Best Bunn Coffee Makers

A virtual relic of the past that is one of the few items that is still in use today is (of course), the iconic Bunn Coffee Maker. If you're a fan of municipal office coffee, diner coffee, or restaurant coffee, then you'll no doubt recognize the Bunn logo across the front of these industrial beasts. Not only do they brew up to 10 to 12 cups of coffee at a time, but you'll also obviously remember the orange-handled carafes that are simply screaming decaf!

Now, when it comes to having one of these coffee makers at home, you might be asking yourself- why? When there are so many newer machines that can make capsule coffee so much faster... Then again, there are those (like us) who appreciate the simple pleasures in life that include retro drip coffee flavor. If you have never tried coffee from a Bunn coffee machine, then you're in for a bit of a treat, but it also requires you to know which machine works best.

Brief Overview Of Bunn
Coffee Makers

This picture of a Bunn coffee machine is enough to bring back memories if you already recall this memorable percolator. Yet for a whole generation that isn't struck with the initial question of what is a Bunn coffee machine, here is the lowdown. Bunn is a brand of coffee machines that have been a common name in equipment that's been popular in restaurants and food service companies for decades.

The very first of its kind appeared in late 1957 and became an instant hit among establishments that needed to make a lot of hot coffee for their patrons. It's no surprise that (those) cupcake-shaped coffee filters were among their biggest innovation at the time as well! The machine itself was very simple. Add water into the machine, pop in a filter and some coffee grounds, and press a button. After 3 minutes, you were rewarded with instantly hot brewed coffee.

These machines were also made to include models that could be used at home and perfected to single-serve cups utilizing this innovative pour-over drip method. Other models could also make several cups for larger families that like drinking coffee likewise.

Importance Of A Good
Coffee Maker

These coffee machines are renowned for their durability and constant performance at any given moment they are used. They were practically foolproof and very easy to clean. There was virtually no waiting involved and you could always get smooth-tasting results every single time. Unlike today's machines, they rarely (if ever) clogged or jammed as you see with the modern coffee capsule machines that can be very finicky.

They aren't exactly an old-school secret and most likely are still being used in your grandparent's home, or by anyone who is from the "Boomer" generation.

The whole concept of a commercial coffee maker is to allow restaurants and cafes to make coffee in as little as 3 minutes. This is perfect when there are many people ordering coffee and features options that allow for more than one hopper to brew coffee for more than one pot of coffee at a time. Some select features make these industrial-strength models more effective as you see.

This is a top-level model that is best suited for making coffee very quickly in minutes. It offers a large pot for several cups to be poured and also has a large water reservoir. The best part is that it's perfect for continuous brewing.

Features and Benefits

This model has a commercial-grade stainless steel hot water tank that holds 70oz of water at a constant hot temperature to ensure instant brewing all through the day. It brews a total of 10 cups of coffee in 4 minutes while a single 20oz cup is ready in only 2 minutes.

Not only does this brews large quantities of coffee that are normal and decaffeinated it can handle back-to-back coffee brewing. It further offers to track technology on each batch of coffee brewed to ensure coffee freshness.

Features and Benefits

Two individual models allow for 3 pots of coffee to be kept hot and have RFID chip technology to track how long each pot of coffee was recently brewed. It also comes with a hot water spigot and automatic temperature control settings with digital temperature gauges.

Slushies aren't always found in your typical coffee drink but this model can blend coffee-based slush drinks just as easily. It allows two different types of frozen slush coffee drinks to mix continually and serves several customers at a time.

Features and Benefits

This model comes with a dual hopper with reverse augers to increase freezing time on slushes and reduces air getting into the mix. Each hopper holds 3 gallons each with an internal refrigeration system to automatically monitor cooling and freezing requirements.

This industrial coffee maker is easily transported to any venue that needs coffee brewed without conventional water hookups. It's meant more for meetings in convention rooms or last-minute breakfast bars.

Features and Benefits

Made from a durable stainless steel constructed frame and internal heating tank it can brew coffee anywhere using 1.9 to 3-liter brewing pots. Immediately brews coffee in any remote area and doesn't need to be connected to an external water supply.

When freshness counts for everything, this dual hopper model allows for whole beans to be instantly ground for immediate brewing. Two types of beans can be stored and allow for preset grind cycles to deliver the right amount of coffee grounds each time.

Features and Benefits

Each hopper can hold a maximum of 6 pounds of whole coffee beans, so each hopper can have normal or decaffeinated coffee ready to grind immediately. Precision burrs ensure that grind size for coffee is ground up uniformly and quickly. Auto settings allow for preset portion amounts.

While the Bunn Axiom DV-3 is more industrial than the Bunn Speed Brew Elite, the DV-3 is meant more for multi-cup applications for heavier customer usage. The Bunn Speed Brew Elite is best suited for small cafés where speed is handy at peak customer times. The rest of these industrial models all have supportive roles in coffee making and mixed coffee drinks for nearly any restaurant or high-traffic customer-based location.

Obviously, the home-based consumers of coffee machines have an established following for smaller and compact machines. Bunn has never been a slouch for being excessively bulky when it comes to home brew coffee makers, and actually is keeping up quite nicely with an emerging preference toward K-Cups, coffee pods, and traditional filter brewed coffee machines. Just take a look at the latest slew of machines that Bunn is offering these days.

