Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Programmable Automatic Brew-and-Serve 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, Black Reviews

• Ignore Detractors, this machine ROCKS!

  
  By A2JROJR0I2GN9V on 2004-12-31
  I use it to make 2 cups or full pots. I have used many different machines over 15 years of drinking coffee (and therefore making coffee) daily and have absolutely no complaints about this machine. I would like to address the complaints here for people shopping for a coffeemaker.
  
  RE: The reported leakage problem. This is due to OVERFILLING. The water reservoir is larger than the carafe for a reason people: Steam builds up as water is heated, if the reservoir were the exact size of the carafe... YOU finish this sentence. If you can- a) figure out in your head what happens to heated plastic without room built in to displace heat and b) either fill the machine with the actual carafe being used or something you measured out beforehand that is equal to the volume of said carafe- than you're smart enough to own this excellent machine.
  
  RE: The BEEP. Yes it beeps (3 times) and yes it's not a whisper, but it's not the trumpet people are making it out to be. These people must have it set up in their bedrooms two feet from their head. If the machine is in your kitchen and you are nearby it's not loud enough to wake you, it's just loud enough to hear if you're in the other room and can't WAIT to get that first cup of java. It's morning and it tells me "hey, your coffee is ready." It's evening and I'm chatting with friends and forget and then it tells me "hey, your coffee is ready." People who complain about the beep would complain about getting wet in the rain or cold in the winter.
  
  RE: The screw cap. Yes it takes 3 revolutions to get this SCREW cap SCREWED on. And like any nut and bolt system you have to start screwing evenly in order to form a tight bond. This tight bond is what keeps your coffee hot. The carafe pours using a built-in ball-bearing that uses that wonderful thing we like to call gravity to move the ball ever so slightly away from the opening so that your HOT coffee can pour into your waiting favorite coffee cup. The stream is thin yes, again for a reason: large openings equal larger exposure to air, air that is most probably colder than you like your coffee.
  
  I've tried many others and this is my favorite. This is the coffeemaker I would give as a gift to someone who really loves their coffee.
  
  Now I will retire to my DTC-975BK and celebrate its excellence with an afternoon cup of French Roast.
  
  

• Coolest coffee maker on the planet

  
  By AB7QYB2UFZLD on 2004-04-18
  For about a year, I had been stopping by the coffee pot section of the stores staring at the few pathetic choices, and thankfully resisted the urge to buy the mostly stainless steel Cuisinart number that my daughter has.

  Just last week my girlfriend had been telling me how much she loved her thermal one, and it really got me thinking how awesome it would be if the coffee stayed hot, and didn't turn funky like it always does on a burner. A day later, I was staring at this one in the store and fell in love with it.

  First of all, it was the 12 cup factor - I had only seen 10 cup thermals before and I couldn't see the point - when I entertain, I need to have more than 10 lousy cups. It also looks super in my white/bisque kitchen, and the brushed stainless steel pot is very nice looking and heavy duty.

  I was forever standing in front of the micro reheating a cup of coffee or tea. Today was a very extreme example: I made a pot of coffee at 9:30 am before heading to church - and at 4:30 IN THE AFTERNOON, poured a cup and it was TOO HOT TO DRINK! Mind-blowing! And it tasted exactly like the first cup did in the morning.

  The whole fam likes to also likes to drink a lot of tea, especially in the evening, and it dawned on me that I could run the water through it without coffee, and wala.... hot water for tea anytime someone wants a cup... no more standing in front of the micro for 2 minutes.

  I can't tell you how awesome this coffee maker is... and having never had one I can set up the night before is truly wonderful. I love the fact that I don't have to open the top to pour. I will never own a coffeemaker with a hot plate again.
  
  

• Love it.!! Some issues are real but easily overcome

  
  By A1LJIDGK8MIE3Y on 2005-02-24
  I LOVE this coffee maker. It is true that the coffee is hot and fresh for hours. It's super easy to clean. Definitely one of the best purchases I made. I would highly recommend this machine for most people. Some of the issues mentioned do have some truth...but are unavoidable given the merits of the machine...
  
  For example, the lid does need to be put on correctly and is a little tight (but this required if the coffee is to stay hot for hours). Every once in a while I misalign it, but I think it's obvious when this starts to happen. I could see that someone with arthritis would have a problem. This machine may not be for the very old, or those with people in the house who wouldn't make the effot to do it right (like some teenagers?).
  
