Great Coffeemaker - Grinds and Brews!

After considerable research for a coffeemaker that would grind and brew the freshest tasting coffee, I decided to purchase the Cuisinart Grind and Brew DGB-700BC. It has a 24-hour programmable timer and will brew 2 to 12 cups of coffee whenever you want.

There is a "strength selector" to indicate your preference for strong, medium, or mild coffee. Since we like our coffee very mild, I've experimented with it, and learned to set the strength selector to the mild setting, and then the number of cups being brewed to less than I'm actually brewing. That causes it to grind less coffee for the amount that is being brewed.

It has a burr grinder, a charcoal water filter, and a commercial-style gold tone permanent filter (or paper filters can be used instead). It can also brew pre-ground coffee. Just turn off the grinder before pressing the on/off button and it's ready to go. The hopper has a sealed lid to keep out moisture and it holds a half-pound of beans which is enough to make coffee three or four times (if you're using the mild setting).

A Brew Pause option lets you get a cup before brewing is finished.

As for noise, I don't consider it too noisy. After all, it IS a coffee grinder and I expect to hear it when it grinds the coffee. But just like anything else, you get used to hearing it and soon don't notice it anymore.

This one has the 12-cup glass carafe and it has a warming plate. Reviews on the stainless steel carafe have stated there is no warming plate. It seems the glass one does and the thermal one does not. The warming plate can be programmed to stay on from zero to four hours. However, it turns off when the you open the door to remove the grounds after brewing, resulting in cold coffee a few minutes later. I usually just don't empty them until we're finished drinking coffee and it stays warm for the whatever time it's pre-set for.

It works perfectly and is very easy to program and use. It comes with an instructional DVD which simplifies the process even more.

It's very easy to clean. Just rinse off the filter holder and lid and after each use, and about every two weeks clean the hopper and chute with a small brush.

The retail price is $199, but many places have it routinely for $169. I purchased mine on sale at Kohls for $159, and then I got an additional 15% off at the checkout because they had a "scratch off" sale going on.

I highly recommend this coffeemaker.