Over the holidays, my wife treated me to a couple gifts that really hit the mark. I was the recipient of a Bunn ThermoFresh brewer and a Capresso burr grinder.

The Bunn does make a fabulous cup of coffee, and the thermal carafe is a night-and-day difference from the heated glass coffee pots. The coffee is always brewed at 195-200 degrees (measured with a probe thermometer). The Bunn brews fast, and the coffee is definitely less bitter than a traditional, cheapo drip pot. Cleaning the Bunn is easy, and they provide excellent instructions on how to maintain the unit.

However, the Bunn is probably the least idiot-proof coffee maker I have seen. It is incredibly easy to douse your countertop with hot coffee. First, the Bunn brews lightning-fast (it holds hot water at temperature until needed), so if the grind is too fine, it is quite possible to overflow the filter basket. Second, the water receptacle has a lid with a triggered switch underneath. Closing the lid starts the flow of hot water. There is no "brew" button or otherwise. While this makes for a clean design, it is really easy to forget that the carafe has not been placed under the basket prior to closing the lid. Overall, I love the Bunn, but it needs to be used carefully!

The Capresso burr grinder has turned into a must-have... I can go from a coarse French Press grind to an ultrafine Turkish grind with a simple turn of the fixture and get consistent, repeatable results. The burr itself is easy to remove and clean, and replacement burrs are not expensive.

It was a good Christmas this year, and the gifts keep on giving. I think I may see a new Espresso machine in my future!
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As a long time Bunn user - yeah - those things can and do happen. But it will only take once or twice on forgetting to make sure the carafe is in place before shutting the lid before you stop making that mistake - :-)

Getting the grind set just right is important - but again it does not take long to learn what is needed.

I have loved using every single Bunn maker that I have had. Don't forget to every now and then completely take the top off and clean the top water tank out - mineral deposits will collect there depending on your water quality.


Ron
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