Bonavita BV1901TS 8 Cup Drip Coffee Maker - One-Touch Pour Over, Auto Pause Brewing with Stainless Steel Thermal Carafe - SCA Certified & Dishwasher Safe - Perfect for Home, Office & Coffee Shops

I am a pretty serious coffee snob - I have a lot of coffee making apparatus (pour over, chemex) and an elaborate espresso machine setup, as well as multiple grinders. I never thought I would actually own an automatic coffee machine but when it came time to buy one I asked my coffee geek friends and they consistently recommended the Bonavita as one of the top choices. It was also the most affordable among the choices they recommended (the others being the Technivorm Moccamaster, the Ratio Eight, Ratio Six, and various others). That said it costs more than many other mainstream brand coffee makers.But here's the thing - this machine works like a charm, and it does exactly what a good coffee maker should. It heats the water up to the right temperature, pre-infuses (if you turn that mode on which I do), and evenly distributes the water to saturate the coffee grounds, and extract a delicious pot of coffee. It's quick, easy, and makes consistently flavorful coffee.The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for a long time, I've had no issues with that at all - but as others have pointed out you do need to put the lid on right after the pot is done brewing because you cannot brew with the lid on, and obviously heat escapes quickly without the lid on. Others have complained about pouring with the lid off, and even some complain about pouring with the lid on. I haven't found either to be an issue, you just have to sort of get the hang of it.I've made dark and light roasts with different grinds (coarser and finer) and been quite happy with the results. A good burr grinder is a must obviously, but these days you can get a good one for relatively little (I am using a Breville and it works like a charm).I'd strongly recommend this to serious coffee drinkers - it's a bit of a no-frills design but it's the best automated version of pour over I've found and if you care more about the flavor of your coffee than bells and whistles, this is a great machine for you.