Have you ever stumbled into your kitchen half-asleep at 6 in the morning, unable to speak until you’ve got your drip-coffee maker running and the first gulp of caffeinated goodness in you? If so, you have the inventor of the Bunn coffee maker to thank.
Why?
The company behind coffee makers like the Bunn GRB Velocity Brew, the Bunn-O-Matic, Bunn 52700 Speed Brew Elite, are credited for inventing pour-over drip coffee makers. The founder of Bunn also created the flat-bottom fluted coffee filter.
Whether you have been using Bunn coffee makers and want to upgrade to a newer model, or you want to start your foray into pour-over drip coffee machines, you may wonder how to use Bunn coffee maker.
Lucky for you, this article will tell you how to get your Bunn coffee maker up and running. If you want a simplified guide on using this line of coffee machines, keep reading to learn more!
What is a Bunn Coffee Maker?
Bunn coffee makers are automatic drip machines that use the pour-over method to brew coffee. They come in a variety of models, but the main difference between them is the brewing capacity.
You can get single-serve Bunn brewers that make just one cup of coffee, as well as 10-cup coffee makers that can make an entire carafe’s worth of coffee.
But that’s not all. These coffee makers are pretty easy to use, and they can brew a cup of coffee in just a few minutes!
However, most people ask how do Bunn coffee makers work? This is because they have a unique brewing mechanism and pour-over drip coffee makers work differently from automatic drip ones.
A Bunn coffee maker’s design is attached to its brewing mechanism. These coffee makers have a big tank in the back and a brewer funnel in the front. The front side of most Bunn machines is a carafe warmer that keeps your coffee warm after brewing.
Bunn coffee makers follow a pretty simple process. Once you pour filtered water into the brewer and close the lid, the brewer sends the water to the bottom of the tank via a special pipe. Since the water already inside the water tank is hot, the cold water will push it upwards.
During the brewing process, the showerhead of a Bunn sprays the coffee with hot water─ a bit like the manual pour-over method.
How to Use a Bunn Coffee Maker
If you’ve been wondering ‘How do you start a Bunn coffee maker for the first time?’, you’ve come to the right place. This coffee machine is extremely simple to use and you can use it in any kitchen or office space with a power source.
Along with your Bunn coffee maker, you will need the following things:
- Freshly ground coffee (preferably espresso coffee beans, or even light-roast coffee)
- Up to 10 cups of fresh water, depending on your coffee maker
- Coffee cup or mug
- Sweetener of choice (optional)
First-Time Setup:
If you just unboxed a brand-new Bunn coffee maker, you need to set it up before brewing your cup of joe. It’s not very difficult, but you need to know what you are doing. Remember, don’t plug in the brewer unit before setting it up completely.
Instructions:
- During this step make sure the machine is unplugged and switched off.
- The water heating switch is generally located on the right bottom side of the coffee maker. Again, make sure the switch is turned off, as it can damage your Bunn device.
- Make sure the brew funnel is in place, but do not insert a filter into the coffee maker just yet.
- After the machine is set up and the funnel is in the right place, fill the coffee maker with up to 10 cups of fresh water, depending on the model of your brewer. Then, close the lid of the Bunn.
- Place the carafe under the dispensing spout on the warmer. This way, if the machine starts brewing, you won’t have a mess on your hands.
- The water will take 3 minutes to flow into the tank. Once the reservoir is full, your Bunn coffee maker is ready to brew.
Making the Coffee:
Once your coffee maker is all set up and ready, you can move onto making a steaming cup of coffee.
What You Need to Do:
- When the reservoir is full and you are ready to brew coffee, plug the brewer into a power socket.
- Then, turn the heating switch on. It will take around 15 minutes for the water to heat up properly.
- After that, place your ground coffee and filter paper in the coffee maker.
- Fill a carafe with cold water and add it to the brewer. Then set the coffee maker to its brew function.
- Place the empty carafe under the brew funnel or dispenser to catch the coffee as it drips. As the coffee is dispensed, you can turn on the warmer function if your brewer has one.
