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549 of 569 people found the following review helpful.
Good, but not for a coffee enthusaist
By Craigery
Let me firs say, I used to work for Starbucks and was a Coffee Master. I am a bit of purist so I grade a machine a bit harder than the average joe.What I love:Cuisinart is one of the few companies that makes a coffee maker that brews at 190 degrees. (This is important because the flavor from your beans doesn't fully extract if the water isn't hot enough. This is usually one of the differences between a cheap coffee maker and a more expensive one. Cheap makers will heat the coffee hot with the hot plate, but it did not "brew" the coffee at the temperature it eventually gets to.)It doesn't leak and the light when you fill a mug is a nice feature. All the parts come out for easy filling, rinsing, etc. YOu won't be able to put this under a cabinet though because the top still has a lid that would be blocked.No leaks if the inside over flows or spills either! Any internal overflow drains into the drip tray which is a very nice feature.The spray head is one of the best I've seen. It fully covers all the coffee grounds. It also brews a whole pot in about 7 minutes without flavor loss. (Machines that brew too fast usually don't get all the flavor out of coffee. Bunn for instance, brews a pot in just 3 minutes and at the right temperature, but the water is forced through too fast and doesn't have enough contact time with the coffee. Coffee is a bit like tea in that it does need to steep a bit, just not nearly as long unless using a French Press, the best method of brewing but the most inconvenient.)It comes with a permanent flat filter, which saves you from buying one or paper ones. However, and this is a picky issue, cone shaped is much better. The coffee and water contant better with cone and make a better cup. Cuisinart generally uses only cone shaped for that reason, but the design of the machine doesn't allow for that unless they'd make it taller, and it's already almost too tall.The design is a nice addition to your kitchen counter, and it looks better in person than it does in the picture.What I don't like:I was led to believe when the redid this model that the chamber inside was thermal and used "soft heat" to keep the coffee hot for up to four hours. (Soft heat isn't hot plate hot, but keeps just enough each to help a thermal unit stay hot far longer without scorching) This is NOT at all the case. The inside is just a plastic tub with a big hot plate in it. So if you are like me and you hate "baked" coffee that's been on the heating element too long, you won't be happy with the taste of the coffee after the first hour or so. (I'm one of those people who despises mircowaving coffee because it breaks the coffee down and turns it into awful, syrupy sludge... this is also why I generally go with thermal carafes.)The Coffee Gage is useless. Because there is no carafe, that gage that looks like a gas gage is really needed. With a carafe, you can either see or feel by weight when it's low. I have exchanged this model twice because it doesn't work, and it's going back a third time (and probably for good.)If you have a household that can tear through a pot of coffee quickly, then this would probably be a great machine for you. With no disrespect to the Folger's drinkers of the world, this machine would probably also be a good fit for you. If you are someone who spends the extra money on better gourmet coffees, this machine will not be your friend. Your first cup or two will be fabulous, but it's will be burnt and gross soon after from the heating plate inside. After this time, you can't tell if you brewed a nice Citusry African, an earthy Indonesian, or cheap Chock Ful O Nuts. It's just burnt sludge.Maybe next time they update this model, they will spend a little extra effort on the coffee tank inside that replaces the carafe. It's plastic, and the heating element will give a plastic taste over time too. You also have to be careful when taking out the tank because it will burn you if you don't use the cheap plastic handle to lift it out.Had they made a thermal tank inside with soft heat, I would be giving this 4 stars (it needs a gage that actually works to get 5.) The old model had a cut out in the front to physically show you the coffee level, and something like that would have been better, especially since the coffee isn't enclosed in a thermal housing.I do recommend Cuisinarts machines with the thermal carafes. They do a great job of holding heat, especially if rinse them with hot water before brewing.Someday, someone will make the ultimate carafe-less machine... but today is not that day.
96 of 101 people found the following review helpful.
Solid Carafeless/on-demand Coffee Maker
By Kathy Martin
Only had Cuisinart's DCC-3000 for 4 days so really need more time for an evaluation. I've owned a few Hamilton Beach Brewstation carafeless models recently and I really like them. The Hamilton Beach units make great coffee but always develop leaking issues sooner or later. If you get to 2 years without a leaking issue you should feel fortunate.First, the DCC-3000 by Cuisinart is an entirely different level of machine. It's very sturdy, well made and my unit purchased does not look like the picture in Amazon's advertisement. It looks better. The power cord is VERY short, maybe 14-16". Unless you use an extension cord you must locate it directly in front of a power outlet or in an area where it is not beneath an overhead kitchen cabinet. If under a cabinet, the cord just barely allows room to pull out from cabinet, lift the lid on top, and remove the coffee tank for cleaning, without unplugging the unit.The coffee dispenser turns on a soft LED light above you coffee cup and smartly allows you to view the rising coffee level in the cup.....very nice feature. After 4 days of making my AM coffee, I'm now using the right amount of coffee and water to suit my tastes (strong). I prefer my coffee very hot and most coffee makers don't quite get hot enough for me. The Ham Beach Brewstations excel at hot coffee. The DCC-3000 falls short, almost gets there but I must nuke/microwave each cup for 30-35 seconds to bring to temp. This machine is quiet, brews relatively quickly, but I think a bit slower than a Brewstation.Bottomline, so far I think this is a great unit, much more substantial, and higher quality than the H/B Brewstation. At current prices, it will cost you $5-20 more than the best Brewmaster (a 47454 Deluxe), but the DCC-3000 has a 3-year warranty rather than 1-year. This unit is classier looking and you'll easily notice the lack of flimsy plastics found in a guaranteed to leak Brewstation. You can use paper filters or the gold-mesh basket that comes with it. Also a charcoal filter with DCC-3000 though I'm unsure if it really makes a difference. With the additional warranty, pricing in the $90's, and higher quality unit I think this is a no-brainer.....buy the Cuisinart DCC-3000.****One-month update*****I still like this unit, however, the number one reason to buy a any coffee maker is to make great coffee. As another reviewer said, the coffee is weak/watery. I tried adding more coffee which does modestly help but obviously drives up the cost of making a pot. I use Starbucks coffee......not cheap. I believe the water flows thru the basket/filter too fast....it isn't held in basket long enough to flavor the brew. I'm going to try 2 things......using 2 paper filters instead of one (or use a paper filter with the gold basket?) to slow down water passing thru basket(and hope it doesn't overflow). If that doesn't work I plan to grind my coffee finer, almost as fine as an expresso grind. Hope I don't end up with mess.
83 of 91 people found the following review helpful.
please ban comments from people who don't read manual
By Keith Robberding
So, my review is to the many people that didn't read the manual and see that if you are only making a few cups of coffeethere is a 1-4 cups select button so the coffee is stronger because with a small amount of water running through it thereis an extra demand on the maker I just made the best cup of coffee I've had in 3 years with my new cuisinart coffee on demand. First I ran 12 cups of waterthrough the machine after soaking my filter for 20 minutes. Set the machine to 1-4 cups and pressed on. I did , because of past experience but an xtra bit of water in the machine to account for coffee filter basket saturation. The result was a really piping hot cup of rich coffee that allowed me to add a bit of non dairy creamer in it and not reducethe temperature. They include a manual so people will read it, please don't comment on a machine that works properly until youdon't use it according to design.
See all 236 customer reviews...
Excellent....errr, maybe not
