Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup Review
Pros: Good Taste
Cons: Expensive, carafe can be difficult to pour
Manufacturer: Bonavita
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
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Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $190 List $141.23 at Amazon | $170 List $169.99 at Amazon | $300 List $299.95 at Amazon | $100 List $82.00 at Amazon | $200 List $169.00 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Good Taste | Great taste, easy to use, single-cup brewing option | Great taste, almost endless adjustability | Great taste, relatively inexpensive considering its taste quality | Good taste for a pod machine, incredibly easy to use and clean |
Cons | Expensive, carafe can be difficult to pour | Expensive | Surprisingly loud, very expensive | Not as thoughtfully designed as other high end machines | Can be expensive if not on sale |
Bottom Line | Makes a good cup, but others in the same price range do the same and are a bit easier to use | Top tier taste quality and a simple interface make this a great choice for connoisseurs | Imparts a great tasting cup, but some drawbacks in user friendliness and its high price make it hard to recommend to most | Can almost match the OXO in terms of taste but costs about half as much | Convenient, and tastes significantly better than Keurig machines |
Rating Categories | Bonavita Thermal... | OXO Brew 8 Cup | Breville Precision... | Cuisinart 14-Cup... | Nespresso Vertuoline |
Taste (50%) | |||||
User Friendliness (20%) | |||||
Convenience (20%) | |||||
Ease Of Cleaning (10%) | |||||
Specs | Bonavita Thermal... | OXO Brew 8 Cup | Breville Precision... | Cuisinart 14-Cup... | Nespresso Vertuoline |
Capacity (cups) | 8 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 1 |
Automatic Brewing | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Dimensions | 12.4" x 6.8" x 12.2" | 13.5" x 10/5" x 7" | 12.4" x 6.7" x 15.7" | 14" x 8" x 9" | 9" x 12.2" x 12.3" |
Weight (pounds) | 6.1 | 11.5 | 13 | 9.5 | 12.3 |
Warranty | 2 Year Limited | 2 Year Limited | 1 Year Limited | 3 Year Limited | 2 Year Limited |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup made one of the better tasting cups of coffee in our testing, but other models in its price range make better coffee and have better user interfaces.
Performance Comparison
Though the Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup's overall performance in our testing was above average, it fell short of the top performers. Below we discuss the Bonavita's performance in all of our individual testing metrics.
Taste
The Bonavita received a score of 7 out of 10 in our taste tests. This put it in the field of frontrunners in a metric where scores ranged from 2 to 9. It produced a very pleasant and smooth cup in our testing. Most of our testing enjoyed the mellowness of this coffee, but felt it was considerably less strong than the brews from the OXO and Cuisinart machines. It also produced zero plastic taste, even in the first pot from a brand new machine.
User Friendliness
The Bonavita scored a 5 out of 10 on our user friendliness test. This put it just above the worst score of 4 and decently behind the top score of 9. This was mostly due to some annoyances we experienced when pouring coffee. First, the entire filter basket must be removed and set aside to gain access to the carafe, which we felt was less than ideal. The carafe also has a large lip that can make pouring a little awkward, especially if you're trying to get the last of the coffee out. The interface is just a single button. Some may appreciate that simplicity, while others may wish for some more adjustability in the brew settings.
Convenience
The Bonavita wasn't very impressive in terms of convenience and scored a 5 out of 10. This put it somewhat on the lower end of a metric where scores ranged from 3 to 9. It took the Bonavita 9.5 minutes, including prep and cleanup, to make 6 cups of coffee in our speed test. This was actually quite good for a drip machine. However, it is not programmable, so you can't frontload the prep work to the night before and then wake up to a fresh pot of coffee.
Ease of cleaning
The Bonavita was an average performer in our cleaning tests, earning a score of 6 out of 10 in a metric where scores ranged from 4 to 9. Its filter basket and carafe both require standard cleaning. The required paper filters make it easy to dispose of grinds and the carafe is fairly easy to clean by hand. The descaling process took us 35 minutes to complete, which was shorter than that of most machines.
Value
The Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup lists for $190. It is a great machine, but the OXO On Barista Brain and the Cuisinart 12-Cup Programmable both made better coffee and cost just $10 more and $90 less, respectively. Most users who are concerned with taste would get a better value out of either of these machines. If you find the Bonavita on sale, however, you won't be disappointed.
Conclusion
The Bonavita Thermal Carafe 8-Cup is a great coffee maker, but there are better machines available at or below the same price. Most people would be better off investing in the OXO On Barista Brain or saving some money with the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable.
— Max Mutter and Steven Tata