Coffee Maker Braun FlavorSelect KF 157

by Jeff
(Indiana, USA)

Coffee Maker Braun FlavorSelect KF 157, 12-cup coffee maker. I bought two of these Braun coffee makers for the price of one (approximately $60) about 10 years ago. The store was having a close-out sale.

I started using one of the Braun coffee makers right away, and stored the other one for future use. The water pump went bad on the first one after about 5 years. The second one was then put into service, and has been working flawlessly since--approximately 5 years of use.

As the model name states, it can brew up to 12 (4.4 fluid ounce) cups of coffee. It can be used with, or without, an internal water filter. I currently use the Braun PureAqua internal water filters in mine, and replace this water filter every 2 months, as recommended. Our city has extremely hard, and often heavily chlorinated, water. So I also filter our water, using a Brita water filter pitcher, prior to pouring the water into the coffeemaker.

The Braun coffee maker has a continuously variable flavor (strength) selector dial, ranging from mild to robust. I normally keep this at the robust setting. It also has a 2-position cups (brewed) selector switch, with settings for minimum-to-3 cups and 4-to-maximum cups. I normally brew 9 cups of coffee, and keep the switch in the 4-to-maximum cups position.

The Braun coffee maker uses standard size #4 paper coffee filters. I use "If You Care" 100% unbleached paper coffee filters. The coffee maker included a gold-screen permanent coffee filter basket, which can be used instead of paper filters. I tried using the permanent filter basket, but found that it let an unacceptable amount of coffee grounds pass through into the brewed coffee.

I typically use Kroger medium-dark, 100% Colombian whole bean coffee, which I grind using a Krups GVX1 coffee bean grinder set to course (grind).

The Braun KF 157 coffee maker does NOT include a clock, a timer, or other automated features. I have no problem with this, as these are features that I'd probably never use, and would only add to the cost of the product. The Braun FlavorSelect KF 157 coffee maker does an excellent job. It performs as expected, and is the best non-commercial coffee maker I have owned or used. It takes approximately 5 minutes to brew 9 cups, which yields 3-to-4 cups in the 10 ounce coffee mugs I use. The warmer plate keeps the coffee at the perfect temperature for hours. The flavor and temperature of my morning coffee is very important to me.

After years of experimentation, using various brands and models of coffee makers, and types and brands of coffee, I am satisfied that I now enjoy the perfect cup of coffee, for my taste, each and every morning.