Tom's Guide Verdict
The Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a no-frills drip coffee maker that brews up to 12 cups of well-balanced coffee. It’s easy to use and clean, and it uses a reusable filter which is environmentally-friendly. However, the hotplate stays hot for just 40 minutes, it’s quite bulky, and ground coffee tends to overflow when brewing 12 cups.
Pros
- +
Fantastic price
- +
Uses a reusable filter
- +
Straightforward to use
- +
Easy to clean
- +
Brews tasty coffee
Cons
- -
Bulky build
- -
Ground coffee can overflow when brewing 12 cups
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I start every morning with a cup of coffee and, on average, I drink at least three a day. At home I use a cafetière — or a French press — and I’ve been looking to upgrade to a drip coffee maker for a while now. Enter the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker, a no-frills maker that’s cheap, cheerful and makes delicious coffee.
Capable of making between 4 and 12 cups in just under 11 minutes, the Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker brews tasty coffee, and the ground coffee I tested had a well-balanced flavor profile. While the design is nothing to write home about, the maker itself is straightforward and intuitive to use, and cleaning is easy thanks to the dishwasher-safe components. It’s mostly great, but the $69 price tag carries a couple of faults with it.
Is this the best coffee maker for you? Read my full Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review to find out.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A no-frills drip coffee maker
- Who is it for? For families and small offices
- How much does it cost? The Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is available for $69 / £69, but you get a couple more features when you buy it in the U.S.
- What do we like? It’s great value for money, easy to use, straightforward to clean and utilizes a reusable filter, plus it produces 12 cups of great tasting coffee
- What don’t we like? It has a large footprint, and ground coffee can overflow when brewing to its maximum capacity
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Price & availability
In the U.K., the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is available for £69 — this is the model we tested. This exact model isn’t currently available in the U.S., but the good news is that U.S. buyers get the “Plus” model, which comes with extra features including customizable brew strength and a hotplate that stays warm for up to four hours — all for $69.
We’ve also seen this coffee maker drop to as low as $48 at Amazon. Given its feature set, it’s great value for money and costs way less than the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select ($349) — our top pick for the best coffee maker.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Design
The Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing coffee maker I’ve ever seen, and its design is a little lackluster. Its body is made entirely of plastic, as is the water reservoir’s lid, which feels a little flimsy. The coffee maker comes in just one color: black. Measuring 14.4 x 14.13 x 6.92 inches, the Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker has a large footprint. Weighing 6.15lbs, it’s best to keep this coffee maker in one spot only.
Compared to pricier coffee makers, such as the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select or the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker ($180) which brew just 10 cups, the Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker can make up to 12 cups of coffee — as the name suggests. The 60-ounce water reservoir has lines indicating the water required for 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 cups, as does the included glass water carafe. The water reservoir is also removable, as opposed to the Braun Brew Sense KF6050WH’s ($120) fixed reservoir.
The carafe sits on a hotplate. The duration for which the hotplate stays warm depends on the model. If you get the “Plus” model in the U.S., the plate will stay hot for four hours. But if you buy the standard U.K. model which we tested, this drops to a measly 40 minutes which, for 12 cups of coffee, isn’t enough.
On the top of the coffee maker, you’ll find a flip-up lid which reveals the showerhead dispenser, reusable coffee filter and removable brew basket. I love that the coffee filter is washable and reusable. Negating the need for paper filters, you can do your bit for the environment.
Design-wise, the last element of note is the LCD touch panel. The U.K. model sports just five buttons: start, cancel, auto-brew/timer, hours, and minutes. The U.S. “Plus” model comes with three additional buttons: small batch (1-4 cups), brew strength, and hotplate customization.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Performance
To set up the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker, you need to scan the QR code printed on the getting started paper guide. Then, you need to flush the coffee maker by adding 10 cups of water to the reservoir and letting it run a cycle without any coffee. In my testing, this was straightforward and I had no issues doing so.
For testing, I used finely ground coffee from a local organic grocery store, which carries notes of chocolate, according to the packet. It’s worth investing in the best coffee grinder if coffee is your thing. Once the maker was set up, I added ground coffee to the reusable filter placed in the brew basket under the flip-up lid on top. I made several different volumes of coffee: 4 cups, 8 cups, and 12 cups. It took the coffee maker just under 5 minutes to brew 4 cups of coffee, 7 minutes to brew 8 cups, and approximately 11 minutes to brew 12 cups.
In the middle of brewing, you can always pull the carafe out and pour yourself a cup. The coffee maker will automatically pause and resume when the carafe is put back into place.
So how does the coffee taste? As brew time affects flavor, I tested the maker on a range of different brews. I brewed 4 cups to start with. The coffee tasted slightly bitter and the chocolate-y notes were muted. But this got better with the number of cups brewed. The 8-cup and 12-cup brews tasted well-balanced and the chocolate-y notes came into their own — tasting just right and not overpowering the coffee at all.
While using the maker was smooth sailing, I did encounter an issue when trying to brew 12 cups. I struggled to load up 12 rounded spoons as recommended, as the ground coffee would spill over. Instead, I added 12 level spoons and that seemed to work fine. This will also depend on how finely ground the coffee is, so it requires some trial and error.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Extra features
The Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a no-frills coffee maker that doesn’t boast many fancy features. But it has one thing I loved testing: the 24-hour programmable timer. Basically, you load up the coffee and water and set a timer before bed, and you’ll wake up to perfectly brewed coffee. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.
The first thing I do every morning is have a cup of coffee. So on Sunday night, I set the timer to 8:30AM and programmed the coffee maker to brew four cups of coffee. Next morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee and there it was, perfectly brewed indeed. This is a really handy feature for mornings, especially for those with busy schedules like parents and/or commuters.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Maintenance
Maintaining the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is as easy as pie. The glass carafe, brew basket and coffee filter are dishwasher-safe. I washed them by hand and it took less than five minutes. I also put them on the top rack of my dishwasher and they came out unharmed and sparkly clean. The reservoir isn’t dishwasher-safe but, again, it takes barely any time to rinse and clean it.
Every two to three months, you’ll need to descale your coffee maker to prevent the build-up of mineral deposits. The product manual outlines the descaling instructions clearly.
Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: Verdict
If you’re looking to upgrade to a proper coffee maker but don’t want to spend too much on one, the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is for you. With the ability to brew 4 to 12 cups in just a few minutes, it’s perfect for families and small offices. It’s incredibly easy to use, and maintenance is child’s play thanks to the dishwasher-safe parts. Also, the coffee it makes is full of flavor.
There isn’t a lot wrong with this no-frills coffee maker but there are a few things to consider before buying it. The Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker sports a bulky design and has a large footprint. If you’re buying in the U.K., the hotplate stays warm for just 40 minutes. Also, while it’s recommended to use 12 rounded spoons for 12 cups, I’d suggest using level spoons instead, as the coffee tends to overflow otherwise.
Despite these small drawbacks, the Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is fantastic value for money as it costs just $69 / £69. It’s quick, easy, and delicious.
