All around excellence at bargain pricing., July 31, 2011

I had a Krupps and broke the pot. It would have cost me .00 with shipping to replace the pot. So I decided on this model of Mr. Coffee. Frankly, I just wanted a basic coffeemaker, no whistles and bells. Nothing complicated that required studying the book.
Just a cheap replacement. This fit the bill.
After having this Mr. Coffee for several weeks I can tell you I absolutely love it. It is a very well designed machine and the coffee tastes great too. Highly recommended. A bargain.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

It’s Still Working, February 3, 2011

I’ve used mine for 2 1/2 years.
It’s inexpensive.
And it still works. And I have to add I know of no really bad features (but I am not an expert in coffeemakers).

My only complaint (and it’s pretty important) is the quality of the brewed coffee.
This model has a “filter basket”. I believe the ones that have a “cone” shape result in a stronger brew.
Also, the resultant coffee does not taste hot enough.
I believe that models differ in this regard, and that a hotter brew tastes better.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Worked for awhile, January 7, 2010

By 

Laurel Pritchard (Floyd, VA) – See all my reviews

  

This coffeemaker has been in service for less than two months, and we are about to replace it…I am on Amazon looking for units with good reviews. This one is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It burbles loudly for hours (literally) by the time it finishes heating the reservoir of water, and wastes so much in steam that only about half of the water actually makes it through. Perhaps for this reason, the reservoir lid has warped. Also, the pause and serve feature dribbles on the warming plate…a safety issue? Certainly a mess. I have cleaned it twice, using white vinegar according to directions, but it actually seemed to get worse each time. We had bought it several months before putting it into service, so it’s probably not returnable. At least it was cheap… I was surprised to see that a nearly identical unit, with a slightly different model number, received good reviews. One nice thing about it: the carafe doesn’t spill coffee all over when you pour!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (3)

I was a coffee maker snob, November 24, 2009

By 

Bruce Cuningham (Dixon, CA USA) – See all my reviews

  

Yes, I used to have to buy those overpriced, German coffee makers–but not any more. When my latest 0 coffee maker started leaking from both the underside and from the little, unreadable, glass tube on the side, I started looking around for a replacement.

I settled on this Black and Decker model because it does everything the high-priced models do, but at a quarter of the price. After three weeks, the clock still keeps excellent time, the machine still comes on when I’m sound asleep so that I wake up to coffee ready to drink. The coffee tastes very good (c’mon, drip coffee is drip coffee–and I am STILL a coffee snob) and is certainly hot enough. The coffee maker is absolutely EASY to program; each button serves but one function. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t LEAK, it seems I lose power here with disturbing regularity, so I like to be able to set the clock and the timer easily and quickly and feel assured that I’ll have coffee when I wake up.

What I don’t miss about the old coffee maker: leaks, erratic, confusing programming and multiple functions for one button, default ON for auto coffee making (and there’s no way to turn it OFF), special little (hard to find) charcoal filter gizmo, adjustable temperature settings on the hot plate, and did I mention LEAKS.

What I miss about the old coffee maker: ability to change length of time the hot plate stays hot, “CALC” calcium warning. Both of which are easy to overcome. If I want two more hours of hot plate all I do is hit the “power” button; if I want to decalcify my machine, all I have to do is run a load of vinegar through on the solstices and equinoxes.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Delivered what was promised, December 7, 2009

I picked out this coffee maker because of a reasonable price and was a recommended best buy in Consumers Report magazine. I have only had a week or so and can’t address long term reliability. What it does do is NOT DRIP! It does not drip when pouring from the glass pot to the water reservoir or when pouring coffee into a cup. I do NOT have to be extra careful when pouring. It also stops the coffee flow from the filter as soon as I pull the pot out and does NOT drip on the warmer. Again, do NOT have to be extra careful here. It also does NOT leak condensation out of the water reservoir top when lifting the lid. The condensation on the reservoir lid drips back into the reservoir when the lid is lifted. The time and delay brew functions ARE easy to set and work fine. The coffee brewed fairly quickly and did not overflow the filter to allow grounds into the pot. So far, I am very happy with a product that someone spent some time making user friendly and practical. This is a well engineered inexpensive product.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (8)

Incredible, January 30, 2010

By 

Scott Chalupa “Finding 42″ (Houston, TX) – See all my reviews

  

