Automatic, affordable coffee makers that brew quality drip are hard to find. What comes out of cheap machines is usually awful stuff. Enter the $100 (converts to £74, AU$127) Bonavita Metropolitan 8-cup Brewer. Yes, it costs a little more than budget $40 coffee makers. The Metropolitan, however, has almost the same impressive brewing abilities as its premium sibling, the $190 Bonavita Connoisseur. It’s also easier to use and clean than the capable $100 Braun BrewSense KF7150.
To cut the Metropolitan’s price Bonavita made a few tradeoffs. The biggest sacrifice is that it lacks a thermal carafe. Instead, the Metropolitan comes with a glass carafe and warming plate. As a result coffee brewed in the machine stays hot for only about an hour. So slow java drinkers should skip this brewer. Still, if you tend to drain pots quickly and you want excellent drip for less, then the Metropolitan is a sound investment.
Plastic with some class
It’s clear right away the Metropolitan doesn’t fit the luxury appliance mold. Its body is constructed entirely from plastic. That’s a stark contrast to the stainless steel exteriors you’ll find on the Moccamaster and Connoisseur. Even the Braun BrewSense has a few brushed metal sections. As plastic goes the material Bonavita chose for the Metropolitan isn’t truly basic. Somewhere between charcoal gray and black, the polycarbonate has an attractive matte finish. In fact the texture and feel remind me of classic Motorola and Nokia phones.
