The title is perhaps a bit dramatic, but this coffeepot definitely did easy some tension between us. My husband is an early riser, while I do not exactly greet the dawn with vigor. As a matter of fact, the only thing that helps me swing my legs over the side of the bed after a half hour or so struggle slapping at my snooze alarm is the thought of my first cup of morning coffee - freshly ground Kirkland blend by Starbucks. We had a Braun pot that worked fine, but got slower and slower over the years, despite repeated efforts to clear every portion of the water delivery system with vinegar, salt water, etc. etc. etc. The resulting slow brewed coffee was delicious, but you better not be in a hurry for your first cup!!
My husband - first on deck each morning - always did his best to make sure it was ready, and it has been one of the little things in life that kept our relationship strong. After decades of this routine, he started getting up earlier than ever. He would brew a small pot of coffee for himself, and then when he anticipated I would be getting up, he would do another pot. That was the theory anyway. This system did not work out very well at all. Once he had enjoyed his own coffee, he would lose the, ahem, sense of urgency for that second pot. Half the time he would be so wrapped up with his computer or the paper, he wouldn't even notice my battle with the snooze alarm going on upstairs. I would come staggering down like an extra from "Night of the Living Dead," arms stretched in front of me feeling for the coffee pot - and HORRORS! There would be one inch of scorched mud on the burner plate. He would then try to convince me to drink a cup of that poison while he brewed then next batch (a 15 minute process). I am not proud of this, but I believe I already mentioned that morning is not my finest hour, and as this little drama repeated itself many, many times over the course of several months, it took a toll on both of us. I wanted to fire him from his task and program the pot to set up my coffee at night (when I do some of my best work) but then he couldn't have HIS morning coffee. I thought about buying a second pot so we could both have our coffee, and drink it too. But we have limited counter space, and it just seemed a little ridiculous.
Well, the Braun finally drew its' last noisy gasp, and stopped delivering water altogether. I started researching pots on Amazon with the determination of a medical researcher who is close to a cure. I read review after review hoping to find anyone out there who had faced this trauma and moved through it to find peace and serenity in their morning. I knew there were lots of other folks out there who are equally fetishistic about their coffee, and I reveled in the descriptions of the strengths and weaknesses of each and every pot. I landed on the Zojirushi Fresh Brew, and the positive reviews piqued my interest. A thermal carafe that keeps the coffee hot with no burner plate to reduce it to mud! Perhaps we could go back to the one pot system that had worked so well for us for so many years after all!
I would like to report that this system has been working for us for several months now, and our morning communications are back to the status quo: a steady stream of lively morning news flashes and questions requiring deep thought from him, and a series of grunts and oofs from me. Trust me, this is a marked improvement from the daily cry of disappointment, gnashing of teeth, and then out and out war that had become the norm.
My coffee is consistently hot and ready, no scorch whatsoever. When my husband has been out of town, I have used the programming function successfully, and proved to myself beyond a doubt that if anything ever did happen to him, that I could survive on my own in this cold, cruel world.
The pot is very pretty and blessedly quiet compared to the burping and moaning of the decade-old Braun. There are a few cons to this pot for us. The thermal carafe means that you can't see how much is inside. Having that visual reassurance from across the kitchen is important to me, as I shuffle forward. Even peering inside the dim, black hole or the act of pouring the first cup leave me disoriented and anxious, as the dark interior and heaviness of the carafe afford few clues to the security of the morning supply of my lifeblood. How much did he leave me?!? If only I could be sure it was enough! The lack of visual clues also make it hard to fill the pot with precision. Again, the deceptive weight of the pot can cause you to over or underestimate. The gauge on the side of the pot is accurate, though. So I take a couple of laps - adding more water little by little until I have gotten to the proper level. This is ok when I am doing my work at night, but does not go over big if I forget and have to perform this task in the dawn's early light.
Another logistical problem is the fact that the screw top closes very, very tightly with almost no effort. This is a problem for those of us who awake as weak as a baby kitten, and can be reduced to tears clawing at the top of the pot trying to get that first pour. After angrily accusing my husband of cranking it down on purpose, I was forced to admit that my half-hearted efforts caused the same situation. It is just the way the pot is built.
Pouring is do-able, but requires concentration. If you want to leave the top on partway - be careful! The spout is pretty useless, and coffee flows through with uneven splashes and makes random appearances all around the cap. If you want to take the cap off altogether - well - be careful here as well! The issue with the darkness of the interior cavern and the mystifying weight of the pot can cause you to under or over estimate the quantity inside, and lead to disaster for those who do not do their best thinking before the first cup. I wish they would put a water gauge on the outside of the pot as well.
The coffee brews very, very quickly. This is a plus for the impatient, but will cost you money over the year if you like your coffee strong. My husband estimates that we have upped our coffee consumption by 25% just by virtue of the fact he has to load the basket by that much more every day compared to the quantity used by the tortured old Braun to get the same strength.
Overall, we are both satisfied with this pot, and our marriage is back on track. I have also had the Zojirushi air pots for a few years to supply hot cocoa during winter sports, and have been thrilled with their features and performance, so I would feel confident buying any product with their name.
Get more detail about Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker.
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