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renatoa
03/25/2024 12:38 PM
coffee drink, Ramper?

allenb
03/24/2024 12:10 PM
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renatoa
03/23/2024 3:02 PM
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03/21/2024 5:10 PM
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Bonavita BV1800SS Review
allenb
I've had a few weeks to give my new BV1800SS some thorough testing.

The big complaints from others in the past were:

- Foam from excessive bloom with fresh coffee seeps over the edge of filter basket

- With certain coffees, liquid level exceeds height of filter

- Water from brewhead doesn't exit from all of the holes

- Heat element dies

With most coffees, I've found that resting them less than 7-8 days will cause foam to travel outside the filter basket. I'm sure that some coffees will need more than this amount of time to degass. If one is willing to be hands-on and pause the brew a couple of times for around 15-20 seconds, this won't be a problem.

With certain coffees, the liquid level does exceed the height of the filter and has the potential of plugging up the exit hole with a coarse grind. It's possible that this won't be an issue with sufficient resting but some coffees can have plenty of Co2 after two weeks of resting.

Water from the brewhead is definitely inconsistent in how it exits. Half of the time it comes from all of the holes, sometimes from half of them and in between.

Heat element is still working fine. Hopefully mine will last a long time since I never leave the power button on much more than a minute after the brew cycle.

This is not a switch it on and forget it brewer. I don't think any brewer that can brew 8-10 cups in less than 6 minutes with the small domestic brewer filters, whether it be flat or cone, will work without occasional overflows. OTOH, if one is willing to watch it and pause it from time to time, it can achieve a cup quality on par with my Chemex and manual pour cone.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
oldgearhead
BV1800SS,
I've had mine for seven weeks and have been brewing with it twice a day, morning 1 liter H2O, evening 800 ml H2O. It really makes a very good cup of drip coffee.

I always:
1) Use Melitta filters because I've had some overflow issues with Kroger brand.
2) The coffee I brew is rarely more than one week since roasted, so lots of CO2. After 30 Ml has passed from the tank to the brew basket, I shut it off for a one minute bloom cycle, then back on till completion.
3) If I'm extra picky, I will fill the tank with 1300 ml of water and let it pass heated water to pre-warm the carafe before starting the brew at 1000 ml. (I only forgot to empty the carafe once.)

Likes - Great coffee because it does get hot enough and it's very easy to clean up.

Dislikes - The carafe/brew basket clearance from the shower head is not enough and sometimes I fold the bottom of the filter for better clearance. This fold plus a Kroger filter MAY be the reason for the couple of overflows I've had.
Not a big deal because I have a couple of quality air-pots in the kitchen, but the stainless lined carafe will not keep the brew hot for more than a few minutes.
Conclusion - Not bad for a non pour-over. Only my old Bloomfield 8778 made better brew. That is, after the improved shower head was installed.

Allen, have you tried the Chemex under the Bonavita shower head yet?
ogh
Edited by oldgearhead on 02/13/2016 12:24 PM
No oil on my beans...
 
allenb
Yes, I tried my Chemex in the brewer and it works very well. At a certain point in the brew cycle, bloom comes near the top of the Chemex filter as it does with the Bonavita filter basket but didn't overflow. I didn't notice a difference in cup quality between my manual pour versus Bonavita through the Chemex.

I agree that the showerhead to top of filter distance is lacking. I think with additional space, the bloom plume might rise but not ooze out the sides of the basket.

I'm sure that some people will not see the excessive bloom overflow issue depending on the makeup of their particular water supply. I remember when setting up coffee equipment that some city water supplies with overly soft water would cause their commercial brewers to severely overflow the baskets whether it be one week or two week old coffee.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
snwcmpr
Old thread...
Have there been any problems with the Bonavita?

I am considering buying one. George Howell coffee only sells one brewer. Glass Carafe Bonavita. The roaster there recommended it, too. (I was there a few days ago woohoo )

Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
CharcoalRoaster
I originally purchased the 1800SS and used it for over a year with none of the aforementioned problems. I recently upgraded to the 1900 and have been very happy with its improvements. The glass line ss carafe was a major advantage to the 1800 but the brew quality/process has improved with the 1900 - particularly bc they've added an option with a short delay at the beginning of the brew cycle specifically to account for bloom.

