Bonavita 8-Cup Brewer | Blue Mountain Beans

I’ve recently returned from a “Cane to Cocktail” tour of Jamaica, compliments of Appleton Estate. Yes, it was flipping awesome. But before I delve into all that rummy wonder (and don’t worry I very much intend to delve deep with a full series of posts about my experience), I reckon I should enliven my writerly ways with a cup of coffee. So why not do so with a cup made with beans from Jamaica’s famed Blue Mountains and brewed in one of the world’s top home-use coffee brewers?

Yep, these next few paragraphs are going to highlight two especially splendid coffee wins of my past few weeks.

One – me getting my greedy little hands on a gorgeous Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Brewer with Stainless Steel Lined Thermal Carafe; and

Two – me having the opportunity to trounce around one of Jamaica’s most esteemed coffee estates, the UCC Blue Mountain Coffee Craighton Estate – and bring back some beans from there.

Back in early April, I had so much fun browsing round the London Coffee Festival. One of my favourite things about the event was receiving a hands on demo from the guys at Bonavita of their 8-cup brewer. Even cooler than that – I actually was being able to leave the show with one of the brewers! Landing one of the best brewers on the market just before coming into a bag of some of the best coffee beans on the planet seemed like pure serendipity. Good karma, luck, timing, whatever … I’ve loved every sip since.

The brewer is a breeze to learn how to operate and a cinch to clean. Determining how many grams of coffee to millilitres of water should go into a brew has taken a bit of guesswork (this might be the case for folks particularly prone to drinking a range of different types of coffee). There is guidance in the easy-to-read instruction manual though, and figuring out what’s ideal for my palate is part of the joy of drinking coffee at home anyway, right?

But so what? I got a new coffeemaker. What’s the big whoop? Well, for starters this coffeemaker is recognised by the Specialty Coffee Association of America as part of its Certified Home Brewer Program for “bringing the highest level of coffee brewing technology to their brewers, while keeping the experience of brewing coffee simple and easy to understand.” And that’s done via these handy features:

• One-touch brew operation with auto-off;
• Powerful and precise 1500-watt heater maintains optimal brewing temperature of 195°-205°F (91°-96°C);
• Optional pre-infusion mode wets freshly roasted ground coffee to allow degassing before brewing;
• Flat-bottomed filter basket and larger showerhead allow for even better saturation and uniform extraction;
• Durable stainless steel lined thermal carafe;
• Dishwasher safe and BPA-free carafe lid, filter basket, and showerhead.

The carafe alone is a welcome addition to my home. I’m blown away by how well and long it retains heat when lidded.

As for the coffee that I’m currently loading into this bad boy, I aim to write more about my visit to the Craighton Estate when I commence the aforementioned deep delving series about my time in Jamaica. Still, I have to give it up for these beans! Medium roasted with no imperfections that I’ve yet to come across, they taste terrific: mild and minimally bitter with caramel and subtle floral notes. Giving them a quick grind and then brewing them in such a fine piece of kit is a dream.

For more about Bonavita, go to bonavitaworld.com. For more about Blue Mountain coffee and my visit to the UCC Blue Mountain Coffee Craighton Estate, stay tuned.