RBradford's Full Review: Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Coffee Maker
For the longest time, I was under the delusion that the only good coffee makers were made by Mr. Coffee. I thought they had to be plastic, inexpensive, and easy to use - all features I found with Mr. Coffee machines. However, the blinders are off and I'm now a huge Cuisinart fan. Hit the road, Mr. Coffee. In the immortal words of Donald Trump, you're fired!
First of all, let's talk about the price of the Cuisinart 12-Cup Brew Central Programmable Coffeemaker DCC-1200 (hereafter referred to as Cuisinart, coffeemaker, or just "it"). Priced at an average retail of about $99, this seemed really high to me. After all, aren't all coffemakers really just water-heating devices that pump liquid through coffee grounds and into a pot? Well, apparently not. Based on all of the features and the excellent coffee produced by this marvelous machine, I think it's completely worthy of it's price tag. Here's why:
Construction:
The exterior of the coffeemaker is made of quality stainless steel. This not only makes for a solid unit, but an attractive one as well. With the black plastic lid, interior and black heating plate, this is one sharp looking machine. It's easy to clean (so I've been told by my wife), and looks very sharp sitting on the kitchen counter. The carafe is fairly standard, being glass with a black handle. The pouring spout is also black plastic and well designed. It allows easy pouring without anything running down the side of the pot. The lid is a snap-on type, making it easy to clean both the lid and the pot. The filter is the gold screen type, not requiring but able to use paper filters if like. Also, the cup that the filter sits in is removable, again making cleaning easy. I like the fact that the cup which holds the filter has a spring-loaded tip which makes contact with the top of the coffee pot lid. This means two things: 1.) No coffee will flow unless the pot is in place, meaning no accidents, and 2.) You can pull the pot out for a quick cup of coffee while it continues to brew ("brew pause" I think they call it, but I can't imagine why).
Features:
This coffeemaker has a lot of features, although not as many as some of the really high end models. I find that appealing, mainly because it doesn't require hours of reading the instruction manual to figure out how to use it. Being a man, I have a thing against reading instructions or assembly manuals. Luckily, I really didn't need either to have my first pot of coffee from this unit. My wife helped a little too. I think she may have read a couple of pages from the instruction book.
Timer:
This is my favorite feature. The coffeemaker has a built-in digital clock and timer, which allows you to set the machine to start brewing up to 24 hours later. I usually set up the coffeemaker before going to bed and set the timer to go off about 5 minutes before my clock-radio alarm sounds. For a full 12 cups, it seems to take about 8 or 9 minutes to brew. This means that my alarm goes off, then as I'm waking up, I can hear the coffee maker alarm sound just a few minutes later. Nothing beats having a cup of hot coffee waiting for you right as you get out of bed. (Well, actually, a lot of things beat it, but it's pretty high up there on the list.) The coffee maker beeps several times to indicate that it's completed it's brew cycle. This is the case whether you use the timer or just turn it on directly.
12 Cup Carafe:
I love coffee, so the more I can make at one time, the better. Personally, I think the "cup" measurement needs to be adjusted because I like a really BIG cup of coffee and I just don't get 12 out of any coffeemaker. However, for the amateur coffee drinker, the carafe does hold 12 cups. I've found that you can actually overfill it to hold about 13 if you want (which I do), and there's still room to handle it without spilling all over the place. The coffee maker has a reservoir in the back right corner (as you face it), with a white step-style measuring stick built into it. You can try to fill it to the corresponding number of cups. However, I find it just easier to fill the carafe to the amount I want and pour it in. The reservoir and the carafe seem to be calibrated fairly closely, so no worries about overfilling. If the water fits in the carafe, it will fit in the reservoir. As I mentioned above, the lip of the carafe is well designed, making it easy to pour without any kind of mess. Some coffee carafes had just a suggestion of a lip, but this one has a nice extended lip that even Mick Jagger would be proud of.
Quick Summary of Features:
- Adjustable (low, med, high) hot plate temperature
- Charcoal filter to clean the water (easy to replace)
- Self clean mode with indicator light
- Timer for setting brew time up to 24 hours in advance
- Automatic shut off with adjustable timer (set for up to 4 hours, with 2 being default setting)
- Built-in clock and timer are easy to set, not like those amazingly difficult VCRs
- Gold filter, which allows you to use paper filters as well if you like extra "clean" coffee
- Removable filter holder for easy cleaning
- 12 cup carafe with easy pour spout and snap-on lid
- 1-4 cup button for making smaller amounts
- Top loading instead of "pull out" drawer for coffee grounds
- Brew pause feature
- Stainless steel and plastic construction
- Wide black plastic base makes unit very stable
- Sleek, narrow profile fits well on any counter
- 3 year warranty
Overall:
I used to think a plastic Mr. Coffee coffeemaker was just fine. Pouring water into the top (and spilling it everywhere in the process), pulling out the plastic drawer, dropping in a paper filter full of ground coffee, and clicking the "on" button - this seemed to be the only modern way to make coffee. Then came Cuisinart. Now I set everything up before going to bed, and like magic, I awaken to the sweet smell of fresh-brewed coffee. And the taste! Wow! Of course it could be that all I buy now is Starbucks, but I like to think the coffeemaker makes it taste even better.
Sure, you can buy a coffeemaker for less, but does it look as nice and can you set it for timed brewing? Spend the extra money and pamper yourself a little. This unit is worth it.
By the way, I've seen a Kenmore model offered by Sears that looks almost identical. The clock is round instead of rectangular and I think it's actually got hands (not digital). Since Kenmore is only the Sears brand and Sears doesn't actually make anything, I have little doubt that it's actually made by Cuisinart. It seems to be priced about the same, but you might find it on sale at some point. Either way, get the Cuisinart one described here or check out the Kenmore model. I've rarely seen the Cuisinart on sale, so anything under the $99 price tag should be considered a bargain.
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