Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker

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Gone are the days of a conventional warming-plate to keep your pot of coffee hot for hours.

Today we turn to modern technology and design to not only preserve our coffee’s heat but its flavour and texture as well.

To achieve this, we turn to the Thermal Carafe coffee-maker…

If you care about your coffee and find a machine that brews it just right, you’ll want to share it with your friends, family, workmates or enjoy multiple cups over the course of a morning / afternoon.

In a coffee-maker, you want something that can not only facilitate perfectly extracted and flavourful coffee but maintain its perfect temperature as well.

We’ve compiled a list of the ‘Top 10 Most Important Features’ your next pot-style Thermal Carafe coffee-maker must have. Enjoy:

1). Double Walled Vacuum Sealed Carafe:

If your main objective is to be able to brew a pot of coffee, leave it for hours and return later to be able to enjoy a still fresh and steaming hot cup of coffee, this is a must have.

Having a carafe that is ‘Double-Walled’ refers to the extra layer of insulation it is made with. ‘Vacuum Sealed’, means there is an air-tight layer of insulation in between the layers.

The combination of these two features does a great job of stopping heat from transferring through the walls of the carafe, thus keeping heat inside and your coffee hot!

2). Brew Temperature:

What good is maintaining perfectly hot coffee if you don’t start with coffee that is perfectly hot.

The ideal temperature for coffee to be brewed at for perfect extraction is between 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Surprisingly enough, not all coffee-makers are made to facilitate these temperatures.

If perfectly extracted, fresh and hot coffee is important to you, the ‘Brew Temperature’ is something you definitely want to look at.

3). Showerhead Water Dispenser:

One major difference between the taste of coffee from a good machine and a great machine is the extraction process.

Many coffee-makers CAN mimic an expert pour-over technique, but NOT ALL DO.

This comes down even extraction.

If a machine uses a ‘Showerhead Water Dispenser,’ this means that hot water is showered over the coffee grinds evenly in order to extract the best flavour and consistency.

4).  24-hour Programmability:

One of the main reasons why you invest in a great coffee-maker for your home or workplace is to be able to enjoy great coffee whenever you want.

Having a machine that is programable facilitates this.

Most commonly used for those wanting to have coffee already brewed right when they wake up, a programable brew-setting can be used to accommodate your life in any way you see fit.

Don’t wait, and caffeinate on your own watch!

5). Brew Strength:

Another reason why you may enjoy coffee at home as opposed to going out for a cup is for adjustability.

Having a machine that is capable of catering to this need is handy for everyone and essential for some.

Being able to adjust the strength of your brew means you can enjoy your coffee exactly the way you like it!

6). Brew Pause:

Say you’re brewing the morning pot of coffee for your family or co-workers and you get called away, or just really want that coffee now! (which is understandable).

With the ‘Brew Pause’ feature you are able to pause your brew in order to grab a cup without having to wait for the whole pot to brew.

Never again will you be left shaking your fist at your co-workers after brewing a pot for everyone, stepping away and coming back to an empty carafe!

7). Fresh-Brew Timer:

This is again, handy for anyone who makes coffee for multiple people or to last for hours at a time… or you are that one person that never makes the coffee, but always seems to find a fresh pot sitting there waiting for them… lucky you!

The Fresh-Brew timer is handy for being able to tell exactly when the coffee was brewed and how fresh it really is.

Some machines offer a time-of-day indicator, others will tell you exactly how long it has been since that carafe was brewed. Either way, it is handy and a must have for shared coffee use.

8). Cleaning Cycle:

This is an essential and often overlooked part of owning any coffee-maker.

On average, you should be cleaning your coffee-maker once a month but let’s be honest… you probably don’t.

And that’s ok! That is, it’s ok if you have a machine with an automatic ‘Cleaning Cycle’.

We are creatures of habit and it’s easy to tell yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow”, every day.

Automatic Cleaning Cycles save you from procrastination and keep your coffee tasting great.

