Solid State
Written: Nov 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Thermal carafe, programmable, ease of use, removable tank
Cons: Hard to clean, graphics wearing out
The Bottom Line: Great machine, makes great coffee. The only trips you'll have to make to Starbucks is for your favorite beans.
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| aksong's Full Review: Starbucks Starbucks Aroma Thermal Brewer |
I've had my coffee maker for almost 2 years, about when it was first introduced. Since then, I've used it practically every day. Last year, I went through more than 3, 100-filter boxes. This machine has stood up to the test with flying colors. Here's a breakdown:
The program feature is really easy to use. Just grind up your beans at night and turn on the timer. It remembers your start time so you'll typically just turn on the timer function. After such heavy use, the labels on my buttons are starting to wear off. The upside is that after all that use, I don't really have to look at the buttons anymore.
Most everything is well designed. The removable tank is great because you don't have put water into a questionably clean carafe to get it to the machine. There's a water level meter on the side of the tank to get your measurements just right.
The filter goes into removable cup that inserts into a swing-out housing over the carafe. The removable cup is easy enough to clean, but the housing also collects grime and is a bit harder to clean. One note is that the recommended filter is a tight fit. If the housing isn't closed somewhat carefully, you may end up folding the filter over. When the water hits it, you risk a pot full of coffee grinds.
This machine is fast. Within a few minutes, you'll have a great tasting cup of coffee.
The thermal feature is really great. It'll keep your coffee hot all day without turning it into rocket fuel. No worrying about shattering a glass carafe. Looks great, too.
The biggest challenge is cleaning the carafe. The opening is pretty small so you'll need something to reach in for regular cleaning. The carafe is quite prone to staining, so regular cleaning is a must.
After 2 years of solid service, I still wake up looking forward to another great (venti) cup of coffee.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
aksong
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Member: Anthony Song
Location: Union City, CA, USA
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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