TechRadar Verdict
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer was born from a desire to reinvent single-serve coffee, and this new machine, launched in October 2022, has delivered on that goal. With its biodegradable coffee pods, up to seven different beverage options to choose from, and partnerships with sustainably verified roasters, Bruvi’s Brewer and coffee pods make a terrific cup of coffee.
Pros
- +
Makes seven different types of beverages
- +
Coffee pods are biodegradable
- +
Sleek and stylish design
Cons
- -
Takes up quite a lot of counter space
- -
Doesn’t come with a milk frother
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One-minute review
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer is an aesthetically pleasing coffee machine that allows users to make up to seven different beverages. The beverage options include a standard cup of coffee (hot, iced or cold brew), Espresso, Americano, Tea and Infused Coffee.
One of Bruvi's goals in creating its new brewer system was to address the issue of the millions of single-use coffee pods that end up in landfills each year. While other companies provide pods that are meant to be recycled, the team at Bruvi knows that realistically, most users will end up tossing their used pods in the trash. This is why all of Bruvi coffee pods, called B-Pods, are designed to break down faster.
The Brewer is Bruvi's debut product making the company a newcomer to the best coffee maker scene. The machine is aimed at users who appreciate both a good cup of coffee, and a variety of options. With quality in mind, Bruvi only partners with premium, sustainably sourced craft coffee roasters. The Brewer is also perfect for people who are environmentally conscious: Guilt Free B-Pods are infused with bio enzymes which allow them to break down in landfills more rapidly than untreated plastics and leaving no microplastics behind.
Bruvi's new coffee machine is on the expensive side, but its variety of beverage options, easy-to-use Auto Optimized Brewing system, sustainable coffee pods, terrific roaster variety and quality, app capabilities and aesthetic design make it worth it. The only reason it doesn’t get a perfect score is that, at this price point, a milk frother would have been appropriate to include.
Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer price and availability
- List price: $398
- Only available to buy on Bruvi.com
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer is available to purchase on Bruvi's website. As part of the launch deal, for a limited time you can purchase the Bruvi Bundle, which includes the brewer, a variety pack of 20 B-Pods, a Premium Water Filter and Reusable Japanese Knot Bag, for $298. The regular price of the Brewer on its own is $398.
Price and availability score: 4.5 out of 5
Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer design
- Beautiful design that will compliment any kitchen
- Easy to set up
- Bruvi Bundle includes a variety pack of 20 pods
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer is beautiful to look at. It comes in one color, cream, with light wood accents that will enhance any kitchen or coffee cart it lives in. We would have liked to see a few more color options, but for a new brand’s debut product, it certainly delivers on design.
Once you plug in the machine, the display screen will light up, showing the variety of brewing options the machine has to offer. Before you start brewing for the first time, Bruvi says the machine must go through a cleansing cycle. While we were looking to get started straight away, the cleaning cycle was so easy to do, and barely felt like an extra step. All we had to do was remove and rinse the water tank, and then fill it with room-temperature water before reattaching to the brewer. We then ran hot water through the machine a couple of times, and we were then ready to get started on the fun: coffee.
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer can easily be adjusted to different cup sizes. If you’re using a mug, you can place this on the drip tray, which is the standard mode for this machine. If you want to brew espresso, the drip tray can be placed closer to where the coffee is dispensed by inserting it into a tab that’s higher up. For tall travel mugs, the drip tray can be pulled away from the base.
As mentioned, for a limited time you can purchase the Bruvi Bundle, which comes with the brewer, a variety pack of 20 B-Pods, a Premium Water Filter and Reusable Japanese Knot Bag. The variety pack is a perfect way to get introduced to the world of Bruvi coffee, and the options you'll be able to choose from when you're ready to purchase more coffee. The pack includes both coffee and espresso pods.
