I just got the thermal on Friday. I like it a lot. I only make 16oz at a time, and I know a brewer like this isn't ideal for that amount.
I am posting to relate that I am very happy with the thermal. Even only brewing the 16oz, the coffee comes out real hot without pre-warming. I have to wait awhile for the coffee to cool down. I usually poor 8-10 oz and go back for the rest about 20 minutes later and it is still hot. I have been putting hot tap water in it at times, but this isn't needed for the amount of time it takes me, and I might even stop. The carafe pours fine, no leaking.
The brew cycle lasted 3 minutes with 24 grams of coffee 17oz of water. I haven't adjusted the grind yet. Even with the less than ideal brewing amount, and not adjusting the grind the coffee was hot and delicious, full bodied although a little weak(which seems strange, but could be the coffee). Of course the grind adjustment will help.
I am using paper filters. Melitta #4. I will try grinding coarser and see what that does. At my current setting I measured them and they are about 1mm grind size (approx, it is kinda hard to measure).
The thing is, though, are you happy with the coffee it produces ? If you are, I wouldn't mess around with the grind size too much. The brew times recommended by the 2 main coffee institutes (US and European) have some leeway anyway, and I have always assumed they included the time taken for the filter basket to empty, rather than just the time the water is dripped.
The brew cycle lasted 3 minutes with 24 grams of coffee 17oz of water. I haven't adjusted the grind yet. Even with the less than ideal brewing amount, and not adjusting the grind the coffee was hot and delicious, full bodied although a little weak(which seems strange, but could be the coffee). Of course the grind adjustment will help.
I haven't ever timed it, but I do know it's longer than with a Technivorm, and I think it's to do with the design of the basket. The Technivorm basket has a single hole - a lot larger than the Melitta/Bonavita basket - and it is in the centre of the basket at the bottom. It would provide virtually no flow control to the water coming out. The Melitta/Bonavita has a much smaller hole about 1cm up from the botton of the basket in the side. Exactly why it's designed like that I don't know, but I'm sure there is some theoretical reason. In any event, it is of a size to limit the flow going through it.
You might check it against your capresso machine too.
I suspect that is the answer rather than anything to do with your grind size.
Edit - by the way, what kind of filter are you using ? I found that the bodum version of the gold type permanent filter didn't work too well in this machine. The flow through was far too slow compared to a good quality paper filter, and on one occasion it overflowed.
I did a head - to - head comparison of the BV & TV. I measured the water — exactly 1 liter in each — and the amount of coffee which was exactly 60 grams that I ground at the same setting in my Capresso Infinity. The grind I find best-suited to both the BV and TV on this grinder is a setting that is in the finest of the medium fine settings, depending on roast, of course. The two brewers were powered up simultaneously; the BV was the first to put water into the basket, by 8 seconds exactly, however once the water began flowing in the TV, it quickly passed the BV and had finished the complete process in 5:26 versus 6:01 all the way to drip's end. The brew was subtly hotter from the BV, but the taste from the two was otherwise indistinguishable. Clearly the BonaVita is an excellent product and a best buy at its price.
I did a head - to - head comparison of the BV & TV. I measured the water — exactly 1 liter in each — and the amount of coffee which was exactly 60 grams that I ground at the same setting in my Capresso Infinity. The grind I find best-suited to both the BV and TV on this grinder is a setting that is in the finest of the medium fine settings, depending on roast, of course. The two brewers were powered up simultaneously; the BV was the first to put water into the basket, by 8 seconds exactly, however once the water began flowing in the TV, it quickly passed the BV and had finished the complete process in 5:26 versus 6:01 all the way to drip's end. The brew was subtly hotter from the BV, but the taste from the two was otherwise indistinguishable. Clearly the BonaVita is an excellent product and a best buy at its price.
This info is good to know, and I am leaning this way. Interested in durability and customer service on these machines. Wonder what is different in the build quality of this machine and others by Melitta?
Anyone selling this machine with any coffee/filter perks?
Complication is that the Melitta Company based in Germany, which manufactures (*) and sells the original Melitta version of the Bonavita machine isn't the same as Melitta in North America. The range of products sold in North American markets is totally different.
I think that in the USA the name "Melitta" has been licensed to a completely different manufacturer as far as machines are concerned.
I must be grinding way to fine. I brewed a full pot today with 56 grams of coffee at setting 26 on my Virtuoso and the water was out of the reservoir in about 5 and a half minutes but it did not finish draining until between 8 and a half and 9 minutes. The strange thing is the grind does not look that fine at all. I am wondering if I am getting a lot of fines from my grinder for some reason and it is clogging the filter. It is the virtuoso with the Precisio burrs, so I hope that is not the case.
mwright Senior Member Joined: 6 Sep 2010 Posts: 102 Location: Michigan Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012, 10:59am Subject: Re: Bonavita Automatic Brewer - 1st Look
Java_Jiver Said:
I did a head - to - head comparison of the BV & TV. I measured the water — exactly 1 liter in each — and the amount of coffee which was exactly 60 grams that I ground at the same setting in my Capresso Infinity. The grind I find best-suited to both the BV and TV on this grinder is a setting that is in the finest of the medium fine settings, depending on roast, of course. The two brewers were powered up simultaneously; the BV was the first to put water into the basket, by 8 seconds exactly, however once the water began flowing in the TV, it quickly passed the BV and had finished the complete process in 5:26 versus 6:01 all the way to drip's end. The brew was subtly hotter from the BV, but the taste from the two was otherwise indistinguishable. Clearly the BonaVita is an excellent product and a best buy at its price.
That is interesting. I just ran mine with no coffee in it to see how long it would take for just the water to empty out. From the time I powered the unit on to the last flow out of the shower head was 6 minutes and 10 seconds. That seems like a long time. It would take another minute to minute and a half at least for the coffee to finish draining based on my past experiences. I wonder if my machine is dispensing water slower than others.
mwright Senior Member Joined: 6 Sep 2010 Posts: 102 Location: Michigan Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012, 1:53pm Subject: Re: Bonavita Automatic Brewer - 1st Look
One more question. Do you think it is OK to clean this coffee maker with 50/50 vinegar to water mixture? I am wondering because the manual says no acetic acid and I think that is what is in Vinegar. I know by Bunn said to use Vinegar but I am not sure about this one.
RVAMom Senior Member Joined: 26 Nov 2011 Posts: 4 Location: Midlothian, VA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012, 1:58pm Subject: Re: Bonavita Automatic Brewer - 1st Look
I emailed the customer service a couple weeks ago and they said 50/50 vinegar water was okay but not really recommended because of the smell. I know with my old capresso I had to run 4 or 5 cycles of water to get rid of the vinegar smell.
I also ran 1.25L of water only and it took about 6:30 to get through.
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