Review on Bonavita Connoisseur BV1901TS: Premium 8-Cup One-Touch Stainless Steel Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe and Hanging Filter Basket by Bryan Reynolds

A few months ago I had the pleasure of making a cup of coffee using a good high-end coffee maker. Using the same coffee, the taste was noticeably better than what I'm used to every morning. Then I decided that I wanted to try coffee on a new level and not just to wake up in the morning. I started looking and settled on Bonavita 1901TS. Pros: 1. It makes REALLY good coffee. I didn't do many tests to see if the water reached the recommended temperature, but the coffee was much better than in the past and the coffee grounds were just as rich. The taste was without bitterness, which is what I'm used to from a mediocre coffee maker. Some claim they gave up creamers etc after using a 'high end' coffee maker. I'm not ready to jump to that level, but I've noticeably reduced the amount of by-products I add to coffee.2. I like the wider neck of the carafe. If necessary, the metacarpal has some space to clean the innards.3. The size is nice and compact compared to many 16-20 inch coffee makers. It takes up little space under your closets or outdoors. Note, however, that Bonavita releases a lot of steam during the brewing process. This is a very aesthetic design. Simplicity. * Cons: 1. Lack of automatic brewing. My schedule is such that I get up at 3am. I tried waking up coffee for the first month. Sorry, but that's an extra 10-15 minutes of grinding and brewing that I could use for more sleep. I'm hardly productive like this and would rather have my coffee "ready to drink" when I get up. Even when I used pre-ground coffee, I still had to get up and turn on the coffee maker, THEN wait for it to finish to put the lid on the vacuum jug. Otherwise, you will lose heat the longer the lid is off the jug.2. After the beep sounds, a few extra drops will drip out of the brew basket. This is a very minor annoyance to me, but you will have a few drips on the bottom of the carafe holder unless you immediately discard the filter/base or remove the lid from the carafe to catch the extra drips. but then you lose heat if i mention above.3. Warning on design simplicity. One switch controls both brewing and flowering. I want the bloom to have its own individual controls or just let the coffee maker bloom every time. I don't think it harms pre-ground coffee.4. You must remove the basket if you want to put the covered carafe back on the base. As a result, either the basket or the lid of the carafe is always free and does not offer any practical storage space. In the end, the lack of automatic brewing was too much for me to overcome. It's too late to return it, but I'm selling because I've already bought another SCAA certified (auto brew) coffee maker. If I were retired or working longer than normal hours I could make good use of this Bonavita, even with its slight limitations. Like I said, it makes great coffee! You will not be disappointed in this regard. Yes, I gave four stars. For me personally, the decision to buy another machine had more to do with the Bonavita not fitting into my current lifestyle than specific performance issues with the machine itself.