Design score: 5 out of 5
Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer performance
- Auto Optimized Brewing system makes it easy to use
- Up to eight different coffee sizes
- Easy to clean and maintain
The Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer is extremely easy to use, and once you've gone through a cleansing cycle, you’re good to go. We decided to start by making a classic hot cup of coffee using a Coffee B-Pod. After making sure there was enough water in the water tank, we turned on the machine, lifted the handle to open the sliding door cover, and inserted the B-Pod into the pod chamber. The Bruvi Brewer uses Auto Optimized Brewing, which means that the machine scans and recognizes each B-Pod to auto-adjust the brew parameters. In this case, since we chose a Coffee B-Pod, the machine was ready to brew a larger cup of coffee; when we then inserted an Espresso B-Pod to make our second test drink, the machine scanned it and was ready to make an espresso.
Once the B-Pod was in the chamber, we lowered the handle and heard a distinctive crunch, which was the sound of the airtight seal being punctured. From here you can choose to customize the coffee (Hotter, Low Acid, Americano, Stronger, Iced or Cold Brew), and choose a size. To start brewing, you simply press the Start/Stop button, and press it again if you want to stop brewing mid-cycle. The curved bars on each side of the Start/Stop button will turn off one by one as the brewing cycle progresses, so you can keep track of the progress in case you need to turn off the machine.
Since the variety pack only came with Coffee and Espresso B-Pods, we were only able to make those beverages, plus tea using the hot water option, but we were impressed by the quality of both the coffee and espresso B-Pods. We were also pleasantly surprised with how much coffee the B-Pods contained; according to Bruvi, they hold 40% more coffee than a typical pod. We enjoy a small cup of espresso with milk most days, which is why we’ve stuck to our trusty Nespresso machine (with the Original pods) for many years. But we realized how limiting that was once we began to crave larger and more refreshing iced coffees. With the Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer you’re not limited to just one type of beverage, and we would recommend this coffee machine to anyone who craves variety.
If you happen to live at high altitude - specifically 5,000+ feet (1.5+ km) above sea level - the Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer has a High Altitude mode. This mode will ensure a higher boiling point at your altitude (at a high altitude the boiling point is lower) so it won’t burn your coffee. All you have to do is press the Hotter and Cold Brew buttons at the same time for five seconds until they blink green. A maintenance step that coffee machine owners need to keep in mind, and which the Bruvi is not exempt from, is descaling. Descaling is the process of cleaning the inside of the brewer by running water through the machine with a descaling solution to remove mineral buildup. You’ll have to do this for the Bruvi Brewer after every 17 gals / 65 liters of water has passed through it. Another way to maintain the Bruvi Brewer is by using a water filter, which is included in the Bruvi Bundle. This water filter will help eliminate chlorine, minerals, and other impurities from the water. Both the descaler solution and the water filter can be purchased on Bruvi's website.
Performance score: 5 out of 5
Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer app
- Not required to operate the brewer
- You can schedule brews in advance
- Ordering pods is easy on the app
While the Bruvi App is not required in order to operate the brewer, it does provide extra features that may entice users to download it. All you have to do is download the Bruvi App and create a Bruvi account, and you’ll then be able to connect your Brewer to the app over Wi-Fi. The process is simple, and once you have it set up, you can remote-control the brewer from your phone, schedule brews ahead of time, view a history of the different B-Pods you've used, and get alerts about water tank levels and descaling.
We did enjoy using the Bruvi App when it was working, but our Brewer was disconnected a couple times, and we weren’t able to reconnect it after the second time. We think the most useful aspect of the app is the ability to schedule a brew ahead of time, and order B-Pods.
App score: 4 out of 5
Bruvi BV-01 Coffee Brewer score card
| Attribute | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Price & availability | The easy-to-use Auto Optimized Brewing system, sustainable coffee pods, terrific roaster variety and quality, and aesthetic design add up to a great-value package. | 5 / 5 |
| Design | The stylish design will look good in any kitchen. | 5 / 5 |
| Performance | It’s easy to set up and use, and offers a wide variety of coffee choices. | 5 / 5 |
| App | While the app is a nice addition to the Bruvi Brewer experience, and offers a couple of useful features, it’s not essential. | 4.5 / 5 |
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- First reviewed: December 2022
