- You are here:
- Home »
- Buyer's Guides »
- Best Coffee Maker with a Thermal Carafe | Buyer’s Guide for 2021
Best Coffee Maker with a Thermal Carafe | Buyer’s Guide for 2021
If you’ve used a traditional coffee maker recently, at the office or even at home, you probably have spent some time watching eagerly as that glass carafe slowly fills with the sweet, black nectar that will get you through the day—or through the night.
It’s a classic feature, that glass pot. Everyone uses them, from break rooms to diners to hospital waiting rooms, and I’m willing to bet you probably haven’t given a lot of thought to the fact that there may be alternatives. But, I’m sorry to say, it’s not actually that great at doing the one job its meant to do: keeping a pot of coffee warm until the last drop.
Nobody likes to drink coffee that’s gone cold. No matter if you’re drinking coffee for pleasure or necessity, there’s something about sipping it while it’s piping hot that’s just essential to the whole experience.
To make sure your coffee is hot every time, for every cup, you probably want to use an insulated thermal carafe. A thermal carafe will generally keep your coffee warm three times longer than the traditional glass kind, which is great news if you’re like me and come back to the caffeine well again and again. And again.
In this article, I’ll be reviewing the top three coffee makers with thermal carafes. The prices vary, they’re all generally affordable.
The Final Shot: The top choice for this range is the Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer. It is packed with options like the “rich brew” feature if you plan to add milk to your coffee, an “over ice” option if you’re in the mood for an iced coffee and a specialty brew selection for a wider range of beverages. The carafe itself gets top marks for keeping coffee extra hot.
Contents
Top Coffee Maker with a Thermal Carafe
Cuisinart CHW-14
Product Name- 4Rating
- $Price
- Programmable Coffee MakerMachine Type
Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer
Product Name- 4.5Rating
- $Price
- Coffee BrewerMachine Type
Bonavita BV1900TS
Product Name- 4Rating
- $Price
- Coffee BrewerMachine Type
#1 Choice – Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer
The Ninja Coffee Bar may look intimidating, but it’s actually designed to be super easy to use. The patented design allows you to choose, with just the push of a button or two, not only how much coffee you want to brew, but the type of brew you want.
See, the great thing about the Ninja is that it knows that not all coffee is the same. If you want just a traditional, black, hot cup of coffee, that’s easy enough. If you like to add milk or cream to your coffee, though, you can select the “rich” brew option. That makes the flavor just a little bolder, so that you can still taste it even after adding the milk.
But maybe you’re not in the mood for hot coffee at all. Let’s say you decide that today you’re in the mood for an iced coffee. With most machines, you’d have to brew the coffee hot and then pour it over ice yourself—naturally melting all the ice in the process, not to mention ruining the flavor of the coffee.
With the Ninja, you would select the size you want (from single cup all the way to full carafe), and then select the over-ice brew option. The Ninja will begin to brew the coffee, but at a slightly higher concentration (less water to more coffee), to compensate for ice.
You can also select a specialty brew, which creates an even more concentrated coffee. We’re talking espresso-level concentration, which is great for making espresso-type drinks, naturally. You can use this brew for both hot and cold beverages like you would get in a coffee house, like lattes, cappuccinos, and ice blended drinks. It even comes with a standalone milk frother to complete these delicious favorites.
As I said, it may seem a bit intimidating at first because of its apparent size, but the Ninja Coffee Bar has pretty much everything you need to make amazing, impressive, delicious coffee drinks at home.
I already mentioned the milk frother, but it also comes with an 18oz tumbler for both hot and cold drinks; a permanent filter and five replaceable paper filters; a coffee scoop for doling out just the right amount of beans; and, of course, the all-important 43oz stainless steel double-wall thermally insulated carafe—guaranteed to keep your coffee hot for up to 2 hours without a warming plate.
On top of all that, there’s even a cookbook with 40 drink recipes in it to get you on the road to making coffeehouse quality drinks for you and your family, even if you’ve never had any barista experience before.
Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer Hot Features:
- Hot and cold tumbler
- Milk frother
- Auto-iQ technology lets you choose brew size and richness
- 43oz thermally insulated carafe
- 40 recipe cookbook
- 1 year warranty
#2 Choice – Cuisinart CHW-14
Coffee is great and, in my household, a necessity. Pretty much all the time. But not everyone I live with drinks so much coffee. Sometimes they drink tea, but still need hot water. For that matter, having hot water on-demand is great for making other drinks like hot cocoa, or even soup.
The Cuisinart CHW-14 is a great compromise for families like that, as it not only brews a full carafe of coffee but also has a separate dispenser for just hot water. The 56oz reservoir keeps approximately 13oz hot at all times—enough hot water for most on-the-spot needs—while using very little energy.
The downside, naturally, is that if you need more than 13oz of hot water for any reason you are stuck waiting about 2-3 minutes for the water to heat back up. It’s not a problem you will run into very often, but when you do, it can be frustrating.