If you can, get one with an indicator light to let you know exactly when your machine needs to be cleaned.

9). Fast Brew Speed:

When making a whole pot of coffee, you don’t want to wait around any longer than you have to; especially if you’re brewing it as a courtesy for others.

And to be honest, coffee only needs 4 – 6 minutes to steep, so why wait much longer?

The trick is to find a machine that heats water up quickly so you are not sacrificing coffee quality for convenience.

10). Small Batch Brew:

Pot-style coffee-makers are great for brewing large quantities of coffee.

And thermal carafes are an amazing way to keep your coffee hot.

But what about the times that you don’t need an entire 10 or 12 cup pot of coffee?

Merely adding less coffee grinds will result in weaker coffee, and using less water than normal is a waste of coffee. This is when a ‘Small Batch Brew’ option is really nice.

You can choose between 1 – 4 cups; depending on the machine, and brew a smaller, more economical pot. Don’t waste coffee!

BUNN CSB3T Speed Brew Platinum Thermal Coffee Maker

Details

Features

Striking our top-spot is the BUNN Speed Brew Platinum thermal coffee maker.

It has a nice, minimalistic design that offers a – slightly smaller than normal – 10-cup double wall, vacuum-sealed, insulated carafe.

It will keep your coffee hot for 2+ hours and brews a full pot in just 4 minutes!

If speed is especially important to you then look no further! Some of its key features include:

  • Quick Brew – brews a full 50-oz pot in 4 minutes. That’s half the time of most coffee-makers in its class!
  • Showerhead Water Dispenser – ensures full extraction and flavour from your coffee.
  • Designed & Assembled in the USA – being designed AND assembled in the USA means quality!
  • 3-Year Warranty – always a good sign when the manufacturer backs what they are selling for a long-period of time as such.

We really love this machine for its overall design, appearance and usability.

Everything about this machine has deep thought put into it and the manufacturers haven’t added any features that may take away from its main purpose.

Flashy features are great, but what we all want most in our coffee-maker, is reliability and greatly extracted coffee that will stay fresh and hot for long periods of time!

BUNN delivers all of this, and thus has taken our top spot. We bring to you, our most highly recommended thermal-insulated coffee-maker!

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Cuisinart DCC-3400 Stainless Steel Thermal Coffeemaker, 12 Cup

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Features

Taking Second-place is the Cuisinart DCC-3400 thermal-insulated, stainless steel 12-cup coffee-maker.

You can’t argue with consistency, and this machine consistently provides great coffee at a great price without breaking down over time.

It has all the essential features you would want in a coffee maker like: brew pause, programmability, self-clean and the perfect brewing temperature.

There is nothing overly flashy about this machine, but it is well-built and will provide perfectly extracted coffee for years to come! Some its key features are:

  • Programmable Brew & Self-Clean – lets you set your coffee to brew any time of the day as well as clean itself automatically.
  • Brew Pause Feature – a must-have for any pot-style machine.
  • Small Brew Option – allows you to brew only 1-4 cups if you so choose to.
  • Brew Strength Control – lets you adjust your coffees brew strength.

Although this may come as a seemingly surprising choice for our runner-up, we have found that this machine holds up possibly the best over time.

Its minimal-feature design and reasonable price point has made it a go-to for coffee lovers who want a machine they can rely on.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX95

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Features

Coming in at number three is a very well-rounded machine from Mr.Coffee.

Its 10-cup stainless steel carafe keeps your coffee warm and it comes with a removable water reservoir.

Although this machine is relatively new to the market, it offers a well-rounded arsenal of essential features that are perfect for anyone looking for a great thermal carafe coffee maker.

This machine could well have been ranked even higher on our list if it had a little more time to gain positive feedback.

Still a respectable score and a very respectable machine. Some of the well-rounded features it offers are:

  • Water Filter – removes 97% of chlorine for better tasting coffee.
  • Automatic Clean Cycle – maintains taste and longevity of the machine over time.
  • Brew Pause – also known as the “Grab-a-Cup Auto Pause” feature, pauses the cycle if you would like to grab a cup of coffee before the whole pot is done.
  • Optimal Temperature – brews coffee at an ‘optimal’ 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Freshness Timer – indicates when the current brew was made.