This is, far and away, the best coffee maker I’ve ever bought. My previous was a Mr. Coffee, and the caraffe dribbled everywhere almost every time. This caraffe pours perfectly every time. The controls are so intuitive, I’ve yet to pull out the instructions. It brews a full 12 cups in 10 to 15 minutes. And the coffee is sooo delicious. Don’t waste your time looking at other machines. Buy this one.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Good Coffeemaker, January 16, 2010

A very nice, straightforward coffemaker, makes good coffee with pre-ground beans, can be programmed to start when you want. A nice feature is that it can also be programmed to shut down when you want — either right after brewing or up to 2 hours later. A bit on the noisy side, even without the grinder function on. Initial setup is easy. Please note that if you do not close *and latch* the reservoir cover, the machine will beep constantly and not brew until you do. Drove me crazy for about 15 minutes until I noticed that the cover wasn’t fully latched. Although it does tell you that in the instruction manual, it’s not immediately evident — it’s a line in the middle of lengthy instruction under #6 “Close Reservoir Lid”, on page 8.

Update on Feb. 1, 2010
It was a learning curve to figure out how many scoops of whole beans to add for a good cup of coffee. A small scoop is included, with instructions to use one scoop per cup. However, the grind on this machine is fairly coarse, so it comes out a bit weaker than I’m used to. Adding a bit more each time took me over the top to “bitter,” so it’s hard to find a balance. I’m afraid I enjoy pre-ground coffee in this coffeemaker more than whole-bean.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (4)

Excellent coffee maker – so far!, July 7, 2010

I had an earlier version of the 10-cup Cuisinart Grind and Brew that lasted more than 3 years. It made an awesome pot of coffee. I read online reviews of this and similar grind and brews from Cuisinart that made me nervous that I wouldn’t get as good a product as I had last time. I looked closely at other brands and other versions of grind and brews and decided based on my own experience with the last one I bought, I’d give this model a shot. So far I have not had any problems that other people have mentioned. Yes, there are more parts to take apart, clean and put back together than a regular coffee maker. But the superior taste of the coffee you get from the grind and brew is absolutely worth the extra couple minutes of prep time it takes. Besides, I was used to it from the previous model I owned. So that is not an issue. I read other reviews about the hinge not closing or popping open during the brew cycle, or leaking. I have not had ANY of those issues. NOTE: One reviewer said to read ALL the instructions carefully and follow the directions and that’s what I did. Most important thing to remember here is you have to be sure to keep the handle of the gold filter basket facing the front of the coffee maker. Last – I saw some reviewers complain of the noise as it grinds the coffee beans. This version of the grind and brew is noticeably more quiet than the last one I had, so no issue there either. All in all, I am VERY glad I purchased this product. I love it!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Good Coffee, loud grinder, unacceptable glitch, May 15, 2010

By 

Kurt G. Roberts (Texas USA) – See all my reviews

  

Bought this unit for my wife for Christmas 2009. Liked the idea of a combo grinder and coffee maker. 0 at World Market, Houston. Get it cheaper now.
1. Also bought the gold filter basket (no brainer).
2. The unit makes great coffee.
3. The grinder is very loud. Loud enough to wake the household at 5am. I now purchase ground coffee and don’t use the grinder in the coffee maker.
4. The filter basket sits in a swing out holder that is spring-loaded. There is a “release” button on the side of the unit. The door tends to pop open at very inopportune times, including while the coffee is brewing. This is an unacceptable glitch in the design. This gets the unit a 3-star rating from me.
I’m in the process of getting a replacement unit from Cuisinart. Even for , not worth the mess.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (9)

Nice and Basic!, March 20, 2011

This is a very short unit and it fits under our cupboards with several inches to spare. Been using it daily for a couple weeks, now and it works fine. When I first got it, I ran some diluted white vinegar/filtered water through it and followed that with 2 or 3 cycles of just plain filtered water and the coffee tastes great! Only 2 things to mention that could be improved upon, first, they have these holes on the back of the unit to keep you from overfilling it. Nice idea for safety, but if you fill it past the holes, your countertop is going to take a bath in all the excess water as you are filling it. This didn’t happen to me, as I only make 1/2 pot of coffee at a time. Secondly, this unit (like all units I have owned) accumulates condensation under the lid and if you open it to fast a lot of water will race down the back of the unit. Open it slowly, and tap it a bit and no problem.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

no frills, February 17, 2011

This is a cheap coffee pot that works great. There are NO frills…just an on/off switch but the coffe is good and hot.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Back to basics coffeemaker, July 25, 2011

