Customer Ratings & Reviews

I recently picked up the Bella BREW 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffeemaker to see if it could deliver that refined pour-over taste in a big, daily-driver batch size. Right out of the box, though, it becomes pretty clear that the user manual leaves a bit to your own trial and error. My first struggle was simply getting the carafe lid off. It feels so tight that you honestly think you're going to break the plastic, but the trick is to just push firmly with your thumb. It’s an easy fix once you get use to it. I couldn’t find a single word in the manual about this. The manual briefly mentions that the reservoir comes off, but doesn't bother explaining how to take it off. Thankfully, figuring it out on your own isn't difficult at all. Once you get the hang of it, having a detachable tank is a huge plus—it makes filling up at the sink, fridge dispenser, or water pitcher so much easier than trying to pour from a full pitcher into a tight opening on top of the machine. There’s a nice built-in handle, as well. When it comes to kitchen placement, keep in mind that this machine has a wide, bulky footprint. If you have low upper cabinets above your counter, it’s frustratingly awkward to slide or pull the heavy machine forward just to flip open the filter basket area. It’s not an issue if your setup has completely open counter space above, but it's definitely something to consider if space is tight. In terms of electronics, there’s one minor display choice that I’m not sure I like. Once the coffee finishes brewing and the hotplate timer starts counting down, the main clock display disappears entirely. Unless you manually turn off the hotplate, you are left without a readable clock on the machine for up to four hours, which is annoying if you rely on your coffeemaker as a quick time check in the morning. On the bright side, the carafe itself is genuinely well-designed for pouring. It gives you a clean, steady pour every time without those annoying drips running down the front of the glass. I did notice a couple of stray drops hitting the hotplate if I pulled the carafe out mid-brew to pour a quick cup, but that happens with almost every machine. Just make sure to give the plate a quick wipe down once it cools off so the drips don't burn on. At the end of the day, what really matters is the coffee itself. The brew tastes good and gets the job done. The blooming feature is a great idea but to be completely honest, it doesn't taste noticeably different from other drip coffeemakers I've owned in the past. If you're buying it strictly expecting a night-and-day "artisanal pour-over" flavor shift…well, I can only speak for myself — you might be disappointed. But I also know that there are many variables that go into brewing a great cup of coffee. (At the very least, this coffeemaker deserves freshly ground beans — right before brewing. You deserve it, as well!) If you want a solid, large-capacity maker with a great pouring carafe and a convenient removable reservoir, it's a decent option once you get past its small design quirks…and a 2-year warranty, to boot!

The Bella is surprisingly straightforward, despite how complex it seems on paper. Setup was much easier than I expected, and the instructions (while a bit overwhelming for someone coming from a Mr. Coffee, where the only input on the machine was a power switch) walked me through it step by step. I do wish there was a quick start guide or something similar, but alas. What I was not prepared for, however, was the absolute size of this unit. It takes up a substantial amount of counter space, which might be an issue in kitchens where counter space comes at a premium. It is an understated color, and while it is a nice venture away from the usual black coffeemakers I see, I think the blue is unfortunately not colorful enough to be interesting and yet not neutral enough to quite blend in with every kitchen’s decor. That said, it is a pleasant design and looks nice on the counter. The coffee itself is smooth. I’m not a coffee connoisseur, but having the option to adjust brew strength with a single button is quite convenient! I also found the automatic blooming feature to be a nice touch for a pour-over style coffee maker, especially with pour-over being a relative luxury in my household. If you, like me, aren’t the best about getting a pot going before you need your joe, the Pause & Serve function is handy and lets you sneak a cup before the pot is done brewing — this might come quite in handy, especially once you take into account the 14-cup capacity. As far as cleaning and maintenance goes, the removable water reservoir is easy to take out, so refilling and cleaning it is not too difficult. There is an included water filter as well, which might be handy if you have hard water. However, cleaning the rest of the machine is a little less pleasant. Although I like the reusable filter in theory, getting all the grounds out can be tedious and messy. The carafe is also enormous, as you might expect from a 14-cup carafe, but that makes washing it by hand a little awkward in a smaller sink. I haven’t tried putting the removable parts in the dishwasher yet, but I don’t doubt they would hold up to a dishwasher for cleaning. Overall, this is a solid coffeemaker! While the entire 14-cup capacity is overkill for most solo coffee drinkers, this would be great in a multi-coffee-enjoyer household. My biggest complaints are its unfortunately bulky footprint and cumbersome cleanup, but if you have the counter space and need the capacity, it’s definitely worth peeking at! Subjectively, I find the taste to be better than drip but not quite as good as a hand-done pour-over, but for being able to get 14 cups in one go and relatively quickly...the trade-offs are easy to justify. That said, this is not something I would recommend for proper coffee snobs or those who don't need the 14-cup capacity.

