Author Topic: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...  (Read 6950 times)

Offline stevea

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SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« on: May 23, 2017, 06:56:45 PM »
http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2

Quote
At this time, current SCAA Certified Home Brewers are:

Technivorm Moccamaster
Behmor Connected Brewer or Behmor Connected Coffee Brew System
KitchenAid Coffee Maker KCM0802
KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer (model KCM0801OB)
Bonavita Coffee Maker (model BV1900TS)
Bonavita BV1900TD 8-Cup Digital Coffee Brewer
OXO On 9-Cup Coffee Maker
OXO On 12-Cup Coffee Maker
Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker
BUNN 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker
Behmor Brazen Connected 8 Cup Coffee Maker
Cuisinart PurePrecisionâ„¢ Pour Over Coffee Brewer



That's a pretty long list compared to previous years.  Anyone (else) wanna comment,
"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."  — Mark Twain

Offline stevea

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2017, 01:33:20 AM »
OK - when I posted that I was had my trigger finger on a great price for a moccamaster, but decided to 'pass'.   I've used one in the past and they feel like an erector set, and a bit fussy.

I really liked the (melitta) BonaVita, but the rather small, high power heating element requires constant de-scaling, else the unit fails.  I went thru two of them a couple years ago.  Also it's a little small for my use.

I really like the Oxo products I have around the kitchen; these guys really pay attention to design detail.  OTOH their first foray into coffee makings appears to have some QA problems (read the low-ranking amazon reviews).  I'll want to wait for their next model.

Behmor - I'm not impressed w/ the design, nor the reliability of their previous products (based on 2nd hand reports).

Wilfa Precision - overpriced euro trash IMO.  I'm sure it makes good coffee.  Looks like tool for erectile dysfunction.   Costs far too much.  I'll wager you won't find parts in a couple years.

KitchenAid - both models get poor ratings, glass carafe is a deal-killer for me.

Cuisinart - really ?   After decades of Mr.Coffee knock-offs are they making a good brewer ?  Apparently so, but reports are the thermal carafe isn't properly insulated.  Cools w/in an hour.

Bunn - a serious mfgr & a real possibility.  The 'programmable' is glass carafe only AFAICT only sold thru Wm.Sonoma (a boutique brewer IMO).

==

How friggin' hard is it to make a 10cup brewer with good thermal carafe that can tolerate a 'loose' descaling program ?


"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."  — Mark Twain

Offline Ascholten

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2017, 02:23:12 AM »
For what its worth the Bodum electric vac pot performs just as well if not better than many of those TBH.
I wonder what criteria they used to approve a pot?

Aaron
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Offline CrackedBean

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2017, 08:23:53 AM »
What about other machines that brew at proper temperatures but have not applied for SCAA Certification? I do not know which brewers those are, but I have read over the years about various drip machines which claim to brew a good cup at proper temps/extraction times but are not certified. Years ago I had a Capresso which is no longer made but it claimed to brew in the proper temperature range. I never measured the temperature of the coffee but it made much better coffee than the big box store brewer it replaced.

Offline Ascholten

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2017, 12:56:05 PM »
That's the thing, there may be plenty of capable brewers out there but the makers decided not to pay the snobbery fee for a 'grand poobah snobby snob' certification button to put on their label.  Brew temp is only part of the equation to a good cup of coffee.  What about extraction time?  A pot that squirts a piss hole through the center of the ground mass is not making a good cup and not fully extracting all the ground flavor.  Neither IMO is a pot with a wide open bottom where the water is in-out with no hang time to get the goods out of the beans.  This is one thing I like with my technivorn, I can close it off or at least part way down to hold water in there to ensure a full immersion and much better chance at extraction than some pots where it just runs right through.  Even then, grounds that fill up, flood, sit a minute or three then drain down, don't extract as good as the ones in the center where the water is constantly passing them by and extracting on the fly.

What I like to do with my TV is close it off, let it fill up with water, use a spoon stir the grounds up, open spout, let it drain, close off, fill, stir grounds up, do this two or three times during a brew and I find the coffee is extremely rich and flavorful.  It makes a good cup if I can resist the urge to nerd out and play with the pot during brewing, but tinkering will yield a much better cup in my opinion.

I have also used a commercial bunn pot at work, not sure the brand but I have it tweaked to spit out 199 degree water, and it does a pretty knock up job at making coffee too.

Aaron
As I have grown older, I have learned that pleasing everybody is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake!

Offline ptrmorton

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2017, 01:03:22 PM »

How friggin' hard is it to make a 10cup brewer with good thermal carafe that can tolerate a 'loose' descaling program ?


I've owned a Bonavita bv1900ts for 17 months.  It was descaled once, but didn't seem to make any difference so I haven't done it in about a year.  Great coffee, very good metal thermal carafe which holds 59 oz of coffee.  It says it is a 8 cup brewer, but getting it to brew almost 10 just takes a bit of ingenuity.  $120 almost everywhere.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2017, 01:05:59 PM by ptrmorton »
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Offline Ascholten

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2017, 01:15:42 PM »
I have a bodum santos electric vac pot.  Had it for hell probably 8 years now.  Still running strong.
Here's the thing though, Id try to keep it clean but not really super descaling it.
At this point, descaling would be a death sentence.
A few years ago I tried to clean it out and it started leaking around the bottom seal around the heating element,  luckily after about ten pots, the scale sort of reformed and re sealed the pot.  It runs great, works fine and a little scale built up on the bottom is not hurting really.  I understand you don't want your pot looking like mammoth caves with stalagmites growing in it but a little scale wont hurt a think I would not think.