  Same thing with putting the brew basket in. It does have to sit fully down and can easily be put in crooked. But after you've used it a few times it's obvious when it's in properly or not. When properly placed you can remove the pot during brew without spilling a drop. Again, this machine may not be best for older people who really can't see very well (my grandmother would have a real hard time) and for those who don't bother to check these little things.
  
  I did have a problem once with the autostopper not working well and dripping when I remove the pot during brew, now I always fill the basket with water and push the button to let water come through when I wash it. Works like a champ again.
  
  Bottom line, for most people this coffee pot is fabulous. I may not be best for older people because it does have a few quirks.
  
  

• Carafe is great, but it doesn't excuse the weaknesses

  
  By A4AC3I62Y8KQD on 2006-01-23
  I've owned two of these machines. Here are the details:
  
  First, the carafe is great. I've come home after a 10 hour day to find the morning coffee still warm enough and very drinkable. The cap alignment is a bit awkward, but it keeps the coffee hot and fresh. I now have two of them and have used them for this year's Christmas/New Years gatherings. They kept regular and decaf coffee hot and fresh throughout the evening. I used my replacement "Barista Aroma Grande" machine to brew the coffee then put it into the superior Cuisinart carafes. That is why I gave the product one star.
  
  The downsides include almost everything else:
  
  As a previous reviewer noted, if the carafe is not seated properly, you wake up to a puddle of coffee on your kitchen counter and floor. This happened to me twice.
  
  Consequently, if any of that puddle seeps into the machine from underneath or drips into it from the LED display window, the machine is kaput. This is why out first machine failed.
  
  The water reservoir requires filling the machine from the top. My replacement has a separate container that is easier to manipulate. It is a much neater way to fill the machine.
  
  The red indicator ball on the side of the Cuisinart machine stopped working.
  
  The second machine just stopped working. Like another reviewer noted, when you hit the "on" button, the machine beeped after a minute or so without producing any coffee. This was not a result from an overflow condition, nor a result of a user error - it just stopped working.
  
  Bottom line: look elsewhere for a reliable machine.
  
  

• What kind of fool am I

  
  By A1F2FKAND46L2G on 2005-12-23
  Folks, Let me tell you.... I read all the reviews on this coffee maker before my wife and I decided that; Oh, come on! They must be goofy. How hard can it be to set this coffee pot up correctly to work without spillage; we bought it anyway.
  It worked for a week or so and then dumped the coffee all over the counter and on the kitchen floor.
  "I must have done something wrong", said the lady of the house. Ok, I'll try it, said the man of the house.
  It worked... See, all you have to do is.. place the carafe in correctly. Well, I did it for three days and again all over the floor.
  I called the company and a sweetie pie with the "Have a nice day" mentality helped me to calm down and told me that perhaps the cover was defective. They will send me another if I would return mine.
  Wife said no.... order a whole carafe so we will have two when we get company. So 50 dollars later, I have two carafes.
  Wonderful! Now either one will dump the coffee onto the counter after a week or ten days of lulling me into a state of confidence by working fine for 10 days.
  We have a great deal of patience, and we also feel that we are smart enough to find the problem. So we stuck with it trying different filter baskets, and soaking the lids before using...
  It was many months now, and it decided to dump this morning; all over the counter; all over the floor; grinds and coffee.
  The carafe was half filled indicating that it did start out ok and I didn't misalign anything; but with a mind of its own, it decided that it hated us again today.
  
  So folks, we got two green garbage bags, one inside the other, and dumped that 99.00 + 50.00 more coffee pot in the trash.
  It isn't worth the aggravation.
  I tried to find a website for their corporate office, but they haven't the guts to show any, so this is the only place I could tell you our story.
  I kid you not. We should have believed all the negatives in this product review section.
  I would have loved to return it to Amazon, but after so much elapsed time, it would not have been fair.
  Thank you for listening.
  Fred Auerbach
  email: fred.auerbach@gmail.com
  
  
• I like it!
  By A3TD0MN9INMDNE on 2004-06-17
  This is a very functional, convenient and attractive coffee maker. Its a bit pricey, and sadly, one of the few choices with an insulated 12-cup carafe. If possible, I'd give it another 1/2 star. Would benefit from sturdy materials, a more comfortable handle and faster pouring.

  The Base:
  While the hand-feel is typically light weight due to the plastic construction materials, the design is no-nonsense and intuitive. Its a bit on the tall side, maybe 20". The electronic controls (clock and timer) are intuitive. There is (obviously) no hot plate. The brew basket swings to the right, requiring an additional half a foot of space; and would benefit from incorporating an more obvious handle. The red ball in the water level indicator is clearly visible from a front view, but to see the graduated rule you have to look from the left side. It's rather easy to rely on just the red ball to judge water level.