Everyone who likes coffee has a coffee machine already so this isn’t so much a review about SHOULD you get this coffee machine but should you REPLACE your coffee maker? Out of the box I was surprised how big the machine actually is for being only two cups more than my existing machine. Most coffee makers I’ve ever encountered are “vertical oriented” meaning the pot sits under the maker and the water reservoir goes around the pot in a semi circle almost. With the Bella machine it is horizontally oriented: the water sits on the left side of the machine in a classy looking reservoir with the pot on the right side and the main body and controls between the two. What it means, for me, is that I have to use more counter space by about double! Main features of the coffee machine are the large amount you can brew, more than enough for two adults preparing for a weekend adventure and especially if you only have time for a cup on the way out the door to work on the weekdays. As it's digital you’ll find the usual features like a clock and a timed auto brew mode. The machine comes with a reusable “gold tone” coffee filter which can be removed if you prefer paper cone filters. Unless I missed it in the instruction manual I don’t think there was any explanation about what benefits a gold tone offers outside of aesthetics. Among the features listed are an “Automatic Bloom”, which I’d never heard of but apparently it pre-soaks the coffee in such a manner to allow trapped CO2 to escape which is good for the coffee. You can set the strength of the coffee, there’s a small batch setting for 1-4 cups, you can even program how hot to keep the warming plate, although to my amateur palate the coffee didn’t taste any better or worse regardless of the plate temperature. There’s probably a lot to love if you’re a die hard coffee connoisseur, but it seems based on the key features that average “just put the caffeine in me with sugar and creamer” aren’t going to appreciate a Bella Brew over one of those single button hotel room coffee machines. I want to love it, there’s nothing BAD about the way it makes the coffee but I find the footprint too large for me to keep it hooked up over my “stupid” coffee machine.

The Bella Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker is a very nice unit with a large 14-cup carafe. Most coffee makers only offer a 12-cup capacity, so if you need a little extra volume, this is one of the few coffee makers on the market that provides a true 14-cup capacity. The unit can brew a full 14-cup pot in about 8 minutes when using Bold mode. If you prefer, it can also brew in Regular or Light mode. Bold mode slows the drip rate to maximize extraction and produce a stronger cup of coffee. Despite that, the machine still brews surprisingly fast, and the warming plate keeps coffee hot for up to three hours. The coffee maker also features a large, informative display, and the buttons are big, intuitive, and easy to use. The one negative is the machine's orientation. Unlike most coffee makers that are designed front-to-back, this model is laid out left-to-right. As a result, it takes up about 14 inches of counter width, whereas a typical coffee maker only requires about 7 to 8 inches. If counter space is limited, this is definitely something to consider. Another potential concern is cleaning the water dispenser. Water is pumped through a section that is partially hidden behind another component, making it difficult to see any hard water buildup. How effectively everything cleans out during a descale cycle remains to be seen over time. In general, keeping the water dispensing area completely clean appears to be more difficult than with some other coffee makers. All in all, if your priorities are brewing strong coffee, brewing it quickly, and keeping it hot for an extended period, this is a great machine. As long as you can accommodate its larger footprint on your countertop, the Bella Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker is an excellent choice.

Verdict: the Bella Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee maker is NOT a revolutionary machine that will deliver better coffee than an expert hand-brew in a V60… BUT, it is certainly a much better coffee machine than your standard drip coffee maker, and gets you closer to a nice pour over than any other machine I’ve tried before. Of note, it is all plastic: it doesn’t look high end, and plastic plus hot water is also not great. Disclaimer. I am a coffee enthusiast. I have owned two dozen machines now, ranging from espresso to pour over, fully manual to fully automatic. I probably have higher expectations than most people, so take that into account when reading this review. First impressions. It’s bigger than I expected, maybe twice as big as a compact coffee maker. If you have limited counter space, I recommend you measure width and height to make sure it fits where you want to put it. It is all plastic; it doesn’t look high-end. I like the grey color. The screen is actually practical and readable. The buttons are useful. The water reservoir is huge! Setup. Besides unpacking and adding the water filter, the machine is plug-and-play and intuitive. I set up the clock buy holding the hour button for a few seconds, and then it will save automatically within a few more seconds. Brewing. I added 4 cups of water in the reservoir, 33g of freshly ground coffee in a rinsed paper filter, and then selected the 1-4 cup setting. Of note, the machine will brew as much as you put into the reservoir, so if you put 6 cups but select the 1-4 cup setting, it will brew until the reservoir is empty (in this case 6 cups). The machine starts brewing fast… maybe within 10 seconds. After the initial water dose, the machine pauses for some time to allow blooming. The machine then introduces water at regular intervals until it runs out of water. Blooming and the slow and steady watering leads to a better brew than your average coffee maker. The machine also keeps the carafe warm (you select the warmth level). Performance. If you are using fresh and high-quality coffee, you will get pretty good results, as you probably would with any machine… But the greatest benefit of this machine is in the improvement of the process, allowing a bloom, and then executing the rest of the brew slowly and methodically. I find that the coffee is more aromatic, less acidic, and more flavorful than if you were to use the same coffee in a standard drip. To be fair… while it is not replacing my hand-made pour overs, it would absolutely replace any drip machine if given the choice, and it will serve as the go-to brewer when we have company. Other features. The can brew a large amount of coffee at full capacity. This machine can also be setup ahead of time and start brewing on a timer, which is an important feature for a coffee machine! Things I love: - Substantially better coffee than a standard drip machine - Ability to schedule start time - Large capacity for when you have guests! 14 Cups!! - Easy to use - Nice large screen - Intuitive buttons - I like the color - Fair price for capacity and capability Things I don’t love: - It’s really quite large; not a problem if you have the space, but it may not be for everyone - It’s all plastic. If there is a next iteration of this product, I recommend using stainless steel or another material in the brew path, especially where hot water is involved, even if you have to charge a bit more. Pod brewing is all plastic… With this product, there is an opportunity to create a truly better and healthier brewing experience Overall, this is a cool machine! I am excited to have it and I will use it regularly when we have guests so that we can make better coffee, but without the time and effort required to do it in traditional pour overs. I recommend this machine if you want something better than drip.

