Tried a Different Concept and am Satisfied

I went through several Mr. Coffee machines in a sixth month period (they all died) before buying my Starbucks Barista model four years ago. It still worked but a kitchen remodel gave me an excuse to go shopping for a unit with a stainless steel look. I had never considered an "on demand" coffee machine before but after doing a lot of research I settled on the Cuisinart DCC-2000.

I've had my machine for a week and these are my impressions:

Appearance and Size -
This machine definitely has a "high-tech" look. It's boxy and large. Don't get this unit if counter space is an issue. It's not any taller than most units but it is somewhat wider and definitely makes itself noticed. I like it but my wife would have preferred something less commercial looking.

Set Up and Programming -
It was easy to set up and the manual is well written. If you can read, you can easily get this machine up and running. It's completely programmable and in addition to the automatic brew setting it has several programming options you don't usually find on many other machines in this price range. See "Operation" for more on those options.

Operation -
This machine takes the best from the two previous systems I've used - the hot plate style and the thermal carafe style - and combines them.

It has a warming plate which helps keep the coffee in the reservoir from cooling down. However, since the reservoir is an insulated plastic unit, you don't need to prime it like you do with metal or glass units. Without the warming plate the coffee would still stay fairly hot in the reservoir. With the warmer, it can stay hot for quite awhile without the coffee tasting cooked. The warming plate can be programmed to stay on from one to four hours or you can turn it off manually at any time. A great feature!

Even my very first cup of coffee tasted great. I especially liked the fact that it was HOT. I'm the only coffee drinker in my house so I usually make a two to four cup batch. This machine has a programmable 1-4 cup option that you use to make these smaller batches hotter. It definitely gets the coffee hotter than my Barista machine ever did. I do wish this button was a set and forget it item. As it is, you have to remember to press it each time you brew a batch of coffee. A small annoyance.
While I'm on the subject of temperature - why can't someone make a machine with an adjustable control for the temperature of the coffee? Allow the consumer to decide how hot they want their coffee and give them a way to program it accordingly. It's probably a liability issue (the lawyers would have a field day). Just a thought.

When brewing, this machine is a little noisier than what I was used to. There's some gurgling and hissing but that's a sound that I rather enjoy hearing in the morning. Hey - it's coffee brewing!!!



Miscellaneous Pros -

One thing that I like about this unit is the uniformity of the coffee during the brewing process. With my previous machines if you tried to get a cup near the beginning of the brewing cycle, the coffee would be way too strong. Subsequent cups would then be too weak. To get a consistent cup of coffee I always had to let the entire batch brew through to the end. With this unit, I can get a quick cup at the beginning of the brew cycle and it tastes the same as my second and third cup will. This is a big plus on those mornings when that first cup is really needed!

This unit seems to be very well sealed. My Barista allowed copious amounts of steam to escape during the brewing process. To me that meant a loss of heat and flavor. It also caused a fair amount of condensation to build up on the underside of our upper cabinets - not a good thing several times a day, day after day. I always needed to slide it out from under the cabinets when it was brewing. This machine needs to be slid out to fill it (most of them would) but after it's ready to go I can slide it back under the cabinet and have it brew away. It slides easily but water could possibly slop out if it was filled to it's maximum capacity.

There was a complaint that it has too many parts to clean but there are really no more than in a regular carafe style unit - the filter, filter basket, and reservoir (in place of the carafe). I also find the reservoir is easier to clean than my Barista carafe was and won't end up being a stained eyesore since you don't see it.

The controls are easy to use and are sturdy to the touch. The knobs don't wiggle and you don't feel like you might break something if you push a little too hard

If you want to fill a travel mug, you simply remove the bottom spill tray which immediately adds another inch or so of space in which to fit one in. There's even an oval shaped cutout in the base under the tray which the mugs neatly fit into. All of our travel mugs fit under the spout when we do this.

The cost was $99.99 at BB&B and with a 20% coupon (NEVER pay full price at BB&B) I paid $79.98. It has a three year warranty which is fairly unusual for something like a coffee maker.



Miscellaneous Cons -

There is an issue with condensation forming on the underside of the lid. When you open the lid to take out the filter and filter basket you need to open it all the way. There are channels molded into the lid that funnel the condensation down into a little spout on the back of the machine. If you only open it part way, the condensation will miss the little spout and end up running down the back of the machine and onto the counter. The engineers could have done better in this area. With a little care, however, the condensation issue can be minimized.

I agree an LED over the dispenser spout would be helpful. We have white coffee mugs so it's easy to see when ours are filled but I could see it as a problem for people with darker colored mugs.

The digital clock display can be hard to see at a glance. A little brighter unit would be nice.

The "gas gauge" volume display is kind of neat but I don't feel it's all that accurate. It will give you a general idea of how much coffee you have left from a big batch but it isn't very reliable for smaller batches. Not a big deal since I never pay attention to them anyway.

Once again, SIZE! This isn't really an issue for me but it could be for some people. If you have a small kitchen, or limited counter space, consider carefully before getting this machine. It will dominate a small kitchen area.

This is really minor but has been an annoyance to me with every coffee machine I've owned. I like the beeper concept alerting you to when the brewing is completed. However, I wish someone would make these things adjustable. The Cuisinart DCC2000 has a beeper but unless you are right there in the kitchen with it you probably won't hear it. I also know some machines have a beeper that is obnoxiously loud. Solution? - put a beeper volume control on the machine. Yes, I know it would drive the price up a bit, but if we're talking about what would be the ideal coffee maker, well, that would be a nice feature. It would be especially helpful to those who are becoming a little hearing impaired (I'm not). Having some engineer decide what is the correct volume for your particular situation doesn't make much sense.

Summary -
Overall, I'm pleased with this machine. It isn't perfect but it suits my needs. The minor issues I do have with it are far outweighed by the fact that I get great tasting coffee from it.
If you are into brewing large amounts of coffee for groups of people then this unit may not be for you. The guests will have to serve themselves or you'll find yourself transferring the coffee into a carafe for serving. That could be a real pain.
However, if you're looking for a machine that brews medium to small batches of coffee and is good at keeping it hot and flavorful, then this one should be on your list.

P.S. - After using this machine a bit longer, I decided I'd upgrade my rating from "Above Average" to "Excellent". The more I use it the better I like it. I feel the few things I don't like about it are so minor compared to all of the things I do like about it that an "Above Average" rating wasn't quite fair.