Being the kind of tightwad who checks Epinions even for used stuff, I was curious about the negative reviews on the Melitta Fast Brew.  I had spotted one at the thrift store for twelve bucks; it was exceptionally clean but the next day was "storewide half price day," so I waited and looked up these reviews.

What whiners!!  Too noisy, hard to read clock, can't figure out how to set it, no hinge on the carafe, hard to fill...can these people do anything without help and a manual??

Yes, 185 degrees or a bit more, per my old meat thermometer.  Bubble and gurgle, yes, but what pot doesn't?  On-off switch works; don't care about programmability, since I'm retired.

Reviewers' expectations are strange, and reviews are skewed because the standards shift.  If my coffee or tea tastes good to me, it doesn't have to please anyone else.  This product is fast (even used, from the thrift store), doesn't leak, and works well.  Any other objection is too subjective to include in a review.  Yuban, Hills, MJB--you gotta be chock full of nuts to expect good results.  Choose an Arabica bean from the bulk section--I like Dark Sumatra; Kona is pretty good--and set the grinder to halfway between autodrip and espresso.  Melittas are designed for a pretty fine grind; they used to include a 1 Tbsp scoop, since the cone filter concentrates the water.  Basket filters need a coarser grind and more coffee to work.  Just a little coffee exotica for you.

I honestly don't know if the auto shutoff works or not, nor do I care about the clock and its visibility.  If an appliance does its primary job well, the multi-task things are irrelevant.  It's fast; load it at night, run it while you're in the loo.  Turn it off and fill your thermos or let it cool and nuke it later.  Run your life, don't whine about appliances that won't run it for you.

Recommended: Yes