We normally use a single cup coffee maker most days but there are times when we have people over that it’s more convenient to just make a pot. I picked up this coffee maker due to its large 14 cup capacity. It holds 70oz of water when full to make 14 five ounce cups. It will use all of the water you put in so if you don’t want a full pot you only need to fill the reservoir to the number of cups you wish to make and adjust the amount of ground coffee you add accordingly. It has a temperature adjustable warming plate that can get quite hot so if you put those refrigerated “pollutants” in your coffee (I think they call it creamer?) then you still have a hot cup of coffee. I drink mine black and it’s a little too hot for me right out of the carafe, my instant read thermometer shows it at 190 degrees in the pot, I usually drink it around 170. By default the warming plate stays on medium for two hours, you can adjust that from 0:00 to 4:00 hours in 15 minute increments. This machine has a blooming cycle that releases trapped CO2 in the grounds at the beginning of brewing to allow better water contact “for a smoother, balanced and flavorful extraction” per the manual. It does brew a good cup of coffee. I find the mesh filter a little hard to clean with the plastic ribs in it, I dump the majority of grounds into the trash first and tap the remaining onto a plate so I can wipe them into the trash. A tradeoff for not needing to buy paper filters but I understand you can use disposable cone filters in this machine if you’d prefer. There’s a timer built in that allows you to delay the brewing so it’s ready when you want or it can start immediately. There’s a stopper in the basket so you can pour a cup during brewing but be mindful to replace the carafe within 30 seconds. That’s plenty of time to pour a cup so don’t feel like you have to rush. There is a charcoal water filter in the water reservoir and an indicator to remind you when it’s time to change it out. Lasts about 120 brew cycles. The matte gray finish goes well with my decor. When I first got it, I submerged the carafe in warm soapy water to wash it. Submerging it forced a fair amount of water into the plastic ring of the handle. As the carafe heated up during brewing some water was released around the outside of the carafe. After that, I only washed the carafe under running water and I did not have that issue again so I would suggest not to submerge the carafe. The machine does work well. It’s not going to replace my single cup maker but it will be great for when we have people over.

The new brew coffee maker from bella at first out of box and placing in the kitchen, it feel minimalist and small, easy to locate each of buttons under the display. With size measurement of 14.9"x13.62"x7.68", in the box includes 14-cup glass carafe with removable lid, filter basket holder, measuring scoop, reusable god-tone filter and charcoal filter holder. Among the functionalities to control from common to any other brewing machine, what come to attention is the adjustable warming plate, pause and serve which allow to pour coffee during brewing process, and cleaning reminder. On the hardware perse, the handle included in the water tank is practical to grab and remove and place back. On the flavor side, although it did taste somewhere the pour over alike, however it didn't feel consistent if making the coffee for 3 to 4 cups. Probably has to do with the type of coffee used, but few occasion it felt too watery. Then on one occasion, despite of having set to make the coffee for 4 cups, the machine had continued brewing beyond 4 cups. In overall, it is practical, it has programmable function a handy option to schedule brewing, and some way to control and keep warm.

