The Bunn Phase Brew: Great Coffee for the Masses
As much as I love my French press, there’s a reason why so many people use drip coffee makers– they can make a large amount of coffee without much fuss. Yet drip brewers have a fundamental flaw– some coffee grounds get more water than others. A new offering, the Bunn Phase Brew, does things differently. Rather than send a waterfall of lukewarm water through the middle of your coffee grounds, it shoots properly heated water evenly across the grounds once it reaches the optimum temperature. This produces an overall better cup of coffee.
The Bunn Phase Brew Coffee Maker
The Bunn Phase Brew makes up to 8 cups of coffee (4o fl oz) in 10 minutes. The thermal carafe keeps coffee warm for hours and the stainless steel construction will not only match your Whirlpool refrigerator, but is also easy to clean and won’t hold odors. The thermal carafe design helps saves energy because there is no need for a built-in heating plate. Drop a glass carafe on a tile floor and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a replacement. You can drop a stainless steel carafe and break a tile before you break the container. Note that a less expensive version with a glass carafe is available.
The Bunn phase brew looks great in the kitchen.
The design of the Bunn coffee maker gives off a vibe of serious business. It’s all about making top-notch coffee and it wants you to know it. You’d better have other striking appliances in your kitchen or the Bunn will capture all the attention. The built-in LCD screen is discreetly placed, giving off a high-end ambiance. This isn’t the Bunn you know of from the local diner.
Many budget coffee makers struggle to heat water to the right temperature. The Bunn consistently heats water to 200 F. This video shows the spray head in action:
Bunn has a reputation for making top-notch coffee makers. The Phase Brew is a good choice for small families and offices with 5 or fewer employees. Since it only brews a minimum of 4 cups (20 fl oz) at once, this machine is not the best choice for a solo coffee drinker. As with any other coffee maker, only use freshly ground coffee and filtered water. You might also look into the Cuisinart DCC-1200.
Priced between $90- $120 (depending on where you buy it), the Bunn Phase Brew should be seen as a long-term investment in better coffee. The machine comes with a 36-month warranty. Be sure to buy the high-altitude version if you live in the mountains. You can see a demo of the Phase Brew in action on Bunn’s website.
Along with the Bona Vita, it is nice to see some lower priced drippers that pay attention to temperature come out this year (of course I am comparing to the Technivorm). It would be interesting to see a comparison between this and the Bona Vita.