Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Coffee Maker
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
This is our second Zojirushi coffee maker. We have enjoyed our EC-BD15 for almost 10 years , but this unit may be on its last leg. I researched many coffee makers including the recommendations made by American Test Kitchen. ATK did not test this model. I was tempted by ATK's recommendation, but I decided to give Zojirushi EC-YTC100 a try. This did not disappoint.
The coffee maker gives an option of faster brew time (Time Saver function), which is nice because this shortens brew time, and the brew time is closer to the recommendation by the Specialty Coffee Association (if you care about things like this). This make and model does not have the SCA endorsement, but I don't really care because we get consistent excellent brew results.
We use more coffee than what Zojirushi recommends. If you use Zojirushi's table in its manual, the coffee:water weight ratio is almost 1:30. This brews weak coffee. The recommended ratio is around 1:20 or greater. We use about 1:18 ratio, i.e. 1 g coffee to 18 mL water; or if you are used to US imperial measurements, 1 oz coffee to 2.1 cups water (*** the cup here refers to your kitchen measuring cup and NOT the "cup" markings on the coffee maker. The volumes of "cup" markings on coffee makers vary widely among manufactures, but EC-YTC100's markings based on its manual is 1.5 L for 10 "cups" or 150 mL per "cup" marking or 0.6 standard kitchen measuring cup in the US). But you can always adjust to your taste. However, this present a potential problem. At maximum brewing volume of 10 cups (1.5 L), we would need 83 g of coffee (Zojirushi recommends 51 g for 10 cups). This may well be over their design capacity and cause the coffee grounds to overflow. We have not brewed at maximum as we stop at 8 cups (1.2 L) and use 67 g of coffee.
EC-YTC100 claims a brewing temperature of 200 deg F, and I measured 196 F out of the "shower head". The "shower head" is the distribution of water as the hot water is dispersed over the grinds. This model has a piece that disperses the water and the water drips over the entire basket instead of a narrow concentrated stream. This allows for better percolation of the hot water through the grinds.
With the cap on, the thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot all morning and well into the afternoon. I like this carafe model because the glass coffee model with a warmer tends to burn the coffee as it sits on the warmer.
Attention to details is excellent as with all Zojirushi products. The shower head piece, the brew basket, and the water tank can all be easily removed and cleaned. The various silicone gaskets around the carafe cap and the valves can all be removed and cleaned if needed. The removable water tank is extremely nice for ease of filling. The permanent filter works well, but my wife still prefers using paper filter.
Occasional descaling is needed using citric acid. The unit will alert you when it needs descaling. Do yourself a favor, buy food grade 100% citric acid in bulk, and you can buy it cheaply here at Amazon with resealable bag. Buy a cheap food scale (I bought Amazon brand for $10). Now you don't have to pay the outrageous price of Zojirushi branded citric acid (30g pouch). You can clean/descale to your heart's content. The scale is nice also to measure out your coffee. It's a kitchen gadget I didn't think I needed, but now that I have it, I really need it.
Overall, we are very satisfied with this coffee maker, its design, functionality, and most importantly, the quality of the brew. With proper maintenance, I anticipate another 10 years of ownership.