This is a decent quality drip coffee maker. But I have to leave a mediocre review based on misleading claims in the promotional literature. When I saw the product description describing this as an “auto pour over” machine, I got excited that it might have some new technology that mimics or automates the process of pour over brewing. Upon inspection, though, I found the machine to be a standard drip brewer with no particularly innovative features. Is this false advertising? Not exactly, but at least it’s misleading advertising. The claims try to make this product stand out from other drip brewers, but I don’t see any actual functionality that sets it apart at all. I had to start by clarifying what these terms mean to me. Pour over is one of the most basic brewing methods, and has always been something properly done by hand. You literally and simply pour hot water over ground coffee, and your drink comes out the bottom (through a filter, usually made of paper). Drip coffee brewing is a technique that was invented to automate this process. Basically it’s a machine that slowly pours (or drips) hot water over grounds, with the coffee drink dripping out the bottom (again through a filter, usually paper). So, in a sense, “drip” is the original “auto pour over”. So, I suppose technically I can’t say that Bella is guilty of false advertising, since “drip” and “auto pour over” are technically the same thing. However, there are other machines on the market that are called “auto pour over” which differ from drip machines in important ways. Without mentioning specific brands, these machines generally try to mimic the process of manual pour-over brewing as closely as possible. For one, this involves pouring 1-2 cups (up to 500mL) at a time, rather than brewing a big pot all at once. Also, often there are controls to precisely adjust the water temperature, pour speed, and other details that may affect the taste of the brew. And they may have complex mechanics that mimic the speed and timing of a manually poured stream of water. This machine has none of that. Below are several marketing claims made on the box, and my impressions: “Barista quality coffee at the touch of a button”: Well, not really. You have to measure the water and pour it in. You have to measure and grind the coffee beans and put them in. Then you touch a button. And of course you have to clean up afterwards. It’s a normal drip machine. “Gold cup standard”: They advertise that *if* you put in a certain amount of water and coffee, then there’s a certain setting you can choose that makes an ideal cup of coffee. I tried this and tasted it. It’s fine. But this is the same as any other drip machine. It’s designed for brewing a particular size pot, and if you try to brew more or less it’s not as good. “Hotter brewing for richer flavor”: Well, hotter than what? It’s really hard to get an accurate measure of water temperature because water cools off quickly as it works its way through the system. Using an infrared thermometer, best I could measure is that the water is about 185 degrees Fahrenheit when it hits the grounds. This is about the same as my usual brew temperature. Many people will try to get their water hotter than this, but I have no idea what temperature goes through an average drip machine. This machine has no temperature adjustment. “Automatic blooming”: This is the one feature that maybe sets this machine apart from cheaper drip machines, and maybe justifies calling it “auto pour over.” The machine makes a small pour (a few ounces) and then pauses for 30 seconds before continuing. Unfortunately, there’s no way to adjust/customize this. It just happens. Fortunately, the results are consistently good. Anyway, let me move beyond complaining about what this machine is not. Semantics and marketing aside, this machine makes decent coffee. One of my frustrations with this machine is that there are very few controls over how the coffee is brewed. Really there’s only one control (other than the choice of how much water and coffee to add): the strength setting. The user guide explains that “strength” has 5 settings, but no indication of what they actually do. The settings are light, regular, bold, 1-4 Cup, and Gold Cup. I ran a couple tests and deduced that the strength setting adjusts the speed at which the water is dripped over the coffee. With 500mL of water on the light setting, brewing completes in about 2 minutes 30 seconds. On the bold setting, the same quantity of water completes in about 3 minutes 15 seconds. I am measuring brew time as the time from when brewing starts (after blooming) until all the water has entered the grounds. I don’t usually brew pour over myself, but I made a batch specifically to compare with the brew from this machine. I measured 500mL water and 30mg of my favorite blended ground coffee. For the machine, I set it on the highest strength setting, thinking that would slow the brew down to mimic hand pouring (it did). My hand pour and the machine pour came out in about the same amount of time (about 3 minutes 15 seconds, not including bloom or draw down), suggesting that the machine appropriately timed the water going through the grounds. Naturally, I preferred the taste of my hand brew, but the machine brew came out very similar. If anything it was a little brighter and more citrusy, which I think may have been that the machine was able to deliver hotter water than my kettle and hand pouring. This test left me pleasantly surprised: if I want to brew 500 mL of coffee, I can get flavor out of this machine that closely resembles what I would consider a well-crafted pour over. I also tested the machine’s “Gold Cup” setting and recommendations. The instructions recommend 8 cups by their scale (about 1100 mL) water and 66g coffee — which sounds like a good ratio to me. Using the “Gold Cup” strength setting, brew time was about 7 minutes 15 seconds. This is much longer than what most people recommend for pour over, but of course most people would not attempt to pour-over brew this much all at once. With a longer time, there’s a risk of overextraction and a more bitter brew. The resulting brew was still decent for a drip machine, but not as good as the smaller batch in my opinion. All in all, this is a decent drip machine. It appears to have good temperature and speed control for consistent brewing. The automatic blooming function probably helps improve the flavor of the brew, but I don’t think this justifies calling it an “auto pour over” process. Other notes: The machine draws roughly 1200 watts when it’s heating water, which is pretty standard. The warming plate, though, only uses up to a few hundred watts as needed to keep temperature. This is great so that it doesn’t risk scorching the brewed coffee. There is an adjustment for how hot to keep the warming plate, too. The water tank is removable for easier filling and cleaning. That’s great, but I found it a little awkward to set it back in place. There’s a handle, but for some reason it’s underneath the lid—so you have to open it to get to the handle. The plastic lid on the carafe is a little stiff/awkward to remove. But it only needs to come off for cleaning. The “shower head” seems to do a good job of distributing water over the grounds. No complaints.

The Bella Brew is a great coffee maker that’s nice-looking and easy to use. And it makes good coffee in small and large quantities. The Bella Brew measures at around 13.5 inches wide, 14.5 inches tall, and 7.5 inches deep. It’s a bit bigger than a standard coffee maker, but having the tank on the side AND removable more than makes up for that. The 14-cup glass carafe is nice, though the lid is a little unintuitive to remove. Also included is a charcoal filter, measuring scoop, and a reusable filter (paper filters can also be used). Setting up the Bella Brew is like most other coffee machines where you plug it in and set the time, though holding on to the manual is a good idea as many of the functions are hard to identify based on the icons alone. You get brew modes for light, regular, and bold. There are also 2 additional options for 1-4 cup brews and ‘Gold Cup’. Gold Cup is described in the manual as ‘the ideal brew ratio and extraction for optimal flavor’ and is only for 8-cup brews (there is a marker on the carafe for this). It’s just the two of us in our house and we’ve been mostly using the Gold Cup setting as the 8 cups in brews gives us each a good size cup of coffee and maybe 1-2 more cups. I am not sure what makes the Bella Brew a ‘Pour Over’ coffee maker - I’m assuming it has something to do with how the machine dispenses the water. In any case, the Gold Cup setting brews a very nice cup of coffee. It keeps the carafe warm at the medium setting for 2 hours by default, but this can be adjusted hotter or cooler and the warming time can be set from 0 minutes up to 4 hours. It’s easy to get into and clean as well. Overall I’m happy with the Bella Brew as a general purpose coffee maker and it works great for serving small or large groups of people.