Although some have complained about this product lacking an auto shut off, to me that is not a big deal. At least now I have a coffee maker that keeps the coffee hot until I decide to turn it off. I don’t need some computer chip to decide for me how long to keep my coffee hot. The simplicity of the product also means there is less to go wrong. It brews a great pot of coffee. The price is very reasonable, and who knows, this basic model may possibly last longer than one of those expensive,fancy multi option models. I am very happy with this simple manual on/off switch coffeemaker.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

For use in “ALL” #4 cone coffee makers?, August 30, 2009

Descriptions claims its for use in ALL, not MOST #4 Cone filtered coffee makers. Not so. Doesn’t fit my Gevalia coffee maker — I can’t even close the lid. Not worth paying to return it, so I guess I’ll cut the top ring and handle off and make it fit or throw it out.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (7)

Not a good substitute for the Braun UGSF4, February 11, 2009

I bought the Medelco #4 cone permanent coffee filter as a substitute for a Braun UGSF4 filter. Unfortunately, it’s not a really good substitute. Although the Medelco coffee filter will fit in a Braun coffee maker, it’s not as tall and tapered as the Braun UGSF4. As a result, it doesn’t concentrate the coffee as much when it is moving through the filter so you have to substantially increase the amount of ground coffee that you are using for the same strength of coffee. So while the Medelco is initially cheaper than the corresponding Braun filter, one would end up spending much more money in the long run because you would use more ground coffee. My advice is to search the net (including e-bay) to find a genuine Braun gold filter…even though it will likely be more expensive than the Medelco filter, you’ll be much happier in the long run.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment (1)

Great product, March 24, 2009

I’ve been using this filter for about two weeks now. It is my first permanent filter, and I am very happy with its performance. It is solidly built, and with proper care should last quite a while. I debated on the high-end swiss gold filter, but thought the price was too high, so I figured I’d take a chance with this one with free shipping. I can’t imagine how much better/different the swiss gold would be if any? I am using a fairly fine ground from a good, flat burr grinder, and have had no issues of grounds/sludge in my coffee. I also purchased a new Zojirushi coffee maker at the same time, so read my review on that as well if you’re in the market for a good machine. This filter fits the Zoji perfectly.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment (1)

Nice and Basic!, March 20, 2011

This is a very short unit and it fits under our cupboards with several inches to spare. Been using it daily for a couple weeks, now and it works fine. When I first got it, I ran some diluted white vinegar/filtered water through it and followed that with 2 or 3 cycles of just plain filtered water and the coffee tastes great! Only 2 things to mention that could be improved upon, first, they have these holes on the back of the unit to keep you from overfilling it. Nice idea for safety, but if you fill it past the holes, your countertop is going to take a bath in all the excess water as you are filling it. This didn’t happen to me, as I only make 1/2 pot of coffee at a time. Secondly, this unit (like all units I have owned) accumulates condensation under the lid and if you open it to fast a lot of water will race down the back of the unit. Open it slowly, and tap it a bit and no problem.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

no frills, February 17, 2011

This is a cheap coffee pot that works great. There are NO frills…just an on/off switch but the coffe is good and hot.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Back to basics coffeemaker, July 25, 2011

Although some have complained about this product lacking an auto shut off, to me that is not a big deal. At least now I have a coffee maker that keeps the coffee hot until I decide to turn it off. I don’t need some computer chip to decide for me how long to keep my coffee hot. The simplicity of the product also means there is less to go wrong. It brews a great pot of coffee. The price is very reasonable, and who knows, this basic model may possibly last longer than one of those expensive,fancy multi option models. I am very happy with this simple manual on/off switch coffeemaker.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

All around excellence at bargain pricing., July 31, 2011

I had a Krupps and broke the pot. It would have cost me .00 with shipping to replace the pot. So I decided on this model of Mr. Coffee. Frankly, I just wanted a basic coffeemaker, no whistles and bells. Nothing complicated that required studying the book.
Just a cheap replacement. This fit the bill.
After having this Mr. Coffee for several weeks I can tell you I absolutely love it. It is a very well designed machine and the coffee tastes great too. Highly recommended. A bargain.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Who approved the engineering on this carafe???, January 6, 2012

