Black & Decker DCM2590 SmartBrew 8-Cup Drip Coffeemaker with Thermal Carafe, Black

I originally had a 4-cup coffee maker with a stainless steel carafe. It did the job, but would not stop leaking during pours. I was a bit skeptical of the DCM2590 because of the price, but I was wrong. While eight cups may seem a bit much, the thermal carafe has kept coffee I made in the morning warm until after work! Plus, not a single drip out of the carafe! The coffee tastes great and is quite hot. Highly recommended purchase.

I needed to replace a Bunn coffeemaker. Even though it made great coffee and was super speedy, I was fed up. In just three years there had been two recalls, and then one morning it had leaked water all over the counter. Enough already! After lots of research, this looked as if it was what I wanted. Even though it would take longer to brew coffee than the Bunn, it had a thermal carafe and a timer. I made the right choice. This makes hot delicious coffee which stays hot and fresh long enough to last through the morning. I am pleased.

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I wanted an automatic drip because the on/off switch on my vacuum coffeemaker broke within three months (Bodum brand) so I had to stand and hold the button. I wanted thermal to keep the coffee hot. This model, to my surprise, has a flat filter, not cone-shaped. The coffee needs to be finely ground to ensure a rich cup of coffee. Unlike the vacuum, the water never really boils so it starts out cooler, but stays a reasonable temperature in the carafe.

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First, I have this unit and have enjoyed it for months now. I bought it at a garage sale to avoid burnt coffee from the warmer plate on most drip coffee makers. It is a less time consuming option than my espresso machine.

My coffee is perfect in temperature without preheating and we do keep the house in the 60s. I grind my own coffee in a burr grinder and I preheat my milk and/or mug (for black coffee, using tap water) in the microwave (and sometimes foam it with a small electric whisk) so that it doesn't cool the coffee. I use a cheaper grinder for decaf coffee in the evenings. I do the same ritual at Panera to preheat my cup and milk using the microwave under the counter for the same reason. I like my coffee hot. Cold liquids and a cold cup ruin what came out of the carafe at just the right temperature. Since my wife likes weak, insipid coffee (we still respect each other in the morning), I sometimes decant the first run of coffee into a separate stainless steel thermos and run a "second run" for her. Since the thermos carafe keeps it hot rather than a warming element, the coffee does not get bitter.

A comment about keeping the coffee hot.

Since the pot is a stainless steel thermos, you are going to get the hottest coffee if you brew a full pot. It also will stay hotter the more coffee (and less air) it has in it. And, of course, it will stay much hotter if the lid is fully sealed except when pouring. Also there is a small hole always open, so unless you cover this hole with a towel, it is not quite as hot as a stainless steel thermos with a full seal. I never brew less than four cups (as marked on the side), but that is because you also don't get the right drip through on the coffee if you have too shallow a depth of coffee in the filter.

If you are making a small amount of coffee and your house (and carafe) are cold, prewarming the pot is not a bad idea, especially if you are just making a few cups of coffee. (The first hot coffee in the pot has to warm the pot, stainless steel does not warm as fast as glass and even if there was a heating element under the carafe, the heat wouldn't get through because it is a thermos with a vacuum barrier in between the inside and outside walls .) As I say, I have not had to do this.

Simple tip: If you want your coffee hotter, you can also preheat the carafe (and the rest of the system for that matter) by running a cup or two of water through the coffee maker before you brew your coffee. This would also clean your carafe and system--dump it out of course just before you hit the button to start the coffee.

All drip coffeemakers work the same--the water turns to steam, climbs up above the beans, condenses and drips through. So your coffee will also be relatively hotter if 1) you use a coarser grind of coffee, as finely ground coffee slows the drip more, 2) if your ambient temperature is higher (since the coffee is more or less in the "room" while it is dripping through the beans into the carafe, and 3) as above, different strategies for keeping your carafe more insulated and starting at a higher temperature before the coffee enters.

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This thermal carafe coffee maker works well in getting most of the flavor from the coffee, is very easy to clean, is energy efficient, keeps the coffee hot and keeps flavor in the coffee for a long time if the top is closed securely, is reasonably attractive, appears to be durable, and seemed to be the least expensive of all the thermal carafe coffee makers currently available. I believe that it should be illegal to sell old fashioned hot-plate coffee makers, which are incredibly wasteful of energy and which make coffee undrinkable 5 minutes after brewing.

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