Bunn BT10 Review

What the reviewers like:
In general, owners like the Bunn BT10 thermal-carafe coffee maker, and most people say the coffee tastes great. Its stainless-steel reservoir is unusual in that it keeps water continually hot before brewing. This allows it to brew a pot in as little as three minutes. The Bunn coffee maker also comes with a three-year warranty, which is unusual.

What the reviewers don't like:
The Bunn coffee maker brews very quickly. For that reason, reviews say you'll need to use more coffee grounds than usual to get the flavor you prefer. Testers at The Wall Street Journal felt that the Bunn BT10's quick brewing resulted in bitter coffee. Some owners also report that this model is finicky with the bean grind; a too-fine grind can cause the basket to overflow.

Bunn BT10 review highlights

The Bunn BT10 thermal-carafe coffee maker is unique in that its water reservoir is always on, keeping hot water on standby. This means it takes only three minutes for it to brew a pot of coffee into its thermal carafe. Owners say the Bunn BT10 is best if you like your coffee really hot. However, several owners note that using too fine of a grind can result in an overflow. For this reason, some say it takes a little practice to get the optimal grind and amount of coffee beans. While most say the coffee tastes great, some reviews think the Bunn BT10 actually brews too quickly, resulting in bitterness.

The Bunn BT10 thermal-carafe coffee maker is included in a five-model roundup in The Wall Street Journal. It isn't reviewed in the latest coffee-maker test at Consumer Reports, but we did find a couple of dozen owner-written reviews for the Bunn BT10, which gave us a good performance picture.

Also see full report: Coffee Makers

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. The Wall Street Journal
Warming up to Thermal Coffee-Makers
Melissa Schorr
May 19, 2006

Three Seattle-area coffee-roasting experts are enlisted to help taste-test coffee from five thermal-carafe coffee makers, including the Bunn BT10. Coffee makers are also tested for temperature retention after four hours. Testers say the Bunn brews coffee very quickly, but that the resulting coffee tasted bitter.

2. CoffeeKid.com
Press Pots and Filter Drip Coffee
Mark Prince

Espresso enthusiast Mark Prince recommends manual brewing over automatic drip, but if automatic drip is more your style, he leans toward "upper tier" machines which approach commercial grade, including the Technivorm Clubline and the discontinued Phillips Café Gourmet. The recommendation for "any Bunn machine" is more realistic, but it comes with a warning that Bunn auto-drips require more grounds for decent flavor, since they brew so fast.

3. Epinions
Bunn BT10 ratings
Contributors to Epinions

There are about 20 reviews here for the Bunn BT10. Many owners say this is the only coffee maker that makes truly hot coffee, since it preheats water in its reservoir. However, even owners who love this model say it has a learning curve, so users will need to find the right grind and amount of coffee to avoid an overflow. Several note that this model was recalled in 2005.

4. Amazon.com
Bunn BT10 Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

There are only a few owner-written reviews here for the Bunn BT10 thermal-carafe coffee maker. Each owner likes their Bunn BT10, but every owner also mentions the importance of the grind. If the grind is too fine, water can get backed up and overflow the basket. All say the coffee tastes great, once your figure out the grind.

Also see full report: Coffee Makers

Bunn BT10 Review