wake up to the smell of hot coffee in the morning. One person found this helpful
Matt H.
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars If you think the carafe sucks, you don't know how to use a carafe I'm going to put this up front because so many people complain about the carafe. If you have problems with it dribbling excessively, you are using it wrong. If you only press the button down enough for the coffee to start flowing, it will dribble like crazy. You have to press it all the way down. Here is how you can use it drip free: turn completely over the cup. The spout should be at about a 45 degree angle from the side of your mug. Press the button down firmly in one quick motion. Fill the mug. Release the button and wait a second for any drips. Bam, you've just poured a dribble free cup of coffee.I struggled really hard trying to find a new coffee pot after my last one died but I'm really happy I went with this one. As pretty much all reviews will tell you, this thing makes a very good very consistent cup of coffee. It will also fit a variety of pour overs under it so you're not limited to just the basket it comes with. Hanging the basket in this version is a very nice upgrade from sitting on top of the carafe.I've used this thing with it's normal basket, with the kalita wave, and the Bodum Bistro pour over (it's basically an off brand chemex but it's great for Japanese iced coffee.) It does great, no huge complaints.I do with the reservoir was removable so I could just fill it from the sink. The coffee pot it was replacing had that and it's so much better than pouring from another container. It's also fairly flimsy but it's also very cheap for an SCAA certified coffee pot so you can't be too upset. And it performs as well or better than pretty much anything else on the list without a ton of useless features.Overall, I'm very happy with it and I believe it's the best value on the market. If you want programmable, why buy an expensive coffee maker to drink stale coffee? That's mostly all you're paying for above the Bonavita until you get to the Moccamaster which is a tank but costs 3x more. And has a few fatal design flaws.So yeah, if you want great coffee buy this. If you want to program your coffee pot, just buy a Hamilton Beech or Mr. Coffee or whatever and save some money. 2 people found this helpful
Firebird
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Best Customer Service - Manufacturing issues rectified After unpacking i ran 2 fills through it as directed. Brewed coffee for a week or so. Then i noticed the plastic ring at the bottom was separated. It looked intentional. After 3 months i decided to clean it. Used the descaler then watched the video on taking the spray head off to clean. When i tried it the tank section at the base began to separate. I could see the tab on the metal facade that should be securing it came out. Also the metal was bent in the center like it had been messed with.I sent in a warranty form with a picture showing the same. They said it would be replaced. My original purchase was a 1901TS. They sent a 1900TS as a replacement. Their warranty states you might get a different machine if the one you purchased is not available. The replacement sells for $20 less than the one i bought. So i am out $20. If anything i should have received an upgrade if mine was not available. Not a downgrade.Since i am a curious person i decided to take a look inside of the old broken machine. I was told to discard it so what the heck. Inside is saw the place where the metal covering tab protrudes through the base plate. Instead of being bent over like all the rest of the tabs, it had a ball of plastic glue on it. There is no way that ball of goop would hold anything. I also saw where the plastic ring of the base plate was broken on both sides. It was shipped in that condition. But not knowing, it appeared to be an intentional separation when i first used it. I was able to bend to tab over and secure the base properly so bending in manufacture should not have been an issue.Both models no matter the condition make good coffee. I actually prefer the 1900TS over the 1901TS. The 1900 has the filter basket sit on top of the carafe. This actually works out better because if you walk away and it finishes brewing your coffee does not loose its heat like the 1901. This is because the filter basket acts like a seal. Also the 1900 does not beep when finished. That is necessary with the 1901 because of the air gap between the carafe and the filter basket. If you don't cap the carafe of the 1901 immediately it will rapidly loose heat.BOTTOM LINEI received a broken machine and under warranty was downgraded and lost $20. Not happy!REVIEW UPDATE 6/30/2019I have been using the replacement unit for almost a year now. I typically brew once a day. The machine quit today. I pulled off the bottom plate to inspect despite their security screws they use to keep you seeing how poorly this unit is made. After i got it open the problem was clear to see. The heater wire was burnt in half. There was corrosion on all the screws inside. The heater wire did not have neoprene jacket on the wire or connector to eliminate the corrosion factor.REVIEW UPDATE 7/3/2019I sent a email to customer service about the issue. They requested i send the defective unit back for investigation, they paid postage, and sent me a new unit next day UPS. Like i stated before, it makes great coffee. I expect a coffee maker of this price point to last at least 5 years. I had a Cuisinart maker that lasted 10 years. Looks like they seriously need to monitor the manufacturer, China. Bring manufacturing back home or at least to countries that don't build in planned obsolescence of the products they produce. Yes it may cost more initially but products will last longer making it a better bargain. 2 people found this helpful