Before getting too deep into the technical features of the product let us talk about the aesthetics. If coffee is your morning ritual, this is one of the few kitchen appliances you will be forced to look at every day of your life so it’s important that it fit with your kitchen decor. The Slate color and curved design help to minimize the bulk that often accompanies the functional requirements of a large water reservoir, a full size rounded pot and basket. I appreciate that this doesn’t look or feel like a cheap, black plastic coffee maker. Where the design falls flat is the combination of an LED and a physical button. Bella is not alone in this failure - a great meany of the coffee makers these days are making this same poor choice. But Bella is making the morning ritual far more difficult than it should be. The question is if the coffee it produces is worth the hassle? I’m left handed. My wife is right-handed. And? And Bella has managed to create a design that makes it awkward for both of us to use. To grip the water reservoir for removal and refill one must start with the left handed grip. It’s not heavy but it drives my right-handed wife insane. Thus dealing with the water is my job. The pot is her job. Because unless you position the pot handle to stick out in the center, you have to grip it right-handed. And that drives me insane. So pouring the coffee is now her job. But we aren’t at the pot at the same time. What was previously a peaceful half-awake no brainer morning ritual for that sweet cup of life juice is now a cuss-word mumbled pain the rear for both of us. And then there are the buttons. I’m sorry, but no one I know wants to learn hieroglyphics to make a pot of coffee. You’ve got weird symbols on the physical buttons that when pressed create more weird buttons on the LED. Like look at the photo attached. Why does the LED coffee cup get a star? Is it in kindergarten and deserve special recognition? Take a look at the picture of the instruction manual. 11 hieroglyphics with 6 buttons. For a pot of coffee. Terrible. Just terrible. After translating the hieroglyphs successfully we found the resulting pot of coffee well balanced and quite tasty. Or previous cheap black plastic coffee machine only had one button, but it produced coffee with an awful after taste, as if it was mixing melted plastic with the beans as it drained into the pot. This bella unit has the opposite effect and produced a wonderful result. And as you can tell from the photo attached, we are obviously high end coffee snobs choosing only the best… Folgers Classic Roast so being able to taste the difference with this old cup of beans is a remarkable achievement for Bella. As the liquid heaven quenched our soul and cleared the morning brain fog we didn’t think too much more about this unit. A few hours later we removed the pot to wash it out. While it was sitting out to dry, we discovered the unit drips. After a bit more investigation what we’ve come to discover is that when the pot is brewing, water is collecting outside of Bellas “water fall dispenser.” I’ve included a photo with the lid open illustrating what I no doubt am describing poorly. All the water you see under the lid slowly drains back into the dispenser and drips onto the tray. This is not a quick process. It takes all… day… long…. Which means there’s yet another thing to wipe out and dry when removing the coffee grinds. This is the first coffee maker we’ve had that experiences this issue. After a week of trial and error with the Bella hieroglyphs we decided that yes the coffee it produces is worth the effort, but if there’s anyone from Bella reading this do the world a favor - pick one: physical buttons or LED/LCD. Not both. And if you ask us, the correct choice is a touchscreen LED/LCD.

This is a nice looking coffee maker from Bella, but I'm afraid no matter how many times i tried to use this coffee maker and love it, I just couldn't. To be honest this will probably be the first time i ever leave a mildy negative review against a product, especially a Bella product; When almost all other Bella items i have are really good. I have to start that my wife roasts her own coffee beans, I have watched my mother when i was growing up drink 2-3 pots of coffee a day, my grandma had a perculator coffee maker that would make the worlds strongest coffee. I'm saying these things so you can understand how many years coffee and coffee makers have been in my life. From Mr. Coffee, Hamilton Beach to Black , & Decker, Even Bunn, to super expensive Ninja espresso machines ... So on to this,. The pros: It makes coffee, it makes it well. The cons: The coffee pot itself is oddly designed and makes pouring the coffee at the end almost impossible. If you have literally used any other coffee maker in the last 30 years, it makes you wonder why they went with this design of a plastic top over simply glass. The entire unit overall is oddly designed, you have to put this entire unit sideways on your counter if you want to utilize the clock and look; which quite frankly is a little pointless, had they just put the clock on the front of the unit this wouldn't even be a small gripe at all, but for the size of this unit this makes it a huge counter waster. It's just, i only have so much counter space, even at my coffee station, i'm already battling for space over my esspresso machine, my tea maker; a drip coffee machine should be compact and easy to get to and use, and this just doesnt make the cut in my house. The buttons; where to start, while the functionality of the buttons is a good thought, the performance of them all, are not. I cant begin to tell you how many times i had no idea how long or if at all i was putting the coffee on a standby mode (warmer mode), i still couldnt tell you, theres instructions, but even being a software engineer i couldn't understand it, it just didn't funtion as it would be expected. Overall..., if you are only going to have 1 coffee maker in your kitchen/station, this machine would make sense, it's elegant, it does perform well with making coffee, and the features it provides are decent. Personally I just felt like it's trying to do too much, if it were an espresso machine alot these extra bells and whistles would make sense, but honestly i was just looking for a 14 cup drip coffee maker, i expected it to function like almost 99% of all coffee makers in the world. This one fell short to those expectations (for me) in a few of the areas. So if you're reading this please understand, the coffee is good from this machine, but for a family that makes 4-5 pots of coffee a day, this just isn't what I prefer. If you are looking to make 1 pot a day, or every other day, then by all means this will probably be your baby. Can I recommend this to friends and family,.... ooft, that's a hard pull for me. The logical response is, it makes coffee, it does it well. The selfish side of me, I don't like how it performs the other tasks of being a coffee maker. It's a 50/50 for me, and for someone that loves almost everything coffee, this is hard for me to say. I would recommend it, but ONLY if your criteria meets that of my review.