I have now used both the 1800 and 1900 at least once per day and have thought the cup produced to be on par with my Chemex and Clever. Very nice brewer option at an enticing price point.
 
snwcmpr

Quote

The glass line ss carafe was a major advantage to the 1800

I cannot find that model. It appears to have been discontinued. It was the

Quote

Original 8 cup Coffee Brewer with Glass Lined Thermal Carafe
BV1800TH Product no longer available

Ref: http://bonavitawo...ee-brewers

I read a lot of "1 star" reviews that the glass exploded/imploded. I suspect it cooled off with the lid on tight and the glass shattered with the pressure change. (Just a guess).

I was thinking of the glass carafe anyway. I do not save brewed coffee, and the rare occasions we do, I have a Zojirushi thermal carafe.

I ask because I have had a few pots of flat coffee with the TV, and no reason. Same everything, good coffee because I brewed the day before and after with another method.

May have to sell the TV.

Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
JETROASTER
My experience has been with the Bonavita 1500. (smaller) Very impressed with the brew regardless of the price.
I let go of the TV. Cheers, Scott
 
allenb
I'm still extremely impressed with my BV1800SS. I was certain I would be able to pull greater flavor detail out of my vacuum pot or chemex than the Bonavita but has not been the case.

One of the complaints in the past was an unexplained, sudden stoppage of flow from the filter basket. This happened to me on two occasions out of many brews and I'm not certain what caused it. I drilled an extra hole at the exact center of the bottom and never had another occurrence.

As has been mentioned a few times by others, use the Melitta filters to allow optimum flow-through to keep the brew bed from climbing too high.

With the super charged heating coil it has on board, kill the power switch as soon as the last bit of water has exited the water compartment. This should extend the lifespan of the thermal fuse which has had a tendency to go bad on some of the earlier brewers. Maybe this has been remedied by now and isn't an issue.

Another complaint was the stainless carafe didn't hold the coffee hot long enough. My experience is the coffee stays plenty hot for longer than you're going to want it hanging around.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
ginny
I bought this one in March as a gift and it has been wonderful for them...

Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe,

they are amazed what a difference it makes over the used Mr. Coffee!!!


ginny


roar


will ask them for an update today and post
 
CharcoalRoaster
So the timing of this thread is ridiculous ironic as for the past three days I have had insane "bloom-over" issues with my Melita filters and BV1900 Roflmao
 
snwcmpr
Information states the need to postpone continuation of the brew until after the bloom, as well as other noted fixes.
There is a pre-infusion setting on all of the BV1900 series except for the BV1900 glass carafe base model. Maybe they will fix that soon.
I think I will wait until they fix that.

Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
oldgearhead
I've had the BV1800SS for about eight months now.
I've found that 45 seconds to 60 seconds is correct for the 'bloom time' (My coffee is usually 5-7 days since roasting). I just shut it of for 45 seconds after about 100 ml has passed through for 800 ml of water loads. More time for larger volumes.
DO NOT USE STORE BRAND FILTERS. You know the kind made from filter paper. The brew times vary with this type of filter. They may be okay for the flat-bottomed BV1900, but not for the BV1800. Use only the Melitta #4 filters with the BV1800. This has been a great brewer for our family of two.

No oil on my beans...
 
snwcmpr
I have been following this topic and recently noticed a few new Bonavita items that have a glass carafe AND have the pre-infusion option.
I will post a new thread.
http://forum.home...ad_id=5208

Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
staticnetwork
I bought a Bonavita BV1500TD from amazon and they shipped me a BV1900TS by mistake. I tried it to see if I would like it, but it make the coffee taste terrible compared with my normal pour overs. I was very surprised, the same coffee filters, the same beans, the same grind, but the Bonavita made my coffee taste very leveled and more bitter. With the pour over I got the nuanced flavors I'm used to.

I'm going to return the BV1900TS to amazon.
 
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