BUNN SBS Speed Brew Select Coffee Maker (55800.0000) review

BUNN · SBS Speed Brew Select · item 55800.0000

A grounds-only brewer for someone who values a ready hot-water tank and a fast, manually started mug or glass-carafe batch more than a timer, pod menu or temperature controls.

The speed comes from a hot tank

The Speed Brew Select has a different daily rhythm from a typical cold-fill drip maker. BUNN describes a 70-ounce stainless-steel tank that keeps brewing water hot. Before the first use, the shared Speed Brew manual calls for a fill-and-flush setup and then about 15 minutes for the tank to heat. After that initial preparation, a normal brew begins when you measure water in the carafe, pour it into the brewer’s top bowl, close the lid and let the cycle run. There is no clock to program the night before: the person using it starts each brew.

BUNN advertises a 20-ounce travel-mug brew in about two minutes and a full 50-ounce carafe in about four. Those are the manufacturer’s claims, based on its own testing, not times measured independently for this review. The useful point is the trade: a preheated tank can shorten the wait after you start, but it means keeping brewing water hot between uses. BUNN does not publish standby electricity consumption in the reviewed materials, so the ongoing power cost cannot be estimated from these claims alone. If a timer and heating water only at the chosen start time matter more, a conventional programmable brewer is the better direction.

“Ten cups” is a 50-ounce pot

The Select is labeled a ten-cup brewer, while its manual defines a maker cup as five ounces. The chart gives four, six, eight and ten cups as 20, 30, 40 and 50 ounces of water. This makes the smallest charted batch a 20-ounce brew—not a four-ounce pod or one ordinary mug. BUNN separately documents a 20-ounce travel-mug route, so one large commute cup is possible without making a full carafe. For a different mug size, the published menu does not establish another single-serve volume.

The same measured-pour routine serves the glass carafe. Its switch-operated warmer can be turned on for a pot that stays on a heated plate, but BUNN gives no selectable plate-temperature menu or stated automatic shutoff time on the page or manual reviewed here. If you prefer coffee held by insulation rather than by an active plate, compare the CSB3T Speed Brew Platinum Thermal: it uses a thermal pot and a different post-brew routine. The Select’s glass vessel, visible coffee level and warmer switch are a better fit only when those are the way you actually serve a batch.

Grounds and filter choices are part of the routine

The SBS is a drip brewer for loose grounds, not a pod-and-grounds hybrid. Its tall funnel takes a BUNN paper filter; the manual specifically instructs owners to use BUNN filters, and the product page says BUNN’s filters are taller than standard filters. The maker does not clearly itemize a starter filter supply or a reusable grounds filter in the material reviewed, so do not assume either is included. The dedicated brew funnel for this SBS has its own exact item number if a replacement is needed.

The product page also notes that a flow restrictor is sold separately in a Speed Brew parts bundle. BUNN support says a special restrictor may be useful with decaf, fine-ground coffee or soft water when the funnel overflows. That is a conditional flow issue, not an espresso-style pressure mode or a strength selector. Use the filter and grind guidance rather than expecting the Select to offer a “bold” adjustment.

Setup and upkeep should not be an afterthought

An always-hot water tank is convenient only if its care fits your habits. BUNN’s manual recommends routine cleaning about every three months, with frequency adjusted for mineral content and slower flow. Its cleaning procedure involves vinegar, a soak and repeated fresh-water flushes; before removing the sprayhead or working near hot parts, the manual directs the owner to switch off, unplug and allow the unit to cool. The glass carafe and brew funnel can be washed on the top rack, with the carafe lid separated. The warmer should be switched off before cleaning the exterior.

Allow for the whole body’s footprint as well as access to the top bowl: BUNN lists it at 14.5 inches high, 7.1 inches wide and 14.5 inches deep. Measure available shelf clearance before buying; the lid and the water-pour step both need room. The exact product page lists a three-year warranty for Speed Brew brewers, but does not provide the brewer’s weight or standby watt-hour use.

Who should choose this exact model?

The black SBS Speed Brew Select, item 55800.0000, suits a grounds-first household that wants a quick, user-started 20-ounce mug or a four-to-ten maker-cup glass pot, and is comfortable keeping the water tank ready. It is a poor fit for a programmed morning start, pod compatibility, a sub-20-ounce selectable mug, a thermal carafe, independent hot-water dispensing, or a standard model used above 4,000 feet. The family manual says standard units are not designed for those higher-altitude locations; BUNN sells designated high-altitude Speed Brew models separately. There is no user altitude setting to substitute for the right configuration.

In short, the Select is not just a faster version of a menu-driven drip machine. Its lasting advantage is the hot tank and the short maker-stated cycle after a person pours measured water and starts the brew. If that small manual step and the warmer plate suit your kitchen, the SBS may make more sense than a more programmable model. If you would rather load a pod, set a clock, choose a brew strength or switch the finished coffee into an insulated pot, those differences point to a different brewer.