The Bella-Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker in slate had me thinking I was going to be getting better-tasting coffee than my old Coffee Maker, even though I was not sure what Auto Pour Over meant exactly. My wife and I have drunk quite a few cups of coffee using the Bella-Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker and unfortunately I can not taste anything special about how it brews coffee. However, it does make good coffee and what I really like is it can make 14 cups in one brew cycle compared to my old 10-cup. Wish I could have found this a few years ago when I needed 14 cups a day. Also, I have tried the different brewing methods and I can't tell much difference, but we do use a lot of sweet cream in our coffee, so maybe that's why. I only tried Regular, Bold and Gold cup, though, because I am not trying to consume anything light. For my current situation, I have settled for the Gold Cup and it does a good job. I will say I do really like the controls. Once you learn how to use them, it is very easy to change settings compared to other coffee makers I have had in the past. So I think the button layout and planning is executed well by Bella. One thing I do not particularly care for is the awkwardness of removing the tank to fill it. I can handle it okay, but I can see my wife not liking to deal with it because it is so big and tall and the handle is inside and kind of strangely placed under the lid. The bottom line from me is this. If you have the need for a 14-Cup coffee maker and I know a lot of people do, this Bella is very well made and doesn’t feel cheap at all. At the same time, it brews good coffee all for a very reasonable price. Just don’t expect your coffee to taste extra special good just because you use Gold Cup Mode. Get this for the price ease of use and the large amount of coffee it can make. It seems like it will last a long time as well and seems better

I’ve been using the bella BREW 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker for the past couple of weeks, and it has settled nicely into my morning routine. I normally make a full pot to start the day, so the quality and consistency of the coffee matter more to me than features I may rarely use. This machine has done well where it counts. The coffee comes out consistently rich, properly hot, and at the strength I like each morning. Getting a pot started is straightforward. The removable water tank is easy to fill, adding the coffee and getting everything ready takes very little effort, and the controls are simple enough for everyday use. The brewer offers several strength choices, including Light, Regular, Bold, and Golden Cup. It also uses an automatic blooming process that wets the grounds before brewing. Whatever is happening behind the scenes, the real-world result for me has been a dependable full pot without having to fuss with the machine. The glass carafe has also worked well. It is comfortable to handle and easy to pour from, which sounds like a small detail until it is something you do every morning. The coffee stays hot, and the adjustable warming plate gives some control over the serving temperature after brewing. I also like the appearance of the machine. The slate finish looks clean and attractive on my counter instead of making the space feel cluttered. There are still a couple of things keeping it from five stars. Although the coffee maker has an adjustable warming plate, I would have liked the ability to select the actual brewing temperature. The buttons also feel less premium than the rest of the design suggests. Neither issue has affected the quality of my morning coffee, but they are noticeable during daily use. Overall, this is a good-looking and reliable coffee maker that makes a rich, hot, full pot with very little effort. For its core job, it has performed consistently well. Pros: - Consistently rich, hot coffee - Multiple brew-strength settings - Removable water tank is easy to fill - Carafe is easy to handle and pour - Simple daily setup - Attractive slate finish - Large 14-cup capacity Cons: - No selectable brewing-temperature setting - Buttons do not feel especially premium

