Reviews for Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

10 Cup, Black - MPN: ECBD15

$85.95 - $101.99   Compare Prices
  • 5
  By member: storit - Dec 29, 2006

Excellent Coffee Maker!

Strengths: Easy to use, makes great coffee, easy to clean, no problems.

Weakness: None.

I did a lot of research before buying the Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Coffee Maker. From the customer reviews, it seemed that most people loved it, while a few had problems with it -- which is a common reaction to even the "best" consumer products. I have not had any problems at all with this model, and think it's superior to the Cuisinart DTC-975 it replaced. Specifically:

It is quite elegant-looking.
It makes excellent coffee.
While lightweight, it is not flimsy.
It is quite easy to clean. Apparently, the carafe, which has a huge opening so you can easily see inside, can be immersed in water.
The carafe keeps coffee hot for a long time. (Of course, if you only put in a couple of cups of coffee, it won't keep it warm very long.)
The drip bucket hasn't overflowed. The carafe lid has an ingenious design that catches errant coffee when brewing and allows it to get into the carafe.
#4 filters work perfectly well if you fold them at the seam, which is what I have always done for my other coffee makers that were designed for #4 filters.

Overall, I would say that this is the best coffee maker under $100 with a thermal carafe.

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  • 4
  By member: peemsley - May 21, 2005

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Quick brewing time, auto shut off, great heat retaining carafe.

Weakness: small area on top of carafe must be accurately aligned with basket or coffee will spill around carafe.

I am very pleased with the carafe that keeps coffee drinking temperature all day. The top mechanism on the carafe is easy to use and pour. Brewing temperature seems a bit higher than other coffee makers I have had. Only complaint would be that the carafe and bottom exit for the coffee on the filter basket must be closely aligned to avoid leaks and the continuous black color of all the mentioned parts makes the alignment difficult to see.

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  • 4
  By member: anneepark - May 5, 2005

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: There were no spills and the coffee stayed warm for hours

This coffee maker is wonderful. I spent a lot of time researching different coffee makers and this one stood out above the rest. It hasn't failed me yet. In fact, it has exceeded my expectations. I love that the carafe has no glass lining, which eliminates the threat of cracking. The coffee stayed warm for hours.

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  • 4
  By member: pewa88 - Oct 9, 2006

Great Coffee Maker at a Reasonable Price

Strengths: Easy to use. Affordable. Delivers a delicious pot of coffee.

Weakness: Tall (make sure you measure to see if it will fit under cabinet)

After much research on the best coffee maker for our needs we chose the Fresh Brew. We rarely ever finish off a pot of coffee at one sitting and like to enjoy coffee through the morning. This carafe will keep the coffee hot without "cooking" it through the morning hours. It will make an excellent pot of coffee; easily and conveniently.

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  • 5
  By member: drdeutsch - Apr 19, 2005

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Elegant, makes great coffee, keeps coffee hot. Easy to use and set the auto timer.

Weakness: Needs special cone filters. If you use regular #4 filters, coffee tends to leak over sides into pot.

All in all, a great coffee maker. Thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for several hours! The auto timer works great so I have my coffee ready every morning. Also, makes enough coffee for 4-6 people (big mugs). Great product!
I'll never switch coffeemakers!

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  • 3
  By member: skhow - Jan 5, 2007

Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker (10 Cup, Black)

Strengths: Nice looking design, easy to use, coffee not burning hot

Weakness: Lid hard to open & close, # 4 filters can be made to fit but not made for it

After using this almost everyday for a month and most days making 2-3 pots of coffee, I like this appliance but it does have it's faults. Aside from the cons mentioned above, I've also had some trouble with the little red ball that acts as the water level indicator. It doesn't always rise with the level of the water, it sometimes stays at the bottom of the column.

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  • 5
  By member: sanronrx - Dec 11, 2004

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Efficient design, good looking. Kept coffee hot for 6+ hours.

Weakness: A bit noisy

This unit was purchased to replace a Krups 229, which failed to shut off after 2 years of use. In comparison to the Krups, the Zojirushi:
- has better quality of workmanship
- easier to add water to reservoir without spillage
- the entire basket assembly removes for easier cleaning
- the carafe cover is cleaned easily.
- is less than 1/2 the price of the Krups!
The Zojirushi delivers a nice, smooth cup of coffee. I am happy with this unit.

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  • 5
  By member: dcschubert - Oct 26, 2004

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Price, design, performance. Keeps coffee hot for hours.

Weakness: Minor - make sure carafe top and filter basket match up to avoid leakage during coffee making process.