How did this product make it to market after all the testing and focus groups and still produce a huge mess on the counter after every pour? I am not new at pouring coffee. I’ve had coffee every morning for at least 20 years and every blessed time I use a Mr. Coffee 12-cup carafe it drips all over the counter. I thought it was just me, but other reviews show that this is a common problem. The money you save buying this unit will be wasted in lost coffee, paper towels and irritation.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment (1)

It’s Still Working, February 3, 2011

I’ve used mine for 2 1/2 years.
It’s inexpensive.
And it still works. And I have to add I know of no really bad features (but I am not an expert in coffeemakers).

My only complaint (and it’s pretty important) is the quality of the brewed coffee.
This model has a “filter basket”. I believe the ones that have a “cone” shape result in a stronger brew.
Also, the resultant coffee does not taste hot enough.
I believe that models differ in this regard, and that a hotter brew tastes better.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Great Coffee for a Reasonable Price, December 11, 2007

By 

Debra Chong “ECommerceMaven” (San Francisco, CA United States) – See all my reviews

  

  

I chose this grind and brew after reading all of the reviews for this and similar machines. Frankly, I am surprised by the negative comments. This is an easy to use machine once it is set up properly (the bean hopper takes a little of effort to snap in). The coffee tastes great and the parts are very easy to clean quickly. While the instruction book is not clear, Cuisinart was very helpful on the phone. The machine does not know how much water you put in, so if you set it to grind coffee for 6 cups and you have 8 cups of water in it, it will process all 8 cups of water. Other than this small quirk, the machine is a small wonder and I do not feel compelled to go out for coffee in the morning. The thermos carafe will keep the coffee quite warm for a few hours, even when the carafe is not warmed up with hot water. Wondering why it took me so long to go ahead and buy this machine. This is the best model; my neighbor has the first generation/second generation machine which is hard to clean and has a large footprint. Save your money and buy this model!

Now that I have had the machine for a month and a half: It requires some cleaning to get the fine grounds that compress and stop the grinder and ground coffee to get into the filter for brewing. I use a bamboo chopstick and a skewer to break up the compressed fine grounds that impede the machine from working properly. (Unplug the machine and put it over the sink area). I also use compressed air to blow out the fine ground particles. Still, this is a small maintenance to allow for great coffee in the AM.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (9)

Excellent coffee, convenience, and design; grind is a little coarse, January 26, 2008

I bought this coffeemaker after returning my Krups KM7000. Overall, I have been pleased with this model, save for a few quirks. The bottom line is that it makes OUTSTANDING, HOT coffee with great convenience in a design that appears very durable. I have NOT had any problems with getting the pieces together and I do not find it complicated on a day-to-day basis whatsoever.

PROS:
-Coffee is full-bodied and flavorful. I use the 4-cup setting with about 3 cups of water and the strength set to strong. This uses the aroma feature, and the coffee is perfect.
-Temperature is perfect, the hottest I’ve tasted from a model like this. The base WARMS THE THERMAL CARAFE when the machine goes on, then goes off when the brew is complete. This may theoretically be eliminating the effect of the cooling of hot coffee by a stone-cold carafe. On the other hand, the carafe is highly insulated and it may be doing nothing. The bottom line is that the temperature is perfect, the coffee is still hot even after adding cold milk. The coffee remains hot for quite a while in the thermal carafe.
-Design is quite nice- it is self contained as opposed to other mill & brew models that have parts that swing around. The design feels very robust, there are no wimpy plastic bits. There is a piece that fits over the grind basket that has a gear which appears to rotate, likely to keep steam out of the grinder.
-It could not be easier to use on a daily basis – all I do is put in THE RIGHT amount of water, put the cover on top of the brew basket, and press program (I have it programmed for the same time every day). After it brews and I pour the coffee, I swing out the basket, pour out the grinds & rinse the basket, rinse the carafe, and I’m ready to go.
-cleaning is simple; I notice others complain but I haven’t had any problems. See above for my daily routine; I’ve been using the brush weekly on the grind spout, it takes two minutes and is not messy.
-The brushed chrome looks great on the counter.
-3 year warranty is reassuring

