- Sales Rank: #122252 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Color: Stainless
- Brand: Zojirushi
- Model: SH-HA10XA
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x
5.13" w x
8.00" l,
1.08 pounds
Features
- Stainless Steel Thermal Carafe
- One-touch pour (on-lid thumb control pouring/locking mechanism)
- Pinch-release stopper for easy removal
- Stopper disassembles for thorough cleaning
- Accommodates most direct brewing attachments
The Stainless Steel Thermal Serve Carafe features a stainless steel vacuum liner with excellent heat retention and one-touch pour for easy serving.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.Zoji Stainless Carafe - A good performer, with some room for improvement.
By Timothy J. Sexton
Caution: what follows is a long-winded review - if you are having trouble falling asleep, read this around bedtime! ;-)For those looking for the Reader's Digest version of the review - although overall I like this carafe, there are a few things about it that resulted it not being a "keeper" for my needs. The first thing I look for in a carafe is top-notch heat retention, and there are other carafes that do better than this one. The 3 ¼" wide x 2 ½" deep large plastic top / spout assembly is one of the main reasons this carafe loses heat faster than some competing carafes. Next, the engineering, materials and number of parts used in the top / spout assembly is another factor in not making this carafe a top pick for me.This carafe is still a very fine choice - don't get me wrong. The Zoji Stainless is an attractive vessel, with sleek lines and a wide bottom so it is near impossible to tip over. It is also stainless inside AND out - no "non stick" coating or other foreign materials here! Bottom line is this carafe is better than most out there - I just prefer carafes that retain heat a little better, ones with simpler spout assemblies that are easier to operate, clean and less to break or lose small parts. YMMV. For my needs, if I want a 100% stainless carafe for more durability / travel, I would probably opt for a high efficiency thermos at 1/3rd the cost and 2x the simplicity.Now, on to a more detailed look at the Zoji Stainless Thermal Carafe....First, I have been using a different Zoji Thermal carafe for home use for a while now - namely the AHGB-10SE - which is a glass lined model and is half the price. When I saw they released this carafe I thought it would be perfect for my RV or for travel since it does not have a glass liner that could break. I was excited to give it a try!My first three criteria for a carafe are simple - heat retention, heat retention and heat retention! There are times where my coffee will sit for a few hours in the carafe, and I want it hot when it comes out! After that, things like carafe design, how well it pours without making a mess, how many moving parts it has that could break, how well designed the "push button" pour features work are other criteria.What I LIKED about the Zoji Stainless Carafe:- As mentioned, nice stainless finish, both inside and out. It is touted to be 18/8 stainless.- The shape and design. It just downright looks cool. Plus it is wider at the bottom, which makes it very hard to tip over. Great design from an ergonomic and aesthetics standpoint!- The push button spout performance - it works well and is easy to use. It does not have much "after drip" and pours at an acceptable speed. Note, as stated below, this convenience comes at a price.**What I DON'T LIKE about the Zoji Stainless Carafe:- The top and pour spout assembly - First, it is huge at 3 ¼" wide and 2 ½" deep!! It is made up of two main large plastic components, and can be broken down further into smaller plastic parts for cleaning. It also has a large silicone seal ring where the top seats into the carafe to prevent dripping. The ONLY metal / stainless part in the entire top assembly is the spring which is used to give the pour lever tensioning. Overall, IMHO, there is too much dead space in this assembly, and it could have been better engineered to be smaller, and have less plastic on the parts that control the lever. PLUS - the innards of the top are hard to clean, it will trap coffee / liquid and will impart after-taste as a result if not cleaned frequently.- The top / spout assembly is the major reason this carafe does not retain heat as well as other vessels. That much plastic results in heat escaping - you can feel it when you touch it - plastic is just not the best insulator! I think the top was designed to be wide for easier cleaning, but I would have preferred it smaller - a bottle brush can tackle cleaning narrower tops with no problem, so I don't really see the intent of such a large opening!