This is a top-shelf choice for traditional drip coffee with speedy brewing capabilities. It has the same features that are used in industrial coffee machines scaled down for home brewing needs for making small to large batches of great-tasting coffee.

Features and Benefits

You can be sure that it can brew up to 10 cups of coffee in a pot within 4 minutes while a 20oz travel mug only takes 2 minutes. The heated internal water tank holds 70oz of hot water for immediate coffee brewing and has an optional coffee warmer plate to keep coffee warm.

This model is often mistaken for the Speed Brew Classic except there are differences. The Velocity Brew is an efficient coffee maker that can make small and large batches of coffee at home very quickly.

Features and Benefits

This model can make 10 cups of coffee within less than 4 minutes or smaller travel mugs that hold 20oz of coffee in just under 2 minutes. The time that is allowed for the hot water to spray over the coffee grounds is shorter, so you get coffee that brews faster as a result.

This version of the Velocity Brew Series is a bargain model that is lower in price if you compare this to the GRB Velocity Brew. It still makes a full batch of coffee in minutes and is capable of making small batches too.

Features and Benefits

The big difference between this and the previous models like the GRB Velocity Brew is that it doesn't have a warmer plate. It's an all-around 10-cup coffee maker that's perfect for any kitchen looking for drip coffee that brews in just 4 minutes.

When looking for the perfect single-cup coffee maker, this model is always the perfect solution. The brew chamber allows for a variety of coffee grounds, and other modern coffee products like K-Cup and soft coffee pods.

Features and Benefits

This compact coffee machine allows you to use K-Cup coffee, soft coffee pods, loose coffee, and tea and also dispenses hot water at the touch of a button. It can fill a single mug that holds 4 ounces or travel mugs up to 14 ounces. It's simply a neat and compact mini coffee maker.

This coffee maker is a 3-in-1 model that has more industrial quality to it for experimentation rather than everyday brewing. It's similar to French Press coffee and allows for settings to get the right amount of flavor from your coffee or tea.

Features and Benefits

The TRIFECTA model has a unique brewing chamber that infuses air and immersion settings to adjust your coffee to get select kinds of flavors. It does come with a handy chart to allow you to extract flavors from your coffee you may not have experienced before.

Both the Bunn Speed Brew Classic and the Bunn GRB Velocity Brew are nearly identical to each other for functions but the Speed Brew Classic brews better-tasting coffee. This is because the immersion time is slightly longer and results in richer-tasting coffee. Only the VELOCITY Brew is the basic bargain brand that is great for all-around coffee at home. The My Café MCU is good for single cups, while the TRIFECTA is more technical for getting French Press single cup results.

Factors To Consider When Buying a Bunn coffee Maker
(e.g. brewing speed, capacity, versatility)

It only takes a matter of opinion on how much coffee needs to be brewed with Bunn coffee makers. The speed is always just as fast between each model, so only the capacity of how much needs to be brewed is all that's considered. Some people will prefer single cups while most folks at home might be happier with large quantities that are brewed each time. If you like to experiment with coffee, look for a model that allows you more play with each cup such as the Bunn TRIFECTA MB coffee maker.

Recommended Features And Specifications For
Commercial And Home Use

Commercial coffee makers will need to be connected to a water supply for continuous automatic filling. Home machines need to be filled manually and this isn't a problem unless you're looking for convenience or have a bed and breakfast business. The number of cups that are served also depends on how much coffee is being consumed, so always estimate the amount of usage your machine needs to be capable of.

How To Maintain And Troubleshoot Your
Bunn Coffee Maker

It's very simple to maintain and troubleshoot every Bunn coffee machine. Regular cleaning that only involves a 2:1 mixture of tap water and white vinegar, read more on cleaning BUNN coffee makers. This keeps the spray jets clean so that water can pass through to the coffee grounds evenly, resulting in a perfect brew. The rest is using a soft cloth and water to clean up the outside of your coffee machine to remove any coffee splashes or spots left behind after daily usage.

The machines are mainly automatic and only require pushing a button to start the coffee brewing. Other models may have adjustment dials to get the right amount of coffee grounds or just to extract hot water.

Summary Of The Best Bunn Coffee Makers For
Commercial And Home Use

Commercial coffee makers are not always reserved for restaurants and cafés and can be helpful for large public gathering spaces for hotels and exhibitions. This makes it easier for high-capacity coffee to be brewed. Yet for any of the home coffee machines, they will only make as much coffee as each model can produce up to 10 cups at a time. While the capabilities of most Bunn coffee machines are nearly all the same, they are efficient drip-cup machines.

And though some newer models do allow you to add K-Cups and soft coffee pods, you won't find Bunn coffee machines that can brew capsule coffee like Nespresso.

Final Recommendations And Tips For Choosing The
Right Bunn Coffee Maker For Your Needs

There is a love for traditional coffee machines that use coffee filters and fresh coffee grounds. When using these types of machines, they produce rich-tasting coffee that is unlike coffee that comes from an average coffee maker that extracts espresso-like coffee. It's not about the pressure involved and extraction that percolates through the grounds brings out coffee notes you might never have experienced before.

The overall price of Bunn machines isn't that much different from modern coffee capsule machines either, so the choice to try coffee from a Bunn coffee maker is easy enough if you live near a diner or happen to love local restaurant coffee. You might just find that drip coffee is more to your liking than the over-priced capsule coffee machines everyone else is buying these days. However, if you're looking for quaility over quanity, check out some of our favorite ways to make great tasting coffee here.