 Near perfect function, a few very minor flaws |
| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Martin L. Davis II, Neosho, MO United States |
I love coffee. For the past year, I've been immersed in the technical and chemical artistry (and it truly is) of home roasting my own coffee and perfecting the brewing process to take advantage of total control and total freshness. Up to now, I've made my single cups using a thermostatically controlled water kettle and a cone drip device which allows me to control the "steep" time of the water at the proper temperature. But what to do when guests come over?
The overwhelming consensus is that the TechniVorm (TV) is the Rolls Royce of batch coffee makers. I got one as a gift and I agree.
We all know that cheap coffee makers cannot supply brewing temperature water at the desired 203F. My Mr. Coffee, for example, was 169F at the brewhead. More on this in a minute.
The coffee maker comes assembled and requires only that the brewhead wand, filter basket and covers be installed. The water chamber is clear plastic with cup level markings on the side. I have not measured the "cup" volumes yet but I suspect they are consistent with a 6 oz. cup size. The coffee measure with the TV is said to make two cups per scoop, which is fairly accurate as a starting point. The filter basket, basket cover and water chamber cover are black plastic. The brewhead wand is stainless steel.
The TV is simple enough to use. Placing the filter basket on a plastic support is a no-brainer except that it helps to notice that the handle should go in front facing you, not to either side. This is because the basket is wedge shaped at the bottom to accommodate the #4 cone filters used, and the brewhead wand is designed to distribute water along the length of the bottom wedge. There are nine holes in the brewhead which distribute water effectively onto the coffee.
Taking a closer look at the TV, it is obvious that one of the reasons it achieves the proper high brewing temperature is that the siphon from the heating chamber passes through an outer plastic tube which effectively insulates the heated water from the cold unheated water in the water chamber. This is the main design flaw with cheaper coffee makers. The TV also has two heating coils rather than one to help maintain a high enough water temperature.
Additional control is provided with a three-position switch on the side of the filter basket. The positions are full flow (although the hole is quite small), partial flow and closed. My brewing so far has been to leave the switch open, as I'm brewing 10-cup batches and use a rather fine grind which extends the drip time. I have not yet made 2-cup batches, but I will plan to close the switch completely to enable a 4-minute steep time before releasing the coffee into the carafe. Note that the grind is a major variable here since fine grind will slow the water considerably over a coarser grind. I use a burr grinder which can be controlled easily. If you use a blade grinder, plan on a very fine grind and longer brew times.
Since I use home roasted coffee, my coffee is extremely fresh after a customary 4-day rest period. Very fresh coffee will give off CO2 which causes some foaming on the surface. This could be a problem if you are brewing 10-cup batches with a full filter and you restrict the flow with the second position on the filter basket switch, so beware. Commercial coffee, especially pre-ground, will not usually foam as it has already begun to stale. I would recommend brewing with the filter basket cover removed until you get a feel for how the water flows through your coffee. Overflow is certainly possible but not likely with the switch fully open, and my 10-cup batches with very fresh coffee came only to 1/2" of the top of the filter basket. If you get an overflow, then, you either have ground the coffee too finely and/or you are using filters that are too restrictive. I use Filtropia and Melitta, preferring the former.
The power is controlled by a single switch. The light on the switch stays on following brewing, but the coils shut off automatically at the end of a brewing cycle and the brew light goes out. There is no timer, which is often a complaint if you're too lazy to grind and brew when you wake up. I always grind fresh and brew with fresh water and it takes only 60 seconds to fill the chamber, grind a couple of scoops of coffee and press the button. I prefer this to having a chamber full of stale water overnight.
