Having gone through two cheap coffeemakers which both stopped working unexpectedly, the Mr. Coffee CG12 coffeemaker was a welcomed change. I was one of those people who loved coffee, but didn't think it was important to invest too much in the coffeemaker. Finally and thankfully, I decided to spend just a little more and get a quality machine this time.

First, the basics about the coffeemaker: The CG12 has the Pause ‘n Serve feature that many new coffeemakers have. This feature allows you to remove the decanter while the coffee is still brewing if you want to pour a cup of coffee right away. There is also a water window along both sides to let you monitor the amount of water in the coffeemaker's reservoir. The filter basket is removable for filling and cleaning by lifting the lid of the coffeemaker. Also, the filter basket uses 12 cup paper filters and produces twelve 5 fl. oz cups of coffee. The warming plate that the decanter sits on (the best feature!) keeps the coffee REALLY hot and appears to be nonstick and easy to wipe clean. Turning the coffeemaker on and off is simple using the one big button on the front of the coffeemaker (has a green light to indicate when it’s on). The power cord can be retracted into the back of the coffeemaker if it's too long for your counter space. The coffeemaker is also water filtration adaptable, but I use bottled water anyway.

So, what can you really say about a coffeemaker? Well, I'll cover what I see as the good and the “not so good.”

The good: It's an affordable and fairly basic coffeemaker that makes very hot coffee and keeps the coffee consistently hot through the final cup. As I stated at the beginning of the review, I used to buy the really cheap $10 coffeemakers. The CG12 was available for only about five dollars more at Wal-Mart. My last two coffeemakers would allow the coffee to get warm after a couple of cups. It's also very easy to use. You just lift the filter basket out of the top, place your paper filter in the basket, fill with coffee, replace the filter basket, fill to the desired water level, and turn it on. So far, the warming plate has withstood the occasional minor water spills without burning out.

The not so good: Like a lot of the new coffeemakers, you have to be careful when pouring coffee out of the decanter to avoid spilling. The back of the coffeemaker has two fairly large holes near the top to prevent you from overfilling the water reservoir. So, you have to pay attention to what you're doing to prevent water coming out of those holes. If you overfill the coffeemaker (e.g., pour more water in after it starts brewing and exceed its capacity), it will overflow onto the warming plate. I don't really use the Pause ‘n Serve feature because of the way it works. The lid of the decanter presses against a spring in the filter basket while the coffee is brewing. While the spring is being pushed up, the coffee drains out of the filter basket into the decanter. If you remove the decanter, the spring drops down and the coffee stops. But, there's sure to be a little spillage unless you very slowly pull the decanter back. However, any issues with spillage can be avoided by the user simply exercising basic care when filling and pouring. Still, I miss the older coffeemaker decanter designs which didn’t seem to spill like these new ones.

Well, that's it. I hope this review assists you in making the purchase decision that's best for you.

Recommended: Yes