I went through a bunch of coffee makers when it came time to replace my old Mr. Coffee FTX20 12-cup programmable coffeemaker, white. At the time I bought my previous Mr. Coffee coffee maker, most of the available reviews for the FTX series read like a consumer recall in the making. I took a chance, and the FTX20 actually ended up serving me very well for little over two years (with only one of the oft-reported mysterious overflows). It had gotten, unfortunately, to the point where the Mr. Coffee FTX20's brew was either bitter or burnt, perhaps due to overheating or over extraction. Thus began my search for a suitable replacement.
I contemplated a Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker, Black and Stainless Steel. This make/model has some of the best reviews for a product of its kind, but it was just too ugly, and the control knobs and switches were less than intuitive when compared to what I was accustomed to. I then thought I struck a bargain after finding a remanufactured Krups FMF5 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Thermal Carafe, Black with Stainless Steel in a discount store. To my dismay, it not only had a lousy Pause 'n Serve feature, but while I was rinsing out the unit with a full pot of water, as per the directions, hot water came out of the back near the top of the handle and burned me. While I can't be sure about the origin of the first problem, the second problem wasn't a consequence of having been a refurbished unit -- it's a dangerous design flaw that others have reported elsewhere on the Internet. Nevertheless, I had owned it long enough to realize that a thermal carafe was not for me -- bulky, and impossible to see how much coffee remains in the pot short of picking it up and swooshing it around or removing the lid (which defeats the thermal heat trapping benefits).
When I was returning the FMF5 to the store, I spotted the Krups FME2 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Glass Carafe, White. KRUPS fans swear by the great cup of coffee these units can brew, so I was seriously interested in trading the faulty thermal design for the standard glass carafe model. But then I noticed something. The glass carafe is paper thin. I mean WAY more thin than the cheapest drugstore coffee maker carafe. Combined with the fact that the carafe is thinner than average, the handle is glued on without any metal band to reinforce the attachment! Scratch KRUPS.
Next, I came across a very stylish and retro looking Sunbeam "Heritage Edition" coffee maker in black plastic with chrome-colored accents (not presently available on Amazon). It features a rotary bezel surrounding a back-lit LED clock display by which to set the clock and delayed brew features. Flick a switch, and the unit begins to brew. It also includes the popular Pause 'n Serve feature. Unfortunately, my old Mr. Coffee machine spoiled me. It was disappointing to realize that despite the ample area on the LED clock, there is no "Fresh Brew Timer" to indicate how long the coffee had been sitting on the warming plate. (I expected many of the same features given that Sunbeam and Mr. Coffee are owned by the same company.) The Sunbeam Heritage Edition also fails to beep when brewing is complete, nor does it sound an alert when the warming plate is about to shut off. It doesn't provide an adjustable warming plate temperature, either (an important feature if you want to prevent that last cup or so from scorching). For $65 the Sunbeam Heritage Edition struck me as high on style, but short on features.
After considering a number of additional close-but-not quite potential replacements -- including a KitchenAid KCM511OB 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Onyx Black, which during the first rinse cylce leaked water on to the counter from a plastic seam along the lower left side-- I finally found the Mr. Coffee Classic Edition on clearance at Kohls. According to the holographic sticker on the package, model MRX35/MRX36 commemorates 35 years since Mr. Coffee introduced the first automatic-drip coffee maker in 1972. Mr. Coffee consulted an outside design firm to come up with the 1970s retro-meets-modern design concept, and the result is that the coffee maker functions as well as it looks. The warming plate temperature slider is located where you would expect -- below the warming plate. The remaining 11 controls are grouped to the left of the decanter so that they are not in the path of escaping steam. And while 12 buttons may sound intimidating, the result is that every function is in clearly labeled in plain sight, with no toggling through menus or holding down a series of button combinations.
In the highly unusual category, the Mr. Coffee Classic Edition even includes a button to activate a rear-mounted LED light that acts as a sort of night light! Along with the new features, there are familiar features such as Mr. Coffee's patented "Fresh Brew Timer" (shows you a countdown so you can keep track of how long the warming plate has been on and when it will shut off), Pause 'n Serve (that works!), and a two- or four-hour selectable warming plate option. The carafe, meanwhile, accepts 12 five-ounce cups. Before coffee reaches the carafe, however, the water is filtered through an inexpensive charcoal disk common to other Mr. Coffee models. (The filters are easily located in stores such as Target.)
Another aspect that I enjoy is the back-lit LED clock. Most of the newer coffee makers are using LED clocks that resemble cheap digital watch displays. This one provides a digital clock with an analog style display, which is easy to read when you're in the kitchen at night or early AM hours. Because it is back lit in a pale blue color, the display is also a lot easier to read than a similar back lit analog-style clock display on my old Mr. Coffee, which emitted a rather bright shade of green back lighting that did not contrast well with the LED graphic. One other change from my old Mr. Coffee is that the "Ready Signal" is now a feature users may switch on or off. I prefer to leave mine on because I tend to go from room to room and the tone alerts me, much like a microwave, that my coffee is ready and waiting (and no worse sounding than a microwave beep, incidentally). Two or four hours later, the signal is used once more to confirm that the warming plate auto-shutoff has engaged. While nearly anyone can learn to appreciate the benefits of this feature, I would imagine that the Ready Signal would be particularly useful for those with low vision.
While the design coupled with its many features may have influenced my decision to purchase the MRX35, the coffee it brews is what has influenced me to keep it. I am the sort of coffee drinker who would have never dreamed of touching the stuff prior to the introduction of Starbucks and the realization that loads of whole milk, cream, sugar and flavoring could turn a bitter brew into a treat (my favorite being lattes). Of course, the challenge is getting anything that even remotely resembles those great gourmet flavors at home. Over the years, my coffee technique has improved. I use purified water. I do not buy pre-ground coffee. I store my coffee beans in chilled airtight stainless steel containers. And I grind them in a burr grinder only moments before brewing. Try as I may, however, the coffee I got straight out of the pot -- without adding cream and sugar -- always tasted a bit on the harsh side (not only from my previous coffee maker, but in everyone else's). So it was with much surprise -- and even the fleeting impression that there might be something wrong with my new coffee machine -- that I realized that not only does it smell less bitter, but the resulting coffee tastes much, much more smooth. I don't know what Mr. Coffee has done, but it is nearly impossible to get anything distasteful out of this machine. Because the coffee is so mellow, I can drink it with far less "doctoring" when compared to the coffee brewed by any previous coffee maker I've owned. For those that prefer a stronger cup, there is also the option to switch on a "Strong Brew" setting (stronger in flavor, but still not bitter).
One downside to this machine, if you can call it that, is that the coffee doesn't come out as hot as some of its competitors. In my tests, the initial rinse-water cycles produced temperatures of about 170-172 degrees. However, after removing the coffee-filled carafe immediately after brew, I am registering temperatures closer to 155-160. As a workaround, those who prefer milk or creamer may wish to preheat the milk in order to prevent the temps from going even lower. Alternately, place a very small amount of milk in a stainless steel creamer on top of the coffee maker as the coffee brews, and it may be just enough to take the ice-cold edge off the milk as a result of passive heating (you may wish to remove the silicone decanter mat that rests on top, however).
A more serious downside, perhaps, is that failing to remove the carafe carefully can result in the brew basket assembly/tray snagging on the carafe lid and dislodging (which can cause it to drip hot liquids). I had it happen during the initial rinse water cycle, and I quickly learned to keep the decanter level until it fully clears the slide-out filter/brew basket drawer. If the manufacturer had provided just a tad more clearance between the bottom of the brew basket/dispenser and the carafe lid, I doubt this would be an issue to watch out for. Fortunately, the Pause 'n Serve works fairly reliably -- providing you don't yank the pot off the warmer...Read more›
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Mr.coffee 35 Anniversary MakerProduct Description: This 12-cup coffee maker comes with a variety of programmable options for that perfect cup. Features include brewing pause and serve, a 2-hour and a 4-hour adjustable automatic shut-off, brew strength selector, special cleaning cycle, and more! Permanent Filter Fresh Brew Timer Brew Strength Selector Adjustable Temperature Warmer Plate Water Window Cord Storage On/Off Audible Signals On/Off Ambient Lighting Cup Rack Silicone Decanter Mat.
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This is a very good medium coffee with excellent aroma and no bitterness. I usually have one cup of Verona to start the day, but this is my favorite for a second cup, and visitors who don't want a strong coffee usually like it as well.