Richard J. MonrealRichard J. Monreal
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Do you need simple coffee maker that makes a great cup of coffee? I used to have another coffee maker for years. I though thought it did what it was supposed to do and coffee was coffee. When I would go to measure out the coffee for the morning brew, I would just eyeball it and make coffee. Coffee was coffee, right?A few weeks ago the coffee maker I didn't think much about because it did its job decided to stop working. It could have been sabotaged by my girlfriend who "cleaned" it, but dead none the less. Like with any appliance or object that needs to be replaced, I over-analyzed it and started looking into different coffee makers. I wanted a good one because I drink coffee every day and to me, it's worth the investment to find something that makes great coffee and has received favorable reviews.In my research of a day or so, I discovered there was this organization called the Specialty Coffee Association. They have criteria on what it takes to make a great cup of coffee. Those criteria are then used to review coffee makers. Bonavita Connoisseur (BV1901TS) meets that criteria and it shows up in the quality of the coffee.It's a great simple coffee maker that makes great coffee. I followed the instructions and measured out my coffee of freshly ground coffee. Basically, it's 2 tbsp of coffee per cup. If you have 8 cups, you need 16 tbsp or 1 even cup of ground coffee. Also used filtered water because the coffee really is the sum of all the ingredients and you can't cut corners on water. I did hold down the button for the power to turn on Pre-Infusion. The results leave you with a really clean, flavorful cup of coffee where I immediately tasted a huge difference. There was no bitterness. Another thing I make sure of, that it wasn't heating the coffee after it was done and instead it put the contents into a thermal carafe. This makes a huge difference if you're coming back to the pot for more coffee. It keeps the coffee pretty warm for a long while and allows you to have the same quality coffee you did when you made it. I've had experiences with my other coffee maker where subsequent cups tasted horribly after being cooked on a burner. The thermal carafe was something I didn't know I needed until I tried it.So what's the purpose of the review? Are you apprehensive about buying a coffee maker at $150 bucks and not sure about that type of investment? I think you can rest assured that this is a solid purchase as it makes a cup of coffee at a high level if all your looking for is a simple coffee maker. It doesn't have all the extra bells and whistles another coffee maker could possibly have. For me, I didn't need my coffee maker on my Wi-Fi or be able to do multiple jobs to earn its place in my kitchen. I just needed it to do its job at a high level and it does that. If that is also your criteria for a coffee maker, rest assured. I will say the only downside I can think of is the amount of coffee it makes. It would have been nice if it was on the 10 cup side instead of just 8.I hope you find the cup of coffee you're looking for. 16 people found this helpful
SoCal Music Fan
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee, terrible design considering the incredibly high price. UPDATE: I've returned this coffeemaker and replaced it with the Kitchenaid Pour Over... The wife and I just couldn't put up with the shoddy, plasticky and poorly designed product. The coffee was fine, but the KitchenAid is a much better unit.This coffeemaker does its job. It makes good coffee at the right temperature and with a pour over nozzle which ensures the grounds are evenly soaked. It is fairly quick and fairly simple to make coffee. However, the design is downright amateurish considering the incredibly high price point. I would expect more from a coffeemaker that costs nearly $200. Here are my complaints:a) The aluminum carafe that comes with the coffee spills water massively when you try to fill the reservoir with it. It doesn't have a clearly defined spout so when you pour your water into the reservoir, the water splashes all over the place, drizzling down the side of the carafe and soaking the exterior of the machine and the countertop. It happens EVERY SINGLE time, requiring a towel to clean up the mess. Hopefully, the switch is waterproof because it gets soaked every time. The only other alternative is to use the provided cover which limits the flow and can take an eternity to fill the reservoir. So we are faced with either splashing water everywhere or a time consuming pour that most of us don't have patience for