  The Carafe:
  Is a good insulator that rivals a good thermos. Coffee stays hot for at least 10 hours. Not peak freshness, but quite drinkable. Sometimes I really don't know if the coffee was brewed 4 ot 10 hours ago. The handle could have better ergonomics. The lid design yields an agonizingly low pour rate. I find myself uselessly tilting the carafe higher with the hope of filling the cup more quickly. If the low pour rate is the price of such terrific thermal performance, I'll gladly pay it. Also, the mouth of the carafee is maybe two inches in diameter, so cleaning will definitely require a brush.

  The Resulting Coffee:
  Is very acceptable, and due to the insulated carafe, stays that way all day or throughout the night. The Capresso (see below) was an 8-cup machine, and the larger capacity in this machine often means four of us can have coffee without having to brew a second, partially consumed pot that might end up being discarded.

  A Side Note:
  The Cuisinart DTC-975 is replacing a Capresso Elegant - an over-engineered product that from week 1 had a brew basket that would pop open during the brewing cycle and cause the coffee to run onto the counter and floor. Capresso's service dept. could not fix the machine in three separate attempts. An anomaly?
  
  

• We love this machine.
  By A2UY4HD5EQTS9H on 2005-07-01
  Pros:
  Coffee tastes great.
  Stays hot for hours.
  Doesn't burn the coffee.
  Very attractive.
  Easy to use.
  Timer feature is handy.
  Beep is loud, but not annoying.
  3 year warranty
  
  Con:
  Unit is 16" tall. Doesn't fit on counter beneath cabinets.
  
  
• Slightly Fussy Lid, but the BEST Coffee-Maker I've Ever Used
  By A3VU8XARG5E7OC on 2005-04-24
  Fussy Lid, but the Best Coffee Maker Ever!, April 23, 2005
  Reviewer: R. Wilner (Metro Detroit) - See all my reviews
  
  I wish Amazon had 1/2 stars, because I would have given 4 1/2. I almost gave it a 5 star rating, but the lid may bug some people. I will admit that the lid MUST be placed in a perfect position, but how to do it is no mystery. Clearly etched in the top of the lid are the words "Open" "Close" and "Pour." If you put the lid on so that the word "Pour" is directly over the spout, it's no problem. When you go to screw on the lid, just make sure that the word "Pour" starts out over the spout and when it's closed, it will end up there. No big deal. My guess is, the people who have given negative reviews about the lid were impatient with it.
  
  My reason for buying this coffee-maker was the 12-OUNCE thermal carafe. This was one of the only coffee-makers I saw with a 12oz carafe as opposed to an 8 or 10 ounce. This was a huge selling point for me. As someone who nurses a whole pot a coffee a day, I also was attracted to the fact that I read it keeps coffee hot for so long.
  
  I have had the coffee-maker for over a month now, and I am NOT disappointed! I have not had one single overflow incident and I have had no problems. I suspect that those with overflow problems overfilled the reservoir or didn't pay attention to how they put the lid on.
  
  One thing I must share with those of you considering this coffee-maker. One day I made a pot of coffee and I forgot about it. The next day, approximately 36 hours later, I remembered I had made coffee the previous day, so I figured I'd pour a cup and microwave it. Microwaving was unnecessary. The coffee came out STEAMING hot. As if I had just made it! I'm sure the more coffee that is in it the hotter it will keep but this was over a day later!
  
  I HIGHLY recommend this product!
  
  PROS
  -No heating mechanism. No burnt tasting coffee!
  -Once coffee is brewed, the coffee-maker shuts off.
  -Coffee stays warm for much longer than the description states
  -The carafe stays cool on the outside. I make a pot and just bring it into the living room with me, or to my desk.
  -Very aesthetically pleasing design. Looks great in my kitchen.
  -A full 12 cup coffee-maker. A rare thing amoung thermal carafe coffee-makers
  -LED Clock/Programmable Timer. Auto Seal. Brew Pause Feature. Automatic Shutoff. Available in different colors
  -The water level indicator is easy to see
  -The beep letting you know the coffee is done is loud (I like that)
  
  CONS
  -You do need to pay attention to how to put the lid on, but it isn't exactly rocket science.
  -The digital clock area is tiny. But read the directions and using the timer is a breeze.
  -The stainless steel fingerprints easily, but that's not unusual in a stainless steel appliance.
  -The beep letting you know the coffee is done is loud (Some may not like that)
  
  
  
  
  
