ZojirushiAFFB-19SAXA Premium Thermal Carafe, 1.85 Liter, Brushed Stainless Steel

This carafe is great! I struggled with whether to take away a star for difficulty cleaning & water sounding like it was trapped in the lid and in the space between the brushed steel & black plastic bottom, but since it kept my water boiling hot for 12 hours, I just love it!Pros:Looks goodKeeps liquids hot for many hours - but make sure that the button is on the "closed" setting. The first day I had left it on the open setting and the coffee did not stay hot for even 4 hours. Then I had tested the carafe by boiling water in my tea kettle and putting the lid on the carafe making sure that the setting was on "closed." I found that after 12 hours the water was still too hot to drink. I then tested it the next morning (roughly 24 hours later) and it was luke warm. I read another review that said it kept liquids hot for 24 hours & that was not my experience. I would call it cold, but definitely not hot.Easy to use and pours nicely with no drips.Cons:I wish the interior were wider to make cleaning easier. You will need a water bottle brush to clean the inside.The first couple of times I washed it water was audibly trapped in the lid (i could hear it when I moved it around) and water droplets were still coming from the space between the brushed stainless & black plastic. It had been drying overnight so the water should have been gone. It was a slight annoyance, but not enough to take away a star.

I love this thermal carafe. Now, I can brew a whole 10-cup Chemex in the morning, and enjoy it throughout the day. A few times now, I've made it at 7 in the morning, and it is still drinkable/warm enough to enjoy after lunch and beyond (if it lasts). This Zojirushi carafe was the final piece in my coffee ritual: sourcing great beans, using an amazing burr grinder (the most important purchase in this equation), mastering the pour over technique and timing, immediately transferring the concoction into the Zojirushi.I was a bit worried to read about how some of them were not holding the heat. That clearly seems to be a correctable error (usually by replacement), that is hopefully not too common.Another troubling thing I saw in these Amazon reviews is the complaint about the top of the carafe and the condensation/liquid getting stuck in it. This common complaint was more concerning than the one about it not holding heat, because poor design can really turn me off to using something.Bottom line: this condensation concern is NO CONCERN when you actually see the top. The top easily snaps apart and back together. You can clean and air dry every single piece of this carafe.Of course, I don't use the Zojirushi daily. It is my weekender, vacation day, or my friends-coming-over carafe.I love the button "CLOSED" and "OPEN" markers.The rotation mechanism on the bottom: ingenious. You can put this in the middle of a table, and not fuss when someone from any side wants to grab hold of it. Love it.I'm giving this 5 stars because it really does bring me enjoyment and allows me to drink or serve all of the coffee I carefully prepare. If only they could make it without as much plastic (there is very little in the Zojirushi, and I think it's used primarily due to its durability); to be crystal clear: the coffee, stored in the glass interior, is never in constant contact with plastic (only when it is poured out).Thank you, Zojirushi, for such a wonderful thing.Also, if you're considering this size or the smaller one, go with this one. When properly preheated with hot water, I see no difference in heat retention based on how full the carafe is.

I think this is excellent it is replacing a 1L thermos carafe that served me well, but this seems to hold temp better. I wanted a glass insert rather than steel and I like Zojirushi as a brand overall (and this is made in Japan). The button press on this is also a little nicer and the pour is more controlled.The ichimatsu patterning is basically print on the white painted metal housing. It adds a nice look, but I wouldn't pay way over the odds for that.That all said while I think this is great I have dinged it a point because I don't understand why Zojirushi designed this to be so tall so that it does not fit underneath the spout of their water heater dispensers. The thermos fit under it fine but this I have to physically move the dispenser to the end of the counter and hold the carafe under it as I dispense. Seems like one hand wasn't quite helping the other here at the design table.