Zojirushi's EC-BD15BA 1.5 Liter Fresh Brew Coffee Maker with Vacuum Stainless Steel Carafe is gorgeous and functional and will look spectacular on your countertop. It has many wonderful features.
Lots of folks dislike the burnt flavor that coffee gets when it sits in a glass pot over a heating element. To avoid this, coffee shops often brew right into large thermal pots to keep the coffee warm without it becoming overcooked. The Zojirushi Fresh Brew does that, too, but in home-sized batches. It looks great, too, with a glossy black body and stainless steel carafe and brew basket.
To brew, lift the lid and swing the water outlet spout to one side while the filter is being loaded; the spout will return to its proper position when the lid is closed. A small red ball in the water gauge makes it extra simple to read. And an electronic clock module also serves as a timer that will start the brewer at a specified time. The carafe's lid is designed to be on during brewing, with a small cap to help keep the heat in after it's ready. The Fresh Brew also has a pause-and-serve function that stops the flow for 30 seconds while a cup of coffee is served.
To clean the brewer unit, use a solution of white vinegar and water, following the instructions in the accompanying booklet. The unit is not immersible. The exterior can be wiped with a damp soft rag; do not use abrasives or scouring pads. The filter reservoir is removable; clean with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. The coffee brewer measures 15 by 12 by 9 inches (includes carafe handle when unit is completely assembled), and it uses #4 cone-shaped disposable paper filters. The Fresh Brew comes with a detailed instruction booklet. Zojirushi guarantees its products with a one-year limited warranty. --Garland Withers
On a scale of 1 to 5 the average customer rating of this item is 4.0, based on 478 reviews.
Customer reviews:
arrived defective
I never had a chance to try out this coffee maker. The water leaked out through the level indicator the first time it was added. From my own experience and after reading many of the reviews, it seems to be a crapshoot that this machine will work at all.
sucks
this coffee maker is very tricky to use. if you do not have the carafe in the correct position there will be coffee everywhere
Zojirushi EC-BD15 Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Bought this about a month ago to replace a Cuisinart Thermal makeer that lasted me several years (5 or so). So far, so good. No real problems to report. A few things to note however that most people have already commented on:
1) The brew basket shape is funky. You can fit a size #4 paper filter, but it's hard unless you wet it a little first. Most makers I've used, the filter fits in no problem. Not sure why they designed the basket like that, it just doesn't make any sense. My Braun #4 gold filter won't fit, but I think the Melitta one will, although I haven't tried it?
2) Most of the main piece is made of pretty thin plastic. I know most things are plastic, but this plastic seems extra thin for some reason? Maybe it's "special" plastic to make it lighter. yeah.. This doesn't really seem to affect anything however, unless you were a mountain man or something and really hard on your stuff. It might not last if that were the case.
3) I like the carafe better than my Cuisinart one. This one is stainless inside the carafe, the Cuisinart had like a "thermos" interior and had to be cleaned quite regularly because the shiny thermos coating would start to look nasty (cloudy). This one won't seem to have that problem.
4) Brewing temperature seems fine. Not as hot as I was expecting based on some other reviews, but hot enough for me I guess. Maybe I'll try it with room temp water, my water is a little colder than that.
5) Coffee tastes fine. I'm not a huge Connoisseur, but I do like my coffee in the morning and I like it from freshly ground beans, so I am a pretty picky that way.
6) For the price, so far I'd say it's worth it as long as it lasts me a few years. It's more than I've ever paid for a maker, but I wanted one with good reviews and thermal carafe, this one fits the bill!
Good Coffee Maker has major defect
I was really disappointed. I thought this had to be a great product because i have an incredible breadmaker from the same company. But there is a really rediculous design flaw. I read the reviews before I bought it and thought, how bad can this flaw be? It's bad! When you brew a pot of coffee you MUST remember to remove the little cap on the coffee pot. This is what happens when you forget: you put the coffee in the filter, add water, turn on the coffeemaker, come back in a few minutes and coffee has flooded your counter and floor. You can only put the little cap on the pot AFTER you brew the coffee to keep it warm. This is such a dumb design. I forget every few days. The only thing I can do is to remember to clean out the pot the night before and remove the cap. That way when I'm sleepy in the morning I won't forget. I am also considering putting a note for myself on the coffeemaker as a reminder. Other than the design flaw, it makes really good coffee that stays warm for hours.
Purchased this coffee maker about a month ago to replace a similar Cuisinart product. Here are our findings.
Having compared both the Zojirushi and Cuisinart they both get the job done in terms of the task of coffee making. I am no coffee aficionado, but the taste difference in the coffee is negligible to me.
Overall, the compare similarly. However...
- while form factor of the Zojirushi is a bit smaller and more elegant
- the Cuisinart with glass lined carafe keeps coffee "hotter" longer.
- Moreover the Cuisinart also has a alarm the notifies you when the brew cycle is done.
- Both are the same to program
On a scale of 1 to 5 the average customer rating of this item is 4.0, based on 478 reviews.
arrived defective
Good Coffee Maker has major defect