BUNN Heat N' Brew Programmable Review

The Bunn Heat N' Brew Programmable makes a great quality coffee. More than anything else, the high water temperature of this brewer allows the Heat N' Brew to produce an excellent tasting cup.

Performance Comparison

Brew Quality

The Bunn Heat N' Brew Programmable brews excellent quality coffee. This powerful brewer reaches industry recommendations for brew temperature and the effective spray head helps facilitate superior-tasting coffee. Precise water temperature and even saturation is essential for brewing great coffee, and the Heat N' Brew excels in this metric.

Another key element in making properly brewed coffee is water distribution. The Heat N' Brew did incredibly well at evenly distributing water across the grounds. Good water distribution gives the coffee a better chance of evenly saturating and creates better-tasting coffee.

User Friendliness

The Bunn Heat N' Brew was not as user-friendly as we had hoped. The Bunn reaches proper brew temperatures but at an alarmingly slow rate. This brewer takes five and a half minutes to heat before brewing starts. If you are looking for the quickest cup of coffee possible, we again recommend looking at other models in our review.

The brew button on the Heat N' Brew is the largest and most prominent feature on the brewer, making it easy to find, even before you put on your glasses. Increasing its visibility, the brew button is backlit. Bunn offers a separate button for an autostart feature. Autostart is intuitive to use, and you can even customize your desired brew times under this setting.

The carafe on the Heat N' Brew may pose a challenge to some. The handle on the carafe has a built-in spout, making for a clean pour. Measurement on the outside of the carafe makes it easy to fill to your precise needs. Unfortunately, the small design of the carafe handle is limiting for anyone with larger hands.

Filling the water tank also proved to be challenging. The plastic grate over the reservoir's opening causes some backsplash when filling the water tank.

Ease of Cleaning

The Heat N' Brew was quite easy to clean in most respects. The brew basket and carafe are entirely removable and dishwasher safe. The open design and absence of a backsplash make the Heat N' Brew easy to clean. There were no signs of coffee drips on the hot plate during testing.

An extra-large handle on the brew basket makes it easy to pull out and dump out grounds with one hand. We just wish the carafe handle was this convenient.

Consistency

This coffee maker could have been more consistent. In this metric, we brewed five back-to-back pots of coffee and analyzed the results. We found that the Bunn Heat N' Brew struggled to keep temperature consistency in back-to-back brewing. From the first pot to the fifth, the brew temperature significantly fluctuated by three degrees.

The Heat N' Brew takes five and a half minutes to heat before a single drop of coffee comes out. Once the coffee noticeably stops brewing, it takes another two minutes for the LCD to register that the brew cycle has completed.

Value

The Heat N' Brew meets industry standards for brewing temperate at a reasonable price. This brewer matches the ability to reach the proper temperature at a third of the price compared to some of the higher-end models in our best drip coffee maker review. This brewer is a great option for those looking to brew a larger batch of coffee at a price that won't break the bank.

Conclusion