Best value in a stainless steel thermos style coffee maker. Attractive and well designed. Keeps coffee hot for hours. This is minor, but important: When carafe is in coffee making position, be sure the center of the carafe cap (where the coffee flows through) is directly below the hole in the filter basket. You may have to adjust the position of the carafe slightly, but once that's determined, you'll never have to think about it again.

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  • 5
  By member: psk212 - Sep 19, 2004

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Keeps coffee hot for a long, long time. Easy to program, use and clean. Solid quality. Carafe doesn't leak or drip.

Weakness: A little on the tall side.

This is the best coffee maker I've ever owned. The coffee stays hot, without that funny burnt taste. The carafe is well designed and doesn't leak or drip. Despite what some say, it uses #4 filters without any issues. It's just a nice, well-designed machine that does exactly what I want: hassle-free, good-tasting coffee in the morning.

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  • 4
  By member: mikieat - Jun 25, 2005

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Makes great coffee that stays drinkably warm for a long time.

Weakness: Standard paper filters don't quite fit right. Lining up the drip and carafe is difficult. Can't tell how much coffee is left in opaque carafe. A little noisy.

I make a pot of coffee pretty much every morning and this coffee maker does exactly what I want it to do -- make me a good several cups of coffee. After a couple of times with the couple of minor tweaks of making the filter fit and lining up the carafe and the drip feed, it is easy and natural to use. The coffee stays hot enough to drink for at least 2 to 3 hours and it stays tasting good. My old maker had a warming element that turned off after an hour (until it failed), so the coffee after an hour was both cold and tasted like it had been on the burner for the hour it was. This is a simple unit, so I'd expect a good lifetime.

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  • 4
  By member: Genkidesu - Dec 30, 2006

Country of coffee drinkers

Strengths: Makes good coffee day after day

Weakness: NA, we can always find fault if we want to.

My comment to storeit, have you ever been to Japan? These people take coffee drinking to a whole nother level (WNL)! I lived there for more than a few years and rarely was I out of sight of a coffee shop on the street. In fact they love coffee so much, they purchase nearly all of the famous and delicious Blue Mountain Coffee from Jamaica, before it's even picked. Unfortunately, we Americans are used to drinking the poor quality roast that other countries don't want.

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  • 5
  By member: mplotkin - Jan 22, 2005

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: 1.5 liter stainless steel vacuum insulated carafe is excellent for keeping coffee warm and fresh tasting coffee; convenient electric timer clock module with preset function.

Weakness: Need to be sure to align top carefully with carafe to avoid leaks. Coffee can be very hot.

I have always been put off from converting from instant coffee by the time and effort involved in making filter coffee, but this machine is the answer for anyone with the same reservations. It produces excellent coffee very quickly and is easy to clean. The built in balance works well to produce consistent strength. It is easy to set up and use (if you read instructions, carefully), keeps coffee piping hot. Cord storage keeps the cord out of the way and your kitchen top tidy.

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  • 2
  By member: JudyPit - Jun 14, 2007

Wouldn't buy again

Strengths: Looks, size

Weakness: Thermos, lid

The coffee does not stay hot for very long. Just luke warm after an hour and needs to be microwaved. The lid is very difficult to remove if tightened too much, so be careful!

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  • 2
  By member: dbono - Dec 9, 2006

My Hopes Have Been Dashed

Strengths: Coffee Tastes Good

Weakness: The "auto-stop" feature doesn't work: hot coffee spits out. The ball in the water-fill gauge takes 5 minutes to show you how much water you have poured in -- and you often find in the meantime that you have poured too much. The machine is too tall,

I wish I could get my money back. The wait just to fill the water chamber to the correct level makes the daily coffee ritual surprisingly painful. In the end, I am convinced that the Japanese tea-drinking society lacks the appropriate appreciation for what it takes to make a functional cofee machine.

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  • 4
  By member: gasserd - Nov 1, 2004

Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Good looks

Weakness: slow compared to Bunn

What I like most about this coffee maker is that it matches all of the applainces in our kitchen in color and styling. It makes great tasting coffee although not as quickly as I would like.

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  • 4.4
  testseek.com - Aug 23, 2011

Zojirushi EC-BD15

Testseek.com has collected 3 expert reviews for Zojirushi EC-BD15 and the average expert rating is 88 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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  • 4.5
  bestcovery.com - Jan 8, 2010

Best Drip Coffee Maker

Bestcovery experts have rated the Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BD15 Coffee Maker as a best pick for the Best Drip Coffee Maker. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.

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