Are you looking for the best thermal carafe coffee maker? Should you choose a glass carafe or stainless steel carafe? In this review, I’ll present to you the best thermal carafe coffee makers on the market and the reasons for my recommendations.
Contents
- 1 Why Choose A Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker?
- 2 Glass or Stainless Steel Carafe?
- 3 Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Makers
- 3.1 Mr Coffee JWTX85 8-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker
- 3.2 HAMSWAN AD-103 Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker
- 3.3 Bonavita BV1500TS 5-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker
- 3.4 Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker
- 3.5 Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 Thermal Coffee Maker
- 3.6 Breville BDC450 Precision Brewer Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
Why Choose A Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker?
For those who are still undecided about getting a coffee maker with thermal carafe, you may want to hear about the benefits of having a thermal carafe.
Coffee tastes best while it’s hot. However, a typical glass carafe without insulation capability will not be able to keep the coffee warms. Hence, a good thermal carafe is necessary to maintain the temperature of the coffee. It can be a glass thermal carafe with insulation walls or a stainless steel thermal carafe. Both will work to keep your coffee warm.
Glass or Stainless Steel Carafe?
With regards to which is better, my preference is always a stainless steel thermal carafe as it does a better job in retaining the heat.
Another practical reason for getting a stainless steel thermal carafe is that they are not fragile. If you accidentally drop a stainless steel carafe, it will not shatter into pieces. However, try that with a glass carafe, that will be the end of your carafe and you have to spend money to get a new one. The stainless steel carafe will prove even crucial if you have a household with kids.
A less functional reason for a stainless steel carafe is the aesthetics. Stainless steel ones are typically more stylish and modern with their silvery finish and their shapes.
Best Thermal Carafe Coffee Makers
There are many coffee makers with thermal carafe. I have round up 6 of the best drip coffee makers with thermal carafe to present to you.
- Coffee JWTX85 – Affordable 8 cup coffee maker with stainless steel thermal carafe
- HAMSWAN AD-103 – Affordable 10 cup coffee maker with glass carafe & warming plate
- Bonavita BV1500TS – Affordable 5 cup coffee maker with stainless steel thermal carafe & advanced brewing technology
- Bonavita BV1900TS – A Bonavita BV1500TS but with 8 cup brewing capacity
- Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 – A 10 cup coffee maker with 4 brew types & 6 brew sizes
- Breville BDC450 Precision Brewer [Highly Recommended] – An advanced coffee maker offering 6 preset brew types but also allows control over brew parameters. Recommended if you are particular over coffee taste.
Mr Coffee JWTX85 8-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker
The Mr Coffee JWTX85 features a stainless steel double-walled thermal carafe. The double-wall carafe can keep your coffee warm for a considerably longer time. So you only need to make coffee once and your family members can drink coffee at different times.
If you like to have a coffee before brewing cycle is done, there is a “Auto Pause” function that allows you to do just that.
When brewing is completed, the machine will switch off automatically. Speaking of convenience!
It also has a cleaning cycle that makes it easier and quicker to clean and maintain. Its removable filter basket lifts easily, making it convenient when filling the carafe and cleaning the machine.
The carafe is made of stainless steel. Hence, it is durable and won’t break if you drop it. Also, the silvery surface blends really well with the black housing of the coffee machine, making it an elegant piece of appliance to place on your kitchen counter top.
Its brewing capacity of 8 cups will be a big plus if you have a big household of coffee drinkers. You won’t need to make multiple brews to make enough cups of coffee for your household.
Related: Best 8 cup coffee makers
Pros
- Stainless steel double-walled thermal carafe – Very Effective in retaining heat in coffee after brewing
- 8 cup brewing capacity
- Elegant looking
- Easy to use
- Auto pause feature, allowing user to grab a cup of coffee before brewing is complete.
- Indicators to show options selected
- Very affordable
Cons
- Carafe is not transparent. Unable to see the amount of coffee left in the carafe.
HAMSWAN AD-103 Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker
The HAMSWAN AD-103 Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker is a compact coffeemaker that comes with an insulated glass carafe. With the help of a warming plate, it is designed to keep your beverage warm for as long as you want it.
