Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200

This machine replaced a still perfectly functional Black and Decker Smart Brew Plus, in its day a Consumer Reports best buy. The Cuisinart was top rated by the magazine in its December 2009 issue. The… Black and Decker makes a decent cup of coffee, and is easy to work with. With an easy to use carafe, an exterior water level indicator, and very intuitive controls, it was a pleasure to work with. By comparison, the Cusinart has its problems. Water level can be eyeballed if you look over the top and toward the back of the machine. Below 8 cups the indicators fade away into darkness. The Black and Decker machine and carafe has indicators that took coffee absorption into account, the Cuisinart doesn't. Both are programmable, but the Cuisinart adds hot plate temperature controls (you want medium, unless you add lots of cold milk), and a small brew feature. The Black and Decker turns its plate off after two hours, the Cuisinart's is programmable. The Black and Decker has an easy to read clock; the Cuisinart's requires squinting. The Black and Decker is cheap; the Cuisinart isn't. In the end, the Cuisinart makes a better cup of coffee. In small batches, the Cuisinart makes a much better cup of coffee. I've used a lot of coffee makers over the years from Braun, Krups, Mr. Coffee and the aforementioned Black and Decker, and none matched the brew this unit produces. In the end, I'll put up with a few quirks for a good cup of french roast. One final note: I compared the two units by using the Black and Decker carafe to measure water. Cuisinart uses a smaller cup size definition than Black and Decker, but with equal amounts of water, the Cuisinart still produced a stronger, smoother brew. I suspect it heats the water hotter.

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Bought this for my wife and she loves it. I chose this coffe machine because it is highly rated. We have been using it daily for several months and it makes great tasting coffee. A little more effort to… clean than using disposable filters, but after getting used to it we don't mind at all. Using the wire mesh filter is better for the environment and it makes the coffee taste better(paper filters absorb oils from the coffee). We leave the top open for a few hours after use to let it dry. The clock and program brew options are nice to have, as well as the carbon, though not critical. The only downside is when filling the tank, it is a little tough to see how much water you are putting in. You have to look down from the top of the maker and if there is not enough light, it's very tough to tell how much water you put in. If it had a side indicator of water level that would be more conevnient. That is why I am giving 4 instead of 5 stars.

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