Green Coffee Buying Club
Coffee Discussion boards => Hardware & Equipment => Topic started by: Abouna on April 16, 2008, 08:58:15 AM
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I need some help buying a new drip machine.
We have 5 adults drinking coffee every morning. Needless to say a typical 10 cup carafe doesn't cut it. I researched this before and found nothing with a higher capacity.
I'd like to stay with a thermal carafe but if need be I can do without and transfer. What I really want is simply higher output so we don't have to make as many pots.
I'd also like to not go broke. ;D
Any suggestions?
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My suggestion is to search Craigslist for a larger brewer of the commercial variety. I bought a Bunn Single SoftHeat that is able to do 1/2 - 1 - or 1 1/2 gallon brews for a very reasonable price last year. The downside is it's BIG and has to be plumbed in (or flo-jet out of a bottle) to work.
An Airpot brewer might be a little smaller and still brew larger amounts for you. I would have preferred an airpot brewer myself...
The other option would be just a standard Bunn. Mine brews a 50oz stainless/thermal carafe in ~3 minutes, and is ready for another round in less than 10. (Bunn says 15) Their customer service is top notch to boot. Highest retail I've seen it for is $150, but it can be had for less if you're willing to shop around a little. Here is a link (http://www.bunn.com/retail/products/bt.html) to the brewer I use daily.
-Stubbie
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How are the AirPot brewers supposed to be? Sams has this (http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&upc=72504038865&pid=_Froogle) Bunn for $299. I've never had good coffee from a Bunn though.
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I have one of these Bunn Airpot brewers (CW-15APS), and am very pleased with it. I have the temperature cranked up so it sputters and boils a bit, but makes excellent coffee, and brewing right into an airpot rocks. Easy to maintain. You can get the Bunn 2.5L airpots with the stainless steel interior which are very durable. I send/bring airpots of coffee to meetings and gatherings several times a week.
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How are the AirPot brewers supposed to be? Sams has this ([url]http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&upc=72504038865&pid=_Froogle[/url]) Bunn for $299. I've never had good coffee from a Bunn though.
I recommend that unit, as I purchased it about 2.5 years ago from Sams, and then about a 1 year ago sold it to the place I work.
We use it every day, and it is still going strong. It has a pretty good recovery too (I think something like 3 gallons per hour). It is a pourover, so no plumb-in needed. If you want both, I think Bunn might have a couple of models that give you both plumb-in and pourover, but they might be pricey. And as for the flavor, it is good. On something like this the extraction time is about 4 minutes, which I find good enough (some want more like 6). The only thing we did was buy the big metal gourmet filter basket (called a funnel) as well as the larger filters, since the stock filter basket and filters would overflow with the amount of coffee I like to use, especially since it is very fresh and tends to bloom more. They are not cheap, but I got the funnel and the larger filters from CW-USA, and can highly recommend them. If you are serious about it, please PM me for the actual part numbers, since that was a little tricky.
http://www.cw-usa.com/
In any case, for carafes, I like the 2.2 liter (about 1/2 gallon) glass lined Japanese babies like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-2-Liter-Brew-Thru-Polished-Stainless/dp/B00004S56Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1208371376&sr=8-3
We have 2 of these, and they have withstood the abuse so far, and are pretty easy to clean. Not to mention do a great job keeping your coffee hot for awhile.
Chris
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Checked Costco, and found this bad boy for $100 less. Check the Bunn website to compare the differences, but looks good:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11232429&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1
I also found this fancier model, which seems to have some ninja-like electronics:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11268080&search=coffee&Sp=S&Mo=90&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=coffee&Ntt=coffee&No=14&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
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In any case, for carafes, I like the 2.2 liter (about 1/2 gallon) glass lined Japanese babies like this one:
[url]http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-2-Liter-Brew-Thru-Polished-Stainless/dp/B00004S56Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1208371376&sr=8-3[/url]
We have 2 of these, and they have withstood the abuse so far, and are pretty easy to clean. Not to mention do a great job keeping your coffee hot for awhile.
Chris
Glad to hear you like it. I also like the Zojirushi option as they have brew through which I assume means you needn't open the lid. My only problem now is that it's an additional cost on an already $300 machine that comes with a pot. Maybe I should try and find one that is just the machine.
I'll also ask you later about the bigger basket, sounds good.
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Could be wrong, but I don't think any of the Bunn brewers come with a pot.
I like the $199 brewer from Costco. I think it might be cheaper because of the plastic casing vs. the all SS of the more expensive model.
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How are the AirPot brewers supposed to be? Sams has this ([url]http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&upc=72504038865&pid=_Froogle[/url]) Bunn for $299. I've never had good coffee from a Bunn though.