This product features one button operation and a water tank that is capable of delivering you up to 10 cups of coffee within 6 minutes.
This Italian designed coffee maker is made of thin high-grade stainless steel housing, thus giving it a really classy metallic look. The plastic in the interior is also BPA free. It has five windows on its side to allow you to conveniently peek at the amount of water left in the container.
With this coffee maker, you can also get a cup of coffee before brewing is complete. But what sets this machine apart its its anti-drip system which ensure coffee will not drip from the sprout as soon as you remove the carafe.
In addition, the coffee maker comes with an auto-shutdown feature which will automatically shutdown 40 minutes after brewing.
The HAMSWAN AD-103 has a 5 outlets water showering system which gives you better tasting coffee. The taste of coffee depends on how the water flows through the coffee grinds. With multiple water outlets, the water is less likely to flow in one particular path i.e the one with least resistance. What this means it that the water can flow evenly throughout the entire coffee grounds, maximizing the extraction of the flavours and aromas from the coffee.
This coffee maker also has a large brewing capacity of 10 cups. Hence, it is very useful for large households of coffee drinkers.
The anti-drip system will allow you to avoid messing up your table top with coffee drips. Thus, you will have an easier time cleaning up after brewing coffee.
Although the carafe is not as effective in retaining heat, the warming plate more than makes up for it. With the plate, you can keep your coffee warm as long as you like by turning on the warming plate after it shuts down. And because the carafe is made of glass, you can now view the amount of coffee left in it.
Pros
- Warming plate to keep coffee warm as long as you like
- Transparent glass carafe, allowing you to view the coffee level.
- Anti coffee drip system, making cleaning easy
- 5 outlet water system, producing a uniform extraction and better tasting coffee
- 10 cup brewing capacity
- Make coffee fast in 6 minutes
Cons
- Glass thermal carafe is fragile – have to handle with care.
- Glass carafe may scald your hand if you accidentally touch it.
Designed with a durable stainless steel thermal carafe, the Bonavita BV1500TS is one of the best 5 cup coffee maker for those who prefer brewing coffee in smaller batches.
If you prefer to use glass thermal carafe, you can also do using the adapter ring. This ring is designed to fit the glass carafe with the brewer filter basket. However, this ring only works with the Bonavita 5-cup double walled glass carafe. You can’t use other glass carafe. This double-walled glass carafe is capable of retaining heat inside it while keeping the outside temperature cool.
The Bonavita BV1500 TS is really easy to use. This machine is fitted with a one-touch brewing operation and it automatically shut down after use.
Its coffee brewing technology is also more advanced than the typical coffee makers, thus justifying its higher price point. Its specially designed showerhead enables uniform distribution of water over the coffee grounds. This allows the water to flow through the coffee grounds more uniformly. Hence, extraction is maximized and you get a more flavourful coffee.
To further maximize extraction, it comes with an optional function known as pre-infusion. What this step does is to allow water to slowly seep through the coffee grounds. Such saturation of the coffee grounds help to loosen up the coffee grounds. Thus, this ensures that water will flow throughout the coffee grounds uniformly. As a result, the extraction is enhanced and a better tasty coffee results.
Another factor which affects coffee quality is the brewing temperature. To address this, the Bonavita comes with a 1100 watts powerful heater which can maintain the optimum brew temperature of 195°-205°F ( 91°-96°C ).
Despite the additional steps, this coffee maker is still capable of completing a brewing cycle in less than 6 minutes.
In addition, it is easy to clean. The showerhead, carafe lid and filter basket can be cleaned using a dishwasher.
Pros
- Advanced brewing technology to make better tasting coffee
- Powerful heater
- Brew in less than 6 minutes.
- Can use both stainless steel or glass thermal carafe
- Easy to use. One-touch operation
- Automatically shutdown after use
- Fully transparent water tank to view water level
- BPA-Free plastic
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Can only make 5 cups at a go
- High power heater consumes more electricity
For those who like Bonavita’s brewing technology but requires larger brewing capacity, the Bonavita BV1900TS is made to serve that need.