this early in the morning. I'm already grumpy.b) you have to remove the carafes' cover to brew the coffee and you have to leave it aside while you brew. Not a huge deal, but it would be more efficient to have the carafe be self-contained with a cover that allows the brewed coffee to enter the carafe while keeping it warm.c) It seems a little basic, plasticky and cheap for a $180 coffeemaker. When a decent $30 coffeemaker exists I find it hard to believe that the two key differentiators here, 1) a plastic shower nozzle vs. the standard nozzle and 2) more consistent temperature regulation are driving a $150 premium. When the cheapo manufacturers figure it out, this product will look ridiculously overpriced. I am ok with it being simple, one-button, machine without timers, etc. But the build better be premium. This looks and feels like cheap overseas manufacturing. For $180, frankly, I'm a little offended.All that being said, the coffee is fantastic. And if you don't mind a plasticky, poorly designed unit with no frills and little other functionality, this coffee maker is. for you. My previous pour over coffeemaker, the Kitchenaid model, looked high end and felt high end and produced excellent coffee. I regret not purchasing that one. Not only that but it is $30 cheaper. Look for it on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KCM0802OB-Coffee-Brewer-Black/dp/B00OQJ7X8S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QPIS61YBQWI1&keywords=kitchenaid%2Bpour%2Bover&qid=1672409019&sprefix=kitchenaid%2Bpour%2Bover%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0&th=1 One person found this helpful
Ninabee
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic coffeemaker! I was staying over at my BFF's house and had coffee from this machine. I had to to buy one!Once it starts, it drips fast, no parts to clean other than the pot and coffee grind holder, stays hot almost a half-day long. The only thing I would point out is that the pot is NOT good to pour fresh water into the tank with UNLESS you've screwed on the lid first. Without its lid on, it dribbles and makes a mess when you start to pour in the water/pour out the coffee. The carafe lid has been engineered so that in order to stay hot, the spout has been made flat to make a tight closure; if it were more curved, it wouldn't seal as well. One person found this helpful
Don
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee but after four years we switched This review is done after four years of daily use of the Bonavita BV1901TS. It makes excellent coffee. The unit stopped working one day recently and like most appliances these days it is basically unrepairable. Four years to me is not that long but so be it. Initially my instinct was to just order another one but this coffee maker has some faults that, for the price, are annoying over time. One, the carafe with the lid that has to be removed to make coffee. Over time the seal for this lid which is a silicone ring failed and started to leak coffee when pouring. I contacted the company and was told you can't buy the seal ring and need a new lid for $15 plus shipping. I found a seal somewhere around the house and managed to make it work. The carafe is ergonomically not great, it's like it's just not well designed to smoothly pour coffee and the balance of the pot is off so that pouring is not "nice" compared to other thermal carafes we have. I know this is nitpicking but this is a high end drip maker and it should be more refined. The coffee filter basket hangs above the pot and it's quite easy to hook and pull out when removing the pot. For me that's a "mess" risk, especially before I have my coffee. In the end we decided to change to another pot that is about the same price, or a bit more and purchased the OXO brand coffee maker. So far after a couple of months we are quite pleased. The coffee is equally good which is the most critical test. The carafe lid stays in place during brewing, the basket inserts from the top so no risk of hooking it. And the carafe is very comfortable to hold, well balanced and the pour is very nice. My only nitpick is the filter basket doesn't sit flat when you lay it down but this doesn't cause me any issues. Summary: Both make great coffee. I was a little aggravated at Bonavita's design, failure after four years, and lack of availabilty of a $2 seal replacement. So they lost this customer for now. 17 people found this helpful
J. Templin
Rated 3 out of 5
July 1, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Buy Cheap More Often or Expensive Fewer Times? Addendum: added 10/09/21 The carafe lid release trigger now no longer functions properly. You can pour without pressing the button. Is it a deal breaker? No. Is it what you expect when you spend this much money? No. Will I buy this again. Probably not. Bottom line, the coffee this makes isn't notably better than less expensive coffee makers. We will likely go back to less expensive coffee makers and replace them more frequently. In fact, were we to a "system fail" on this right now, it probably lasted us no longer than the cheaper brands we've used in the past. The question is, will it last that much longer to make the cost worth it?Another difference is that we've noted that the