I just made my first batch of coffee using the new Bonavita Exceptional Brew 8 cup coffee maker with the thermal carafe here in the sales office at Whole Latte Love. One of the perks of working here is getting to try out new coffee and espresso makers before we make them available to our customers. So as I sit here with my first cup of the day nestled in my grasp, I will share my experience and first impressions with you about the Bonavita.

The Bonavita was easy for me to set up out-of-the-box on the first try. I immediately noticed that the fit and finish was clean, tight, and well crafted. But my thoughts immediately returned to the goal of making that all-important first cup and wondering what it was going to taste like from this new machine. I was a tad skeptical and thinking maybe I had made a mistake in trying a new machine to make the most important cup of fuel I need to get my day going!

I usually use the $200+ drip coffee maker in our office to make my coffee, but for some reason I was feeling a bit adventurous this morning. As I inspected the Bonavita and its thermal carafe I started finding features I really liked. The thermal carafe has a well-made stainless steel outer-shell and a glass lining. I have used many thermal carafes before this and can rank the Bonavita thermal carafe at the top of my list. Very often when you fill a thermal carafe you can feel the heat coming through the stainless steel shell; but not so with the Bonavita, it does an amazing job of keeping the heat in the carafe. What’s that mean for you and why is it important? Simple: Hotter Coffee Longer!!!

And now the feature under the hood that really got my attention. The Bonavita has a water delivery system that gets to the grounds through a “showerhead”. As soon as the water is at the proper temperature it release the hot water through the showerhead that has multiple jets shooting streams of water out over the grounds in a large pattern. It stirs and agitates the grounds very efficiently allowing the best possible flavor extraction from the ground coffee. If you ever observed a typical drip coffee maker during the brew cycle they just spurt the hot water out in a localized stream that often doesn’t saturate the grounds evenly right from the start, nor do they agitate the grounds. This feature alone makes the Bonavita a great buy.

And the final observation: the length of brewing time. Can you imagine my escalating anxiety as I get the Bonavita set-up, charged with coffee and water, and push the start button? Ah, relief! It brewed the whole pot of 8-cups in under 6 minutes and the coffee tastes great! What a great coffee maker. My take is that this Bonavita machine is a must have for someone looking to upgrade their home drip coffee maker without breaking the bank. This machine has many advantages and the coffee it makes is wonderful. Till next time! Enjoy one of the best creations ever: Coffee!