Michael Graves Design™ Automatic Drip Coffeemaker - Black (40304) Review

I purchased this coffeemaker at our local Target store a few weeks ago after reading the rave reviews that this coffeemaker received on this site.I will be returning it tomorrow.

First of all, and I doubt anyone would dispute this, the coffeemaker looks great.In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is absolutely beautiful!But there are major functional design flaws with this product.

First, and I haven't a clue why this happens, fresh coffee seems to find a path down the handle of the decanter handle, then drips on the counter.If we make about 10-12 cups of coffee there is a puddle of three or four tablespoons of coffee on the counter right below the decanter handle.Nothing I've tried stopped this problem.The best I could tell is the decanter is designed in such a way that coffee dripping into the decanter can follow a patch from the lid to a small space by the handle, then down the handle to drip on the counter.Maybe the decanter is defective, but it is a headache none-the-less.

The next problem is the bright blue light.I'm not sure how much electricity that thing consumes, but I'm sure it is not just a little bit.You can cook dinner by the light output of this thing.It will be neat at first, then you may find it annoying.

I'm not sure why they designed the lid system they way they did, but, as another reviewer mentioned, there will be condensation everywhere when you try to clean-up.Not only is the condensation a problem, there are several ridges and tight areas in the lid/water distribution system above the filter that are almost impossible to clean.It seems like the design would lead to the growth of mold and mildew.

Finally, as others have stated, it is really difficult to get a consistently good cup of coffee from this machine.No matter what I do it still comes out weak.Even the button for "strong" coffee doesn't solve this problem.With coffee prices the way they are I don't want a machine that will require 20-30 percent more ground coffee consumption when I could get the same quality with another machine.

I know a lot of customers have had a positive experience with this product, but I give it a thumbs down after a few weeks of daily use.

UPDATE:On May 22nd I attempted to return this coffee maker to the local Target in Corpus Christi, Texas but for some reason their receipt look-up system was not working properly.After waiting almost a half hour I got fed up and told them to keep the money and the coffeemaker.I was out about $40.00, but at that point I just wanted to get on with my life;this reflects life in Corpus Christi, not Target stores as a whole.

I went back to look at other coffeemakers and surprise, surprise!The Michael Graves Drip Coffeemaker had been redesigned! The coffeemaker sold here with this photo is NOT THE CURRENT MODEL OF THIS COFFEEMAKER!!!The new version (that may have corrected the coffee coming out the handle issue) is silver plastic and the decanter has a strip of "brushed" metal on the pouring handle.If your maker doesn't have that, you have an older version!!!

Based on my experience with the dripping handle, I'm not sure why they wouldn't offer a recall.Maybe the issue wasn't frequent or serious enough.Have they solved the issues with the weak coffee after using excessive amounts for a brew?Who knows?

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