I am writing this review for the Bella Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker. I have owned one other Bella coffee maker in the past, and was very happy with it, at least for the most part. I did die on me after less than two years, but then again I used it every single day. When I figured in the original cost, it actually came to a few pennies a day, so it was a fairly good investment as far as coffee makers go. After unpacking, I couldn’t help but notice how…hmmm…plain looking it is. There is actually nothing extraordinary in its appearance. This was the very first thing I fell in love with. It is, after all, a coffee maker, and is not designed to be a super-advanced, AI-driven coffee maker. That is what I LOVED about the last Bella I owned…it was designed to do something, and it did it very well and very dependably. Two stars for that. After giving it its first initial cleaning, I was ready to see what it could do. The Bella comes complete with very good and understandable instructions. I had ZERO issues figuring out how to use the coffee maker. In metaphorical terms, it was plug-n-play. Now, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a “one-way-only” coffee maker…it has the ability to adjust water temperature, the ‘bloom’ option that “soaks” coffee grounds before brewing to achieve a deeper and richer flavor, and even brewing strength. Seeing as I love a very strong cup of coffee, I went all in. I have two additional coffee machines, both espresso machines using freshly-ground coffee beans. In order to compare apples to apples, I chose to use the same for the Bella. I’m not simply a coffee drinker. When I have a cup of coffee, I don’t simply “have a cup of coffee…” I drink it for the flavor experience. This is why I always use freshly-ground coffee beans. With the espresso machines, I have learned several factors go into making a great cup of coffee… what kind of coffee beans, how much ground coffee to use, even how long to let the freshly-ground coffee to sit before using. After all, if all I am after is the caffeine buzz, I can buy an energy drink and be done with it. But again, drinking coffee is an experience, not a duty. I opted initially for the “Golden Cup Brew” strength. I was a bit impressed by this because its 66 grams recommendation is exactly what I use for French Press coffee, and I was curious to see how closely it came to matching the flavor. So, after grinding the coffee at a rather coarse grind, and placing the 8 cups of water in the tank reservoir, I pushed the brew button. Before I offer up my findings, let me say that nowhere does Bella in any way insinuate the Golden Brew is their version of French Press. They do not. So to that end, I have to admit I was actually impressed by how flavorful that first brew of coffee was. It was not weak or bitter, but rather in the sweet spot of the flavor profiles. Rich overall taste, an amazing sweetness balance, and an almost perfect acidity. Did it taste like a perfectly brewed French Press? No, but it wasn’t supposed to, as I already explained. If you are looking at the Bella Pour Over, you already know the pitfalls of “normal” coffee-makers… weak under-extracted coffee mixed with bitter over-extracted coffee, extremely low temperatures, and so on. The Bella delivered a very well-brewed coffee at just the right temperature. It was flavorful, the right consistency, and a very close to perfect flavor profile. This gave an additional three stars. The Bella has a very straightforward and very easy to navigate control panel. After an initial browsing of the user manual, I had a full understanding of what each control button did, including how to set the current time and the desired brew time. The Bella has a 4-cup option which is what I used for the next morning’s brew. I set the timer for one hour before alarm time. When I woke up the next morning, I could already smell the freshly-brewed coffee. I made my way to the kitchen looking forward to a great cup of coffee. I was absolutely met with a wonderfully-brewed cup of coffee. First, I was jazzed that I didn’t have to go through the morning ritual of making coffee in the espresso/coffee machine. There are some mornings I just want to stumble to the kitchen, grab a cup, and start drinking, without all the ceremony. Ahhh, this was the beginning of a great day. The coffee was perfect. Right temperature, and most of all, the right taste. I drank all four cups! Another three stars. The Bella Brew 14-Cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker is a gift from the coffee gods. Easy to use, easy to learn, and easy to brew an extraordinary cup of coffee. I have been using it religiously every day since it arrived. From the included wire-mesh brewing basket to the easily-filled water container, the Bella shines brightly. I am truly tempted to buy an additional Bella coffee maker for work, and may very well do that. One thing I know for sure is that I will be telling my friends and family about this new addition to my world! And yes, I know the total of stars I’ve given is more than the total number of stars I am allowed to rate it, just know I would give it a full ten stars if I could.

I've been using this bella 14 cup auto pour over coffee maker for my morning pots and I'm really happy with how it works. The speed is what jumped out at me first. With most coffee makers, you feel like you're waiting an eternity listening to the water spit and sputter while it slowly works its way through the grounds. Not with this one. It comes out quick! I was actually a little worried at first that brewing that fast would make weak coffee, but the flavor of the ground beans really comes out. It makes a great tasting cup without the long wait. What also surprised me is how well the coffee holds up after it's done brewing. Fourteen cups is a lot of coffee, and don't worry if you don't drink the whole pot right away. Most warmers end up cooking the coffee if it sits too long, but this one keeps it hot much longer without burning it. Your third cup tastes just as good as your first. Keeping the machine clean is super easy too. The removable water reservoir is awesome for cleaning since you can lift the whole tank right off to wash it in the sink. Plus, it has an extra filter built inside the reservoir so you get good, clean water going into every pot. My only real complaint is the size. This machine is huge! It has a massive countertop footprint and takes up way more space than I expected. When I pushed it back on the counter, it barely fit under my upper cabinets. The fact that it does fit under there is a minor plus since I don't have to leave it sitting out on the edge of the counter, but it's a very tight squeeze. It's just tough if you have a small kitchen because it really is quite a large machine. If you have the counter space for it, though, it's a great coffee maker.

