Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15BA

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15BA 
$98.00

Pros
The Zojirushi brews into a thermal pot.

Cons
Warranty is limited to one year.

The Verdict: 7.5/10This attractive coffee maker can’t burn coffee because it has no hot plate.

Stylish automatic coffee brewer with 1.5-liter thermal carafe
Stainless-steel carafe keeps coffee hot for hours
1025 watts; electronic clock/timer with preset function; auto shut-off for safety
Clever brew-and-serve lid design; easy-to-read water gauge
Measures 15 by 12 by 9 inches; 1-year warranty

The Zojirushi Fresh Brew is a drip coffee maker manufactured by a company with many years of experience making vacuum bottles, which explains why this product is one of the coffee makers that brews into a thermal carafe. Zojirushi Corporation began manufacturing vacuum bottles in 1918, when it was established in Osaka, Japan, doing business as the Ichikawa Brothers Trading Company. The company also manufactures air pots, bread machines and rice cookers. The Zojirushi Fresh Brew has an unusually beautiful design that reflects the most admirable aspects of Japanese artistic aesthetics: minimalistic, flowing design proportions that elevate a utilitarian device to an object that points toward art.

Unless you drink all of your coffee as soon as it is brewed, coffee makers that brew into a stainless steel thermal carafe seem to be a better solution than coffee makers that brew into a glass carafe that sits on a hot plate. In its quest to brew a hot pot of coffee that maintains the right temperature, the Zojirushi goes a step beyond brewing into a thermal carafe. It brews through a brew basket that is insulated, so that the brewing process itself does not compromise temperature.

The Zojirushi is one of the coffee makers that use paper filters. Although some people consider permanent mesh-type filters to be preferable, there are two arguments in favor of paper filters. Paper filters make better-tasting coffee. And paper filters remove the coffee molecules that raise cholesterol. The molecules cafestol and kahweol, found only in coffee, exist in a lipid-like compound that readily attaches itself to paper but runs straight through a permanent filter.

As if the basic features were not convenient enough, the Zojirushi is one of the coffee makers that include a brew-pause feature and a programmable clock.

On the spectrum of warranties associated with coffee makers, the Zojirushi is on the weak side at one year. The Zojirushi Corporation provides customer service by telephone.