digital tones that announce the coffee is ready, now occur before the coffee continues to drip from the basket. So expect a puddle on the carafe holder unless you let the carafe sit longer before removing and placing the cap on, which somewhat negates the desired effect of keeping your coffee hot, sealed nicely in a stainless carafe.First review below:I must state upfront that I'm not a coffee "connoisseur." If you are, you probably shouldn't read this because you'll likely disagree.For all my adult life I'd imagined that a coffee maker didn't necessarily need to be expensive to make reasonably good coffee. Like most products these days coffee makers (especially inexpensive ones) aren't designed to last forever and if you get a few years use from it and the coffee it makes is to your liking, then you should expect to replace them periodically, the less expensive, the more frequently.So, based on that, it's too soon to say I suppose, having had it only a few months. If I'm still using this coffee maker five years from now then perhaps I'll feel like it was worth the extra expense.The pros: Great appearance. It heats hot (at the recommended temperature) and quickly. Comes apart for cleaning. Easy to fill the water container.Meh factor: the stainless carafe (unless you preheat it) will only keep your coffee reasonably warm for 20- 30 mins. (It's not breakable, so that IS a plus.) Yes, what to (temporarily) do with the filter basket is a minor inconvenience. On this model (8 cup), the carafe (with the lid screwed on) won't sit on the maker under the filter basket. There's no hot plate so that shouldn't matter. You can just leave the filter "basket" in place until you're ready for the final clean-up, and set the carafe to the side.I honestly can't say that our morning coffee now suddenly better (such things are, of course, somewhat subjective.) In fact there appears (to us) to be little difference between more expensive brands of coffee (whole bean or pre-ground) and Folgers ground when made in the Bonavita. (Maybe that's a perk, no pun intended.) So you might save $ on what kind of coffee you purchase.People who use a lot of cream and sugar are probably not going to notice much (if any) difference in this coffee flavor. If you're a purist and drink your java black you may find the coffee from the Bonavita is a better flavor. That's not me.The "eight cup" makes four medium sized cups (in America) of coffee. If there are two people imbibing the same carafe and both like more than two cups (ea) in the a.m., this likely won't make enough for you. Err on the next size up.I will (and so should you) endeavor to use a descaler solution on a regular, monthly basis. (The recommended Full Circle brand is pricey but seems to do the job.)So, I'd say this: if you're expecting noticeably better tasting coffee, ... um .. perhaps. If your last coffee maker was making a brew you were fine with, don't expect this to be better. If this machine holds up and lasts longer, I'll figure it was money well spent. If I'm replacing it in a couple of years it simply wasn't (with my income) worth the extra expense.Incidentally I did a lot of research/investigation and YouTube video watching before making the decision on the Bonavita. If you've got enough disposable income to afford the occasional "luxury" in your life then the cost won't bother you much. If buying this requires a sacrifice then I'm going to suggest to you that it's simply not worth the price tag.As far as the quality of the product, I am not complaining. I know there are coffee makers with lots of bells and whistles that are WAY more expensive than this one, but compared to the average coffee maker "out there," this is pricey! The coffee it makes, while fine, is not (IMO) notably better than less expensive machines. 11 people found this helpful
Eric N. Greaux
Rated 5 out of 5
July 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars It Actually Makes a Better Cup of Coffee! This coffee maker actually makes a better cup of coffee. The only reason I bought it was because of the metal carafe and it had great ratings and reviews. I did not expect it to actually make anything better than what I’ve had in the past, but I was pleasantly surprised with the coffee and that it has no bitter aftertaste. It’s very smooth and tastes great! Look closely because there’s two models that are different from each other. This is the connoisseur which uses the flat bottom filters and has a built-in holder for the filter container. The other one has a V-shaped filter bottom and the filter container sits on top of the carafe itself, which I don’t think is a great design.
Tyler Busse
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Dead simple. Quick coffee. Sub par carafe. This is a deadly simple coffee maker - there is exactly one button and all it does is start (or stop prematurely) the brew process. It's very quick, a full pot is done in less than 10 minutes.The flaws come with the carafe - is doesn't hold the heat of a pot for as long as I'd like and there tends to be a little bit of fluid trapped somewhere inside after emptying. Also, the carafe doesn't fit back into its space on the coffee maker with the lid on. Small thing but it'd be nice to be able to put it back.