CONS:
-The grind appears to be too coarse. Other models have a grind control to change the coarseness of the coffee, this one does not. This has improved a little after a few weeks of use, but not completely. Also, I’ve noticed that (through laws of physics) the coarsest part of the grind stays on top, then the finer grounds work their way to the bottom. This is probably wasting a bit of coffee, but once I worked out how much water to use it doesn’t affect the strength. Overall I have not noticed that I am going through coffee faster than before, so I think some of the “coffee wasting” reviews may be somewhat overstated. On first glance it does appear to use a lot of coffee when you are pouring out the grounds, but looking at how many bags I’m going through it doesn’t appear much different.
-The mechanism to pour coffee from the carafe is not perfect; it works ok when pouring out from a mostly full carafe, but to get the last cup or two from the bottom I have to take the top off. If I don’t it drips all over the counter. Taking the top off I can pour it without any mess.
-The water indicator level is on the right side near the back. If you are putting it against a wall on the left it will be fine, but on my counter it needs to be against a wall on the right, so if I need to look at the water level I need to pull the coffeemaker away from the wall. To get around this I have figured exactly how much water to put in from a measuring cup.

THE BOTTOM LINE (again):
The coffee is excellent, and HOT. The design is marvelous. On a day-to-day basis it is extremely easy to use and convenient. The grind is a bit too coarse, but I don’t seem to be going through coffee much faster than before, so this may be a little bit of an illusion. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ADJUST THE STRENGTH OF YOUR COFFEE USING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WATER. I can strongly recommend this coffeemaker if you want hot, convenient, fresh-ground coffee every day. Enjoy!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Wastes Coffee Beans – 60% increase in Bean Consumption, January 1, 2008

This unit wastes beans.

According to the user manual, if you fill the coffee bean hopper with 1/2 lb of coffee, you can expect “at least” two – 12 cup brews. I thought this was a bit conservative but it was confirmed when I made the first pot of coffee. I set the machine for 12 cups and watched as almost half of the beans disappeared on the first pot.

I figure it uses almost 1/4 lb of beans to brew a full pot (12 cups of 5 oz coffee). This is about double what would be used if you followed the directions when using a manual grinder (one scoop of beans per cup using the scoop that comes with this coffee maker).

I think Cusinart kept the grind at very coarse level to ensure proper grind flow in the machine. To compensate, they increased the amount of coffee ground. Thus it uses about 4 oz of beans versus 2.5 oz of beans per 10-12 cup pot. It doesn’t sound like much but works out to 60% extra per pot.

I’ve owned the Cuisinart DGB-600BC Grind and Brew Coffeemaker and Melitta Mill & Brew Coffee Maker so this is my third unit brew and grind unit. The two previous units has manual bean fill and comparatively good control on the grind. This unit always grinds very very coarse.

Pro: Large Bean Hopper
Easy to clean
Fill level on side (DGB-600BC did not)
Gold filter basket included
3 Year Warranty
Simple operation (for a grind & brew machine)
Seems well constructed

Cons: Grind is always very course
Uses twice as much beans
Carafe pours slow and tends to drip

The coffee tastes OK – its not as good as what you can get with a manual grind/brew but consistent with the other Mill & Brew machines I’ve had. It is well built and I think the 3 year warranty is key because our other Cuisinart grinder motor lasted about 18 months, but its going back because I make about 2 pots/day and this translates into a couple hundred dollars year. Going to try the Capresso 455 or 454.

Update
I’ve got the Capresso 454 and love it. It can grind from super fine up to coarse and makes a great cup of coffee.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (12)

There’s an easy way to make the water hotter, January 16, 2011

By 

Wendy E. Gauntt (SAINT LOUIS, MO USA) – See all my reviews

  

I first used this coffee maker at my parents’ house and was impressed with the flavor. For a drip coffee maker, this brews excellent coffee (I used to use a French press daily).

I was surprised to see all the comments about lukewarm coffee, as I hadn’t noticed this problem. I do use cream so it concerned me – you have to have hot coffee if you are going to add cold cream.

Turns out, reading the manual gave me the answer I needed: that button for 1-4 cups “provides doulbe heating of the water, so coffee is piping hot.” You can use this button no matter how many cups you brew to get the water hotter. I’m having no problems at all.

