Forget about the cost, this is well worth the money! Ideal conditions produce wonderful coffee and it looks surprisingly attractive in the kitchen.
Positive Product Points
Perfect Brewing Temperature Produces Excellent Coffee and Couldn't be simpler to use Updated Thermal Carafe keeps coffee hot for hours and pours neatly Brews Quickly and Quietly Looks way better in real life than the pictures Design of filter basket allows coffee brewing to be slowed or stopped
Negative Product Points
Quite expensive Some of the plastic parts seem flimsy Carafe won't fit under brewer with lid on No automatic shut-off for power Plastic base carafe sits on doesn't attach to machine well.
Detailed Commentary
Let me start off by saying first that I am relatively inexperienced in the world of specialty coffee brewing. I am still learning to perfect my technique so I look for more improvement in the months/years to come. That being said, the coffee I am making with this machine is enormously better than any I have personally made or had in the home of anyone I know. I have used the brewing technique that Sweet Maria's has on their website for the TV brewers. I add 6 full scoops of freshly ground coffee to the basket and am using a Swissgold filter. I use the scoop that came with the brewer which is 2 TBSP. I start the brew with the basket closed and after about 1 minute, open it to the slow drip setting and stir the slurry. The carafe is preheated. Brewing is fast and quiet. The coffee is wonderful. No more burnt, bitter taste from the long brewing of my old Mr. Coffee. I have measured the temperature of the water in the basket and it is 202 degrees throughout most of the brewing cycle. The machine is very simple to use. Just put water in and turn it on.
I was very surprised at how good this machine looks on the countertop. From the pictures it looked pretty ugly and commercial but it is actually very attractive in real life. I got one of the newer models with the updated continuous rim carafe. I had read that the old carafe was inconvenient to pour with but the new style pours very neatly. Also, I had read that the thermal carafe didn't keep the coffee hot enough but again I have no problems with mine. I am able to store coffee for 2-3 hours and it is still too hot for me to drink without letting it cool off for a couple of minutes first. The other day, I brewed a pot, drank 2 cups and got busy. 5 hours later I poured a cup and it was still hot. I'm sure better carafes can be bought but I don't need to store my coffee for 12 hours before drinking it. If you plan to drink your coffee within a couple hours, this one is very capable.
The negatives are so few and minor that they almost don't matter but there is always room for imporovement. Some of the plastic components have a flimsy feel to them but they are sturdy enough for their function. A future design change for a carafe that can be brewed into with the lid on would be nice and so would a better design for the "base" on which the carafe sits. The one feature I would really like to see is some type of automatic shut-off once the brewing is complete. I am so forgetful that it is almost inevitable that one day I will leave this machine turned on for hours before I notice the mistake. Hopefully no damage will be done but a dummy device for the likes of me would be great.
I'm sure the cost of the Technivorm brewers will keep them from ever being the automatic choice for every coffee lover to purchase. However, if you can find the means, I highly recommend this brewer to anyone wanting an electric drip machine. If the longevity of my machine is what other TV owners have reported, it will pay for itself in a few years by not having to be replaced and producing great coffee all the while which is priceless. (well, maybe not priceless but at least worth a few extra bucks)
Buying Experience
Excellent buying experience from Boyd's. I ordered the TV online a couple weeks before Christmas and received it 3 days later. Shipping costs were reasonable and product was double boxed and arrived in perfect condition. Would like to note that I originally was going to buy from Sweet Maria's but was directed to Boyd's by Derek of Sweet Maria's since they were out of this model. I talked at length to Derek and he was very helpful in answering my questions about the TV. Also was concerned about not liking the Thermal model and Derek felt that Boyd's 100% satisfaction guarantee would make it easier for me to exchange if needed. Sweet Maria's is a class act!
