Wilfa Precision Automatic Coffee Brewer (WSP-1B), Detachable Water Tank, Precise Temperature and Water Control, Hot Warming Plate, Glass Carafe Included, Pour Over, Black

The Wilfa Precision Automatic Coffee Brewer makes an absolutely fantastic cup of coffee. In fact, it does so well that the overall score improved despite my brewer having a fairly major issue when I received it. Thus, I do have to ding it for somewhat shoddy build quality. This product is designed by a Norwegian company but it is assembled in China.Specifically the issue I had when I first pulled it out of the box was I hit the brew button and it ran for about 5 seconds and then instantly shut itself off. I was about to box it back up to return it but decided since it was going back I'd just go ahead and pop the bottom off and take a look inside at how this thing ticks (I repair laptops for a living so I'm comfortable with disassembling electronics). It took me all of about 2 seconds to instantly spot the problem when I removed the bottom cover (held on by Phillips screws). There is a wire that comes off a sensor from the heating element that was pinched under one of the mounting screws. The mounting screw had flattened the wire and bit through the insulation and as such the screw was affecting the impedance of the wire. This was probably throwing off the voltage coming off the thermoblock sensor which would explain why the brew would start, run for a second, then go into some kind of protect mode and shut down once it realized the temperature reading was out of scope. I freed the wire from being snagged by the screw, taped off the section of the wire that had the insulation exposed, and rerouted it well away from any mounting points. I suspected that since this was just a wire coming off a thermocouple sensor it was just a simple 5v reference signal of no significant amperage. Thus the brewer would return to proper function once nominal impedance was restored and otherwise wouldn't affect power delivery to other systems. Sure enough when I buttoned everything back up, the thing started brewing coffee like a champ. Yes, the principle of buying something new is that one should not be expected to open it up and do self-repairs right out of the box. But on the bright side I did get an opportunity to peak under the hood and can say that the engineering that has gone into the water pump, plumbing, heating elements, and sensors is fairly impressive. This is far from your simple, cheap coffee maker in terms of functionality.The coffee itself that this thing brews if phenomenal. I find that a fairly fine grind works best in general but of course every bean has it's own characteristics and needs some tweaking in grind size to get the flow rates dialed in. Anybody that has this or is considering getting this probably already has a coffee grinder but if not then it's certainly a must have. Most people focus on the brewer in determining the overall quality of the brew. But dialing in the grind of your beans is every bit, if not more so, as important to the cup quality. Given the brew temp of 195 degrees F (which I measured) I'd say it is best suited for a darker roast. The fact that you can stick a spoon into the brew basket while it is brewing pretty much makes this an automatic, pour over style coffee maker. I usually let the brew start and then let it go till the beans get a good bloom and soaked with hot water (right around halfway through the total reservoir volume). Then, I stick my spoon in and give it a quick swish back and forth to break up the coffee stuck to the sides of the filter paper and make sure everything gets submerged. Then, right as the reservoir runs out of water (if the grind and drip speed selector is set correctly) you should have a basket full of water. I stick the spoon back in and scrap down around the sides of the filter paper to make sure all the coffee gets knocked down to a flat bed of coffee at the bottom of the basket. Once the water has all filtered through I immediately cup or transfer to a vacuum carafe to keep warm. Do not let it sit on the hot plate or it'll just cook the coffee till it's burnt. What you should end up with is a full bodied, strong, and yet smooth cup of coffee.

I am a huge coffee drinker and did my research when I purchased this unit. I was excited to get it and give it a try. When it first arrived, it worked great and the coffee tasted really good for a home brew cup of coffee. I grind my own beans, use the right water and pay attention to the details to get a really good cup. This unit delivered...at first. I used this pretty heavy, making at least one pot per day, but averaging 10 pots over a weeks time.Here is where it falls apart for me; the quality an engineering is really poor. After 6 months of use, the "arch" (which is used to enclose the piping to deliver the water to the top of the unit) cracked. It didn't just crack, it split from top to bottom. I have attached a picture to show the split. As of last week, this unit stopped working all together. It runs briefly, but it is clear the pump to deliver the water has quit. I purchased this in November of 2019, it had a serious crack by May of 2020, and by April 2021 it no longer works. The last cheap Black & Decker coffee pot I had lasted 12 years and I learned how to make a good cup with it. Realizing the beans and water make a huge difference in the quality of brew, I won't be purchasing an expensive unit to replace.One other detracting factor, it only brews 8 cups. Any coffee I didn't drink in the morning would turn into a cold cup after work. This is too small to ever have left over. But, I knew that going in, so that one is on me. But...it would be nice if they offered a larger capacity unit.To summarize, I was initially impressed with the unit and the taste of the coffee. Shortly after the design flaws showed up and after 18 months of use, it stopped working all together. I will not purchase another Wilfa again. Avoid this unit until a serious redesign comes out.

I was really looking forward to a coffee maker that would help me make coffee at the strength I like. So many of them have huge carafes with tiny baskets that make it impossible to get a whole pot that isn't so weak you feel like you're a 1970 diner drinking cruddy, weak, insipid coffee. The Wilfa claims to allow you to adjust the flow rate, which I thought would be perfect to allow a slow flow of hot water over a large amount of ground coffee to make a nice strong pot of coffee. Unfortunately the flow that you can adjust is not the inflow of water into the basket, it's the outflow. That means that if you have it set on a low setting in order to crank up the strength, the basket overflows and you end up with a pot full of coffee grounds. In fact the instructions describe specific settings for each amount of coffee you intend to make, which really means that you make your coffee to their specifications. Not yours.It is solidly built, and I like the simplicity of it. It just needs the capability for a user-selected in-flow rate. Maybe after a while enough calcium will build up to slow the rate to one I prefer.

I've worked in specialty coffee for over a decade and own a specialty coffee shop/roastery.Initially I really enjoyed this product. The price was right, and I had read some good reviews.The first unit I ordered had a crack in the upright. Being that this machine delivers 200 degree water, I opted to reach out to the company and they promptly sent me a replacement. I've had this replacement for about 7 months and this morning after brewing a pot of coffee the entire upright had a large crack down the side.While I like this brewer (minus the heat plate, but that's not a deal breaker) I'll definitely say the build quality is questionable. I jumped on a sale, and do t regret buying the product, but now I'm on the lookout for another brewer and may stay away from Wilfa..