BUNN Velocity Brew Review: What the Reviews say about the BT and GRB Models

bunn velocity brew review

The Bunn Velocity Brew is the coffee machine for any consumer of stylish and practical coffee makers! In fact, we placed it first on our list. The Bunn combines the efficiency of a simple pot coffee maker with the elegance of more eclectic brands. It offers everything a coffee lover could want in a simple package that is easy to understand and exceedingly quick to operate.

No more fighting through your morning grog to get your coffee maker to do its job, no more shrinking back as it starts gargling in a concerning new way, just you and the fresh coffee the Bunn Velocity Brew will dispense to you. But to fully understand why the Bunn should be your next coffee maker, we are here to run you through its many features and abilities and how it can enhance your coffee drinking experience.

Just so you know, if you click on a product and decide to buy it, we may earn a small commission.
CHECK PRICE →

Bunn Velocity Brew

bunn velocity brew

The Bunn is a larger coffee maker and has a notable presence on your kitchen counter, but it is worth every inch of space it takes up. That said, this is no Mr. Coffee or small-pot coffee maker. You will get several cups out of each pot you make, but it will be worth it.

Nothing else comes with the Bunn other than its pot, water tank and special filters made to fit the model. It does not need anything else. The Bunn Velocity Brew has everything it needs to give you great cups of coffee.

The discerning eye will soon notice that it does not have many of the extra features high-end coffee makers often do, such as a clock. It does not have a screen or a timer either. The Bunn Velocity Brew does not even have buttons, save for the brew button. For those who want something simple and effective, look no further. For those who wish for their coffee maker to be the center of their kitchen, perhaps look at Bunn’s other products.

Pros and Cons

bunn bt velocity brew

Pros ✅

  • The speed of the Bunn BT Velocity Brew is unmatched, both in terms of quality and quantity 
  • The entire process from start to finish is about as easy as it could be. You have to do next to nothing to make coffee with this machine
  • While it is tall, the Bunn Velocity manages not to take up an excessive amount of counter space
  • Brews 10 full cups of coffee at a time on a single load of coffee grounds. All 10 cups constantly turn out high-quality and at the correct strength for the blend
  • The water tank holds enough water for two full pots and keeps it all at a prime brewing temperature.
  • The Velocity Brew runs quietly, which is a benefit considering that it is always running when it is plugged in
  • This is an all-American-made product
  • The Bunn Velocity Brew is built to last many long years without breaking down. Its mostly metal and heat-resistant plastic construction is exceedingly durable

Cons ❌

  • You will need to constantly buy Bunn’s unique filters to properly brew any coffee in the Bunn Velocity Brew. Some customers say that the filters do not fit properly despite being made specifically for the model, though this can be difficult to corroborate
  • Some of the components of the Bunn Velocity are made of thinner plastic and may make some customers question its structural integrity
  • Further extenuating the distrust of the plastic components, when the Velocity Brew is left running for some time, it may begin to produce a somewhat noticeable odor of burning plastic. The manufacturer insists that all products are tested and sufficiently heat resistant, but the smell does tend to linger
  • The Bunn Velocity Brew does not come with a measuring scoop, one cannot even be purchased separately for the specific product. All customers have to work with is the instructions stating it takes two heaping tablespoons of finely-ground coffee beans

Bunn Velocity Brew Review

Design: 4/5 ⭐

The intent behind the Bunn’s design seems to be sleek and practical more than outwardly flashy. We have discussed its size, but it might make more sense to go into just how that mass is utilized, so you can better understand where to put it on your counter. 

Some may go as far as to call the Bunn comically large or more comically tall. People will notice your coffee maker, and they likely will comment on it. 

That said, it is much taller than it is broad. It stands at a whopping 15 inches tall, yet is only 7 inches wide. It is also 13 inches deep, but if you have it plugged into an outlet on a kitchen counter, you likely will not notice that all too often.

You will notice the height, but vertical space is often less of a hot commodity on a kitchen counter compared to horizontal space. By that metric, the width or breadth of your counter the Bunn Velocity Brew takes up is comparable to much more standard pot coffee makers, or even larger single-cup coffee makers in some cases. 

In terms of aesthetics, there is nothing about the Bunn BT Velocity Brew that would offend the eye. It is an overall minimalist design with chrome brushed accents and black plastic pieces. One of the few expensive-looking features is the stainless-brushed front grill under the pot bearing the Bunn logo.

As there are almost no auxiliary features to the Bunn, you can rest assured that every inch of its frame is worthwhile. The pot itself can hold up to 10 cups of premium-grade coffee. How many other competitors can say that? Can a Mr. Coffee hold 10 cups of coffee? Most pots are considered large for holding 4 or 5 cups. 

Speaking of the pot itself, the Bunn Velocity Brew’s entire design focuses on extenuating the pot and its size. The pot makes up twelve of the 15-inch height. When looking at the Bunn head-on, you see little other than the pot and the Bunn logo.

All and all, the Bunn Velocity Brew is made to make a lot of good coffee. It does not need to do anything else. It can do without a clock or extra buttons. All it needs is its impressively tall coffee pot and the ability to fill it with good java.

Ease of Use: 5/5 ⭐

The Velocity is so simple that there is barely any use involved at all in the traditional sense. Plug in the coffee maker and hit the “on” switch. The Velocity Brew does the rest for you, leaving nothing but you and a hot pot of coffee.

Best Features: 4/5 ⭐

The Bunn makes coffee, and it does that one task well. It is pretty different from your standard drip-coffee machine. It works somewhat in the reverse. It does not sit idly by waiting to be filled, it is ready to go at the drop of a hat and you have to prepare for the next pot of coffee sometime later. 

