I've had the Cuisinart DCC-1200 for about a week now. I was hesitant to spend so much on a coffee maker but I'm happy to report it's well worth it. Sure, you can get other brands of coffee makers for under $25 if economy is the most important feature, but I've had those machines and I decided that, this time, a good cup of coffee was most important for me. This unit makes the best coffee I've had in a home or office machine and better than most coffee I've had in restaurants.
This coffee tastes smooooooth! I suspect the charcoal water filter is the reason for that. I also like the "shower head" design of the water spout. The water actually runs up a track onto the underside of the lid and is sprinkled over the ground coffee like a rain shower.
It's an attractive unit but it also looks like a serious coffee maker. This unit is no toy. It looks and feels solid. The carafe has a good solid feel and balance. The plastic parts (like the plastic carafe lid and handle) feel like good heavyweight plastic and are well molded. It's not the lightweight crappy plastic that cracks and discolors easily in the cheap coffee makers.
I like the 5 beeps when the coffee is ready. Now I can leave the kitchen and go clean or whatever and I don't have to keep running back to see if I can get a cup yet. I can hear the beeps. But if I really can't wait and want a cup in mid-brew, I can just remove the pot and pour a cup - you've got a full 30 seconds to reinsert the pot, before you risk an overflowing filter.
I like the permanent gold-tone filter too. I always thought paper filters were a pain. They'd fold over sometimes and there'd be grounds in my coffee. But you can use paper filters in this machine if you want to. I just prefer the convenience of the gold-tone filter (top rack machine washable too).
It has an indicator light for cleaning -- it says it's "self-cleaning" but really it's just a light telling you when you need to pour in a pot of water/vinegar and run it through to decalcify the unit. (I never thought to do that with my other units. Probably another reason my coffee wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.)
The low-medium-high setting on the hot plate is pretty nice too. And the auto-shutoff feature is great. I don't have to worry about forgetting to turn the machine off.
The instruction booklet is very good and very thorough. Comes with a parts reordering form too.
What don't I like about this machine? It requires maintenance in that you have to change the charcoal filters. But actually I don't mind since I think they are the reason the coffee tastes so smooth, and they are very easy to change and not expensive [...]
Also, the area in the top of the machine where you pour in the water is narrow but again this is just a minor inconvenience. Just have to pour a little carefully.
So really it's almost all positives with a couple of very minor negatives. I highly recommend this coffee maker. Cuisinart DCC-1200 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black/Brushed Metal
After purchasing 3 other coffee makers, the 4th one is the charm! This coffee maker makes great tasting coffee. I never knew there was a difference -- it's worth spending a few more dollars on. It also has all of the features I was looking for such as: adjustable warming plate, 1-4 cup selection, water filter, programmable. It is a rather tall machine, but certainly not a problem as it fits fine underneathe most cabinets. Als, the carafe is well-made and has a spout that pours nicely without spilling. No complaints about this one!
Two weeks ago, I needed a new coffee maker. The Krups Aroma Control maker is in all the stores and catalogs, so I bought one in the local mall BEFORE reading the Amazon reviews. BIG MISTAKE. Lesson learned - read the reviews - many negative comments. I used it for 3 days, and readily understood the description (...) of "eye candy" (looks nice, but seems like cheap plastic) and weak coffee (what they describe as a feature - allowing the coffee to steep - is really a euphemism for a poorly designed system that is guaranteed to give you a weak cup of coffee). One redeeming feature - the carafe is very nice.Within 2 days of having the Krups, i was on Amazon looking for a replacement coffee maker (a good cup of coffee is critical in the morning!). I went out on the risk curve and ordered the new Cuisinart - no reviews yet. The Cuisinart has a more classic brewing system (water goes through grinds via gravity), yields a delicious cup of HOT coffee, has a variable temperature hot place, and looks and feels solid. We happen to have stainless steel appliances (refrigerator, freezer, stove), and it matches beautifully. Best news - excellent coffee!. I would highly recommend the Cuisinart.
Folks, this is one excellent coffee maker. I read the comments here and decided to get it even though some had complained of spillage when lifting the lid and also the coffee not being hot enough. Well I can tell you that when I lift the lid on mine, the water rolls to the back and then drips back into the machine on a nifty little lip attached to the back of the machine. It appears that Cuisinart has engineered a solution for the complaints of spilled water that some reviewers mention. Also, the coffee coming out of the carafe of my machine has steam drifting off of it, so it is plenty hot, another complaint that seems to have been remedied. There were also a couple of complaints about finger prints on the stainless and the small LED clock being hard to read, but let's be for real, all brushed stainless appliances will fingerprint and this is a very stylish coffee maker, not a kitchen clock(that's what your microwave is for! (wink)). Actually I think the Cuisinart guys intended the clock for autoprogramming functions and made it LED to match the stainless on the machine. And if you don't like the water filter, you don't have to use it. It is a nicety and can be readily found if you search the net for "dcc1200 water filter".Enough defending complaints though. This machine makes superb coffee. It has the best carafe I have ever used(it will not spill a drop and it has a built-in plastic rim to keep you from busting it on the sink). It comes with a gold metal filter. Buy it and you will like it. And if for some strange reason you don't, then take it back. All jabs aside, this is an outstanding machine in form as well as function, and the people at Cuisinart obviously care what their customers think of their products. That means alot to me. How about you??? - Cuisinart - Dcc-1200 - Cuisinart Coffee Maker - Coffeemaker'
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