Hope this helps!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment (1)

Buy It, December 5, 2010

I read every review anybody ever wrote for a coffee maker. Conclusion: Somebody doesn’t like something about every coffee maker that’s ever been made.
What I’ve found in the month that I’ve had it: The carafe keeps the coffee hot for at least 3 hours. It pours without going all over the counter. I can’t make the thing drip one drop. I still pour my cup over the sink from years with a different pot where about half of the coffee went down the drain. Not this one. Not a drop. I measured the brew temp. with a meat thermometer stuck in the grounds at 202 degrees. Any coffee maker will overflow all over the counter if the pot isn’t correctly positioned. It’s easy to position correctly and a quick peak at the pot:drip hole makes it obvious if it’s where it belongs. Some reviews complain about difficulty in pouring water from carafe to the water tank. Could be, I’ve got a kitchen faucet that lets me stick the faucet right into the tank so it’s not a problem for me. It’s probably time you get one of those anyway. It is a little hard to read the water level scale on the tank, but I’m old. I put a black dot with a magic marker at the 6 cup mark. Problem solved.
Summary: It brews hot, stays hot in the carafe, easy to pour with no mess. That’s really all I was looking for. I’d recommend and I buy another.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (3)

Great Coffee Maker — Always Follow Instructions; Always Heat the Pot!, February 26, 2011

I’ve been using this coffee maker for about a week. I bought it as an upgrade over a Black and Decker coffee maker that was generally good, but I wanted a new one with a cone filter. The cone filter gets more flavor out of the coffee than the basket filter: it’s a must.

The other must, for me, is the thermal carafe. I wake up earlier than my wife and if we’re both drinking out of the same pot the coffee can’t continue to cook on a warming plate. The coffee quickly turns bitter. The thermal carafe keeps it near the brew temperature for a couple of hours, and you can keep it hot longer if you heat the pot before brewing the coffee. If you brew it into a room temperature pot, the coffee is 177 degrees. If you brew it into a pot which you’ve filled with hot water (and emptied, of course) the coffee will be 182 degrees. Both temperatures were hotter than my old pot.

I tested the heat degredation and found:

182 — fresh
174 — 1.5 hours later
168 — 3 hours later
162 — 4.5 hours later

I’ve read a lot of reviews of this product, and it’s clear that some buyers didn’t follow instructions. Thermal carafes punish you if you don’t. You have to position the carafe properly or you’ll have a mess to clean up. I’ve done it a few times with my old coffee maker. It’s always my fault, never the coffee maker’s.

This is a well designed thermal carafe since you can pour without having to open it and letting too much air into it. This is a good product, and at a good price compared to more expensive models from Bunn or Zojirushi. It is more expensive than the Black and Decker but worth the cost because you get more out of your coffee beans.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Nice and Basic!, March 20, 2011

This is a very short unit and it fits under our cupboards with several inches to spare. Been using it daily for a couple weeks, now and it works fine. When I first got it, I ran some diluted white vinegar/filtered water through it and followed that with 2 or 3 cycles of just plain filtered water and the coffee tastes great! Only 2 things to mention that could be improved upon, first, they have these holes on the back of the unit to keep you from overfilling it. Nice idea for safety, but if you fill it past the holes, your countertop is going to take a bath in all the excess water as you are filling it. This didn’t happen to me, as I only make 1/2 pot of coffee at a time. Secondly, this unit (like all units I have owned) accumulates condensation under the lid and if you open it to fast a lot of water will race down the back of the unit. Open it slowly, and tap it a bit and no problem.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

Back to basics coffeemaker, July 25, 2011

Although some have complained about this product lacking an auto shut off, to me that is not a big deal. At least now I have a coffee maker that keeps the coffee hot until I decide to turn it off. I don’t need some computer chip to decide for me how long to keep my coffee hot. The simplicity of the product also means there is less to go wrong. It brews a great pot of coffee. The price is very reasonable, and who knows, this basic model may possibly last longer than one of those expensive,fancy multi option models. I am very happy with this simple manual on/off switch coffeemaker.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment

no frills, February 17, 2011

This is a cheap coffee pot that works great. There are NO frills…just an on/off switch but the coffe is good and hot.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment