Good, Quality Coffee Making from Braun
Written: Oct 22 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Auto shut- off; Pause feature; Permanent filter is handy; filtered water
Cons: Permanent filter can cause problems; No programming feature
The Bottom Line: This has been a very good coffee maker thus far and it does succeed at brewing better tasting coffee.
|
|
|
| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Braun AromaDeluxe KF 550 10-Cup Coffee Maker |
Coffee makers are primarily of the drip variety and they can be found in most every household. I didn’t care much for the taste of coffee in the past but my opinion has improved drastically in the past ten years or so thanks to the wide variety of flavored coffees on the market. Because of my more favorable opinion and my tendency to brew more than before, I decided it was time to buy a brand new coffee maker- one that offered a more stylish exterior and a more sophisticated interior. My choice was the Braun Aroma Deluxe Coffee Maker, Model KF550, a drip- style coffee maker.
Facts About This Product:
Braun KF550 Aroma Deluxe is a ten- cup (4.4 ounce cups) coffee maker with a glass carafe and a mostly heavy- duty plastic construction. The device measures approx. 14.3 inches in height, 13 inches in depth, and 7.5 inches in width making it easy to fit into a small space on the kitchen counter. The reservoir is found to the rear of this coffee maker and it offers a blue colored, see- through design that lets the consumer visually see the water line to make sure it is at the desired level of cups. The water reservoir also features a Brita water filter to ensure the best tasting cup of coffee possible.
To make brewing as simple as possible, Braun KF550 comes complete with a permanent coffee filter. This filter is cone- shaped and pops out for easy cleaning. Paper filters can also be used, if desired. The filter holder also pops out for cleaning with the press of a button. These two parts, plus the glass carafe, are all dishwasher safe.
To brew coffee, all you do is pour water in the reservoir to the desired height; add coffee to the filter basket; close the filter basket; place the empty glass carafe underneath the filter; and press the switch to the “on” position. Once the cycle is completed, coffee is ready to serve. The brewing time is about one minute per cup and the unit automatically shuts off after two hours. There is also a “pause and serve” feature that gives consumers a way to temporarily halt the brewing cycle so that a cup of coffee can be poured without the worry of dripping and without having to wait until the cycle is completed.
Customer Service/Product Information:
To find out more about Braun products on- line, the place to visit is the internet web site, braun.com. A quick overview of the different appliances offered by Braun can be found in the web site as well as an overview of the company and its many services. If a phone call needs to be placed, the customer service number is 800-272-8611.
Final Thoughts:
Braun Aroma Deluxe KF550 is a very good small appliance from a company that is generally associated with better than average quality. Not all Braun products are exemplary, but the majority of them are easily better than the competition with a price that reflects the higher level of quality.
I selected this coffee maker a short time ago as part of my recent home improvement kick. I don’t know why I suddenly decided to update the appliances in my kitchen and the electronics devices in other rooms. I guess it is a combination of things, like ordinary wear and tear and the desire to have products that offer the latest and greatest technology. I selected this Braun coffee maker because it looked nice and stylish (black color matches the other small appliances in the kitchen); it offered some extra bells and whistles that my present coffee maker didn’t have; and it carries the Braun name- a brand name I have grown to know and trust.
Since I am the only coffee drinker in my household, I basically had the final say in the decision to purchase and I have been very satisfied with my decision. I like the added features that the Braun Aroma Deluxe KF550 offers, like the permanent filter, the pause & serve feature, and the Brita water filter. Each of these items helps to make the process simpler and smoother than before and the added feature of a Brita filter not only helps to brew better tasting coffee, it also helps to keep the coffee maker clean. Purified water means less calcification and that means less cleaning with vinegar or other decalcifying agents.
I really like having a permanent coffee filter but there is one drawback I have noticed: The tendency for coffee granules to get into the pot of brewed coffee. The permanent filter is nice but depending on how finely ground the coffee is, it can cause problems. For example, if the coffee is ground very fine, like powder, it may end up seeping through the permanent filter and dripping into the coffee pot. I have had this happen a few times and I ended up getting a murky mess at the bottom of my cup of coffee. The other potential problem is overflow. If the grounds are fine, they can clog the permanent filter and cause the basket to overflow, transferring grounds of coffee into your cup and making a small mess on the kitchen counter. This is why I recommend one of two things: Either make sure your coffee is of medium grind to avoid the problems stated above or use paper filters instead with the permanent filter as an emergency backup. Paper filters add extra expense but they eliminate the problems described above. And you still have your permanent filter to use in an emergency when there are no paper filters left and you want to brew some coffee.
The water quality with Braun Aroma Deluxe KF550 is better than average thanks to the water filtering action. Braun sells this coffee maker with an included Brita filter to get you started. It needs to be changed every two months for maximum water freshness. There is a small dial on the top of the coffee maker that can be set to a specific month of the year to remind you to change the filter. This reminder is not electronic- it is nothing more than a simple dial that you turn two months into the future whenever you change the filter. Having to buy a water filter is an extra expense but it does make the coffee taste better and it lessens the need for cleaning. If you decide you don’t want to use a filter, that’s fine, too. Braun has space compensator that you can press into the space where the filter would normally go in case you don’t want to buy water filters.
All of the removable parts of this coffee maker are dishwasher safe and that includes the carafe, the permanent coffee filter, and the brew basket. It is important that the permanent filter be removed and cleaned as quickly as possible in order to avoid stains and smells. I rinse mine clean immediately after each use and I always run it through the dishwasher shortly afterward. It is a good idea to scrub this filter with a brush every so often for maximum cleanliness. Abrasive cleaners and scouring pads should never be used because they could damage the filter. But a brush is safe and it’s something you need to do periodically to prevent the filter from becoming permanently stained.
One thing the Braun Aroma Deluxe KF550 doesn’t offer is the ability to program. This could be a deal breaker for many consumers and it’s a little surprising that Braun doesn’t include this in its list of features. It offers just about everything else you could want in a coffee maker but there is no ability to program and no clock. Personally, I have no use for a feature like this and that is why I decided to exclude it from my list of requirements when I went shopping for a coffee maker. For a price of $42, this coffee maker is more expensive than most but I think the price is fair, even if it doesn’t include programming.
One other thing I should mention about this coffee maker is that it is very light weight. This is nice, but the lightness also makes me question its durability. Only time will tell if the lighter parts are capable of standing up the weekly usage. I am optimistic that this coffee maker will stand the test of time but I admit I had my doubts when the box arrived in the mail and I noticed how light it was. I didn’t even think it was my new coffee maker at first because it didn’t seem heavy enough. The glass carafe is also very light and because of this I have been exercising additional caution whenever I handle it. It seems delicate and I don’t want to take any chances on breakage.
Overall, I am happy with my Braun Aroma Deluxe KF550. It brews a tasty cup of coffee without any fuss and it offers the ability to stop the brewing cycle in order to pour a quick cup as well as the security in knowing that the coffee maker will automatically shut off in two hours. I have a few question marks with this device- durability questions that can only be answered in due time. But I like what I have seen thus far and I recommend this appliance to anyone who wants a better cup of coffee.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.