The Product: Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker

Traditional coffee makers with glass carafes are frequently being replaced by newer models with stainless steel thermal carafes. There are several benefits to a thermal carafe. For starters, there is no heating element under the pot, which usually makes the coffee taste more acidic and can be a fire hazard if you forget to turn off the machine. In addition, coffee brewed into a sealed thermal carafe will stay at its current temperature for about 1-2 hours, giving you plenty of time to enjoy multiple cups without having to reheat.

Recommendation: Capresso Coffee TEC Review

I am a big fan of Capresso’s products. The company was founded in 1994, by the former president of Krups USA and unlike other manufacturers, only makes coffee machines. I tend to believe that the company has been the catalyst behind much of innovation in non-commercial coffee and espresso machines over the past decade. The CoffeeTec is a 10 cup machine with a stainless steel thermal vacuum carafe that keeps coffee fresh and hot. It also has an easy to use frother for making cappuccino and hot chocolate. One of its best features is a removable water container with cup markings which makes filling the machine very easy because it does not involve using the carafe to get the water. This is an innovation that someone should have come up with a long time ago. Although the CoffeeTEC is not cheap, neither is going to Starbucks every day and I figure that my machine paid for itself in only a few months. For a great griner to go with Coffee TEC, check out the Capresso Burr Grinder Review.

Devil's Advocate:

I haven’t found the frother to be as simple to use as Capresso makes it sound, you really need to watch the video that comes with the machine to learn how to use it properly. It’s a nice feature to have for occasional use, but if you want cappuccino on a daily basis, it’s not a good substitute for a traditional cappuccino machine.