P. Kuhn
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Its the best.. but it still could be better. My Bonavita of many years finally kicked the bucket. I always loved it but towards the end, it became incredibly noisy and the carafe lid was a leaky mess. Shopping for a replacement, I did not sway from the amazing brew temp which Bonavita provides - in a compact and fairly premium package. In the 10 years since my previous machine, there are clearly some corners cut now - I can only hope to get 10 years out of this one.The glass lined carafe in my old model kept things much prettier - the new one is just stainless, and just never looks "clean". The plastic pieces of the machine are fine, but feel a bit less sturdy than before. I do like the newer filter placement, vs directly on top of the pot like the old model. The two entities are separate.. this would be perfection if there was a simple drip protection, so you could grab a quick pour - but not the case. If you try to pour a cup while brewing is not complete, better have a saucer ready. Fortunately it brews very quickly.Another nit - similar to the old one - you have to clean your grinds out before you put the lid on (unless you keep the carafe off the machine - fine since there's no burner really). But some days you just don't want to stop what you are doing to deal with those grinds immediately!In the end it makes great coffee, and keeps it hot in the carafe - so no complaints there. Just starting to feel less premium, despite the price. So to me as a consumer, my confidence starts to wain. Of course, everything feels cheap these days so this is not a unique case.. 2 people found this helpful
Royboy
Rated 4 out of 5
July 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars It's a Bonavita, but... Let me start by saying I love Bonavita. I got my first one 8+ years ago, after hearing and reading about them, and how highly rated they were. I ordered a BV1800 and was very impressed. Mr. Coffee went to the storage closet to await emergency use. Well, after 8 years, the Bonavita carafe somehow developed a crack in the glass despite how careful I always was with it. Shortly after, the carafe actually lost a big chunk of the rim and even though various BV1800-owners commented on the internet that their choice of glass replacement carafe worked for them, I ordered and returned several that did not fit. And since the unit is out of production, I couldn't just order another BV1800.So that's how I ended up ordering the Bonavita Connoisseur 8 cup One Touch, after much research. My immediate reaction was to appreciate the looks of the coffeemaker. It looks really snazzy, though taking up a bigger portion of countertop real estate than the BV1800. It makes really good coffee, just like the other one, and delivers a piping hot brew in short order. But there are significant differences, some good and some bad.First off, the Connoisseur does not have a heat plate to keep brewed coffee hot. Instead, it relies on a really nice insulated metal thermos-like carafe to hold hot brewed coffee. But there are issues with that. Please note that this coffeemaker has a slide-in basket-style filter holder that suspends the brewing coffee above the carafe; that is kind of a handy idea. The BV1800 has a glass carafe that sits on a warming plate and a separate drip-down style filter holder, using cone type filters, sits on top of the carafe, just under the hot water "shower" that drizzles the coffee with steamy hot water. And it flows through the filter quickly, allowing you to pull out the carafe right after the brew cycle stops. The new Connoisseur, on the other hand, beeps after the water has finished going into the filter holder, making you think you could remove the carafe and pour some coffee. However, it continues to slowly drip coffee into the open carafe (you can't screw on the top of the carafe to hold in the heat until the carafe is off the coffeemaker). It takes so long before you can safely remove the carafe without having coffee drip down onto the recess that holds the carafe, and running onto the counter, that you loose a good deal of the heat in the carafe before you can withdraw it and screw on the carafe top. If you do manage to do that, the coffee isn't as hot as I like it once you get some poured, and it doesn't remain drinkably hot in the carafe for any length of time.Now, let me qualify all of that by describing my particular situation. I am the only coffee drinker in the house, so I brew just 4 cups (or about 2 1/2 mugs) of coffee at a time. And since I always took coffee with me to work (before I retired), my practice was to preheat a Stanley 24-ounce metal coffee thermos with hot water while the coffee brewed and then replace the hot water with hot coffee before screwing down the top and cap. That would keep coffee steamy and hot all day. So that's what I did whenever I made coffee (and still do), whether I was going to work on weekdays, or it was a weekend, or (as now) I'm retired. I can still enjoy hot coffee all day, even if it needs a quick zap in the microwave, once poured. But if you make a pot of coffee for multiple coffee drinkers, and plan to pour it all around once it's brewed, then the Connoissuer model may work for you. Or maybe you have the patience to wait for all the coffee to drip into the carafe and then have it be only sort of hot once poured. But to me, the significant advantage of the Bonavita system is hot, really good, coffee that is quickly brewed. My disappointment is that the Connoisseur doesn't deliver the same brew in the same way as the old BV1800.One final note: if you have the old BV1800 and need a new carafe, I found (finally) that the Melitta 52-oz. Pour Over Brewing Cone with Glass Carafe will work pretty well with your old BV1800, except the brewing cone is too tall to fit. So instead, I just used the plastic cone filter holder I already had, which was just short enough to sit atop the Melitta carafe and fit into the Bonavita BV1800 coffeemaker. It is still available on Amazon (Fino Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Filter Cone, Number 4-Size, Black, Brews 8 to 12-Cups). 35 people found this helpful