Heat N' Brew

I like my Bunn Heat n Brew. And it's SCA certified. 

If you don’t want to spend so much on the Moccamaster, the Bunn Heat-N-Brew is also a good option. It’s not perfect, but it makes a solid cup. While it has features like a clock and auto-start, you can also use it as a dumb brewer. I keep mine unplugged, so in the morning I just put in the water and grounds, plug it in, wait until the clock stops blinking, then press the big brew button. It also has a cleaning reminder, so you know when to descale it.

If you don’t want to spend the money on a Moccamaster, the Bunn Heat’n’Brew is really good for a much lower price. It used to be advertised as SCA certified for making a “golden cup”. Unlike the other Bunn brewers, it doesn’t have an always-on reservoir so it takes a bit longer to brew, but that makes it a lot more reliable. Make sure to descale any coffee maker regularly to keep it working great. I use Urnex Dezcal, but any citric-acid-based coffee maker cleaner works good. Don’t use vinegar.

Bunn has a few models under $150, but we went for the heat and brew which is about $180. It heats the water in the tank and doesn't start brewing until it's hot. They know what they're doing, since they have such a great commercial background and thier home brewers are solid.

Almost every coffee maker I have ever had has lasted longer than five years. There are literally no moving parts. Just keep any coffee maker descaled and it will last. I have a Moccamaster and its a mixed bag. Yes the boiler is built like a tank but all the plastic parts that go in the outside are super cheap and cheesy. Replacement parts for the internals are not available in the US. It’s way overpriced and overrated. Its main strength is its snazzy looking. Bunn HB is a great value. Honestly coffee quality comes down mostly to having the right grind size. Most coffee makers do a decent job if you get the grind right. SCA certified will guarantee adequate temps. Most people can’t detect that improvement though. Look at Hoffman’s review of the $17 Aldi coffee maker.

Not in the USA. They refuse to sell any parts except the plastic pieces on the outside The whole BIFL thing is highly overblown with the moccamaster. Most coffeemakers will last a long time if you keep them descaled.

Oxo is a well made machine but I had the same problem as mastley3. Oxo was great and gave me a refund and even paid for return shipping. I agree it was the silicone gasket and silicone is non-leaching and non-shedding. Also, it was more smell than taste. I have a moccamaster. Its fine but highly over-rated and way over-priced. I think the Ratio 6 could be good but its kind of ugly and I haven’t tried one. The bigger Ratio is gorgeous. Another I will recommend is Bunn HB. Great coffee and great price.

You gave no requirements so….kind of hard to say. Moccamaster is overrated and overpriced. It’s the kitchen-aid stand mixer of coffee makers, complete with fashion colors. I have one. I recommend Bunn HBor if you want to overspend Ratio 8.

It really has nothing to do with wattage. All machines that work on what most people call a “thermosiphon” principle (although that’s really not what it is) have to get the water to boiling in order to get it into the coffee. It’s the steam that propels the coffee up and over and into the grinds. So in every machine the water starts out at boiling. So wattage really has nothing to do with it. It’s only heating a small tube of water. The steam that pushes it through lives in that tube. The problem with cheaper machines is the cheap silicone tube that feeds the hot water to the coffee grinds goes through the reservoir of fresh water on its way up. That water acts as a heat sink that cools the water. So the first bit of water is going through a nearly full reservoir. As the reservoir goes down the heat sink gets smaller. So the first water starts out without enough heat and gradually gets hotter as the brew progresses. You can minimize this problem by pre-heating your water but not so much that it melts anything in the part of the machine not intended for hot water. Also don’t use water from your household water heater. Honestly not really worth it. Better coffee makers solve this problem in different ways. Many machines solve it by putting an outer tube around the feed tube creating an air gap of insulation. The Moccamaster and Oxo do this. Other machines like Bunn dump the thermosiphon approach and heat the water in a holding tank above the coffee and open a valve when the whole tank reaches temperature. These are really more ideal from a temperature perspective as long as they get the temperature right before the valve opens. The downside is they take longer because you have to wait until the whole batch of water is hot before you can start brewing. Thermosiphon machines brew the coffee incrementally, heating while they brew. This is why alot of Bunn coffeemakers have a tank that holds hot water 24/7. When you brew you displace the already hot water with fresh water. The way boiler size and wattage come into play in either type of machine is in how fast you get your coffee. Does all this matter? I think not as much as people think it does. Getting the grind size right to match your taste for the machine you are using matters much more. I’ve had pretty good coffee from a $40 Hamilton Beach with a good bean and the right grind.

I don’t think this cold leg is being addressed unless possibly the few models that add the complication of a pump. Honestly gravity feed, heating all the water to temp and then opening a valve is the most effective and elegant design. I suspect the extended brew time is what keeps it from dominating the market. I observed the level come up this morning in my moccamaster (it uses a clear glass tube surrounded by a clear plastic insulating sleeve). I run a few ounces through before I brew to clear the boiler and tubing of the water left in from the last brew and preheat everything. This helps mitigate this cold leg because hot water is left in the tubing and most of the cold water displacing it is filling the boiler, which in the moccamaster is a relatively large piece of copper tubing that holds 3 oz. So if you preheat, the moccamaster would not be very effected by this cold leg. Very interesting. Thanks for your input. The drip coffeemaker is kind of fascinating for its simplicity and effectiveness.

If you consider $140 midrange i would recommend the SCA certified Bunn HB. Downsides: It does not keep a tank of hot water on standby so it takes 15 minutes to brew. Also, the heating tank has plastic walls, which I am not wild about considering microplastic concerns. But it does brew excellent coffee and in my experience is reliable and durable. The Bunns that hold hot water have stainless steel tanks but reviews seem more spotty on them so you might want to shop carefully. The moccamaster makes good coffee but is woefully overpriced and the parts that are plastic are pretty cheaply made. The Oxo machines are well-reviewed and Oxo has fantastic customer service.

Finer grind slows the flow of water through the coffee grounds. Coarse grind lets it flow through faster. Slower flow makes stronger brew but at some point you over extract the coffee and it gets bitter. Faster flow gives you a “weaker” brew and if too weak can taste sour. Because there are hydraulic differences coming from the design of the brew funnel or basket, as well as the rate at which the water is dispensed into it, you have to experiment to find the grind that gives your preferred flavor for any machine you use. They’re all a bit different.

I always recommend the Bunn HB. Well-made, reliable, simpler mechanism than the moccamaster, sca certified. Unfortunately they recently raised the price from $140 to $180. Tarrifs maybe.

The Bunn HB Heat N’ Brew Programmable Coffee Maker is no frills (doesn't even have anti-drip function). That said, it is SCAA certified, so it actually heats water consistently to the right temperature for drip coffee. This is actually the biggest 'failure' of most low-end coffee makers. You can program it, but don't need to. It has a one button brew function and brews fast. It also reminds you to clean it after X number of cycles. I've had one for almost 7 years now with no issue. You can sometimes get them for as low as $85, but retail in the $135 range.