- Once your coffee starts brewing, you will have a full carafe of rich and fragrant coffee in minutes.
- Pour your coffee into a cup, add sweetener if you want, and enjoy!
Why isn’t My Bunn Coffee Maker Heating Up?
If you find that your coffee maker isn’t warming up the water properly, you need to troubleshoot to find out what is wrong with it. The most common reason is usually a faulty heating element or a thermostat not working properly.
However, your Bunn coffee maker can also experience issues with the control board, thermal fuses, and even an ill-functioning water heater switch.
The best thing to do with a Bunn coffee maker that refuses to heat up properly is to contact customer service. They will be able to tell you what to do next and how you may remedy the matter. In most cases, you will need to repair or replace the part of the coffee maker that is malfunctioning.
How to Empty a Bunn Coffee Maker
Draining a coffee maker to get rid of excess water is a good way to make sure you don’t have to make coffee with stale water. This will prevent moisture and fungi from flourishing in the moist environment, and ensure your coffee always tastes crisp and fresh.
- Unplug your Bunn coffee maker and place an empty carafe or decanter on the machine’s warming plate.
- Fill a second jug or carafe with cold water and pour it into the reservoir to cool the heating element inside the coffee maker. Let the machine rest for about 15 minutes once it has been unplugged and the cold water has been poured in.
- Next, remove the coffee carafe from the warming plate and pull the machine’s filter basket from the brewer. Empty the contents of the carafe and filter basket into a sink and rinse them under warm running water.
- Turn the round disc over the brew funnel in a counterclockwise motion until it comes off. This component is called the spray head and it helps to evenly spray hot water over the coffee grounds.
- Then, hold the Bunn coffee maker securely in your arms as you turn it upside down over a sink to pour out the contents of the tank. Keep holding the coffee maker over the sink until water stops pouring from any part of the machine.
- Replace the spray head by screwing it back on into the brewer unit. Set the filter basket and glass coffee carafe back into their original positions and refill the reservoir with clean water if you want to brew coffee right away.
- Wait for at least 5 minutes before switching the Bunn coffee maker on again once it has been emptied and then refilled.
Still Have Questions?
Below you’ll find answers to questions we get asked the most about using a Bunn coffee maker.
01. How Long Does It Take for a Bunn Coffee Maker to Heat the Water?
It generally takes a Bunn coffee maker about 15 minutes to heat the water in it. However, this may vary slightly depending on the exact model you purchased.
02. Should I Always Leave My Bunn Coffee Maker on All the Time?
You can do so, but leaving water in your reservoir can invite a whole horde of bacteria and nasty germs to live there. Your coffee will also have a stale taste when brewed.
Because of this, you need to fill the reservoir to keep the brewer on all the time, but empty it out and refill it with fresh water just before making coffee.
03. Can I Clean a Bunn Coffee Maker with Vinegar?
To remove deposits from inside your coffee maker, fill the brewer with equal parts water and white vinegar and run this mixture through the Bunn device. For more details, check out how to clean your coffee maker in detail.
04. How Much Coffee Do I Put in a Bunn Coffee Maker?
Depending on how strong you like your coffee, add one to two heaping tablespoons of coffee into the brewer for each cup.
05. Do Bunn Coffee Makers Use a Lot of Electricity?
Because Bunn coffee makers brew coffee in a very short time, they need a lot of electricity. As a result, this may translate to a steeper electricity bill.
In Conclusion
A good cup of coffee soothes the soul and bolsters the spirit on the bleakest of days. If you are always on the run, a good coffee maker like Bunn pour-over machines will whip up a quick cup of joe in no time at all.
How to use a Bunn coffee maker may be a common question for those new to this kind of appliance, but once you use one a few times, you’ll get a hang of them quickly.
If you have a Bunn coffee maker sitting in its box in your kitchen, I hope this guide has inspired you to take it out, set it up, and brew yourself a lovely pot of coffee. Sit back with a nice dessert and enjoy your coffee─ you deserve a nice little treat!
