Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Brim Coffee Station (SW20)



In the past decade, we saw an explosion in the variety of coffee brewing devices available to the average consumer. No longer did Mr. Coffee reign supreme over the kitchen counter; finally a rebirth of domicile coffee experimentation began. Now in this present day of June, you can find not only the different methods like (filter-based, immersion, etc.) but tons of different takes on each, such as the many different approaches to pourover.

But some people still like their old school means of brewing coffee. The automated method made famous by giants like Bunn and Cuisinart still appeals to a large populace who want to fill their coffee pot water reservoir, add the grinds and press a button. To this market, there are the usual suspects, some new players (like Bonavita) and some entities back from the grave, such as the once common name of Brim. Revamped after some years off the grid, Brim has returned now touting a low cost coffee maker with some added advanced features for additional convenience. Curious of this coffeemaker, I took the recent opportunity from the folks at Brim to try it out in my house.

My first impression was that this coffee machine looked a lot like most of its brethren. It’s got the basic construction of questionable grade plastic (I fear leeching so I avoid plastic when I can), a shower head spout (a feature becoming more common, thank God), a filter basket with an included reusable mesh filter, and a basic water reservoir. Some of the bonus features are as follows:

  • Two separate buttons for either a pot of coffee (activates the hot plate) or a cup of coffee (keeps the hot plate off)
  • A retractable stand for said coffee cup option that pops downs from the back stalk of the coffee maker
  • A “bold” setting that allows the water to steep longer in the basket before draining

Taking it for a spin, I brewed coffee both in the coffee pot via the coffee pot button, as well as in a coffee mug via the coffee mug button. Additionally, I used the mesh filter as well as just a paper filter. As far as the finer parameters, I couldn’t really pinpoint the water temperature at the point of brew (and I didn’t want to risk injury in interrupting the brew process to find out) and my grind size was about a medium grind. The infusions all in all came out tasting fairly flavorful, with no real aftertaste or defect (though, like all similar plastic coffee pots, the real test would be in the coming months after regular use). The cup setting seemed to take a bit longer than the pot setting to drain the coffee, which scared me off from using the “bold” setting (plus, I try not to use things that will make my coffee adventurous).

In conclusion, while the Brim Coffee Maker performed a bit better than its department store counterparts, it didn't really light anything aflame in me (figuratively of course). The things I don’t really like about the average coffee maker (the hot plate, the low-grade plastic, the hard to clean heating element, etc) were still present in Brim. Moreover, the bonus features were not features that tremendously improved the experience (i.e. brewing right into my cup is not all that big of a deal). Conversely, it should be noted that I am a person that will spend the extra minutes brewing my coffee if it means a better cup, so if you’re a person looking for a basic coffee maker with a hot plate that you can bypass, or a button that will allow you the option to steep your coffee longer, this might be the option for you.


note: coffee station was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

12 comments:

Watcher of the republic said...

I am compelled to leave a comment on my experience with this devise. First let me say mine is going back I have had it for just over 2 months and now have to boil water on the stove and pour it through the filter...yea! It will work on it's own but you get luke warm coffee in the cup size and it takes 3 cycles through to fill 1 cup and 16 for a pot of about 7 cups. I left a review on the Brim site but guess what my review is not up there. This product is a less then 50/50 crap shoot if it will work, definitely not worth your time or money!

craig said...

Would have to agree with the "watcher", at least when brewing a cup. I have yet to even come close to a full cup, no matter how much water I add. Taking it back.

Anonymous said...

YOUR COFFEEMAKER SUCKS! MINE IS STUCK ON KEEP WARM MODE! MY LAST DAY OFF AND I CANT EVEN HAVE ONE CUP OF COFFEE! DONT BUY THIS!

Michael said...

The big question is how hot is the brew temperature? I realize you didn't want to interrupt the brew process, but that's a pretty big factor in what kind of a cup this coffee maker produces. As for the plastic, well...that's pretty hard to avoid unless you're prepared to blow $200-$300 for a top of the line machine.

Unknown said...

I have downloaded the instructions because this brim coffe maker worked for maybe a month then started to only click over to KEEP WARM it won't make a pot of coffe so I put it on clean mode got just under 4 cups to drip out. Then I went to make a carafe/pot of coffee but just water because I'm tired of wasting coffee still no luck. How can I get it off keep warm mode???

LovelyJ said...

Mine worked fine for the past 2 yrs I think it just died on me I can't get it to clean just makes clicking noises and if I try to brew it shuts of and goes into keeping warm mode.. I guess time for a new coffee pot 😕

Lydia Adams said...

I received this coffee maker as a Christmas gift. I was very excited to have one that had auto start and could brew three different ways. Since opening it, the gifter and myself realized a tumbler would not fit underneath like it is supposed to. I was fine with this and didn't mind brewing into the carafe and pouring into the tumbler. Now, after maybe 2 months and about 10 uses, it has stopped brewing. There are other reviews I know see saying the same thing. When pushing the carafe button to begin brewing, it will switch straight to keep warm. When trying to clean it instead to see if that fixed the problem, it would continue clicking as if it was trying to pull the water through. I will be returning this to the store. DO NOT PURCHASE

Country Chick said...

I've had my BRIM coffeemaker for 3 years. It still works perfectly in any function. I take care of it well because I want it to last a long time. Over the years I've had several other brands of programmable coffee makers and I like this one best. Now looking for extra BRIM filter baskets!

Unknown said...

Had my brim for 3 years love this pot now stuck on keep warm throwing it in the trash

Miguel said...

The coffee machine is appealing which arouses my curiosity. I wish I had a chance to try it. I love the moment of waiting for a coffee pot water reservoir to be filled. Thank you so much for your detailed instruction.

Trina said...

Thanks for sharing informative post.

Anonymous said...

We've tried this machine it worked fine for maybe one week and now ours does the same as everybody else it clicks over to keep warm I tried clean mode and I didn't do anything