15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
Does not work with softened water !!!
Date of Review: Sep 7, 2005
The Bottom Line: I spent alot of time finding out that i cannot use softened water but its now working great and i'm happy with it.
Updates to review below
This machine stopped working after just 4 months. A few weeks prior is started dispensing really weird beverage sizes, some half the amount they should have been. Then one morning while the machine was not actually being used we heard a loud pop sound, from that point on the lights remained on but the machine would not brew.
I called the 800 support number and received a replacement unit within 5 days. I was shocked as the replacement unit looked like a refurbished unit with marks etc. It came in an different box and no parts were in sealed bags, just an open envelope.
The replacement machine lasted a whole 2 weeks before it also broke. I came down in the morning to find the machine sat in a pool of water. whenever i pressed the brew button the machine tripped my protected outlet every time. It also leaked more water each time i tried. I called the support who have another replacement on the way, this time its overnight shipping.
I also found out that the discounted machines costing less than $200 are different machines that the ones that came out initially priced around the $270 mark. The reliable one we have at work was the earlier $270 higher quality machine.
I eventually had problems with the 3rd machine and was told by BUNN support that it was because i was using water from my house water softener. Apparently this over saturates the coffee and causes problems with the machine. I since started using bottled water and have had no more problems.
What made me decide to buy?
I decided to buy this machine because we have one at work in the break room. The machine makes great hot tea and coffee. It is built very well with nothing appearing to be cheap or low end. It is also super reliable, the machine we have at work is about 7 months old now and has made over 5000 cups of coffee and tea!!! I did some fairly extensive research into other much cheaper pod machines and it seems they all suffer from build quality issues and performance issues i.e. not producing hot drinks etc.
The types of pods make a huge difference!
We use JAVA ONE pods at work (and I do at home) as these were the preferred brand of everyone I work with, they are available in a variety of roasts and foo foo flavors (hazelnut/french vanilla etc). The machine comes with 2 pod holders so you can use one for coffee one for tea etc. The pod holders are dishwasher safe also.
Appearance
The Bunn Cafe is somewhat larger than other pod type machines but it actually looks very smart with the stainless steel backsplash and the transparent water tank location (at the rear of the unit). The machine is filled on the top after sliding back the lid, note that the entire lid does slide back so you must position the unit at least 2 inches from the wall. I thought it would be an improvement to have a flip up lid, then I could push it against the wall, but the power lead would prevent this. The power lead comes directly out the back and is more of a thicker, heavy grade industrial type lead that also prevents the unit from being pushed up against a wall.
Operation
Once powered on the powerful heater heats a full tank much quicker than a regular electric kettle. Single cups (adjustable from 4 - 12oz) can be made in about a minute. There is no double cup feature. At the top of the unit a red illuminated button with the BUNN logo must be depressed in order to release the pod holder, this can easily be done with one hand. Once you reload the holder containing a pod and assuming the water heating indicator light is not illuminated you may start your brew. If before and during you brew there is insufficient water in the tank than another water low illuminator will come on, if this is the case before you attempt to start the brewing process then it simply won't start. You may want to adjust the brew size using the slide selector from 4oz thru 12 oz.
Next hit either the Coffee button or Tea (pulse brew) button. A rather smart and cool looking blue light illuminates the entire dispensing area, reflecting nicely off the stainless steel backsplash and drip tray during the brewing process (sorry but i do like the blue light!!) This light also gives a helpful indication as to when the brew is complete, it goes out.
Normally the heater will kick in for a few seconds and you are ready to brew again in no time.
So how's the Tea?
The pulse brew makes a really great tea brew. My English wife loves tea from this machine. She makes it using her regular "Teltley" brand tea bags (not specially designed for pod machines) and the tea comes out really well.
Conclusion
This machine costs alot more than almost all of the other machines out there but you get what you pay for in quality, reliability and performance. BUNN make commercial grade coffee machines. This is the first pod system by BUNN, it is a commercial grade machine.
It has been a while since I purchased a kitchen appliance and actually kept it on the counter and use it all the time.
Also a note to all the people, who like me will forget to set the brew size. If you find yourself brewing a 12oz selection into an 8oz cup then simply hit the brew button again and the brewing process stops immediately.
For me the only feature missing is a setting to auto power off after a period of time. That way I could just turn it on in the morning and now worry about the last person out of the door shutting it off.
