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 425 reviews.
Customer reviews:
Carafe not so hot
All in all the Zojirushi Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker does a good job with the coffee. The devise is pretty "flimsy" e.g. lightweight compared to the looks. It brews coffee just fine, but the thin walled carafe does a very poor job at keeping the coffee hot. I use room temperature water to start with, and the coffee is hot when first made, but an hour or so later, I need to microwave the brew to reheat. For comparison, I have a JOEmo travel mug that keeps the coffee hot for 6 plus hours. My glass lined free standing carafe does a much better job at keeping the brew hot.(about 4 hours)
Final Answer...keep looking
The perfect coffee maker
I love my coffee maker. It is simple to use, looks great and brews perfectly. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I am a bit of a coffee snob and did a lot of research before making my decision. Consumer Reports rated this machine as one of it's top picks and I can personally confirm their choice. I'm not sure what machine the negative reviewers are using because as far as I am concerned, mine is perfect in every way.
Broke after 1 day! NO KIDDING!!
Like many unhappy buyers of this coffee pot, I did substantial research before I bought this maker (I bought a Zojirushi Rice cooker before; and that was super). I was totally shocked to find out the timer and the power went out of order after only 1 day's usage!! None of the buttons worked. I tweaked and tried different electrical outlets in the house without success. The carafe looks good, but the whole machine is useless nonetheless :-( Unfortunately, the machine was bought 3 yrs ago; only I waited 3 years to use it. So the warranty expired a long time ago. What a huge disappointment!! What a waste!!
Most helpful vs negative reviews (June 2009)
I started out by reading "most helpful positive and negative reviews for two days. Then I switched to "most recent reviews order", thinking that surely some of the negatives had to have been addressed by the company by now; then read them again in that order. Then I ordered the machine.
Once I received the machine, I looked at all the things that had been pointed out by the naysayers and couldn't believe how wrong "I" think they were. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, just a person of normal intelligence to make a really nice cup of coffee. Okay, so maybe some of you aren't awake yet. But if that's the case, program it ahead of time when you are awake.
We found this machine to be fast, efficient, made a wonderful carafe of coffee (using less grounds), and has a beautiful/sleek design.
The screw lid is sooooo easy to get on and off. Nothing like my ex-Krups (thermal) machine. I was bitten by a dog in the muscle part of my hand between my thumb and first finger and have since decided I just can't correctly screw ANYTHING on and off again, until now.
I didn't have a problem with #4 filters, but just in case I was wrong, I followed a tip from a reviewer. One gal mentioned about putting it in the basket, wetting it, and then adjusting it. Works great, THANKS for the tip! Another tip mentioned was to rinse your carafe in hot water before running the coffee through to keep it warmer. I don't know that's necessary, but it's a "Make sense" tip and I did exactly that.
Some reviews mentioned an overflowing mess on the counter. Well the filter basket only fits into the machine one way SNUGGLY. The basket is round, except for the back lip where there are projections on each side. These line up with the back side of the stainless basket perfectly. Not an issue!
The water outlet is pretty neat in that you don't have to remember to swing it back over the grounds. If you look under the lid, you will see there is a little sloped piece that when you close the lid, it automatically pushes the water outlet into correct position over the grounds.
The slow pouring complaint might be a bit confusing to some. Just remember to line up the little dot on the opposite (of open/close) side of the lid with the dot on the snout. My Krups machine always poured coffee all over the cup and counter, and if you opened it too much the lid fell off.
Some complaints said the machine was quite tall. It's the same height as our Krups. The lid does open from the top, but gee, why not just pull it out from under your countertop, make your coffee, and then push it back into place? Someone else said that the nice little carafe lid gets lost easily. Hmmm, after you make the coffee, you put the carafe lid on to keep the coffee hot. You don't have to remove it to pour the coffee, and when not using why not keep it with your filters?
The carafe is light weight and cool to the touch, the filter basket has a handle; the program panel is well marked with nice big light colored buttons on a dark background which are easy to see and push.
I haven't been able to find true, any fault mentioned in the customer reviews SO FAR. BUY, BUY, BUY!Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Love this Coffee Maker!
Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
First of all I was convinced by my mother that a thermal carafe is the only drip type coffee maker that makes any sense to own. The burner style takes the coffee from good to burnt inside of an hour on most machines while the carafe will keep the coffee good and hot for hours. Seemed like a "no brainer" to me and after a month with the Zojirushi I am an official convert to the carafe style. Way to go mom!
One review gave this product a single star and complained that it took multiple minutes to pour the coffee from the carafe. I think he needs to read the instructions more carefully and actually open the carafe so the coffee pours freely. I was concerned that this might be a problem since I am replacing a one year old Mr. Coffee that looked great on my counter but gave me nothing but drips, spills, leaks and mediocre or burnt coffee.
Another reviewer gave it a low star rating and said the actual product looked and felt like cheap plastic. I don't agree. The basket and carafe are stainless steel and yes, the rest is plastic as are many other small kitchen appliances but I found the plastic components to be more than adequate for the job and not flimsy at all.
What I like about the coffee maker: Easy to pour water into the top using the carafe without the top on. Easy to read how much water has been added without having to turn the machine and go through the whole mercury thermometer viewfinder problem if you know what I mean. This is the neatest coffee machine I have ever had. It never drips, leaks, spills or pours coffee on the counter ever!
Once the coffee is finished brewing it gives one long sigh and then just sits and waits till you are good and ready. 1 minute or 2 hours later I get fresh hot coffee. What a pleasure. Once I've poured my first cup I close the lid, add the little "sealing" piece that covers the brewing hole and the coffee stays warm (OK - not hot)for at least 4 hours. I haven't gone back any longer then that so it could be longer.
The down sides - not really any for me but it is a tall machine and the lid opens up, so if space between the counter and upper cabinets is an issue this might not be the right machine. You do have to check that the drip arm is over the grounds. Never been a problem for me but for those that are a bit absent minded before their coffee, it could be a problem.
Cost - I used one of those 20% off coupons from BBB that they seem to send out every other week and ended up having it shipped since it wasn't in stock. Didn't pay any shipping costs and with tax it came to just under $80.
I can relate to the guy who wants to buy another one so he will have a replacement when it eventually gives out.
On a scale of 1 to 5 the average customer rating of this item is 4.0, based on 425 reviews.
Carafe not so hot
The perfect coffee maker
Broke after 1 day! NO KIDDING!!