We commend you ‘Mr. Coffee’, for making a great coffeemaker designed with customers’ needs at heart.

If early feedback is any indicator of your success to come, we will definitely be featuring your coffeemaker again in the future.

Kudos to you, on making it third on our list.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Hamilton Beach (48465) Coffee Maker with 12 Cup Capacity

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Features

The very unique Hamilton Beach is a 12-cup coffee maker with Internal Storage and makes it to number Four of our Top-Five list.

What is unique about it, is the fact that coffee is brewed, stored and heated internally. This means there is no carafe needed.

Merely push down on the ‘Press-Bar’ to pour coffee directly into your cup or travel mug.

This coffee-maker is perfect to use at work or at home and keeps coffee hot and fresh for up to 4 hours.

Some other notable features include:

  • Internal Storage / Heater – keeps coffee fresh for up to 4 hours.
  • Cup Control – use the Press-Bar to dispense coffee one cup at a time.
  • Brew Strength – control your coffees brew strength.

The internal storage in combination with its great design and simple, usable features make it a must have for any multi-tasker or if you just love efficiency.

Think of an automatic, filtered-water system – only filled with piping hot, delicious coffee. Yes, please!

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Cuisinart CHW-14 Coffee Plus (10-Cup)

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Features

Making it into the last spot on our Top-Five list is the Cuisinart Coffee Plus.

We love this machine because of its versatility and convenience in particular.

A very popular choice, this 10-cup machine comes with all the essential features you would want in a coffeemaker; with one in particular.

It has a separate hot water system that operates on its own; independently of the coffee maker.

This means you can access the 56-ounces hot water reservoir for tea, hot-cocoa, soup or oatmeal anytime you want – whether your currently brewing coffee or not!

This, combined with an assortment of already great features makes it a great machine for multitaskers, busy households or for use at the office and thus completing our top-5 list.

Some of its other great features include:

  • Small Brew Option – lets you brew 1-4 cups instead of the full pot.
  • Brew Pause – is essential and lets you pause your brew to grab a cup before the pot is done.
  • Removeable Drip Tray – is perfect for using a tall or travel-sized mug.

All these essential features are combined with a design that passes the test of time.

Buyers of this machine rave about its long-term sustainability and great, intuitive design it offers.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Technivorm Moccamaster 79114 KBT Coffee Brewer

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Features

This is an honourable mention, with an asterix.

It didn’t not make the Top-Five List, not because it is not a great machine, because frankly it is a great machine!

Our intent is not to discredit the Technivorm Moccamaster by any means.

To be honest, the design, features and execution of this machine are nearly flawless. This machine sadly did not make our top-Five List for one reason… the price! This machine is a top-of-the-line, professional grade coffee-maker, coming in at much higher price-point than that of a normal machine. But, if you love coffee, and don’t mind paying a little extra for quality, then this just may be your best option!

Okay, so let’s get right into it…

For starters you can manually adjust your Drip-Strength. This allows for safe use when dispensing coffee into a cup or travel mug. Because of the tall design of the 10-cup thermally insulated carafe, coffee comes out fast – but luckily, this can be adjusted. This saves you from cleaning up after hot coffee spills.

Secondly, professional-style ‘Copper Boil-Tube’. If you’ve ever seen a classic coffee shop – or any episodes of the television show, FRIENDS – you may associate copper with great coffee. This is because copper is a great conductor and is known for its ability to diffuse and conduct heat evenly. This means that when brewing coffee, your water won’t spike up past the correct temperature (196 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit), burn the first bit of coffee grounds, and then cool down and not properly extract the rest. The result of this steady and perfectly conducted heat, is consistent taste and perfectly extracted coffee.

