Bonavita Connoisseur 8 Cup Drip Coffee Maker Machine, One-Touch Pour Over Brewer w/Thermal Carafe, Hanging Filter Basket, SCA Certified, 1500 Watt, BPA Free, Stainless Steel, BV1901TS

Let me start by saying I love Bonavita. I got my first one 8+ years ago, after hearing and reading about them, and how highly rated they were. I ordered a BV1800 and was very impressed. Mr. Coffee went to the storage closet to await emergency use. Well, after 8 years, the Bonavita carafe somehow developed a crack in the glass despite how careful I always was with it. Shortly after, the carafe actually lost a big chunk of the rim and even though various BV1800-owners commented on the internet that their choice of glass replacement carafe worked for them, I ordered and returned several that did not fit. And since the unit is out of production, I couldn't just order another BV1800.So that's how I ended up ordering the Bonavita Connoisseur 8 cup One Touch, after much research. My immediate reaction was to appreciate the looks of the coffeemaker. It looks really snazzy, though taking up a bigger portion of countertop real estate than the BV1800. It makes really good coffee, just like the other one, and delivers a piping hot brew in short order. But there are significant differences, some good and some bad.First off, the Connoisseur does not have a heat plate to keep brewed coffee hot. Instead, it relies on a really nice insulated metal thermos-like carafe to hold hot brewed coffee. But there are issues with that. Please note that this coffeemaker has a slide-in basket-style filter holder that suspends the brewing coffee above the carafe; that is kind of a handy idea. The BV1800 has a glass carafe that sits on a warming plate and a separate drip-down style filter holder, using cone type filters, sits on top of the carafe, just under the hot water "shower" that drizzles the coffee with steamy hot water. And it flows through the filter quickly, allowing you to pull out the carafe right after the brew cycle stops. The new Connoisseur, on the other hand, beeps after the water has finished going into the filter holder, making you think you could remove the carafe and pour some coffee. However, it continues to slowly drip coffee into the open carafe (you can't screw on the top of the carafe to hold in the heat until the carafe is off the coffeemaker). It takes so long before you can safely remove the carafe without having coffee drip down onto the recess that holds the carafe, and running onto the counter, that you loose a good deal of the heat in the carafe before you can withdraw it and screw on the carafe top. If you do manage to do that, the coffee isn't as hot as I like it once you get some poured, and it doesn't remain drinkably hot in the carafe for any length of time.Now, let me qualify all of that by describing my particular situation. I am the only coffee drinker in the house, so I brew just 4 cups (or about 2 1/2 mugs) of coffee at a time. And since I always took coffee with me to work (before I retired), my practice was to preheat a Stanley 24-ounce metal coffee thermos with hot water while the coffee brewed and then replace the hot water with hot coffee before screwing down the top and cap. That would keep coffee steamy and hot all day. So that's what I did whenever I made coffee (and still do), whether I was going to work on weekdays, or it was a weekend, or (as now) I'm retired. I can still enjoy hot coffee all day, even if it needs a quick zap in the microwave, once poured. But if you make a pot of coffee for multiple coffee drinkers, and plan to pour it all around once it's brewed, then the Connoissuer model may work for you. Or maybe you have the patience to wait for all the coffee to drip into the carafe and then have it be only sort of hot once poured. But to me, the significant advantage of the Bonavita system is hot, really good, coffee that is quickly brewed. My disappointment is that the Connoisseur doesn't deliver the same brew in the same way as the old BV1800.One final note: if you have the old BV1800 and need a new carafe, I found (finally) that the Melitta 52-oz. Pour Over Brewing Cone with Glass Carafe will work pretty well with your old BV1800, except the brewing cone is too tall to fit. So instead, I just used the plastic cone filter holder I already had, which was just short enough to sit atop the Melitta carafe and fit into the Bonavita BV1800 coffeemaker. It is still available on Amazon (Fino Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Filter Cone, Number 4-Size, Black, Brews 8 to 12-Cups).