Another minor downside is that while the coffeemaker has a programmable timer, like you would expect, the hot water side of the machine does not. You’re stuck waiting that 2-3 minutes for your first up of tea, I’m afraid, while your coffee-drinking partner steps right up and pours his pleasure.
This machine is much cheaper than the Ninja reviewed above, although it also has fewer features. But if you are mainly interested in a straightforward coffee machine with a few extra features to set it apart, this is a great option for you.
The thermal carafe on this machine holds up to 10 cups of coffee, keeping it hot far longer than a glass carafe would. (Note: There is also 12-cup option for this machine, but the carafe is not thermally insulated!)
Next to the carafe is the area for dispensing hot water, and the designers were very generous here as the space accommodates a large variety of cups and mugs—from tall travel mugs to short and fat coffee mugs. Bowls will not fit under the dispenser, so if you’re using the water for soup, I would recommend dispensing it into a mug or a measuring cup and transferring it to the bowl.
All things considered, the Cuisinart is a great addition to any coffee-loving kitchen and provides more versatility—and better-tasting coffee—than many similarly-priced competitors.
Cuisinart CHW-14 Hot Features:
- 24-hour programmability (coffee only)
- Self-cleaning
- Brew pause feature
- Hot water on-demand
- 56oz water reservoir
- Convenient water-ready and add water indicators
#3 Choice – Bonavita BV1900TS
Lastly, we come to the Bonavita B1900TS, the smallest and simplest of these three options, but not the most affordable. The Bonavita will set you back few bucks on Amazon, but in my opinion it’s money well spent for a great cup of coffee.
The machine is simple and streamlined, and looks great on any countertop. But don’t begin to think that there wasn’t a lot of thought put into this coffeemaker. Bonavita basically does one thing—make coffee—and they do it remarkably well. They’ve got this thing down to a science, so all you have to do is push a button and wait for the perfect cup of coffee to dispense.
This coffeemaker is designed to heat water to the optimal temperature for brewing, no more and no less. It even pre-wets the coffee grounds with the extra-large showerhead. If you’re unfamiliar with coffee brewing, that’s a technique called ‘blooming’ that basically gives the grounds a few extra moments to release as much flavor as possible before actual brewing begins. It’s a small feature, but it goes to show how much this company cares about making the best cup of coffee.
As with all the offerings on this list, it comes with a thermal carafe that will keep your coffee hot for hours. The carafe holds 40oz, which Bonavita claims is 8 cups. It’s slightly smaller than the other carafes on the list, but not by much.
Some users have had minor complaints that it’s awkward to empty the carafe completely, having to turn it upside down entirely to get every last drop out, but personally I’ve never had that problem and I wouldn’t consider it a deal-breaker by any means.
It’s also recommended by the manufacturer that you descale the machine every 100 uses or so, and several users have verified that failing to do so can cause excess steam to emit from the coffeemaker. Descaling is a simple enough process, and something you’ll have to do no matter which machine you end up purchasing.
Overall, the Bonavita is like a weapon for making coffee, designed to do one thing perfectly. If the Ninja at #1 is a swiss army knife, the Bonavita is a scalpel. If you’re the kind of person that likes your kitchen devices simple and effective, then this is the coffeemaker for you.
Bonavita BV1900-TS Hot Features:
- One-touch operation
- Auto-off feature
- Powerful and precise heater for optimal temperature
- Pre-infusion mode
- Designed for better saturation and uniform coffee extraction.
- Durable stainless steel-lined thermal carafe
Morning coffee may be a given in your household, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also be a treat. You deserve the best cup of coffee, no matter your budget or your tastes. Selecting the best machine for the job is as important as picking out your favorite roast. Hopefully these recommendations will help you decide which brewer is best for you.
Picking the best roast is a whole other topic!
Questions? Leave a comment below!
Chatting about coffee is my passion! Leave me a question in the comments, I answer each and every one and would love to get to know you better.
4-Week Free Espresso E-mail Course!
Week 1 - Home Espresso Machines
Week 2 - Coffee Beans
Week 3 - Types of Drinks
Week 4 - Advanced Brewing
Join Mike (me) and learn all the basics of making great tasting espresso!
You have Successfully Subscribed!
4-Week Free Espresso E-mail Course!
Week 1 - Home Espresso Machines
Week 2 - Coffee Beans
Week 3 - Types of Drinks
Week 4 - Advanced Brewing
Join Mike (me) and learn all the basics of making great tasting espresso!
You have Successfully Subscribed!
About the Author Michael York
I am a die-hard espresso fan. I love every form of the drink from straight espresso shots to lattes and cappuccinos. I currently use a Breville BES870XL Barista, it is an awesome machine. BUT, my dream machine is definitely an Italian Quickmill Andreja. Those bad boys make badass espresso. I love answering your questions, leave a comment or question below!
