We take a test brew of Bonavita’s drip system of coffee and kettle
How do you make your perfect cup of coffee? Instant? (surely, only in emergency), Cafetiere? Capsule? Filter? Full on machine that looks like the engine room of an ocean liner and takes as long to get up to steam?
A lot of it is down to taste and budget. Many of us now have a capsule machine and there’s no doubt they are quick and efficient but they can be a bit expensive and you’re tied down to the brand you choose making it harder to experiment with different kinds of coffee.
Plus for more than one cup, they’re a bit slow. Cafetieres certainly remain popular, especially for making a lot of coffee at once, while the old style drip/filter types went a bit out of fashion because you can’t control the temperature of the water and the hot plate makes a stew of your brew.
Seattle based, despite their name, Bonavita, who are well respected in the world of coffee lovers, have something new with their system; an elegant kettle that heats on the hob and a filter system that improves on the standard set up.
Take the kettle; its swan neck isn’t just graceful because it’s designed to pour in a steady thin and controllable stream. This means you can wet all the coffee in the filter evenly and thoroughly and not inundate one part only. Coffee also appreciates being treated gently and with respect.
The kettle works on all hobs – gas, electric and induction – and its thin steel base means that it heats quickly. Hob
means you’re in control, so you can remove the kettle just at the optimum moment, just before the boil.
Boiling water is detrimental to coffee taste as it’burns’ the coffee, whereas water between 91 C and 96 C is best as proven scientifically. Bonavita also make an electric digital kettle that looks similar but can be programmed to precise temperatures.
The Bonavita coffee filter system is basically a ceramic funnel with an open/close valve at the base. Once you’ve poured the water over, you wait for the optimum extraction time for all those oils and flavours. About two minutes depending on the grind of your coffee, coarser is best. Paper filters are also required but a starter pack comes with the funnel.
Then positioning the funnel, or’dripper’ as Bonavita call it, over jug, cup, whatever, you release the valve and voila you have coffee. Still hot coffee, as the ceramic funnel holds the heat in. A lid is provided to further retain heat while the weight of the ceramic funnel also makes it very stable when set over your chosen beverage receptacle.
Overall it’s a pleasure to use and the paper funnel with its used grounds goes straight to the recycling bin so there’s no mess.
See all the range of Bonavita products on the Bonavita website.And Bonavita is available via amazon.co.uk