• A brilliant design
  By A1GLK5CWR9QABD on 2004-12-29
  As a coffee lover since 3rd grade, and an engineer with a low tolerance for flaws, I'd call this coffeemaker near-perfect. I gave it as a gift this Christmas, and our whole extended family was impressed with the unit. The thermos carafe has an ingenious screw-top lid (easily removed for cleaning), with a beautifully clever mechanism that allows coffee to trickle in during brewing, and pour out without opening the top, but still manage to be airtight the rest of the time. I'd like to shake the hand of the guy that designed that simple-but-elegant mechanism. The coffeemaker brews a full 12-cup carafe in just 10 minutes, a real benefit given the effect that brewing time has on the coffee's flavor. And the carafe is insulated enough that the coffee remained drinkable past the 2 hour mark. The only weakness that I saw is that, since the unit shuts off completely once the coffee is brewed, you can't tell at a glance that there is coffee waiting for you (if it started automatically by the timer). But that's pretty minor, and I'm already recommending this machine to friends. Well done, Cuisinart.
  
  
• A great product at a great price!
  By ANCIWJCB1CKWB on 2004-02-14
  My wife and I spent a lot of time looking for a RELIABLE coffeemaker that would make 12 cups, stay hot and work well. We also didn't want to spend a fortune. This new model Cuisinart has more than met our expectations. We choose the black model, but white is an option. The pot is BIG, easy to clean, stainless steel and keeps coffee HOT. The lid doesn't have to be turned to pour, and it pours into the cup without any drips. The water fill area is nice and wide. It uses #4 cone filters, not one of those stupid metal filters that never work right. My only complaint is that when you set it for autobrew there is no indicator light, just a little LED display (very small). It also has a fairly loud beeper that sounds when brewing is done. If you are using the autobrew feature it will serve as an alarm clock! Other than that, we love it!
  
  
• This Coffee Maker Rocks
  By A1YESZE1BPRTU3 on 2005-12-13
  I really wanted a programmable thermal coffeemaker that made hot coffee. This one fits my requirements, but after reading the reviews, I was concerned about the lid and decided against it. Then, as I looked at stores, I found this one on display at Linens N Things, and I played with the lid...for about 30 minutes! I could not, no matter what I did, get the blasted lid on straight. Impossible. Now, I'm fairly intelligent, usually quite good at problem solving, but I really couldn't get the darned lid on right.
  
  I would have left this alone for good, except I found it on display at another store and just out of curiousity tried the lid on that one. Went right on straight, no problems, perfect. I tried it over and over again and didn't have one single problem with it.
  
  I took a chance and bought one, and when I got it home, I found the lid very easy to open, close, get it on perfectly every time. I've had no problems at all. I think there must be some of these that have the lid threads misaligned or something, which keeps the lid from sitting correctly (which is why some people have troubles and others don't), and all the rest are fine.
  
  I use the timer, set it for 4:30 am (I get up about 5) and the coffee is perfect. In fact, when I get home from work around 4 to 5-ish, the coffee is actually still warm.
  
  I loved this coffee maker...until it overflowed, all over the kitchen. 12 cups of hot, hot coffee and coffee grounds everywhere. Twice in a row. I finally figured out what happened. There's a little button underneath the coffee filter that comes down when you remove the carafe to get a cup of coffee while it is still brewing. That button stops the coffee flow through the filter while you grab that first cup. You need to ensure that when you put the coffee pot underneath the filter, that the top of the carafe pushes up that little button. Since I've done that, it hasn't overflowed again.
  
  I love this coffee maker.
  
  
  
  
• Great Coffee Machine
  By AIG6EWD6V3YSJ on 2004-09-27
  I bought the Cuisinart DTC-975 model 3 years ago and have brewed several pots daily. The unit (sadly) stopped working last month but I was pleasantly surprised that I was within days of their 3-year replacement warranty. I receieved the new unit today and am already packing up the $10 Toastmaster unit and getting the Cuisinart ready.
  
  The coffee keeps its fresh flavor for hours (not like those hotplate units). I strongly reccommend this unit to anyone who enjoys delicious coffee.
  
  
  
• Close to perfect for us...
  By A3MWJA6QI3BKBL on 2006-06-23
  I read all the reviews of this coffee maker before we bought one.
  
  We must have a new and improved model. There is a water-line tube on the outside, left side of the machine...very easy to read and is accurate.
  There is NO hotplate (don't know where that review came from), the filter holder can only go in one way for no mistakes, the screw-on lid to the EXCELLENT carafe is wide-threaded so no way can you get it on NOT straight (unless you don't look)...
  
