Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker review: Customizing the perfect cup

If variety is the spice of life, the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker is one of the spiciest coffee makers on the market. It’s designed to accommodate a range of users, and serve as more than “just” a coffee maker. It’s not cheap, but the many features, in addition to the quality build, more than justify the price, solidifying it among the best drip coffee makers. In fact, the Braun MultiServe actually makes the coffee brewing process fun – and that’s not a word you typically associate with coffee makers. Keep reading to find out why we’re quite impressed with this appliance.

Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker: Specs

• Water tank capacity: 10 cups
• Dimensions:  15” H x 13” L x 7.1” W 
• Weight: 10 pounds
• Water filter: Yes
• Warming Plate:  Gold Tone permanent filter 
• Programmable: Yes
• Warranty: 3 years

 Who Will the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker Suit? 

The Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker is ideal for people who like variety. It includes several ways to brew coffee and accommodates several container sizes. The coffee maker also has a sleek stainless-steel finish and doesn’t take up much space, making it a good choice for people who appreciate beautiful appliances.

Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker: First Impressions and Unboxing 

The Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker is well packed, and includes instructions and quick-start guide, a glass carafe with a flip lid, a gold tone permanent filter, filter basket, 2-sided coffee measuring scoop, and a charcoal water filter, which goes into the charcoal water filter holder.

The water tank has a wide mouth, which makes it easy to fill without spilling water. It is removable and includes a handle for added convenience. The water tank has water level indicators, and the coffee pot has cup level indicators.

The LCD control panel includes the clock and programmable features. This is also where I was able to select the beverage container size and brew options. On the left bottom side is the hot surface indicator light. There’s also a green lever above the glass carafe that can be moved from “Coffee” to “Drip Stop” to pause during the brewing process. However, if it isn’t moved back within the course of 2 minutes, the brew process will end. To the right of the “Drip Stop” setting is the “Hot Water” setting for brewing hot water for hot chocolate or tea.

Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker: Using the coffee maker 

The control panel displays the time of day, temperature, and the freshness indicator. I can choose from four brew options: over ice, light, gold, and bold:

• Over ice brews over-ice coffee
• Light produces a milder cup of coffee
• Gold is the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) mode and is usually the recommended mode
• Bold produces a stronger cup of coffee

In addition, I can select “water” if I just want hot water for tea or hot chocolate. When using this feature, I can also increase or decrease the water temperature.

Although the charcoal water filter is optional, I chose to use it since the filter is designed to remove chloride and other contaminants from tap water. (I have a PUR water filter on my faucet, but one can never be too sure.) Per the instructions, I filled a glass of water, and let the charcoal water filter sit in it for 15 minutes before installing it into the charcoal water filter holder.  

Then I added coffee and water and chose my settings. There are several beverage size options to choose from on the dial: 5 oz., 8 oz., 12 oz., 16 oz., 20, oz., half a carafe and a full carafe. I also selected half a carafe. When the coffee has finished brewing, there’s an audible alert, and the countdown freshness clock starts. In the image below, notice the countdown freshness clock is at 52 (minutes), which means the coffee is 8 minutes old in terms of freshness.

Note: the keep warm plate and the freshness indicator will only work when choosing the half a carafe and full carafe size options. You can see that the hot surface light (under the glass carafe) is lit, and will remain lit until the coffee maker has been turned off, and the plate has cooled down.  

I didn’t make hot chocolate or tea on this day, but I love that I can change the water temperature setting when brewing hot water. Braun recommends the following preset temperature settings:

• 158 degrees for white tea
• 167 degrees for green tea
• 176 degrees for Jasmine tea
• 185 degrees for Oolong tea
• 194 degrees for instant tea
• 203 degrees for herbal teas and infusions, like peppermint, chamomile, and black tea

Cleaning the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker

Cleaning the Braun MultiServe is pretty easy. The glass carafe, filter basket, and gold tone permanent filter can all be put in the dishwasher’s upper rack, or they can be handwashed with soapy, warm water and then rinsed. Harsh cleaners and scouring material should not be used. The actual coffee maker can be wiped with a damp cloth (soapy when needed).

There’s an LED “Clean” feature on the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker. It will illuminate when the coffee maker needs to be descaled. Pressing the Clean feature will initiate the descaling process. The company recommends using Braun Descaling Solution. (Be sure to remove both the gold tone permanent filter and the charcoal filter before descaling).

How does the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker compare to similar products

I’ve tested a variety of high-end coffee makers, including Wolf Gourmet, Breville Precision Brewer, Bonavita Connoisseur, De’Longhi All-In-One, Ratio Six, and Ninja-Dual Brew. The Braun MultiServe is most comparable to the Ninja Dual Brew since both have several brew styles and a separate water dispenser, and both accommodate various beverage sizes. The Ninja Dual Brew is more expensive, although it is also compatible with pods, and has a milk frother.

I really like the Braun MultiServe’s LED touch controls, and the fact that it’s quite simple to operate. The machine is durable, although it lacks the high-quality materials found in the Wolf Gourmet Coffee Maker. On the other hand, it is also several hundred dollars cheaper than the Wolf as well.

The ability to control the water temperature for tea and hot chocolate is very rare, and helps to make Braun standout from competitors. I also appreciate the audible notification when the coffee is ready and the visual freshness countdown from 60 minutes. 

However, I’m not a fan of glass carafes because they’re breakable and don’t keep coffee hot as long as a thermal carafe. Also, the stainless steel Braun MultiServe looks and feels much more expensive than the black or the white finishes; however, compared to higher-end coffee makers, some of the components still look and feel a little cheap, especially for the price. Also, since the clean button is right above the off/on button, more than once I touched it by mistake.

Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker: Our verdict

The Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker provides plenty of features. For households with various coffee drinkers, it will allow each person to customize their brewing cycle and also provide hot water for tea or hot chocolate. The various container sizes are also convenient for those who don’t always want to brew a pot or half a pot of coffee. 

If you want an upgrade from your $100 (or less) coffee maker, it’s a good choice for a higher-end model that won’t break the bank.

Where to buy: Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker

About this review and our reviewer

Terri drinks (decaf) coffee every day – and can drink it with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She has tested over a dozen coffee makers – with plans to test at least a dozen more. 

All our reviews, as in the case of the Braun MultiServe Coffee Maker, are based on the real-life experience of using these products at home. The products are given to us free of charge and we test them for as long as possible before sending them back to the brand unless we are able to keep them as we are with this coffee maker. This means that we can continue to use the product, which gives us the opportunity to return to our reviews for updating, so you can keep up-to-date with how it's fared over a period of time