This is a nice and simple coffee maker but I wish the instructions were a little better. My annoyances in its behavior could just be me having not used a drip style machine in years. It's really easy to use, just put in your grinds pour in water and hit the power button; can't get easier than that. But with that in mind I wish it did a better job explaining how it works. I first tried using the "gold cup" option, it says put in 66g of coffee and use gold cup to brew 8 cups. It wasn't clear to me that it would brew however much water you put in and not stop at 8 cups the "gold cup" setting says its used for. This could just be me forgetting how these style machines work having not used them in the longest time but I would that would have been a little clearer. I will say that the water pump is super quiet, I remember the old ones gurgling and splashing the entire time, this thing is just s super quiet hum, I couldn't even tell it was brewing half the time. The other issue I have with it is there isn't a quick way to turn off the heating element after brewing. You have to cycle through all the time options to put it to 0:00 rather than just a simple on/off setting. Otherwise it's a very simple, somewhat easy to use coffee maker. It does make tasty coffee which is great and once you learn how the machine behaves it is easy to adapt to it and make consistently good coffee.

Overall, at the end of the day, the Bella coffee maker makes good, smooth coffee that is enjoyable for the whole family (of the ones that drink coffee). First off, I do not really drink coffee but when I do, it is of the K cup variety and usually has some flavor depending on the season. I will also add in a flavored creamer to match that season as I never really liked the bitterness of coffee. However, my wife picked out a nice bag of french roast to test out this machine and I really enjoy it. The instructions can be overwhelming and since there is not a quick start, it took a bit to get the sequence of operation down. But that is like any new electronic. The display is nice, clear and informative but has a couple of quirky settings (a count down timer starts after a brew), but nothing to harm the overall quality of this machine. The water tank is plentiful and the coffee stays warm after brew long enough to enjoy a 2nd cup if that is your desire. Like I mentioned before, this does the job and for a coffee guru this might be a little basic, but it does have all the settings needed for the most general of coffee drinkers out there.

Fully programmable brewing lets you schedule up to 24 hours in advance, choose Light, Regular, or Bold brew strength, and select the 1–4 cup setting for full-flavored small batches. This is what it says in their product description and it's 100% true. Using the 1-4 cup setting makes a great cup of coffee. The red can stuff is average as expected but if you take the time to ground your own beans it's significantly better which makes sense. The water storage has a filter. I never really thought about that much but it definitely improves the taste of the coffee and is convenient vs paying for filtered water. Being able to set coffee strength and timers is straight forward. Asthetically is looks fine but you do need a lot of counter space vs a smaller conventional one. At the end of the day it's a coffee maker and what it does it does very well. If you are a family or someone that drinks alot of coffee this is a winner. If you are someone that has a cup in the morning this will be fine but overkill. Bella makes some smaller units that cost less that make more sense.

So I finally received my Bella 14-cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker about a week ago and have been putting it through its paces. Before venturing into Bella and their ProSeries coffee makers a few years ago, my morning commute was usually making pitstops at either a local fast-food joint or coffee shop to grab a Frappe or other iced (or hot) coffee for that morning pick-me-up on the way to the office. But along came Bella and their magnificent coffee makers (amongst other appliances), and I absolutely love making my own coffee in the comfort of my home. Not to mention it actually saves me money and spending useless money on $8 coffees. Before getting started, I must say that I was very impressed with the look and sleek design of this Bella 14-cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker. It is slate in color which matches the aesthetic of my other countertop appliances. Inside the package is: * Bella 14-cup Auto Pour Over Coffee Maker w/ 70oz water reservoir * Glass CarafeNow * Measuring Scoop (1 tablespoon) * Filter Basker Holder * Gold-Tone Filter * Charcoal Filter * Charcoal Filter Holder * User Documentation Now getting started with this coffeemaker is basically like any other standard coffeemaker out on the market today with a water reservoir attached to the back. Using the included scoop, simply measure out how much coffee you want to make and pour into the filter basket, fill up the water reservoir with the correct amount of water and you’re ready to brew. Using the manual you can follow along and use the buttons on the front to program timing and brew strength. This is an amazing coffeemaker and I have used it just about every day since receiving it. Has helped me cut down on spending too much money on coffee runs on the morning commute. Very nice very sleek and very easy to use coffeemaker that blends in well with the rest of my kitchen aesthetic.

Over the years of drinking coffee I have had both good coffee and some coffee that some would call just plain nasty and being someone that is a military brat as well as having served in the Marine Corps I've had what was known to those of us who served would call mud and turpentine which could melt a spoon so to speak. I have gotten so used to drinking my coffee that way even through a paper filter it would be so strong and bitter that even sugar wouldn't help. But with this coffee maker even as strong as I like my coffee this coffee maker you can't get a bitter cup of coffee from it, at first I thought I would but my first cup came out strong like I'm used to but it had a surprise for me it was as smooth as a pain of glass and tasted great and for the first time I didn't have to think of saying man this is nasty at all Bella has out done themselves with this coffee maker in my opinion. It was easy to set up even having to reread the manual twice on how to make the timer adjustments to set up how long the warmer stayed on to keep the coffee hot. It comes with a tank for the water a felter to remove the chemicals from the water a cone type coffee strainer which you can use with or without a paper filter. But either way you use it you can't go wrong the best thing for this coffee maker is the fact of the way it runs the water in it doesn't just start off running it in on the grounds once it's hot it actually shoots a puff of air in first to airate the grounds to loosen them up then the hot water which to my understanding is what makes the coffee smooth. I could find no cons what so ever with this item and every thing that I have mentioned is all pros. In my opinion it's 100% get it if your a coffee hound like me