This is a fabulous coffee maker....

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great Coffee, Water filtering , Keeps coffee hot and fresh for a long long time

Cons: Non

The Bottom Line: 
If you want a great cup of coffee with out having to resort to grinding your own beans, buy this machine its great!

Author's Review
I, like others before me, shuddered when reading some of the really negative reviews regarding this product. This machine makes great coffee. I have never experienced any of the disasters that other people have complained about.
To the contrary I find that this machine consistently makes great coffee. There are numerous reviews that say this machine is horribly hard to clean. Well compared to most coffee makers this may be the case. However, I think you if one keeps in mind the fact that it actually grinds the coffee this may explain this apparent additional horrid cleansing task. And believe me its not that hard to clean the grind parts, if one merely uses hot soapy water and a little elbow grease everything is just fine.

As far as the coffee being cold, this is simply not true. Not only does this machine make amply hot coffee, but it is also able to keep it very hot for an incredibly long time. The other morning I programmed the thing to go off and had a great pot of coffee, nearly 10 hours later the coffee was still incredibly warm!

While yes it may be true that you do have to turn the carafe upside down to get out the last few cups, I really don't think its that big of a problem, I mean come on. I have never had a problem with the carafe leaking.

The coffee tastes great even using crappy Pittsburgh tap water. The charcoal filter completely eliminates any chemical tastes that usually come from tap water. I'm used to having to use bottled water to make my coffee, no more do I have to do that.

I chose to use only the gold filter provided in the box. I tossed the paper filters as I believe, as does the manufacturer, that the gold filter produces richer tasting coffee. When a brew cycle is completed all you have to do is toss the grounds and rinse out the filter cleaning it is a breeze.

As far as the settings go, I have programmed the machine to go off about 10 minutes before I wake as thats the amount of time it generally takes to brew a full carafe of coffee. It works without a flaw, just be sure to make sure the green indicator light is on above the Program button after you have set your desired brew time. That is, if you press the program button while it is lighted, you will disable this feature. I have not used this maker with the grinding option turned off, nor do I EVER plan to, as that is the primary reason I purchased this particular appliance.

Overall, I think this is a great product and that it makes great freshly ground coffee. The styling of the machine itself is absolutely beautiful. It looks great in a stainless outfitted kitchen.

PS Again, as others before me have stated show me a coffee grinder that is silent!