Rarely does a coffee maker come along that really impresses or surprises us. This is of course because pretty much everything has been done before; it’s rare that you see any new ideas. Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX91 Optimal Brew is one of the few coffee machines that we have used that really brings something new to the table. It isn’t without its faults; however, once you understand the differences with this device and how to handle them, you’ll find making good coffee is really a cinch.
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The first thing you need to know about this coffee maker is that it is a thermal coffee maker. Why does this matter? With a thermal coffee maker you can do a lot of things that you couldn’t do with a normal coffee maker. For instance with a normal coffee maker you can easily burn your coffee, especially around the bottom, with a thermal coffee maker this is almost impossible. You also can leave it on for longer, there is no risk of burning down your house unlike with a normal coffee maker. It also means that you can take your coffee pot with you to your desk, and it will stay nice and hot next to you.
Basically what a thermal coffee maker is, is a giant thermos. You pour your coffee into this hot thermos and it will heat the coffee up for you. As mentioned before this evenly heats up your coffee, meaning you don’t have to worry about burning it. It also allows for easier transportation.
Now that isn’t to say that this coffee maker doesn’t have its own flaws. With each use the coffee will get a little bit cooler. This is of course because as a thermos it will slowly be losing heat. Another problem that people may run into is it pours out coffee extremely slowly. This is because it needs to have an air tight seal, this isn’t a big deal but it definitely does make a difference.
There are some larger issues as well. Since this is a thermal coffee maker it needs to be cleaned often. After about 5 or 6 cups you should clean the coffee maker otherwise the coffee will start to taste weird. When you first get the coffee maker you will also want to clean it out. Otherwise the first few cups won’t taste to good. This is of course a minor gripe since you should always be cleaning whatever coffee maker you use.
There is also a leak issue that may occur around the carafe seal. This leak occurs thanks to some acidic oils that are in the coffee. To make sure that this leak doesn’t occur always wash your coffee maker by hand with dawn dishwashing liquid. Dawn will remove the oils, and you’ll never run into this problem.
In conclusion the Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX91 Optimal Brew is the best thermal coffee maker that you can get at this price. It has a few flaws but nothing that would be a deal breaker, and when used properly it can make some really great coffee. If you’re the type of person that likes to have a mug of coffee sitting next to your desk, or you don’t like babysitting your coffee maker just to make sure the coffee doesn’t burn, well then this is the coffee maker for you.