Lastly, one more reason why this machine is awesome is the ‘Bloom Drip’ feature. A cone shaped brew basket, allows more air into the coffee grounds; allowing them to ‘bloom’. This enhances flavor within the coffee.

Other notable features include:

  • Auto Switch-Off – switches the machine off when the water reservoir is empty.
  • Quick Brew Speed – brews a full 10-cup pot in just 6-minutes!
  • Thermal Insulated Carafe – keeps coffee hot for up to an hour.
  • 5-year Warranty – this is leading in industry standards, and it shows that Technivorm, stands behind the quality of their product.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Zojirushi EC-YSC100 Fresh Brew Plus Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker

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Features

The Zojirushi Fresh Brew Plus thermal carafe coffee maker is a 10-cup coffee-maker with a steel / black finish. Another great machine which we recommend. The reasons why you would want to purchase this machine is for its solid features and usability. The reasons why you may not, is that there are no glaring or especially exciting features. It offers you exactly what you want in a great thermal carafe coffee-maker, and nothing more.

Some features to note are the removable water tank, near perfect brewing temperature (200 degrees Fahrenheit) and automated clean-cycle. This makes the machine easy to clean / fill with water and produces great tasting and well-extracted coffee with minimal upkeep.

Other notable features are:

  • Non-Drip Pouring – a thumb activated pouring mechanism keeps heat inside the carafe and stops coffee from dribbling out after you finish your pour.
  • Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel – means great insulation and long-lasting fresh coffee.
  • Programable Brew – lets you automate your coffee brew and enjoy your coffee right when you wake up, or any other time during the day.
  • BPA-Free – all areas that come into contact with coffee or coffee grounds are made without the use of harmful chemical such as BPA’s.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, Black/Silver, CM2035B

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Features

Another honourable mention, this time solely because of its sustainability.

Made with great features, this Black+Decker thermal coffee-maker seems to lose quality over time.

For the price, this is understandable – you could literally buy one of these, every year, for the same price as some of the other coffeemakers on this list.

And that is not meant to take away, in any way, from the features of this still great, simple and versatile machine.

Some things we really like about this machine is the ‘Evenstream Shower’ dispenser, which showers coffee grinds with water evenly to extract the most flavour possible.

Besides that, the 12-cup double wall vacuum sealed carafe keeps your coffee hot for hours and hours.

The ‘Brew Strength Customizer’ allows you to – do just that – customize your brew strength. Other notable features include:

  • Small Batch Brew – allows you to brew 1-4 cups at a time if you so choose to.
  • Wide-Mouth Carafe – makes it very easy to clean.
  • Brew Timestamp – allows you to know exactly how long it has been since your coffee has been brewed.
  • No-Drip Perfect Pour Spout – is a thumb pouring mechanism that keeps coffee fresh and ensures you don’t spill any while pouring.

Interested? Buy from Amazon

Bonavita 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker 

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Features

The Bonavita One-Touch coffee-maker is an honourable mention because of its seemingly lack of consistency over time…once again.

If it were just for the machine’s features, it would surely be at the top of our list, but many owners feel, that the machine lacks an intuitive design.

This makes it clunky and seemingly causes it to not last as long as those owners would hope.

Still a great coffee-maker, it features a removable hanging filter along with an insulated thermal carafe.

The hanging filter is not only easy to clean, but gives the coffee grinds the correct nesting area for full extraction.

Its sleek design offers an 8-cup carafe and it can brew a full pot of coffee in 6 minutes – at the perfect temperature.

If speed and perfectly extracted coffee are what you are looking for this is a great option.

Some other notable features include:

  • Perfect Temperature – the powerful 1500-watt heater brews coffee at 195 – 204 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Pre-Infusion Mode – mimics a human-like pour-over method; pausing intermittently during the process.
  • Showerhead Water Dispenser – Infuses coffee evenly with water for perfect flavour and consistency.
  • BPA-Free & Dishwasher Safe – makes it easy to clean and is made without the use of harmful chemical such as BPA’s.

Interested? Buy from Amazon