Cuisinart 10-cup Programmable Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker Review

Bought this at Costco as replacement for a Cuisinart DCC-1200 which was great, although it only lasted about 5 years. The only Cuisinart they had now was this thermal one, so we decided to give it a try.

First let me point out some pros:

- Compact, "slim" design size fits well on the counter.

- The "tilt-up" lid doesn't drip water on the coffee maker and counter when you open it...on our old DCC-1200 with "side-hinged" lid we always had to place a towel around the bottom to catch the drips.

And I think that just about does it for the positives.

Now on to the bad stuff:

- The taste has some kind of funk to it...no matter what we did, coffee just doesn't taste as good as the old maker.

- Pouring the coffee...who would ever think that the simple act of just pouring coffee into a mug would be an issue? Well, it is with this POS. Even when full/nearly-full, coffee just sorta trickles out. And then once it's less than ~1/2 pot, you have to do this weird lean with your body and contortion of your wrist to an unnatural degree to get the coffee to pour.

- Not that it's a deal-breaker, but would it be such a big deal to put a clock on these things that's actually visible?I can go buy a $10 watch that will have a blue or green backlight...why can't they do that for a $50 coffee maker?

- But the NUMBER ONE gripe is coffee that you would call "hot" only in the academic sense that right after brewing it might give your lip a very slight sensation of heat. But it's not nearly "hot" in the way most people would describe "hot coffee." And then after it's been sitting for a half-hour or so? Forget it, you WILL be putting it in the microwave.

And yes, for those Mr. Helpers who respond to complaints about the lukewarm coffee, even though it's not in the instruction manual, Cuisinart does have a recommendation out there to "pre-heat" the carafe. Just some quick thoughts on that...

1) We've got jobs, kids...we're busy in the mornings and don't need yet one more chore just to make a stupid pot of coffee.

2) We like to use the auto-brew feature...someone let me know how the whole "preheating" thing is supposed to work if the point of using the programmable feature is to not have to do anything with your coffee in the morning except pour it. Speaking of pouring, did I mention this carafe sucks in the pouring dept?

3) We've tried it, and preheating makes only a marginal difference. You're still drinking iced coffee within an hour.

Probably goes without saying that this will be returned and we'll probably get another DCC-1200 from Amazon.

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Product Description:
Designed to preserve counter space as well as the fresh flavor of your coffee, this sleek, 10-cup thermal programmable coffeemaker enhances any countertop in both form and function. With a thermal carafe that keeps coffee hot and fresh for hours and great features like 24-hour programmability, a 1 ' 4 cup setting, and the always convenient Brew PauseTM feature, it's easier than ever to brew, pour and enjoy a great cup of coffee.

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