Bonavita BV4000ID Porcelain Immersion Coffee Dripper

I've been using an aeropress with the metal disc for the past year. I wanted to give a chemex a try but found this BonaVita and decided to try it out. I'm very happy with the results.Unlike a chemex it:1) allows you to control brew time with a shut off valve rather than relying exclusively on grind and pour technique.2) allows you to stir the coffee brew to agitate like you can with the aeropress.Like the chemex it:1) allows you to preheat the porcelain with hot water (no go on plastic brewers).2) will break if you drop it.My BonaVita included #4 Melita paper filters. You can use a #2, but the advantage of a #4 is that you can stir the coffee better without spilling grinds up and over the lip of the smaller #2.To brew, I used apprx. 20 grams of coffee, added 200 degree water, stirred with a coffee spoon for apprx. 50 seconds, set on my mug and opened the valve. Once opened, the coffee took about another 50 seconds to pour out of the BonaVita into the mug. Finally, I added 140 degree water to cool and cut the brew.I am able to control water temp because I have the BonaVita variable temp kettle. I heat to 200 degrees then brew. Then I add water to the kettle from the cold filtered water dispenser. That usually cools it down to 115 or so. Then I set it back on the base and heat it up to 140. Sounds like a hassle but it isn't too bad when you get into a flow.Overall, I think the BonaVita is easier to use and clean than the aeropress (given a paper filter in the BonaVita vs the aftermarket metal disc in the aeropress). I also think the coffee tastes just as good or better than what I make using the aeropress. I also feel that the ability to stir the coffee like you can do in the aeropress makes the BonaVita better than the chemex. Though I think the chemex looks better when brewing because of the glass and shape -- it is pretty a pretty cool looking way to brew. One possible drawback of the BonaVita is that the shutoff valve relies on a small silicone(?) stopper that may eventually wear. Though it may be durable enough to last for years, who knows.As an alternative to the BonaVita, there is a device called a clever dripper. The Clever is plastic and activates when you set it on top of your mug. And the Clever is about half the price.Edit 12/22/13:I now brew for 2 minutes 30 seconds with a coarser grind. I normally grind 10 grams of coffee into the bonavita and multiply the grams of coffee by 17.5 to determine the right volume of water to use. So, 10 grams of coffee = 175 grams of water. 1) place bonavita on scale and zero it out, 2) grind coffee into bonavita and put bonavita back on scale to measure coffee in grams, 3) zero scale and add the correct amount of water (17.5 x grams of coffee). I'm pretty happy with this workflow for now. Also, I don't let the bonavita completely drain, if coffee is still dripping out of bottom at 3 minutes 30 seconds I cut it off. If I let the coffee filter out until the grinds are dry I notice a bitter taste. My tools for drip now include: grinder, bonavita temp controlled kettle, bonavita dripper, #4 filters, stirring spoon, and digital scale (~$30). Coffee pros say the scale is a necessity for making a perfect cup of coffee, but I like the scale for convenience (I don't need to mess with measuring volume).Edit 3/29/14:I now sometimes brew for 4 minutes with an even coarser grind (a little less than french press grind). I get more body with the extra time and less sour taste. If I do it with the grind too fine I get too much bitter taste. Still love the brewer and I like the fact I can control brew times, which is an advantage over the Chemex in my opinion (just not as nice looking as the Chemex).Finally, I read through some other reviews and noticed that some reviewers had problems with leaking. Mine has never leaked. If yours leaks there is definitely a problem and you may want to contact Bonavita for a warranty replacement.

I'm a french press coffee drinker - I like the complex, full flavor that you get from a french press. They are, however, notoriously a pain to clean and I'm looking for something to use easily in the office. The Aeropress comes close, especially with the metal filter, and I've developed some techniques so that the coffee doesn't drain while steeping. Unfortunately, it's not very stable until you press and I'm taking up space in the office kitchen while I'm waiting.So I thought I'd try the Bonavita immersion coffee dripper. It allows you to steep, instead of the myriad of steps required for a pour over. I liked the idea of the ceramic. I thought the clean-up would be really easy (more below). I thought I would be able to fill it in the office kitchen, take it to my desk to steep and then drain when ready.The bonavita just does not fill my needs. It is extremely top-heavy and very unstable on top of coffee mugs, and I used a really reasonable size, a roundish cup - it's stable on its own. There's a basic instability of the heavy porcelain on the plastic base - I did not feel confident that it wouldn't tip over. There was no way I could walk back to my office carrying this wobbly thing. Coffee would eventually end up on the floor, my desk or someone else's desk.The unit requires a # 4 filter, which is for 8-10 cups in a drip coffeemaker. That's a lot of paper to throw into landfills, but I was willing to find a sustainable filter if the unit filled my needs. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed the filter in hot water to get rid of the paper taste, but I could still taste the paper. And I just don't like what is filtered out - I missed that complex coffee flavor. I tried a variety of different grinds, from medium coarse, drip, to relatively fine (hoping to extract more flavor). None were satisfactory.I thought about purchasing a Freiling gold filter but that negates the purpose of easy clean up, plus the good ones cost as much as the Bonavita. If I need to carefully clean a filter, I might as well get a small french press.The deal breaker was clean up. Sure you pick up the filter with the grounds and throw it out. The unit still needs to be rinsed and the bottom needs to be cleaned. The bottom appeared to be far more complex than is necessary and it has to be cleaned thoroughly after each use or all those plastic parts will become stained and affect the quality of the coffee eventually.I fully understand why drip or pour over coffee drinkers would like this unit - the ability to control the steep is a definite plus. If you deplore any silt in your cup, the paper filter eliminates that.It's just not for me but I can see why others may like it.

I like the concept. I enjoy the coffee I make with the Clever Coffee Dripper but was attracted to the Bonavita by the fact that it is ceramic and that the flow from the bottom is controlled by a lever. With the lever, I can set it to the open position and let extra liquid in the cone run out by itself into the sink, but with the Clever Coffee Dripper, when you set it down the flow stops. I made one excellent cup of loose leaf oolong tea with this device this afternoon when it arrived. When I went to make another, the valve lever broke when i gently tried to set it to the closed position. This is the second of these $40 gizmos that I've purchased. The first worked well for a few uses but then developed a leak so bad that the cone would lose 1/2 of its volume during a 4 minute brew. So one star for a great idea. Really lousy execution.