BUNN ST Velocity Brew 10-Cup Thermal Carafe Home Coffee Brewer

This is my second thermal carafe Bunn. My first one lasted about 7 years before the heating element finally died on it and it had to be thrown in the garbage. Bunn's are all I will buy because they are fast, easy, and make the best coffee for my taste buds.I saved the plastic Bunn measuring pitcher that came free with the first one and it's a good thing I did because Bunn doesn't include them anymore with the unit. The plastic pitcher with no drip spout on it perfectly measures the water for each pot without the need of having to use the thermal carafe for measuring and filling it. Not sure if Bunn even sells them anymore as an accessory. Mine sure makes my job of making coffee every morning a whole lot easier. I pre-fill it the night before and leave it sitting by the unit with the filter and grounds already in the funnel, so all I have to do is pour, wait 3 minutes, and enjoy.The sliding top is a new feature from the old lift top. !For anyone who gets confused about what to do with it, open it only when you pour the water in, then close it and leave it closed until the next time you need to pour water in!. That way it keeps dust and debris from getting in the reservoir, and prevents accidental mishaps of unintended brewing since closing it causes it to brew. Don't leave the thing open for someone to come along and close it and make a mess, that's just plain stupid. I repeat, keep it closed until you need to pour water in to make a pot, close it, then leave it closed until next time.I've had a lot of various brands of coffee pots in my time, both discount and high end, and the thermal carafe Bunn is by far the best and most convenient I've ever used. As long as the pot and unit is kept clean, the coffee never comes out bitter, and the thermal carafe keeps it fresh for 5 to 6 hours without the need of a warmer. I love being able to take the thermal carafe into other areas of the house with me. A fresh cup is always within arms reach.Everyone's brew strength preference is different, but with mine I always use just under 1/3rd cup of coffee per pot and it always comes out perfect for me. I keep a 1/3rd measuring cup in my coffee canister and nixed the measuring spoons a long time ago.This STX is a new style from the classic also. The carafe, although the same volume size as the old one, is taller, thinner, sleeker, and easier to handle. The body of the unit is mostly plastic now. A big difference from my older stainless steel body Bunn ThermaFresh. This one is easier to clean on the outside. Right out of the box it had to be cleaned with a damp rag, it had a coating of manufacture dust all over it. Once it was wiped off it was good to go.The only advice I can give on Bunn's is after about 6 years keep an eye on the heating element because once it starts to go out on you it becomes a fire hazard and the entire Bunn should be replaced. I don't think Bunn sells heating element parts separately. I tried to find one to fix my old Bunn with no luck. You'll know the heating element is going out when it takes hours, not minutes, to reheat the water in the reservoir between pots. As soon as it starts doing that, toss it and get a new one to be on the safe side.This is by far THE best coffee pot on the market today for anybody who doesn't want to have to 'fuss' with a machine in the morning when they're half asleep and want their American style Cup O' Joe fast, convenient, and tasting great every time.Coffee connoisseurs who are looking for a stronger, more European style of brew might want to look elsewhere, because the funnel only holds so much grounds, and if you put too many grounds in to get a stronger flavor it'll overflow the filter and you'll end up with grounds in your coffee. It overflows with too many grounds because the water pours into the funnel so fast in order to get it brewed in 3 minutes, not like the standard machines that take upwards of 15 minutes to brew that add hot water to the grounds little by little.Happy brewing! :)

I have owned Bunn coffeemakers in the past and while I'm all about Bunn, I have to share a couple issues I see with the STX coffeemaker. I just received mine yesterday (6/28/14). We've used a Cuisinart that has been a great appliance for many years but was needing replaced and also a Keurig and love it, but it gets pricey at the rate I drink coffee. I decided to go back to a Bunn and I selected this unit because of design and features. I expected the highest of quality, and while it is a very good machine and makes great coffee, I take issue with a couple things. First and foremost, the top cover mounts loosely with 2 little screws in the water inlet area. The rest of the cover is supposed to stay put with a friction fit. It does so, but very poorly. This is a weak and poorly designed idea. My experience first off with the machine was that while pouring water in to brew with the lid open all the way as instructed to stop water flow, water continually poured out of the funnel. If using the carafe to fill, this is an issue! I solved it myself by removing the top and using a short stainless steel bolt & nut in the existing slot of the white plastic stopper arm to give a little added weight to the rubber stopper end of the arm...........problem solved, but shouldn't be a problem and needs to be addressed by Bunn! The other issue I have and knew so before my purchase, is the lack of a stop & pour feature. While I don't really feel it's a deal breaker, the unit does take quite a while to stop dripping after the brew cycle. A mess when you want that first cup ASAP. So far it seems the unit is taking 4-5 minutes to brew a full pot, then another 1-2 minutes to stop dripping. I'm hoping as time goes on the unit will improve, but not holding my breath either. I like the product but feel if Bunn is advertising this as their high end home brew coffee maker, they need to fine tune what I've found as flaws. I'm planning to keep the machine, at least for now. But if I sense any further issues I'm going to squeal like a pig to both Amazon and Bunn.To update my review as of August 13th, I addressed my issues with Bunn and they promptly sent out a new replacement stopper arm. Thanks Bunn, but no fix! I'm leaving my "MacGyvered weight system" intact as the only right way to fix a poor design flaw. That being said, I LOVE MY BUNN COFFEEMAKER! The dripping is not an issue any longer. The unit makes a quality pot of coffee in short order and the carafe keeps the brewed pot hot for hours! when pouring a cup if the unit drips, it's so minor and a simple swipe with a paper towel or dishcloth is all that's needed. Really after using the unit I find it to be a very user friendly coffeemaker and recommend it highly but give note to the "fix" I applied.

It brews quickly but if you like coffee a bit hotter than warm you need to preheat the carafe with hot water before you close the lid. Coffee stays hot for over two hours. The bx we had is comparable and cheaper. The ST come with a plastic decalcifier not like the cheaper model which comes with a stainless steel spring looking thing like the commercial brewers use. I almost threw the plastic one out thinking it was just a zip tie. The extra bucks required for this one is all for style and not much else. A plate warmer is a plus to make sure your coffee is hot. Then if you don't drink it fast enough you can pour it in a carafe to avoid the burnt bitter flavour, I think the carafes are around 50.00 dollars. Carafe plus plate warmer coffee maker still cheaper than this one.