Have you put any home roast in a Bunn? I know they aren't SCAA certified, but I think the quality out of mine is quite good. If I had an extra hundy just laying around, I'd like to do a head to head with the Newco brewers everyone has been buying - but for now, I'm just going to be happy with my Bunn. Frankly, the only thing I would replace it with in my kitchen is a Technivorm.
-Stubbie
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I also like the Zojirushi option as they have brew through which I assume means you needn't open the lid.
You do open the lid, but the center filler tube thingy can stay in place, thus exposing a very small hole through which the coffee can drip. And this of course minimizes the hot air that can escape.
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I've never had good coffee from a Bunn though.
I have a sensory memory of Bunn brewed coffee (off the good old 2 pot station) that is so powerful it overcomes many deficiencies in coffee quality itself. :o
The effect is magnified significantly by eating pancakes. ;D
John F
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The other option would be just a standard Bunn. Mine brews a 50oz stainless/thermal carafe in ~3 minutes, and is ready for another round in less than 10. (Bunn says 15) Their customer service is top notch to boot. Highest retail I've seen it for is $150, but it can be had for less if you're willing to shop around a little. Here is a link ([url]http://www.bunn.com/retail/products/bt.html[/url]) to the brewer I use daily.
-Stubbie
If you do a search for this on FleaBay you'll find that there is an outlet in Buffalo, NY that gets the returns from retail stores and sells them there. After searching the historical auctions the most I've seen them sell for is $65.00 plus about $20.00 shipping (lower 48) for a brand new returned unit.
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If you do a search for this on FleaBay you'll find that there is an outlet in Buffalo, NY that gets the returns from retail stores and sells them there. After searching the historical auctions the most I've seen them sell for is $65.00 plus about $20.00 shipping (lower 48) for a brand new returned unit.
How about a link?
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How about a link?
http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?sofocus=bs&satitle=bunn+btx&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC5&fbd=1&dfsp=32&catref=C6&sorefinesearch=1&from=R14&nojspr=y&pfid=0&fswc=1&few=&saprclo=&saprchi=&fss=0&saslop=1&sasl=&fls=4%26floc%3D1&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D0&salic=1&saatc=1&sadis=200&fpos=14305&fsct=&sacur=0&sacqyop=ge&sacqy=&sabfmts=0&saobfmts=exsif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&sabdlo=&sabdhi=&saaff=afdefault&afepn=&customid=&afmp=&fsop=32%26fsoo%3D2&fcl=3&frpp=50
Hope that helps.
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How about a link?
[url]http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?sofocus=bs&satitle=bunn+btx&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC5&fbd=1&dfsp=32&catref=C6&sorefinesearch=1&from=R14&nojspr=y&pfid=0&fswc=1&few=&saprclo=&saprchi=&fss=0&saslop=1&sasl=&fls=4%26floc%3D1&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D0&salic=1&saatc=1&sadis=200&fpos=14305&fsct=&sacur=0&sacqyop=ge&sacqy=&sabfmts=0&saobfmts=exsif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&sabdlo=&sabdhi=&saaff=afdefault&afepn=&customid=&afmp=&fsop=32%26fsoo%3D2&fcl=3&frpp=50[/url]
Hope that helps.
Ah, I see, I was searching for airpot not standard. Too small for me. Too bad.
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Ah, I see, I was searching for airpot not standard. Too small for me. Too bad.
Well you can always broaden your search:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C5&sacur=0&sorefinesearch=1&from=R14&dfsp=32&sacqyop=ge&saaff=afdefault&fcl=3&nojspr=y&frpp=50&saslop=1&fss=0&satitle=bunn+&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=14305&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=32%26fsoo%3D2
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If you keep your eyes open on eBay, you will certainly find an airpot brewer for under $100 in time. I have picked up a couple of them over the last two years. I bought a refurbished Bloomfield 8773 last summer for $80 including shipping, and it was mint. I installed it in the local community theatre building. The thermostat allows it to be set up to 205?F, so it is actually possible to have it run too hot (the main function of the thermostat is for elevation). One suggestion with homeroast, though: you will frequently want/need to wet the grounds with hot water a minute or two before brewing to keep the bloom from getting out of hand and to allow a decent extraction. A well-loaded basket of 2-3 day old homeroast can force the basket to overflow or pop off otherwise.
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I have one of these Bunn Airpot brewers as well. I use it every week to take samples to one of my retailers. I am very happy with it. It seems to brew on the weak side to me, so it may take more coffee than you used in your other machine. Experiments will tell you that. As Chris mentioned, because of the amount of coffee you use, you might have to look at a larger filter system so it does not overflow and fill your pot with grounds.
Shep