  Everything works great...and the coffee stays 'hot' at least 10 hours because that's how long it took me to drink it all. It makes great coffee (and uses less coffee with more taste) and we would buy it again in a heartbeat!
  
  
• Really 4.5 stars... great coffee maker, great company
  By AGJP7N8ZXPTJ6 on 2006-07-16
  Before this 12-cup model, I owned Cuisinart's 8-cup model. Both work very well; the 12-cup has the obvious capacity advantage, but the 8-cup brewed the coffee hotter. There's something about metal carafes that absorb more of the coffee's heat than carafes with glass liners. However, no one (that I've found) makes 10- or 12-cup glass-lined carafes. The 12-cup model still gets it hot enough for enjoyment, however; which is much hotter than my old Melita 10-cup w/metal carafe. TIP: pre-heating the carafe with your hottest tap water helps.
  
  A note about Cuisinart being a good company: I bought the 8-cup model back in 1998 and it started ending the brew cycle too early after about 5 months. Cuisinart replaced it quickly. It went up again with the same problem in 2002, and for only $10 they replaced it once more. The unit they replaced it with was upgraded, had the auto-program function (just as the 12-cup model does), and seemed to have a redesigned brew-cycle altogether. It is still running fine, and I brewed 2-3 pots a day, EVERY day. Great unit, great company!
  
  
• The newest design for Cuisinart's DTC-975BKN (black)
  By A3FFTJYJI7OIB5 on 2007-04-01
  Okay... Not only do I feel the need to comment on this coffee maker, but I also have to respond to all these negative comments that I read, prior to buying this machine.
  
  Like many others, our old coffee maker (which happened to be an older model, glass carafe Cuisinart), needed a replacement carafe. I had already bought a replacement carafe once before and wasn't going to spend another $25.00 to replace it with yet another one. Enough was enough. It was time to go for a metal pot.
  
  My first instinct was to stick with what I already knew... Cuisinart. And it just so happened that Cuisinart had a coffee maker with all the requirements I was looking for... A metal (unbreakable) pot, makes 12 cups of coffee, is programmable and stylish.
  What Cuisinart offers in their selection, as of April 1st, 2007, is model number DTC-975BKN (black). They also have a white one, but white shows all the coffee stains and makes a new machine look old, I think.
  
  So please let me further clarify this...
  
  If you're looking at these Amazon reviews, that are older than six months ago, then you're looking at Cuisinart's OLD design!
  
  If you're reading the reviews that are older than six months ago, then you're reading the reviews of a coffee maker that Cuisinart DOESN'T MAKE ANYMORE! THEY CHANGED THE DESIGN! SO DON'T GIVE ANY REGARD TO THOSE REVIEWS!
  
  I'm VERY thankful that I realized that Cuisinart redesigned this coffee maker and that I DIDN'T listen to what people had to say about it. I almost didn't buy it and I almost missed out on the best coffee maker on the market!
  
  I'm not kidding. The coffee maker ROCKS!
  
  There's no way on the planet Earth that you could POSSIBLY cause it to spill over. Well... Short of forgetting to place the carafe under the filter.
  
  It's NO different than anything else I've ever seen in your average, run-of-the-mill glass pot coffee maker. You fill the reservoir, scoop in the coffee, screw the top on the pot and stick it under the spring mechanism where the coffee comes out.
  
  Duh.
  
  I mean... On one of the earlier reviews, there was one brain surgeon who even complained that the heated base crapped out after a year of use... NONE of these metal carafe machines EVER HAD a heated base in the first place! EVER! The point of this machine is to keep the coffee hot, WITHOUT means of heating the coffee continuously throughout the day!
  
  ****sigh****
  
  I've gotten into the habit of pre-heating the carafe with hot water that I re-use daily. I just keep reheating water from our tea kettle, on the stove, and pour it into the coffee maker's carafe and let it sit for about five minutes while I feed the cat or brush my teeth in the morning. After that five minutes, I just pour the water back into the tea kettle for the next morning. Doing this, allows the carafe to keep the coffee warmer for a much longer period.
  
  The flavor of the coffee is just as good as any I've ever had. It does what it's supposed to do. It makes great coffee... Period. What more could you ask? The flavor of the coffee never changes as time goes on and the coffee stays HOT, after eight hours. Ten hours is when it starts to get cooler, but it's still warm enough to drink. Twelve hours and it's gotten cool, if you haven't emptied it by then. In our house, 12 cups are usually gone in six hours or less. But one day I experimented and got those results.
  
  I'm happy as a pig in slop to have this coffee maker. To think that I almost didn't get it, because of some of the comments I read, based on earlier models, makes me shake my head.
  
  Yes, it beeps after it's done. So what. Our old Cuisinart did too and we're used to it ourselves. Unless you sleep in the kitchen, it's NOT loud enough to wake you up.
  
  And yes it stands taller than your average machine. So what. The walls of the metal carafe are thicker than glass pots, because of the need to insulate it. If you want a carafe that holds 12 cups of coffee, then you have to have it bigger on the outside. Right? Therefore, it gonna' be a bigger coffee maker.
  
  Do yourselves a favor... Get this machine. It does everything it says it will.
  
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  
  Okay... Here's a follow-up.
  
  It's now July 5th, 2007 and we've had this maker for 6 months now and we still love it.
  
  But, even though I earlier stated that there couldn't possibly be a chance of causing the machine to spill over, short of forgetting to place the carafe under the basket... It turns out that that's pretty much how we did it... From a certain point of view.
  
  Oooof!
  
  I had taken apart the lid of the carafe and set it on the counter to dry. There's a second "top", that's part of the main lid. Inside that "top", there's a little plastic ball, that's used to seal the heat inside the carafe, but floats on top of the coffee, as it drips into the carafe while brewing. It's a cool design, but it does need attention/cleaning every so often.
  
  A half hour after I took it apart, while I was making the kids some pancakes, my wife got out of the shower and made a pot of coffee without re-assembling the lid. She just screwed on the main part of the lid like usual, without realizing that the very top part of the lid was removed for cleaning. And that very top part of the lid, holds the "button" that presses against the spring loaded release under the basket, which tells the coffee to come out of the basket and drip into the carafe.
  
  Well... I turned around to see what was causing the dripping noise and saw coffee flowing out of the basket and all over kingdom come, making a God-awful fu*king mess.
  
  Like an idiot... I grab the sides of the machine and tipped the whole thing over (on purpose), to allow the remaining amount of coffee to pour out in the sink, rather than all over the counter.
  
  What I should have done was simply unplug it.
  
  Now, because of my rash attempt to keep the mess down to a minimum, I suffered second degree burns all around my left wrist and forearm area, because the basket swung open when I tipped it over and the contents of the basket dumped all over me.
  
  Ouch!
  
  So... There's that. : (
  
  Good coffee though. Still love the machine. Just make sure YOU reassemble the lid, if YOU'RE the one cleaning it. It'll save on a massive mess, a LOT OF PAIN and a good argument with your wife, over who caused the whole fiasco in the first place.
  
  
  
• I had to return it
  By AKQV2XHAYNPQU on 2005-08-27
  My husband was not able to make coffee in this coffee maker. He gets up first and likes lots of strong coffee in the mornings. Every time (!) he made coffee in this maker it would over flow all over the kitchen and get coffee grounds in everything.
  
  It is difficult to clean up after this happens as the basket holder does not detatch from the coffee maker and it is hard to get all the overflowed grounds out of it. Then the carafe has to be taken apart. It is hard to get the grounds out of the lid where the coffee is suposed to flow.
  
  We had it two weeks, wasted tons of coffee, had lots of arguements and returned it for a different coffee maker, which is working fine.
  
  
• Stay Away From This One!
  By A1TGIJ41NLL4GI on 2004-11-24
  I bought three of these: 1 for Dad, 1 for in-Laws, 1 for us. Dad doesn't use his a lot and so far no problems (that I am aware of,) in-Laws' glass inside carafe broke within 1 month of receipt. Ours overflowed 2-3 times/month. We tried not using the gold filter and using only paper filters, but still had the same overflow problem.
  
  Last night the most recent overflow fried the electronics. This brewer is 3 months old and worthless.
  
  Update: all three died of overflows. My father with an MS in Aeronautical Engineering and I with multiple engineering degrees documented the problems with this design. The root cause is the ball in the top of the carafe will stick closed even when new and clean. It certainly must jam when used for several months unless cleaned with high attention to detail. Cuisanart acknowledged our information, but their design remains the same two years later. Some folks may have enough clearance in the top; the plastic mold process is of extremely low quality, therefore tolerances are poorly managed. Hence the difference between those with overflow problems and those who haven't experience this. Most aren't related to how the top is screwed on or the filter basket is latched. It is a design flaw given their low quality manufacturing!
  
