BUNN CSB3T Speed Brew Thermal Coffee Maker

I was a bit disappointed with this coffee maker initially, but now that I’ve figured out how to overcome one small issue, I love it! The issue was that if I put fresh ground coffee into the filter basket at night, when I got up the next morning to make coffee, the grounds would be wet and there would be some water in the bottom of the carafe. To avoid that, I would just leave the filter basket on the counter at night and leave the carafe in place to catch the small amount of water that was leaking during the night. But that was frustrating to do, and I almost returned the coffee maker because of the problem. But then I figured it out. I was leaving the water reservoir lid open at night because I had gone ahead and added my fresh water so that the next morning I could just close the lid to start the brewing process. If I closed the water reservoir lid at night and waited until the next morning to add water, my grounds would be completely dry with no sign of leakage. Here’s what I think was happening…. I have the coffee maker on a smart plug because I don’t want the heater running 24/7. With the lid open, the heated portion of the water reservoir is sealed off from the section where the fresh water is poured in, so when the heater was coming on, thermal expansion was causing the water to seep into the filter basket since it had nowhere else to go. With the lid closed, the two water areas are open between each other, so when the heater comes on and thermal expansion occurs, the water can expand into the fresh water section instead of being forced into the filter basket. So now I just make sure the lid is closed until I’m ready to pour in fresh water in the morning, and there’s no more leaking. If you choose to leave the heater on 24/7 instead of using a smart plug to control it, you may not have the leaking issue, but I haven’t tested that. I have the smart plug turn the coffee maker on early in the morning and then power it off several hours later because I don’t want it running 24/7. I’m probably being overly cautious, but I like to minimize fire risks, and I don’t want to use electricity to keep the water hot when I’m not using it.

Once I fixed that issue, I really like this coffee maker. The coffee tastes better than any maker I’ve had before. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee plenty hot for about three hours, but I do fill it with hot water for a couple of minutes before I make coffee just to heat it up good.

You won’t be disappointed with the coffee maker once you get used to it. It’s a nice looking machine, and it makes great coffee!

The coffee perks quickly. The carafe keeps the coffee really hot for at least 3 hours. Pours from the carafe smoothly. Nice it has a level when the water you put in is full. Put the carafe underneath, shut the lid and takes not even five minutes to brew. If want to stop from pouring out just lift the lid on the top. No complaints. Love it!!

Bunn quality like expected. Would definitely recommend

Sometimes you just want coffee. This coffee maker fits that bill. Simple, fast, reliable, good coffee.

Most drip style coffee makers work pretty much the same way. They have a little plastic one-way valve in a tube that lets cold water flow in (towards a heating element). When the water reaches that heating element, it heats and expands. Since it cannot go backwards, it goes forwards – through the tube, up, and out into the coffee grounds. More (cold) water then flows in through that little plastic valve, until all the water has been heated and ejected through the coffee grounds.

The problem is with that little plastic valve. It can get “dirty” over time, so that it no longer properly prevents water from going backwards. Once water can flow backwards through that valve, it has no need to flow forwards. Brew times increase, and eventually stop altogether.

While there is a lot of info all over the internet about how to remove, clean, and reinstall this little valve, you still have to do it – or replace the entire coffee maker.

After contemplating doing this teardown yet again on my last coffee maker, I decided “No more”, and bought this one.

This type of coffee maker works differently. There is no valve to malfunction. The water is heated ahead of time, and kept warm until you want a pot of coffee. Then, you pour a pot of cold water in. That water flows in in such a way that it “pushes” the already hot water out and over the grounds, resulting in a very fast pot of coffee (3-4 minutes).

There are no timers, clock, bells, or whistles on this one. Just a single switch that you leave on (unless going away for days). The brew process simply “starts” when you close the filler lid – so just make sure the pot is in place before closing the lid 🙂