Aaron
As I have grown older, I have learned that pleasing everybody is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake!

Offline Badam

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2017, 03:15:33 PM »
I had a Bunn Brewer for 5 years and liked it a lot until the thermal fuse blew and I decided it was time for a different machine. It went through quite a few pots of coffee and quite a few people who had no clue what they were doing (overfilled grounds, dumped water everywhere, even had one person pour brewed coffee back in the machine).

I upgraded to a Bloomfield, it isn't on the list, but it is a much better machine, and it better be for more than double the price tag. It has an adjustable thermostat where I can control the temperature of water coming out and a much bigger heating element.

Like Aaron said, there are much better brewers that aren't on the list, simply because they don't care about the fancy label. I'd look to a commercial brewer if you want something most reliable. I believe Joe negotiated a Newco discount for the club that is probably one of the cheaper routes if you're in the market for commercial.

Offline Ascholten

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2017, 03:56:21 PM »
Do  not ask me for a model number I have no clue, but when i was in the navy, the bunn commercials, would occasionally crap out and we'd (we being me, an electrician / turbine tech) would have to fix it.  They had two adjustable thermostats and one non settable, the safety cutout.  I think top temp was like 205 or something, it was a general T stat that could easily be replaced.  So yes, the commercial ones are made for a ton of coffee,  horrible abuse by idiots, and easy to fix.  It might be a bit expensive but they last for years.  Ours probably had 25 pots a day through it (it was the engineering departments coffee pot) and really NO descaling or any TLC (remember were talking squids ruinning it here :D)

Aaron
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Offline brianmch

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2017, 08:24:12 AM »
Do any of you have the OXO Brain? I know Joe is gearing up to review one shortly but looking for comments from the peanut gallery.

I got a Chemex Ottomatic a couple years ago as a gift.  Temp is slightly low and I don't know how to ramp it up any.  I have taken it apart but don't know what the thermostat looks like. 

It has good aesthetics and easy to use. 

It doesn't do too well with less than a 5 cup batch (30 grams of grounds).  Does a great job with larger batches and flash brew. 

They didn't pay for the SCAA certification.

Offline stevea

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2017, 12:27:38 PM »
That's the thing, there may be plenty of capable brewers out there but the makers decided not to pay the snobbery fee for a 'grand poobah snobby snob' certification button to put on their label....

Agreed, but there are EVEN MORE brewers that can't hit the time & temp needed (I've owned several over the years, even good brands).   A lot of basic brewers out there can't even hold enough grounds to make a full pot !

FWIW I burned through two bonvitas in a couple years so I won't be buying a third.  The too-small heating element cakes-over deep w/ scale, making descaling problematic, then it overheats & dies.  I did an autopsy on the last one after a good hard descaling and it still had lots of stone (and my water isn't THAT hard).
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Offline stevea

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2017, 12:34:40 PM »
I was about to pull the trigger on the OXO Brain ON , but came across this ...

Breville Precision brewer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l61I1FDD0

Seems like a really flexible unit for ~$300-ish (rumored price)
OTOH I've always looked askance at Breville - Can a toaster/juice company really make good coffee gear ?
Anyone got experience w/ Breville ?
"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."  — Mark Twain

Offline ptrmorton

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2017, 02:44:56 PM »
I was about to pull the trigger on the OXO Brain ON , but came across this ...

Breville Precision brewer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l61I1FDD0

Seems like a really flexible unit for ~$300-ish (rumored price)
OTOH I've always looked askance at Breville - Can a toaster/juice company really make good coffee gear ?
Anyone got experience w/ Breville ?


Wow.  That is pretty amazing.  I'll be interested in hearing how the coffee tastes, but it tics a lot of boxes.  My concern would be longevity given the machines complexity, but thanks for sharing stevea.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2017, 02:46:30 PM by ptrmorton »
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Offline Badam

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2017, 03:28:26 PM »
I was about to pull the trigger on the OXO Brain ON , but came across this ...

Breville Precision brewer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l61I1FDD0

Seems like a really flexible unit for ~$300-ish (rumored price)
OTOH I've always looked askance at Breville - Can a toaster/juice company really make good coffee gear ?
Anyone got experience w/ Breville ?

I have had their smart grinder for almost 6 years now. It has been a workhorse for me. I was always concerned about reliability, but I have not had any issues yet.

In that price range, you are looking at a Technivorm though, which many say is tops even if it doesn't have the extra features.

Offline Ascholten

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Re: SCAA Certified Home Brewers ...
« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2017, 03:29:29 PM »
Give it a try Steve, that is the only way you will know for sure.
SCAA does not guarantee a good brewer, just that they paid for the politics in the coffee world to be part of the 'good ole boys gang'.
There are a number of awesome brewers who are not a member of the nose up group.

Aaron.
As I have grown older, I have learned that pleasing everybody is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake!