mccorma's Full Review: Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Coffee Maker
Our loyal Braun's hotplate was petering out and not keeping the coffee hot enough, so our search began for a new coffee maker. After selecting a Black & Decker, then returning two of them for defects out of the box, we studied all the reviews and settled on this Cuisinart. NOTE: at the time of this review, both Costco and Sam's Club are carrying a nearly identical model at a very reasonable $49.99. The model number at Costco is CBC-00PC6. It seems to be sold only in the stores however, not online. The normal price of the DCC-1200 is about $74.99 from my research.
I have found that in general coffee makers are a series of tradeoffs, in that there is no perfect one. Like the reservoir system on one, and it won't keep the coffee hot. Find one that keeps it hot, and you won't like the controls. It's impossible to find one that has it all. This Cuisinart appears to posess the best of the compromises, at least for me.
Like other reviewers, I've found that the fill reservoir has a narrow opening, and without using care it is easy to slosh water onto the counter or down through the brew basket. Also, I wish it had a fill gauge on the outside instead of numbered cubes on the inside. My solution is to do my measuring by filling the carafe to the desired cups and using that to fill the reservoir.
The fill basket is a cone type, and unfortunately and like most other brands a permanent gold mesh filter is not included. It must be purchased for additional cost if you do not want to deal with paper filters with each pot. The bottom of the basket has a "sneak a cup" feature to allow you to remove the pot while brewing. The fit between the pot and the seal at the bottom of the basket for this feature is tight, and sometimes makes it difficult to return the pot to the brewer, or inadvertently fall short of getting it completely back onto the hot plate.
The Cuisinart uses an interesting combination of buttons and knobs for control functions. One knob is used to select various modes, another knob for on/off, and a third one to select temperature (3 settings). One nice feature is the ability to change the "auto-off" feature up to a maximum of four hours.
The carafe seems fairly study, and holds 12 cups, however the lid assembly does not hinge like most and comes completely off. It takes a little practice as it has two small tabs that hook under the pouring edge of the carafe, and the other end snaps onto the top of the handle. It would be easy to break the tabs if not careful or if impatient with trying to figure out how to remove the lid.
Overall the Cuisinart brews a good, hot cup of coffee and the stylish black and stainless design will look good in your kitchen. I believe some variations of this model are available in white as well. Find a friend who has a Costco or Sam's membership and save $25 over the normal street price of this coffee maker.
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