- The spring assembly inside the top that is used for the pouring lever is a plastic mechanism - except the spring itself. The post it rides on is plastic, and most importantly the nub / wheel which holds the spring is a small plastic tab. There is no way that little nub is going to last long term - the spring post / clip / wheel should have been made out of stainless. It is a concerning aspect of the mechanics of the top.- It spits up! ;-) If you overfill the carafe even slightly, putting the top on will cause the liquid to shoot out through the spout. Likewise, if there is any residual liquid in the top assembly, it will also evacuate that liquid and spit up when you put the top back on. Since the top assembly is so large and deep, residual liquid is unavoidable, so the spitting up is common from my experiences.- It is overpriced at near $55 IMHO for what it is. *EDIT* I notice Amazon lowered the price to $48 soon after I posted this initial review. Like many products the price fluctuates.Now for some data on how well this carafe retains heat. Here are some of my testing results with this carafe versus other carafes / thermos's I own, but first:**Assumptions of the testing:- The starting temps of the carafes was in the 205-207 deg range - there was a couple degree loss from boiling temps after pouring the water in.- A Thermworks Thermapen was used to measure the temperature at one hour intervals. This probe is a very accurate.- Room temperature during the testing was 80 degrees. (I live in AZ) To compare, I think Zojirushi's testing room temperature is closer to 70 degrees. So my results may be slightly skewed up.***HEAT RETENTION DATA - CARAFES***-------------------------------------------------*Zoji Stainless Thermal Carafe 1L *-- Start:206; 1hr-198; 2hr-190; 3hr-183; 4hr-176; 5hr-170; 6hr-165; 8hr-161; 10hr-154; 12hr-xxx; 24hr-127;--*Zoji Glass Lined Thermal Carafe 1L (AHGB-10SE)*-- Start:206; 1hr-201; 2hr-197; 3hr-194; 4hr-191; 5hr-187; 6hr-184; 8hr-179; 10 hr-175; 12hr-171; 24hr-150;--*Capresso Stainless Carafe*-- Start:206; 1hr-189; 2hr-171; 3hr-155; 4hr-147; 5hr-139; 6hr-130; 8hr-118; 10 hr-110; 12hr-103; 24hr-082;--*Stanley 1 qt Vacuum Thermos*-- Start:206; 1hr-199; 2hr-194; 3hr-189; 4hr-184; 5hr-180; 6hr-176; 8hr-170; 10 hr-165; 12hr-160; 24hr-137;--*PMI Migo Vacuum Thermos 1L*-- Start:206; 1hr-202; 2hr-197; 3hr-194; 4hr-191; 5hr-187; 6hr-184; 8hr-180; 10 hr-176; 12hr-172; 24hr-151;**Observations from the testing:- Zojirushi claims this Stainless Thermal Carafe will retain temps of 153 degs after 10 hours and 120 degs after 24 hours. That is almost exactly what I came up with, so good on Zoji for truth in advertising! Note also that Zoji rates the Thermal Carafe (glass lined) at the same ratings, however from my testing, it literally SMASHES those estimates... and why I own one!- If you drink quickly, and your drink does not sit in the vessel for very long, then any one of the products above will work well. However, as you approach one hour and beyond, the results start to vary significantly. Personally, sometimes my coffee sits for 3-4 hrs - and I want my drink to still be nice and hot.- Notice that the longer the hot liquid stays in the vessel, the slower the rate of temperature decline over time - that is physics and should be expected.- Since the intended use of this carafe was for RV / travel, the fact that both the Migo and Stanley Thermos performed better on heat retention, and are have simpler top / pour characteristcs means I will probably use those instead.Would I buy the Zoji Stainless carafe as my first choice? Maybe not for my needs. The multi-part, bulky over-sized top / spout mechanism is a turn off for me, it is just too big and results in lower heat retention, more difficult cleaning and more things to go wrong! Less is more when it comes to carafe tops / spouts IMHO.However, In the end it is still a fine carafe, and those that decide to give it a try could very well be happy with it. I just wanted to point out the things I thought could have been better. YMMV.Thnanks for reading!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.better than all my old zojirushi carafes
By Nat Trapper
indestructible. stylish, practical, great heat retention. coffee stays really hot. easy to pour. easy to clean. love the stainless steel liner. i've broken a few glass lined carafes, this one will go the distance.
0 comments:
Post a Comment