As did many other people, I really struggled to choose a new coffee maker once my 10yo Krups Aroma Control went toes up. I've only had this coffeemaker for a few days, but so far, I'm very satisfied with this purchase.First, it's a handsome machine that's easy to clean. ("No more rhymes now, I mean it....") I'm not sure if it's made of coated real metal or a plastic faux metal. Either way, it's a nice-looking machine that complements our other stainless steel appliances, and it's easy to wipe off fingerprints, etc. It also fits underneath our cabinets.
Second, in the Amazon reviews of various coffeemakers, there's a lot of talk about whether the coffeemakers produce hot coffee. Those comments weren't very helpful to me, because I never knew what the users meant by "hot." So, I've measured and quantified the temperatures for you: [a] At the time that this coffeemaker is done brewing, the coffee has consistently been about 175 degrees F. To me, that's plenty hot. [b] When the hotplate is set to M, the coffee has consistently been 160 degrees F, which is exactly the temperature at which I prefer my coffee. [c] When the hotplate is set to H, the coffee has consistently been just under 180 degrees F. [d] I haven't tried to set the hotplate to L, because the coffee would presumably be less than 160 degrees F, which isn't as hot as I'd like.
Third, the machine has produced good coffee. Much better than my Krups Aroma Control, and comparable to what you'd get at a coffee house. (I don't have a grinder, so I have my coffee pre-ground, which can affect the taste a bit.)
Fourth, I can unquestionably taste the difference between the bold setting and the regular setting. I did a little taste test using exactly the same coffee, exactly the same amount of coffee, and exactly the same amount of water. And, there's zero question that the bold setting produced noticeably bolder coffee.
Fifth, it's a user-friendly machine that's easy to set up, program, and use. The auto-brew feature, brew-pause feature, and auto-off feature have worked as advertised. Initially, the toughest part of using this machine was trying to figure out how to remove the lid from the carafe. :)
Sixth, the machine beeps five times when it's done brewing. In my view, the beep isn't unduly loud or obnoxious: It's loud enough that when I've auto programmed the machine, I can faintly hear it in our bedroom on the opposite side of the house. However, it isn't loud enough to wake our baby (whose room is directly above the machine) or freak out our cat -and when I'm in the kitchen, the beeping hasn't yet struck me as being too annoying. That said, I'm not sure why it isn't possible to turn the beep off, and I'm not sure why they chose five beeps instead of just one, two, or three.
Seventh, the machine brews reasonably quickly. I usually brew 6 cups of coffee -which yields two "real cups." From the time that I hit the "on" button until the fifth beep signal, it has taken about 6 minutes.
Hope this helps, and best of luck with your decision.
Buy Cuisinart DCC-2650 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Now
My venerable DCC-1200 Cuisinart died so thought I'd try this one out as it appeared to be a newer/upgraded version of the 1200 and that's how I'm approaching this review. As I write the 2650 is $20 more than the 1200. It's a nice coffeemaker, does what it's supposed to and does it as good as the the 1200, but not worth the extra $20 in my opinion.The good:
I like the new overall look of the design though there's something to be said for the "classic" look of the 1200.
The lift lid to access the cone filter doesn't drip condensation all over the counter behind the unit when you open the lid to toss the previous brews grounds/filter like the 1200. Haven't noticed much dripping anyway but what little there is it keeps self-contained.
Uses the same carafe as the 1200 (and I image many other Cuisinart models).
Seems to brew a bit faster than the 1200. Haven't timed it but wouldn't call it "extreme", whatever that means (see below).
The not so good:
Don't be fooled by the stainless steel looking exterior. It looks nice but is plastic, not real metal like the 1200.
Overall feels "cheaper" than the 1200 (which has a good solid feel to it).
The brew strength selector (regular or bold) seems to make no difference, at least that I can taste to this point.
From a brewing function standpoint the only thing different than the 1200 is the strength selector.
Haven't done an official measurement but the "hot" setting doesn't seem as hot as the same setting on the 1200. I could be wrong on this (my wife still has her 1200 will update review if I ever do an official measurement).
Maybe I'm just getting old but I find the bolded black text "Extreme Brew" proclamation on the front of the unit (under the properly muted Cuisinart logo) very annoying and if I can find a way to scrub it off without marring the surface I will. What's so "extreme" about brewing coffee? Yes I know they're trying to draw attention that it supposedly brews a bit faster than other units, but come on. Ruins the clean lines of the design in my opinion.