The stainless steel carafe is a vacuum carafe and is perhaps the weakest link. I cannot imagine using a glass carafe with this machine, as coffee temperature is the whole purpose of the design, and an uninsulated glass carafe is good only to keep the coffee from spilling on the counter! This carafe keeps coffee hot for hours. Pouring is the only issue I might have here. The pour lip has no dimple and if you pour with the screw-in lid, it can spread a bit along the lip and cause some spilling. On the other hand, if you loosen the lid, turn it to the proper 1/4 positions and pour slowly, the coffee comes out leaving a nice ring of fresh-coffee bubbles inside the rim of the cup. This may well have been intended, as everything else on this device is well engineered. Just don't get in a real hurry to pour with the lid on. You can, of course remove the lid to pour.
Overall, the best of the best with the vacuum carafe. |
WOW
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| Review Date: November 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Regman, St. Paul MN |
| I am a real coffee snob and have gone through at least 10 coffee makers and finally found this one. Was a three month wait to get it and finally got it. Makes great coffee and come out very hot. Brews very quickly. Don't like the carafe that comes with it. Got a Nissan -Thermos to keep it hot. Everyone who tries my coffee always asks what coffee I use. It not only the coffee but the maker also. Get this, it is expensive but well worth it for those who enjoy coffee |
Six years of great coffee and still going strong
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| Review Date: April 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: R. Duggan, |
| I'll keep this brief. There is plenty of information and reviews of this amazing product available for your reading enjoyment. We've have this product for over six years. It has from day one and continuing made the best cup of coffee consistently without any issues even worth mentioning. If you are interested in being able to make great coffee at home for years to come, take the plunge and purchase this very well engineered and manufactured product. No bells and whistles, not pretty, just near perfect functionality. We haven't experienced any of the issues noted by some of the reviewers (clogging, drippiing too fast) so I can't comment there one way or another. If (and that's a big if) this product ever breaks down we won't hesitate a second to buy another. |
Absolutely worth the clunky look and high price cause the coffee is THE BOMB!
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| Review Date: March 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Mir, North Miami Beach, FL USA |
I'm not a coffee expert or critic or anything. I just love a good, non-bitter, fragrant cup with interesting flavors. I spent a lot of money buying gourmet "freshly-roasted" coffees over the years and finding they all tasted pretty ordinary. Well, duh. I had an ordinary coffeemaker all those years (Mr. Coffees, Melitta, etc).
For my birthday last year, I invested in a good set-up--this Technivorm, a burr grinder, a filtered-water pitcher, and good beans from George Howell. And now, I'm in coffee heaven. FOR THE FIRST TIME I can taste those subtleties you read about in coffee reviews by the cognoscenti--which I am not one!--the caramel, chocolate or floral notes, etc. Yep. I taste them now! I had no idea coffee could be this good. Now, when I go out with hubby, I often skip a restaurant's java--even a bistro's fancy schmancy ones--cause my coffee at home is tastier and crazy-fresh. :D
I would have howled if you'd told me to spend nearly 300 bucks on a coffeemaker a couple years ago when I had given up on regular brewers and gone over to pod coffee for convenience (Flavia). But I'm glad I spent the moolah. I so look forward to that very first cup, and the other cups of my day. Yum.
Love this machine! Even if it's kinda homely and a space-hog on my counter. (Oh, the carafe is really effective, too.)
(Note: You may want to search online for a better deal. I've seen it for less than this, though not much less, granted, and still with free shipping.) |
Exceptional coffee from a not so exceptional coffee maker
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| Review Date: December 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Delia Parvu, NJ USA |
I will give this coffee maker 5 stars only because the coffee it makes is absolutely exceptional! This is, without a doubt, the best coffee I ever had. It has a deep aroma and taste and it comes out fast.
However, I will give the built of the item a 1 star rating because it is very flimsy and cheap! I am actually very disappointed by the fact that the water tank is not fully covered by the lid and dust has plenty of room to get in. The filter cover bends in your hands as you wash it. The thermal carafe is OK but its lid leaves a lot to be desired.
If I did not read so many excellent reviews and if Cook's Illustrated did not give it such high ranking, I would have returned it without even trying it. |
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