You still need to add water, which is held in a water tank, unlike a pod coffee maker or any other basic model. You still need to prep and grind the beans yourself and slot them into the tray, but you do all of this after brewing your most recent pot of java instead of before the first. The water tank has to be full before you can do anything else.

The Bunn will proceed to keep this water at the ideal scalding temperature for coffee at all times. It is best not to move it once you find a perfect place for it in your kitchen. But aside from this minor issue, the constant heat means that you are ready for action after you insert the coffee grounds into the top.

The water tank holds enough hot water for two full pots of coffee from the Bunn. That is roughly the amount of water to pour 20 cups of coffee, kept at scalding temperatures, inside of this machine at all times. 

The water weight brings the entire machine’s weight up to roughly 10 pounds. It takes 15 minutes to brew the coffee with the preheated water to temperature once you plug it in. Once the water is heated and ready, all you need to do is plug it in and turn it on. Everything else is done for you by the Bunn Velocity Brew itself. 

The coffee pot itself takes a few minutes to fill due to its size, but the Bunn does it automatically once it is turned on and ready to go. It cannot be stressed enough how the Velocity Brew exists to do one thing, but it does it exceptionally well.

Performance: 5/5 ⭐

So how well does the Bunn make coffee? Pretty darn well, it has to be said. We discussed at length how hot the machine gets, now let’s talk about how it uses that heat to give you a vast quantity of high-quality coffee.

The Velocity Brewer, and most Bunn products in general, are notoriously forgiving when it comes to the number of coffee grounds you put into them. If you fill the dish with grounds, the coffee will turn out perfectly. The water filters through at the correct quantity to ensure that much. 

Regardless of the coffee grains or quantity thereof, you will get a steaming pot of it ready to go in 4 minutes after hitting the “on” switch. As spartan as the Bunn Velocity’s design may be, the final result is as good as you would expect. 

Compare this to other popular pot coffee brands where you have to learn through trial and error how to measure the exact right amount of coffee grounds for the filter and the amount of water you want to use. Sure, the skilled may someday find they can produce the occasional better cup of coffee, but the rest of us thrive on the simplistic and consistent. The Bunn thrives on these too.

The Bunn Velocity Brew does come with its unique filters made to fit its shape and design, but not a measuring scoop to speak of. The instructions recommend one or two “heaping” tablespoons of coffee grounds. Once again, there is a lot of leeway in how much you can add, and the end product will turn out equally great regardless.

When it comes to sheer performance once loaded and powered, the “velocity” in this coffee maker’s name is certainly not for show. We want to reiterate that the Bunn fills a 13-inch tall coffee pot containing enough liquid to fill 10 coffee cups in just under four minutes. Most coffee makers take longer to produce less than half as much coffee.

One reviewer notes that it is almost like the Velocity Brewer is powered by a mini jet engine of some kind. It just blasts them out on command. If there is a single reason to get this coffee maker, it is for the absolute speed that it produces such a significant quantity of coffee. Even most coffee pot consumers struggle to name a machine this fast

Moreover, the forgiving nature of the brewing process is made more impressive by the speed and amount of coffee produced. Every pot is consistently as good, if not better, than it would be from a competing brand, and now you have twice as much of it in a fraction of the time. The Velocity Brewer is proof that increased quality does not necessarily mean sacrificing quality.

Even when it comes to prep time, this coffee brewer is built for speed. The water chamber reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit in under a minute. This is an excellent reason to put it somewhere where you will not have to touch the coffee maker unnecessarily or where you might accidentally bump it, but it is a small price to pay for such fast and consistently good coffee.

Maintenance: 5/5 ⭐

Unplug the Bunn Velocity and let it cool off for at least an hour before cleaning it. There is no need to burn yourself when you do not need to. Aside from that, the Bunn could not be much easier to clean than it already is.

The water tank does not produce much waste or accumulate much grime, likely due to the constant heat. Once it cools off, you can just rinse it out and dry it, and it will be as good as new. The plastic pieces are in a similar situation. The entire coffee maker does not produce much waste.

The bean tray will need to be cleaned periodically, but thanks to the filter, the total amount of spillover from water, coffee grounds, or brewed coffee will be limited. In a word, cleaning and maintenance for the Bunn BT Velocity brew are as simple as the machine itself.

Cost: 3/5 ⭐

The Bunn Velocity Brew sells at roughly $120 new. Some people bemoan this price for being too high for such a simple machine. However, if what you want is a sleek and effective coffee machine that turns out ten cups of coffee in 4 minutes, $120 is a small price to pay for quality.

CHECK PRICE →

Conclusion

bunn grb velocity brew

These BUNN coffee makers may not be the perfect machines for everyone. Not every household can go through 10 cups of coffee in one sitting, but for those of us who can, there is nothing that can get your coffee brewed and prepared faster and more constantly than this product. 

If what you want is a coffee maker that makes a lot of coffee with no hassle, then look no further than the Bunn Velocity. It honestly is the fastest way to make as much coffee as it does and to do it in such an efficient and agreeable manner. 

This is a no-nonsense BUNN coffee maker for no-nonsense coffee enthusiasts. If that is what you want, then we’ve just shown you the best coffee maker you never knew you needed. It might be worth considering the Bunn as soon as you wake up in the morning with a craving for java.

CHECK PRICE →
Author Profile Picture

Parker Russell is a coffee professional and the founder of Black Ink Coffee. As an expert in the field of coffee roasting, cupping (professional Q-Grader) and brewing, Parker has established Black Ink as brand that fuels the grind of dreamers.