There is a saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. This has been our experience with other coffee makers….from Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Cone Coffeemaker, Black to Black & Decker to everything in-between. Finally we decided to bite-the-bullet and buy a Bunn. The Bunn BXT-B is not for everyone and if you don’t plan on brewing a pot every few days you may shun the fact that the Bunn is always on – it really is an expense.

One thing to recognize – please follow the initial set-up guide (I briefly describe it in the video) if you do NOT follow the initial set-up you will likely ruin your Bunn and void your warranty.

Things that I like

– Brew coffee fast…. like 3-minutes fast – I have time to brew a *few* pots in the morning prior to going to work.
– Great Taste – much better than the traditional drip-through method.
– The thermal carafe is awesome – Bunn states that it will keep the coffee hot for 90 minutes, but I find it drinkable for much longer than that.
– Doesn’t steam while brewing – makes it much safer for my cabinets
– Hot water on Demad – just pout the desired amount of water into the top and catch the hot water at the bottom (great for tea….. although it may be a touch warm for hot chocolate).
– Bunn quality – I expect to own this thing for 10 years

Things that you should know PRIOR to purchasing

– Again, this thing is always on… always pulling electricity
– Requires Bunn filters
– You probably will want to buy whole bean coffee such as Batdorf & Bronson Kenya AA, Whole Bean Coffee, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 3) and using a burr grinder. I use a cheap one Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill but it works well
– You may want to use filtered water
– Does require an occasional cleaning
– It is higher/taller than a standard coffee maker – save yourself some grief and make sure that you have a minimum of 16″ clearance
– The tank remains warm o the touch..always
– I would HIGHLY recommend in spending the extra $$$ and buying the thermal carafe – absolutely worth the extra expense
– Not programmable at all – no clock or fancy electronics on the Bunn BTX-B. It simply brews coffee

Final Verdict – If you make at least a pot a day of coffee this is likely to be an investment that will pay major dividends. Easily the best coffee maker that I have ever used.

5 Stars

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The Cuisinart DBM-8 Burr Grinder is provides an highly consistent grind at a very reasonable price. It does have flaws, but once it is viewed against products that are 2x its price. I will caution that it is not easy to clean the “guts” of the machine so this may not be the machine for you if you plan to grind a variety of coffee styles or spices. Trust me if you burr grind fresh vanilla coffee beans and then follow it with a bold French Roast… your French Roast will have an unexpected flavor!

Pros –

– Inexpensive
– Multiple settings for grinding – everything from fine to French Press coarse.
– One-button to push then you are able to walk-away
– Not much to clean – but clean-up is a snap.
– 1/2lb bean capacity
– Nice finish – it does not look “cheap”. From the looks you would expect that it cost 2-3x the actual price

Cautions-

– Again, it is impossible to clean the inner-workings of the machine so you will have residual that will be mixed into your next grind.
– Not overly powered – at times it seems like it is straining which makes me worry about long-term durability.
– Pretty loud – I am not sure if it could be made “quiet”
– Pretty large footprint – you may want to make sure that you have counter-space

Final Verdict – I may change my review if the Cuisinart DBM-8 dies a quick death, but for now it has surpassed my expectations. There are better burr grinders available, but be prepared to spend considerably more money.

5 Stars

Check out the Adventures of The Assistant and Wiggles! It is our animated series featuring the Assistant, her Dog Wiggles, and science experiements! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLQ9unpi4OHbJtfVcfgDIoyZw75FHF-E #Familyfun #Familyfunforeveryone #Theengineeringfamily