Neither good nor bad:
Water level view window on the side. Don't really care much about that since I know exactly how much I'm putting in already but imagine others will like that.
The cone filter holder is totally different from the 1200. Still takes the same style filters but holds it differently. Not sure if it's any better but it does the job.
Overall a good coffeemaker, but if I had it to do over again I'd buy another 1200 model and spend the $20 I saved on some good coffee. 4 stars overall, minus 1 for points mentioned above.
Read Best Reviews of Cuisinart DCC-2650 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Here
The clock on the 2650 model is easy to set. It is a small clock; it is not too difficult to read the time except for the PM indicator, which is in the upper right corner and not well-lit.For the first 4 brew cycles, I used a paper filter along with the gold filter because I was only making 4 cups and did not want the water to run through too fast. The coffee was a good strength for me and there was no overflow or other problems. When I made more than 4 cups, I did not use the gold filter (just the paper) and the coffee was just the way I like it.
The finish is a nice metal-looking finish; it is plastic but looks like metal. It does not make fingerprints as stainless steel does and is easy to keep clean. A quick wipe with a damp cloth cleans it easily.
I believe the instructions say to use 1 tablespoon scoop per cup. I use 1 heaping tablespoon for every two cups and that works for me...this is a matter of personal taste. So if you like a really strong coffee, you will use more coffee. Note: I have not tried the "Bold" setting because I do not require a "Bold" taste. I like it hefty, but not bold.
The beeping sound made from this unit is very soft/quiet. Compared to my previous unit (a Kenmore), it is almost un-noticable. I have used the automatic brew setting for 4 of the 8 days of using this coffee maker and the beeping did not wake me from sleep. I could have used my previous unit as an alarm clock.
Other reviewers stated that it can be difficult to poor the water in the back of unit. The best angle is from the right side, so it is easy to see that a left-handed person might find filling the unit difficult. I am right-handed and I feel that it is much easier to pour the water if I do not put the pot lid on the pot prior to filling unit with water. The lid holds back some of the water making the last part hard to pour. With the lid off, I did not have difficulty filling the unit.
The adjustable hotplate setting is nice. I keep it on the center (medium) setting and find that perfect. The unit also has an auto-off setting that is adjustable; I have mine set on 2 hours but it will go up to 4 hours.
I tested the 60 second power-out memory of the settings because I had to unplug my coffee maker for a moment. When I plugged it back into the power, my previous setting were there.
Cons for me...
It is not easy to see the small PM indicator on the upper right corner of the clock display...even with my glasses on (and my eyes are not that bad). A blue type of back-lighting or a larger and brighter clock face would have been a better option for this model.
The pot lid is not hinged; it must be removed to fill the pot with water and then replaced for brewing. For me, it took a couple of days to get the feel of the replacing the lid effortlessly.
With that said, I like this coffee maker and I recommend it.
Want Cuisinart DCC-2650 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Discount?
We've had a long line of Mr. Coffee machines, and none of them lasted over a year or two. We only make one pot of coffee per day, and turn the machine off after 1-2 hours. So it's not like they get heavy use.I decided this time to try a more expensive/better quality coffee maker, and after reading many reviews chose the Cuisinart CDD-2650. I didn't buy it from Amazon, but I wanted to share my thoughts. We've been using it for a week now.
Pros:
It brews FAST, which is a big help on busy mornings. A full pot only takes about 5 minutes to brew.
It's attractive and looks nice on my countertop.
It's programmable, so I can come downstairs in the morning to a full pot of fresh coffee.
It has a control for the carafe temperature. We like it piping hot.
The pot lid fits so tightly that it's almost sealed, which keeps coffee fresh.
It has a 3 year guarantee, so I'm hopeful it will last several years.
It comes with a permanent filter, so you save on buying disposable paper ones.
It beeps five times to tell you when the coffee is done brewing.
I had mistakenly written earlier that this machine doesn't have a way to keep the pot turned on longer than an hour. In fact, it can be adjusted to stay on 1 4 hours. Turn the programming knob to "auto off" and just select what you want. The pot beeps once to warn you before it turns off.
Cons:
The time display panel is tiny, and ours has black spots on it, obscuring the AM/PM display. I thought about returning it, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.
The basket is cone shaped, and not big enough to make a full 12 cups if you like it strong. I overfilled it the first time I used it and it made a mess inside the machine. I had to unplug and rinse it all out, and then reprogram the clock so don't overfill the basket!
Overall we're happy with this machine, and will update this review if it breaks or we have anything else to add. It's expensive at $87, so it better be a workhorse!
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