  
• Hot Coffee Action
  By A2V7POKUI8T6CS on 2005-03-08
  I bought this coffee maker based on the other reviews a few months ago, and they are right on! This is the finest, best designed coffee maker I have had in years. The carafe keeps the coffee much hotter than other makers...(and I have gone through at least two thermals in as many years)...I can think of no outstanding flaw. The lid which was bad-rapped in one of the reviews is head and shoulders above some real pieces of crap I've had to suffer through, (Mr. Coffee designers, please take note!) The reviewer complaining about the glass in the carafe breaking...perhaps there is a glass insert within the walls of the carafe, but I have found no evidence, and they must have dropped the thing. As far as the beeping, well, I don't know why they threw that in there but it is not a deal breaker. (Why does everything have to beep these days?) If you are a serious coffee drinker you will be very happy with this unit.
  
  
  
• Constant clogging and overflowing! A real disaster.
  By A2OKOH0OE2A4UW on 2005-03-12
  We were very excited when we first purchased this item, and it took quite a long time to get as it was back ordered. There is not much competition for this sized coffeemaker with the thermal carafe. The coffee is good tasting and it stays hot, but the trouble with the clogging and overflowing makes it extremely time-consuming and nervous-making! We have two of these pots and they are both lemons. We tediously clean each part, daily, in order to minimize the overflowing--but it still does flood. I would like to return these, and get my money back if I could! If you value your time and money, I would not buy this product! Cuisinart customer service is also very difficult to reach, and not very helpful or responsive.
  
  
• Just buy it already!
  By A2Y4JOIQ74NMZ6 on 2005-10-05
  Those who have trouble with this machine have problems that are unrelated to the coffeemaker! It works as designed and does a great job of making hot, great tasting coffee with little fuss. The lid screws on easily without having to use force, contrary to what some have said. It can be cross-threaded like any other screw mechanism, but so what? The filter basket can be set in the holder askew, but again, so what? Screwing on the lid and setting the basket in straight can both be done right every time by anyone who pays minimal attention to what they are doing. Reading some of negative reviews will either convince you that (A): this coffeemaker was designed and produced in Elbonia at the old Yugo factory and should never be used for anything but as a wedding gift to your ex-boss, or (B): we live in a nation of whiners and victims.
  Bottom line: It's a great coffee maker that does everything you would want it to do and does it well. It's quite possible that some one or two people actually got hold of a defective unit, but I think the defect in the coffee making process may just be personal rather than mechanical. And as far as the beeper goes? If that little sound bothers you, maybe you shouldn't be drinking coffee anyway. Buy it and enjoy it!
  
  
• hot coffee is good coffee
  By A3BK6NBBO1BACV on 2004-08-14
  Bought the Krups and it did not keep the coffee hot. This is the only thermal that keeps coffee hot. I work at home, so, coffee that stays hot through the day is great.
  
  
  
• We love it! Hot coffee for hours!
  By A2HM4AN2WEKUSU on 2005-11-10
  My husband and I are what you might call coffee snobs. I considered buying the Capresso but I was too cheap. After reading all the reviews, I decided this Cuisinart may be our salvation from burned coffee sitting on the burner too long! And it is! I think it works great and makes a good cup of coffee (helps when you start with good beans!). We have only had a problem with it spilling during brewing the very first time we made coffee. Haven't had a problem since.
  
  You do need to make sure the lid is threaded on correctly. It's pretty obvious when it gets misaligned. If you have to start forcing it, then it's probably on wrong. And you have to make sure the brew basket is in correctly, but once again, that's easy to do as long as you are paying attention (although at 6:30am pre-coffee, it's hard to pay attention!).
  
  In our experience, it keeps coffee hot for about 3-4 hours. What's nice about it though is that even when the coffee gets to be lukewarm, it doesn't have that nasty burned taste that our old coffee maker would produce from sitting on the heating element for two hours. The end of brewing beep is kind of loud, but it's out in the kitchen, so who cares?
  
  Overall, we are very happy with this purchase. We don't use the auto setting very often as we like to freshly grind our beans, but it's been easy to set up when we have done it. Easy to clean, and I like the white with stainless steel since our kitchen is white. The coffee maker is pretty tall so make sure it will fit under your cabinets. I have to pull it out away from the cabinets to pour in the water, and then move it back underneath.
  
  
• Very Happy with this coffee maker
  By AK2W4S6CMB7SH on 2006-10-17
  We bought this Cuisinart coffee maker after reading the reviews of every single thermal carafe/10-12cup coffee maker out there (our previous Krupps had stopped working, and the current Krupps model got bad reviews).
  We have been completely happy with this Cuisinart thermal one - great coffee, easy to use, very hot - no complaints at all!
  
