Is the BUNN BTX-B ThermoFresh any different?

Bunn, also known as the Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, is a Springfield, Illinois based company that manufactures coffee and tea brewing equipment. This company was founded in 1957 when George Bunn designed and introduced the first fluted paper coffee filter for commercial use. This simple invention was strong enough to stand upright on its own, and it kept the coffee grounds properly located so that they would not spill over into the water and ruin the brewed coffee. The company has been "pursuing the perfect cup" ever since.

In 1963, George Bunn was at it once again, and introduced the "pourover" coffee brewer, which was the world's first automatic drip coffee maker. This coffee maker was further improved, and in 1972 began selling as the first commercial grade drip brewer for home use.

Today, the Bunn Corporation continues to improve upon both its commercial and home brewing machines. The company is also the US distributer of the "Tiger Super Automatic Espresso Machine" made by Thermoplan AG. Thermoplan is better known as the company who makes the "Starbucks Mastrena". It is because of Bunn's dedication to quality and excellence that the name "Bunn" has become synonymous with a perfectly brewed cup of coffee.

Bunn did not just stop at coffee. In 1978, the Bunn-O-Matic Corporation began manufacturing and marketing the world's first iced tea maker. From this point, Bunn continued to focus on many different aspects of the hot and cold beverage industry and continued to improve upon the efficiency and quality of its products.

Because of continually striving to make better products, and even better beverages, Bunn has amassed quite an impressive list of accomplishments. The company has the distinction of being the first to develop the hot and cold water control system for restaurant use, as well as creating juice dispensers, and America's very first frozen drink system.

There is no question that Bunn has become the leader in beverage quality all over the world. The company has no doubt come a very long way since George Bunn first developed that fluted paper filter in 1957; but it has never lost sight of its beginnings and what the company's overall goal has always been: to make the most perfectly brewed beverage in the world.

Turning freshly picked coffee cherries into the beans that you buy at the store is a complicated process. Here's a brief description to give you an idea of how much work goes into preparing a batch of coffee beans.

After coffee cherries are picked, the first step in processing them is to remove the flesh surrounding the beans. There are two ways to do this. In the dry method, the cherries are dried, either by sunlight or mechanical methods, for about two weeks until the fruit shrivels and dries out. Coffee growers in Brazil, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Paraguay favor this method.

The wet method involves several more steps. First the cherries are run through a pulper, which scrapes the flesh off the beans. The beans are then fermented in a tank of water to remove any remaining flesh for twelve to twenty-four hours, depending on the location, and washed in clean water to remove any residue )beans produced this way are sometimes referred to as 'washed coffee'). Some growers use a mechanical scrubber rather than a water tank to remove the residue, in order to save water. The wet beans are then dried in the open air or in machines. This method is more popular in Kenya, Colombia, and Hawaii.

At the end of either process, the beans are run through a huller to remove their papery outer covering. This also polishes the beans so they look better in the bag. The beans are then cleaned, sorted, and graded, and can either be sold as "green" to those who wish to do their own roasting, or the grower can roast them himself. Green beans may also be chemically treated to decaffeinate them before roasting, or aged to improve their flavor.

Roasting coffee beans is a tricky process that requires the services of a qualified roasting master to ensure that the beans reach the right level of "doneness." The beans are emptied into a heated rotating drum and roasted for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the degree of roasting called for. A light roast only requires a few minutes of roasting, until the beans first begin to crackle and expand. A full roast, such as that used for espresso, lasts several more minutes and brings oils in the bean to the surface, producing a shiny appearance. A dark roast, or French roast, involves the beans being roasted until they smoke, producing very dark, glossy beans.

So the next time you enjoy a cup of coffee then taste a minute to appreciate the journey that coffee had to make to get to your cup!