Pros: Works great and is as quiet as a church mouse.
Cons: None so far!
The Bottom Line: I love my coffee in the morning and if Mom doesn't watch her new machine closely it might walk out the door with me next time I visit.
PhoenixFlight's Full Review: Cuisinart DGB-500 12-Cup Coffee Maker
Christmas is still months away but you wouldn’t know it if you visited my mothers house these days. You see Mom and Dad have spent the past few days walking around the house singing ‘Joy to the World’ because of their new Cuisinart® Grind and Brew™ Automatic Coffeemaker model number DGB-500B.
For those of you that might not get this little inside joke, refer to my opinion at;
About the Krups Fresh Aroma Coffeemaker 619, which my mother referred to as “the very bane of her existence.” In relative terms of joking and funny, mother just came in and said that she had just had an extreme fright. It seems she went to take the trash out, opened the lid and the 619 was laying there. Very scary she said.
Anyway, back to the DGB-500B.
First off let me say that the Cuisinart® Grind and Brew is slightly smaller in stature than the previous coffee machine that mom just tossed joyfully towards the nearest landfill. It looks ultra modern and to let you in on another little joke I shared with mom. I told her that it would be perfect for the post office coffee room. The DGB-500B looks just like a little mail box. Slap a little blue paint on it and viola.
The Grind and Brew™ AC comes with some really neat features starting off with a charcoal filter. Most people do not realize that their coffee tastes bad, not because of the machine, but because of the water running through it. With this type of filter you are able to remove chlorine, bad tasting water, even odors are cleansed passing through it.
Next up on the feature list is the grinder. Having worked in a coffee shop a lifetime ago, I know that how coffee is grinded makes all the difference in the world on how it is going to taste. Grind it to fine and you’ll spend more time cleaning your clogged filter than you will drinking your coffee. Grind it to coarse, or big, and the water will run through your coffee beans faster than a 70’s streaker in the local shopping mart parking lot. You’ll also sit wondering why your coffee looks tan instead of black if you grind it that way. The Grind and Brew™ has been factory set to grind coffee beans just the right way for the best tasting coffee you can get.
From Top to Bottom
1) The water reservoir cover, located at the top of the unit, features a Safety Interlock System that keeps the 500-B from operating if the top is not closed. It opens easily at the push of a slide button. Inside of the reservoir there is a scale to see how much water is inside all the way up to twelve cups.
2) Water is distributed through a showerhead that evenly disburses water over all of the grinded coffee instead of just the center.
3) The Filter Basket is hidden by a neat pop out door. Basket paper filters are required and come with the unit. The door works like a desk drawer to give the best analogy. You know the type, push it closed and it locks in place, push again and it pops open. There is also a permanent type of filter available.
4) The Grind and Brew™ has a particularly neat feature called ‘Brew Pause.’ What this does is while you are brewing a full pot you can remove the carafe, the water stops pouring through the ground coffee, poor yourself a cup, replace the carafe, and the water starts to pour again.
5) The heater plate is scratch resistant and features a non stick coating to help with cleaning.
6) The carafe is made of glass, sports a stylish ergonomic handle and markings for two to twelve cups.
The Cuisinart® Grind and Brew™ Automatic Coffeemaker wouldn’t be automatic without a timer and the 500-B has a real easy to use clock/timer located right on the front of the unit. The Control Panel features a On/Off/Set Auto Shutoff Switch with an LED indicator. Something that I found useful just looking at the unit was a Low Cups Setting that allows you to set the machine for 1-4 cups for maximum performance. How many homes need twelve cups of coffee every morning anyway?
I was fortunate enough to be at Moms for the inaugural first pot and I have to say that I was more than happy with the results. The Cuisinart® Grind and Brew™ Automatic Coffeemaker started at the appropriate time, was fairly quiet while grinding the coffee. Of course anything would be quieter than the 747 coffee maker she had before. (see Krups opinion.)
Joy to the world, our coffee’s done, and I closed the door by myself!
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