This thermal carafe coffee maker has all the features of the BV1500TS. The difference is that this BV1900TS can serve 8 cups of coffee at once.
With a large brew capacity, it has a more powerful 1560 watts heater to reach and maintain the optimum brew temperature.
Pros
- Advanced brewing technology to make better tasting coffee
- Powerful heater
- Can use both stainless steel or glass thermal carafe
- Can make 8 cups of coffee in a single brew
- Easy to use. One-touch operation
- Automatically shutdown after use
- Fully transparent water tank to view water level
- BPA-Free plastic
- Easy to clean
Cons
- High power heater consumes more electricity
Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 Thermal Coffee Maker
This Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 is a dual coffee maker. It is both a single serve and thermal carafe coffee maker. In fact, it has 6 brew sizes – cup, extra large cup, travel mug, extra large multi-serve, half carafe and full Carafe. With a full carafe, you can serve up to 10 cups of coffee or equivalent to 50 ounces of coffee.
In addition, it is capable of making both hot and cold coffee. It can also make normal drip coffee and strong concentrated coffee. If you like milk-based drink, there’s even a mechanical frother for creating those bubbly milk for your coffee.
Related: Best 2 way coffee maker
Pros
- Can make multiple brew types –hot or cold coffee, normal or strong coffee, milk-based coffee
- 6 brew sizes from a single cup to full carafe
- Stainless steel thermal carafe
- Able to make 10 cups of coffee at once
- Transparent water tank for easy viewing of water level
- Comes with milk frother
Cons
- Can only use coffee grounds
Breville BDC450 Precision Brewer Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
This Breville thermal carafe coffeemaker is a very advanced coffee maker, more advanced than the Bonavita models mentioned above.
This coffee maker allows you to have precise control over brew temperature, water flow rate and water contact time ( also known as bloom time). These 3 factors are important factors in making great tasty coffee. The precision in temperate is made possible with its PID controller and thermo coil heating system. Its pump with 3 different flow rates allows control over water flow rate and contact time.
Despite its sophisticated technology, Breville BDC450 is easy to use. There are 6 brewing modes and they are all preset for you. The 6 modes are Fast, Gold Cup, Strong, Ice, cold Brew and My Brew.
The Fast mode allows you to make 60 ounces of coffee in just 7 minutes. Yes, this coffee maker can make 60 ounces of coffee at one go, which is one of the largest, if not largest, brewing capacity. Thus, this coffee is great for a large family or even a medium size office.
The “Gold cup” mode makes coffee in the golden cup standard. The “golden cup standard” is a term used in the coffee connoisseur world. It refers to the optimum settings to make a good cup of coffee. But you don’t have to worry about setting the optimum parameters. This Breville precision brewer will automatically adjust the brew time and water temperature for you.
However, you can still customize the brew temperature, flow rate and bloom time with the “My Brew” option. With this customization, you can choose the best parameters to suit the type of coffee you are using. And the result is a better extraction of the true flavours of the coffee, be it floral, earthy or fruity.
Beside making drip coffee, BDC450 can also make pour over coffee. All you need to do is to fit in a drip adapter with your pour over device.
This coffee brewer is also aesthetically pleasing. Its stainless steel housing gives it a classy look and makes it a great piece of appliance to display on the kitchen counter. With the stainless steel housing, you can also rest assured that it will be durable and last a long time.
Pros
- Dual coffee maker – Can make drip coffee and pour over coffee
- Can make normal drip coffee, strong coffee, ice coffee and cold brew
- Can make 60 ounces of coffee in 1 brew
- Advance brewing technology – PID control, multiple flow rate pump, thermo-coil heating system
- Able to adjust brew temperature, water flow rate and water contact time with coffee grounds
- Stainless steel housing – durable
- Asethetically pleasing
Cons
- More expensive
Having gone through a comprehensive review of the six best coffee makers with a thermal carafe, the decision is left to you as the buyer to see which one fits both your expectations as well as your budget.