  
• Drink coffee all day? Look no farther.
  By on 2004-03-05
  I wanted something rugged for my office, I want coffee hot but not burned, and I need more than 8-10 cups. This is it. Well made, sturdy stainless carafe, and it stays hot all day even if only half full. I wonder if the reviewer who complained of lukewarm coffee had a defective unit? Mine starts hot at 8 AM and if there is any coffee left at 6 PM it is still drinkable. This will be my next home coffee maker too.
  
  
• Not too much - not too little.
  By AN33TLCTG4CT4 on 2006-02-22
  Asthetically very attractive. Not too many features, that all would be lost if the machine broke down, but not too few to make it a real time saver and luxury item. I really enjoy the thermal caraffe and not have to worry about the coffee cooking for hours. The automatic off is probably it's best feature, making it worry free. I've never owned a programable coffee brewer before and thought I could really live without it - but - oh - what a pleasure to wake up to a fresh pot in the morning, and not something you have to be a rocket scientist to program.
  While i toyed with the idea of going one better with the built in coffee grinder. I feel I have made a much wise decision in getting this wonderful piece of machinery and having a separate coffee mill - especially for those times when I wish to change the flavor of coffee beans. Am definitely not sorry at all for the purchase and would only replace it - if and when that time ever comes - with one just like it.
  
  
• The worst
  By A2PTLC6NASCINN on 2004-12-22
  this coffee maker is hard to use - to screw the lid on the vacuum you must be well coordinated and strong. No one else in the family can make coffee as they get the lid on screwy and therefore it will not drip except all over the counters and floor. The screw on top design is cumbersome and if you are older and have problems with arthritis it would be impossible.
  
  
• Hot coffee, great look, but beep is unnecessary
  By A76JYRAOZWMAM on 2005-07-19
  I only received this coffee maker this week, and I must say, I am impressed. I ran plain water through the system to clean it out when I first plugged it in, and some 16 hours later, the water was far too hot to touch, let alone drink. The first pot of coffee was the best I'd had in a long time, and again, the temperature was very hot, probably near boiling. A few pros and cons to consider before you buy:
  
  + Great classy look
  + As indicated above, the coffee is piping hot, and stays piping hot in the thermal carafe for far longer than needed. (Be sure to warm the carafe with hot tap water before brewing and it will stay hot even longer.)
  + Great tasting coffee
  
  - The audible beeping that alerts you that the brew cycle is complete is far too loud (especially when you have children sleeping down the hall). It is a shame that Cuisinart added this "bonus feature" without giving the user the option of turning it off. Additionally, I don't see the need for 5 beeps; perhaps 2 would be more tolerable.
  
  - This is a very tall unit, at least in comparison to non-thermal models.
  
  +- Be aware that the stainless option has stainless steel on the filter basket face as well. I only saw photos of the "black" version, so when I ordered the stainless option, I expected just the carafe to be stainless, not the filter basket face.
  
  I would have rated this product 5 stars if it weren't for the beeping. Bottom line, if you want hot coffee, this is a great choice.
  
  
• Waiting for the unexpected?
  By A30LPSYCTYCIGZ on 2006-01-31
  Have read most of the pros and cons in the buyers review section and felt the thermal coffeemaker was worth a try. I was tired of transferring fresh coffee to two thermos bottles.
  I love this product. I agree the cap can be cantankerous to line up. But the coffee it makes is excellent and retains its heat for a long time. I will keep in mind the review about the button under the filter to prevent overflowing. I like the longer pouring lip versus that found on other carafes.
  
  
• Love this coffee maker!
  By AZMM63BDTHKXE on 2006-06-11
  I researched online reviews and shopped around for a new coffee maker. I finally decided on the Cuisinart. I love it! It keeps the coffee hot all day long, is easy to use, and had all of the features I was looking for. The only thing I had a problem with is that the height is too tall to fit under my cabinets. But, I live in an old farmhouse where nothing is standard, so I'm sure my cabinets are not at the standard height of most households. The Amazon price was right, too. Great product overall!!
  
  
• Fabulous-- Better than the last Cuisinart I owned!!
  By on 2004-03-23
  Thankfully I've found out that Cuisinart Coffee makers are the only ones with the ability to keep the coffee HOT!!!
  I am happy to report that I am back to Cuisinart after trying a copy-cat $... model for a week-- NO COMPETITION!!
  A fabulous machine, the only one if the coffee at your house gets consumed over more than a 30 minute window of opportunity!!!
  
  

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