Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: a simple and affordable coffee maker

Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker two-minute review

Instant is a brand that’s well-regarded for making some of the best Instant Pots as well as the best air fryers. And now Instant is capitalizing on its popularity by dipping a toe into other appliance categories, including coffee makers. 

The Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a simple drip coffee maker. If you’re reading this review, you’ve probably already discounted all the fancy Italian espresso machines and the single-serve pod coffee machines in your quest for the best coffee machine. And if it’s big mugs of gulp-able hot coffee that you're after, then one of the best drip coffee makers is a great choice.

This is a simple and easy-to-use coffee maker, and that should be enough for many. But if you want extra features such as customizable brew strength or an adjustable warming plate, you’ll need to look at the next model up. 

On test, this coffee maker delivered hot drinkable coffee at the touch of a button. It’s incredibly easy to use and I love that it comes with a reusable mesh filter, so there are no ongoing costs of buying paper filters. There’s nothing new or groundbreaking here to wow you, and its appearance is underwhelming, but all in all, given the price, it’s a good buy.

Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: price & availability

• List price: £69.99/ AU$99 
• Available in the UK and Australia  

At the time of writing, the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker is available in the UK and Australia. It’s very reasonably priced and is easy to find online through Instant Brands or on Amazon.

This model isn’t currently available in the US. Instead, the Instant Infusion Brew Plus 12-Cup Coffee Maker is available for $69.99. Although very similar, the Plus model comes with a few extra controls, such as customizable brew strength and a hotplate that stays on for up to four hours.

• Value for money score: 5 out of 5

Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker specifications

Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: design

• Simple LCD touch controls 
• Reusable mesh filter 
• Dishwasher-safe carafe 

As I’ve already mentioned, this is a pretty run-of-the-mill coffee maker in terms of appearance. It isn’t the kind of appliance that you’ll want taking pride of place in your kitchen for passers-by to admire, but nor will it offend anyone either.

The removable water tank at the rear has fill lines for 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 cup levels. The coffee carafe features the same cup markings and sits on a warming plate that turns on automatically when you start brewing.

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The UK model has a warming plate that stays on for 40 minutes. However, if you’re buying this in Australia then the warming plate will keep your coffee hot for up to four hours. A button on the control panel allows the warming plate to be switched off at any point.

Below the flip-up lid on the top is where you’ll find the reusable, washable filter. A coffee scoop is included in the box, with the basic rule to add one rounded scoop of ground coffee per cup. So if you’ve filled the water tank to the 8-cup line, you’ll need to add eight rounded scoops of coffee to the filter.

Aside from the start button that initiates brewing, the only other adjustable setting is the 24-hour timer. It’s easy to use and means you can set up the coffee maker before bed, and come down to fresh brew in the morning. 

The carafe, brew basket, and coffee filter are all dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. Plus, every two to three months you’ll need to run a descaling solution through the machine to remove any mineral build-up inside. Other than that, this model is pretty low maintenance.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker review: performance

• Intuitive to use 
• Easy to clean 
• Basic functions 

There was no instruction manual included in the box, just a getting started guide with a QR code to access instructions. The online instruction manual did prove very thorough, however because the Instant Infusion is an uncomplicated machine, I didn’t really have cause to refer to the manual much.

I made several different volumes of coffee while testing this machine. As a guide, it took four and a half minutes to make four cups, and seven minutes to brew eight cups; the maximum volume of 12 cups was ready in just under 10 minutes.

As is typical for the cup markings on a coffee maker such as this, they don’t translate into typical mug volumes. I found that the four-cup volume yielded enough coffee to fill two standard mugs.

When you’re desperate for coffee, the carafe can be removed briefly mid-way through brewing and coffee will stop dispensing until you replace it. And with a decent pouring lip, the liquid pours out of the carafe nicely without dripping.

The freshly brewed coffee temperature varied somewhat depending on the volume brewed, but was generally around 160-180ºF/ 70-80ºC. After sitting on the hotplate for 30 minutes, the temperature tended to increase to an average of 183ºF/ 84ºC.

The only problem I encountered while using this coffee maker was when brewing a full carafe. I added the 12 rounded scoops of ground coffee as recommended. However, during the brew process, the coffee grounds spilled over the top of the filter, with some making their way into the carafe of coffee.

I attempted making the 12 cups a couple of times, and the same thing happened on each occasion. In the end, I had to reduce the amount of coffee grounds when brewing a full carafe; I found 12 level scoops was much better than 12 rounded scoops. Note that this is something that will require some experimentation, because the amount of coffee you can use will somewhat vary depending on the grind size. 

The timer is super simple to set, and once it’s on, a handy clock symbol pops up on the display so you can be sure at a glance that it’s been set. It worked as expected and I came downstairs to freshly brewed coffee in the morning.

Coffee flavor will always depend on the coffee type as well as how freshly ground the beans are, so this is changeable, not to mention subjective. But even with a pretty generic store-bought ground coffee, the brewed coffee was enjoyable, if a little bitter.

Despite being dishwasher-safe, I chose to clean the carafe, brew basket and coffee filter in the sink, because they don’t really require much more than a quick rinse and wipe down to keep them clean on a daily basis. However, when I washed them in the dishwasher, they came out perfectly clean and undamaged.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker

• I used it every day for a week 
• I tried the programmable timer 
• I assessed how easy it was to clean 

I set up the Instant Infusion Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker in my kitchen and used it in place of my usual machine for a week. And despite being a fan of espresso-based coffees, I drank multiple mugs of this drip coffee instead.

It doesn’t have many features to try out, but I used the programmable timer and also made coffee in different cup volumes to check that it was consistent, no matter how much you brew. I also checked the temperature of the coffee and how this changed while it sat on the warming plate.

Home appliance reviews are my speciality and, as a trained home economist, I love kitchen appliances. I’ve been reviewing everything from coffee machines to blenders for over 15 years, so I know a thing or two about what works, and what is, quite frankly, annoying. 

• First reviewed April 2024