Saturday, September 14, 2013

Kalorik 1000-Watt 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Maya

Kalorik 1000-Watt 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, MayaThe most important item this machine makes GREAT coffee. I bought it because Consumer Reports noted it was one of the few that actually gets hot enough to make decent coffee, and they were right on. I have been using it for two pots of coffee every day for several months now, and I am very impressed with the quality of the coffee.

I bought the Maya simply because it was cheaper than the SS model when it got here, it was obvious why this thing is the most butt-ugly device I have ever seen! All the plastic on the body and the pot is a light liver brown color yeach! I'd spend the extra few bucks to get the SS version if I was doing it again.

Couple of stupid design flaws: The fill gap is much smaller than necessary not bad enough to whine about (I haven't spilled any water yet, but if you have the shakes, you might), but this useability flaw is really dumb because it gains nothing at all. The unit is roughly triangular in shape, with the front wide and the narrow point in the rear, so by designing it with the openings so narrow they gained absolutely nothing in either space savings or visual appeal. Oh well...

The second flaw is potentially worse if you do not pay attention. There is only one on/off button, as opposed to one for manual and one for timed program. When you manually shut the unit off, the first push of the button doesn't really turn it off, it turns ON the timed program! Must push it twice to get it turned completely off. Really REALLY dumb design, but once you know about it and get used to it, it is tolerable considering the great quality of the coffee.

The filter basket works perfectly I am happy it uses paper filters, 'cause I won't use any other kind! But I grind my coffee very fine, and on some other units I have had an occasional problem with the filter and thick grounds packing down on the drain some and backing up the water in the basket. That never happens on this one, even with the extra load of grounds in there for the second pot.

The last issue for comment is the pot and no-drip feature of the filter basket the pot is well designed and the spout allows for a reasonably fast pour without dribbling around the spout; I've seen better, but this one is acceptable. The no-drip valve in the basket actually works very well, preventing even the typical 1-2 drips when the pot is first removed while the coffee is still brewing. The only drawback is that the valve knob that engages the pot lid often makes it difficult to smoothly return the pot to the burner this hangs up a bit about half the time and requires a little wiggle of the pot to get it slid in place without sloshing the coffee.

Bottom line for me is that I do not think there is any other available 12-cup maker for under $50 that even comes close to this one for the quality of the coffee I wouldn't accept the flaws if it was closer to $100, where there are better options in that range, but at $50 it is a definite good buy.

I bought the Kalorik Maya at TJ Maxx for $39. This was about as high as I wanted to go for a 12 cup programmable coffeemaker. So far it is doing exactly what it should be doing. It is a no frills (except for the color) machine.

A couple of things I think could be improved:

1) Uses paper filters. Can Kalorik at least come up with a drop-in reusable filter for a coffeemaker in this price class?

2) Water tank opening is very narrow. Therefor Maya requires a steady hand to fill. Keep a dish cloth ready when you fill up this coffeemaker. Also; the machine is pretty tall. I am 6 ft, and have a medium height worksurface in the kitchen. If you are much shorter you probably have to use a step stool.

In short; it is a coffeemaker. It is basic with a programmable "on", and automatic "off" mechanism. $39 was reasonable. Anything over that and you are paying too much. Especially considering that it is Made in China, and and it definitely looks and feels like it too. It does come with a measuring scoop!

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I have had two Kalorik coffee makers and neither one of them lasted. The coffee is not hot enough and although it tastes good I don't like the idea that they don't last for longer than six months. This time I bought a Mr. Coffee. The coffee is hot and hopefully it will last longer than my Kalorick's did.

Read Best Reviews of Kalorik 1000-Watt 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Maya Here

This coffeemaker is a nice color, it looks good on my counter, it's not too tall (some of the other reviewers mentioned that it was too tall and they spilled some water)...I do make sure I add the water first because the water "opening" is a little narrow, so you could end up spilling some water into the coffee part. Not a big deal, but I prefer my coffee (before it's brewed) to be dry! I've had this coffeemaker for over 6 months and it's been great so far!!

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Off the bat I received this coffee maker with a broken carafe (not from amazon). Horrible customer service I originally contacted their customer service folks using their website. I was told that I needed to email them a "proof of purchase", which meant a receipt, to proceed with any damage reports. I responded with an email letting them know that it was a gift and I did not have a receipt. 3 months later, no response. I then tried to purchase another carafe off the internet somewhere but was unable to locate a seller. I submitted another complaint stating that I just want to buy another carafe and if this was not possible, please advise so that I can throw the coffee maker away. Finally a positive response, "just this once we will send out another carafe, free of charge". Yay, right?

The coffee maker worked great, great tasting coffee, kept it nice and hot. I used disposable filters and filtered water. Then after about 40 uses, nothing; the coffee maker just stopped. The lights are on, the timer and auto mode seems to work but there is just no heating going on from the element. Back to the internet, I learned that this is actually common. Didn't even bother to contact customer service this time, I just need my coffee.

Bottom Line Don't buy. Even if it does make great coffee when it works, how will you replace parts? And who needs a coffee maker that goes kaput? Try looking for a replacement carafe online and you'll see, they're just not out there. Go with a brand that has more accessible parts.

Good Luck and Happy Amazon Shopping :-)

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