Addendum: added 10/09/21 The carafe lid release trigger now no longer functions properly. You can pour without pressing the button. Is it a deal breaker? No. Is it what you expect when you spend this much money? No. Will I buy this again. Probably not. Bottom line, the coffee this makes isn't notably better than less expensive coffee makers. We will likely go back to less expensive coffee makers and replace them more frequently. In fact, were we to a "system fail" on this right now, it probably lasted us no longer than the cheaper brands we've used in the past. The question is, will it last that much longer to make the cost worth it?Another difference is that we've noted that the digital tones that announce the coffee is ready, now occur before the coffee continues to drip from the basket. So expect a puddle on the carafe holder unless you let the carafe sit longer before removing and placing the cap on, which somewhat negates the desired effect of keeping your coffee hot, sealed nicely in a stainless carafe.First review below:I must state upfront that I'm not a coffee "connoisseur." If you are, you probably shouldn't read this because you'll likely disagree.For all my adult life I'd imagined that a coffee maker didn't necessarily need to be expensive to make reasonably good coffee. Like most products these days coffee makers (especially inexpensive ones) aren't designed to last forever and if you get a few years use from it and the coffee it makes is to your liking, then you should expect to replace them periodically, the less expensive, the more frequently.So, based on that, it's too soon to say I suppose, having had it only a few months. If I'm still using this coffee maker five years from now then perhaps I'll feel like it was worth the extra expense.The pros: Great appearance. It heats hot (at the recommended temperature) and quickly. Comes apart for cleaning. Easy to fill the water container.Meh factor: the stainless carafe (unless you preheat it) will only keep your coffee reasonably warm for 20- 30 mins. (It's not breakable, so that IS a plus.) Yes, what to (temporarily) do with the filter basket is a minor inconvenience. On this model (8 cup), the carafe (with the lid screwed on) won't sit on the maker under the filter basket. There's no hot plate so that shouldn't matter. You can just leave the filter "basket" in place until you're ready for the final clean-up, and set the carafe to the side.I honestly can't say that our morning coffee now suddenly better (such things are, of course, somewhat subjective.) In fact there appears (to us) to be little difference between more expensive brands of coffee (whole bean or pre-ground) and Folgers ground when made in the Bonavita. (Maybe that's a perk, no pun intended.) So you might save $ on what kind of coffee you purchase.People who use a lot of cream and sugar are probably not going to notice much (if any) difference in this coffee flavor. If you're a purist and drink your java black you may find the coffee from the Bonavita is a better flavor. That's not me.The "eight cup" makes four medium sized cups (in America) of coffee. If there are two people imbibing the same carafe and both like more than two cups (ea) in the a.m., this likely won't make enough for you. Err on the next size up.I will (and so should you) endeavor to use a descaler solution on a regular, monthly basis. (The recommended Full Circle brand is pricey but seems to do the job.)So, I'd say this: if you're expecting noticeably better tasting coffee, ... um .. perhaps. If your last coffee maker was making a brew you were fine with, don't expect this to be better. If this machine holds up and lasts longer, I'll figure it was money well spent. If I'm replacing it in a couple of years it simply wasn't (with my income) worth the extra expense.Incidentally I did a lot of research/investigation and YouTube video watching before making the decision on the Bonavita. If you've got enough disposable income to afford the occasional "luxury" in your life then the cost won't bother you much. If buying this requires a sacrifice then I'm going to suggest to you that it's simply not worth the price tag.As far as the quality of the product, I am not complaining. I know there are coffee makers with lots of bells and whistles that are WAY more expensive than this one, but compared to the average coffee maker "out there," this is pricey! The coffee it makes, while fine, is not (IMO) notably better than less expensive machines.

After market water filter is a very tight fit, have to jar it to remove the basket assembly and coffee droplets go everywhere, will probably go back to old coffee maker until my present supply of after market filters are used up.

My Bonavita of many years finally kicked the bucket. I always loved it but towards the end, it became incredibly noisy and the carafe lid was a leaky mess. Shopping for a replacement, I did not sway from the amazing brew temp which Bonavita provides - in a compact and fairly premium package. In the 10 years since my previous machine, there are clearly some corners cut now - I can only hope to get 10 years out of this one.The glass lined carafe in my old model kept things much prettier - the new one is just stainless, and just never looks "clean". The plastic pieces of the machine are fine, but feel a bit less sturdy than before. I do like the newer filter placement, vs directly on top of the pot like the old model. The two entities are separate.. this would be perfection if there was a simple drip protection, so you could grab a quick pour - but not the case. If you try to pour a cup while brewing is not complete, better have a saucer ready. Fortunately it brews very quickly.Another nit - similar to the old one - you have to clean your grinds out before you put the lid on (unless you keep the carafe off the machine - fine since there's no burner really). But some days you just don't want to stop what you are doing to deal with those grinds immediately!In the end it makes great coffee, and keeps it hot in the carafe - so no complaints there. Just starting to feel less premium, despite the price. So to me as a consumer, my confidence starts to wain. Of course, everything feels cheap these days so this is not a unique case..

Yes, the carafe is awkward (doesn’t empty completely, must remember to put the lid on after brewing), but it’s made the best coffee I’ve ever had from a machine