Next, are the whiners about lukewarm coffee. If you want hotter coffee just press the 1-4 cups button – it double heats the water for more extraction. Guarantee if you drink it black it’ll burn you.

Next, is the carafe criers. In 4 months I havent had this drip once. Its quite impressive in that I CANT get it to drip no matter how slow or fast I pour it. It takes me 5 seconds to pour the cold water in the spot in the back. And the carafe has a long lip so it goes right into this spot – its foolproof really. The water level on the side is highly visible and much preferred over pots with markings on the inside.

Finally, it makes a consistently good cup of java pretty quickly and the stainless steel carafe will never break – unlike the glass ones. It looks great on the counter. And even though the inside is plastic you do not get that plastic taste in your coffee like other brands that overheat the water – I like that for safety.

With a thermal carafe you can put it on the table to serve guests at your card game or whatever and it keeps it hot – try doing that with glass pot.

Go ahead and buy this with confidence and enjoy a great cup of coffee!
Rating: 5 / 5

I had a grind n brew for many years – but it was such a mess to clean each use, I started buying ground coffee. It made excellent coffee, but I wanted a thermal carafe to keep the coffee hot. This coffeemaker lives in my garage until I can find it a good home.

I bought a cuisinart all plastic black thermal carafe coffeemaker about 7-8 months ago – I bought it at Tuesday Morning for $49, so it must have been discontinued model or something. It made excellent coffee, and the carafe kept it very hot. But, after about 5 months, it leaked when brewing. Water ran down the inside back of the machine and formed a puddle on my counter each morning. Oh well – this machine has also moved to the garage, where it keeps the grind ‘n brew company.

I bought this white thermal coffeemaker about 3 weeks ago. All of my other appliances are white. The coffee it makes is ok. Perhaps I need to experiment further. I can pour the same amount of water in the reservoir yet get different amounts of coffee on separate brew cycles. It’s a disappointing surprise to think you’ve brewed enough for 2 big mugs (6 cups)- have it work sometimes, but not have enough for the second mug on other occassions.

I used the 1-4 cup setting to have coffee for my travel mug waiting in the morning – and that makes weaker coffee then the same amounts of coffee and water without pressing the 1-4 button. So I don’t bother with the 1-4 cup setting.

Lastly, this carafe is the worst I’ve had for keeping coffee hot. The black plastic carafe on the prior machine was much better, as are carafes I’ve purchased separately. An hour after brewing coffee, its only lukewarm. And why does a machine with a carafe also have a hotplate under the carafe?

So, I’m not very pleased with this machine. It’s getting the job done for the majority of days to set the timer and have coffee waiting for my travel mug as I leave for work. I’ll use it for a while – perhaps I’ll master the water level to brewed coffee equation and it will improve.

10/25 – 6-7 weeks later, thought I would write an update, while checking to see if others have same experience.

The coffee it makes is more consistent.

The carafe is terrible – it doesn’t keep the coffee warm at all. I am not a fan of scalding hot coffee, but an hour after brewing, I need to microwave a cup.

Plus, the design of the carafe makes for very awkward pouring. Its supposed to be some self-sealing pouring spout, but it means only a tiny trickle comes out when the coffee level is relatively low. I have to tip the carafe more than 90 degrees to get it to pour, and then sometimes coffee leaks out the brew opening.
Rating: 2 / 5

It isn’t perfect, but the small drawbacks don’t bother me. Yes, it is a little hard at first to read the fill markings for water. To get the last bit of coffee out of the carafe, you do have to take off the lid and really tilt the carafe. On the other hand, that last bit tastes good.

I also like the looks of this device. The stainless steel goes with many other appliances. Overall, it is a recommend.

LT

Rating: 5 / 5

My only complaints, which are noted by other reviewers, concern the design of the carafe. It is difficult to completely empty. As a result, the carafe cannot be used to fill the water tank, as getting the last bit of water out will cause some spillage. I use a small pitcher instead. And yes, the carafe pours slowly. I assume that this, and the difficulty emptying, are by-products of a design that effectively keeps the heat in without needing to open of loosen the lid to pour. Although they produce a bit of a hassle, for me these problems don’t negate the benefits of the thermal carafe. The coffee stays warm, even when the carafe is only partially filled, allowing me to drink it leisurely through the morning with consistent flavor from first cup to last (3 hours).

The machine is a bit bigger than my old bare-bones coffee maker, but fits easily under the upper cabinets. I do have to slide it out to open the lid and use, but I did that with my smaller model as well.

I would absolutely buy this again.
Rating: 4 / 5

PROS:

-easy to set up, easy to use

-charcoal water filter (I use tap water, so I like the fact that the machine filters it before going into my coffee)

-auto brew timer (the smell of coffee helps me wake up in the morning and I am fully brain dead when I first wake up. I can barely get dressed, much less make coffee. So I set it up the night before and I have amazing, fresh coffee ready for me in the AM).

-beeps to signal that coffee is ready

-coffee stays fresh for at least 4 hours. On weekends, I set my coffee to brew as normal at 7AM, but sometimes I sleep late until 11AM or later. I go to pour my coffee and it’s still steaming! (and not burnt from the warming plate)

-thermal carafe saves electricity because there is no need for a warming plate

-I can use both paper cone filters or the gold cone filter. The gold cone is just as easy to clean as the disposable paper cones. I just shake out the grinds into the trash, and rinse with water. SO easy. And I save money because I don’t have to buy filters!

-I drink my coffee black, so I can tell good coffee from bad coffee. I also like my coffee strong and bold. When I’m lazy, I use Illy medium grind, medium roast pre-ground. One mountainous scoop (comes with the coffeemaker) per 10 oz. of coffee. My one mug of coffee is equal to the coffeemaker’s two cups, so yes, the machine makes 5 mugs total. When I make coffee for just myself, I fill the reservoir to 2 cups, add one giant scoop of coffee to the filter, press the 1-4 cups button, turn the dial to brew, and press “on.” I love it.

-I have no problem with the size of the machine (I thought it was small). It is sitting on a side table in my tiny kitchen, not on the countertop or underneath cabinets. So I can easily flip up the top and have easy access to the water reservoir. It is also on the right side of the table, so I just use a cup and pour water into the reservoir. I don’t think it’s hard at all to pour water in. The triangular opening is on the right, back corner of the machine and is about 3″ x 3″ x 4″.

-The water level is very clearly marked and easy to see on the right side of the machine.

CONS:

-The beep is not just one cute beep. It is 4 or 5 beeps in a row. This could be annoying to some people.

-Not really a con for me, but other people have commented on the pouring as “difficult.” I think it is the nature of a thermal carafe to require some patience when pouring into a cup. It is well sealed to keep the coffee hot, so when you pour, the liquid has to go through a maze to get out. On my last cup, I just take the top off and pour. Definitely worth the “effort.” It’s really not hard, I promise.

-I read reviews of how people wake up with coffee all over the counter because the carafe was clogged at the top. So whenever I set up the machine to brew, I make sure to rinse the top with hot water and shake it around a bit to make sure the little ball isn’t stuck. Also, not difficult to do.

-I guess if you don’t have easy access to the right side of this machine, it could be difficult to pour water in and see the water level. If it’s in the middle of your countertop, you may have to turn it to the side in order to pour the water in. For me, it’s easy because my coffeemaker sits on the right side of a table in my kitchen.

I am so glad I went with this machine. I hope it lasts for a long time.
Rating: 5 / 5