KitchenAid - 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker with Spiral Showerhead and Programmable Warming Plate - Matte Charcoal Gray

Best coffee maker! Produces great tasting coffee. Easy to use. Nice options (warmer plate temperature and time-length adjustments, two auto-on timers, brew strength). The lift-off water reservoir is sooo convenient. The quality is well worth the money -a bit more $ than a few I’ve owned in the past, about the same $ as a couple others, but far less $ than other units that I MIGHT have purchased. Thankfully, I save a couple hundred dollars by going with this unit instead one of the “top rated” coffee makers that cost $300-450 and didn’t have the same options. If you are “on the fence”…just buy it, use it and be happy you went with this model as I have, every time I have used it.

Wow! Replaced my little 4 cup coffeemaker with this great big 12 cup machine. Footprint is much larger so tried it in various areas on the countertops. Fits under my cupboards but then you can't open the grounds lid or fill the water tank. Works best in an open area with no cabinets above. Water tank is removable but you can also just take off the lid to fill it to the desired number of cups printed on the outside. Easier than replacing it on the guides on the back side of the machine because 12 cups of water in the tank is heavier and more awkward than you might expect. Gold tone permanent filter has little numbers inside to add grounds or for easier cleanup you can remove the basket and use a number 4 paper cone filter and a scoop. Two programmable timers (one for workdays, one for weekends). Love the adjustable safety shutoff(1 to 4 hours) for the warming plate that counts down on the screen. You can also turn it off manually by pressing either of two BREW/CANCEL buttons twice. I prefer the one on the side of the warming plate. Brewing time is longer than my old coffeemaker since this is more than just hot water pumping through grounds. It beeps at the end when the coffee is ready or you can pour and it will pause for a brief 25 seconds. Carafe seems sturdy and pours neatly. We have been testing various amounts of water and grounds and brands of coffee and always get a good batch. You can adjust the brew strength to BOLD from REGULAR if you like it stronger like me. So far the only negative is one that everyone points out when they see my fancy KitchenAid KCM1209. The frosted plastic handle on the clear plastic water tank doesn't match the stainless steel band that it aligns with on the coffeemaker body. The quality of the coffee brewing and many functions make this a great item for your kitchen.

This is a story of a coffee maker. It's only job is to produce hot coffee day in and out. Such is the meager life of a coffee maker. However, this coffee maker had the destiny that its good looks could one day walk the red carpet at milan’s fashion week. Its black, grey and chrome is sleek and functional and so it was picked. So how good is the coffee ? The answer is quite good. After the initial 2 rounds of running plain water to purge the system (as per the manual instructions), I ran some premium freshly ground coffee beans. I also liked the fact the coffee filler has a ‘measuring cup’, which can help you estimate the amount of coffee needed. The lowest number is 4 cups, but because we are a family of coffee drinkers, it takes 12 cups no problems. The coffee that came out of the coffee maker was smooth and flavorful. Using a standard temperature probe, the coffee output was a slightly cooler than I hoped. My old machine would produce coffee in the 193F range, this was about 186F, a whole 7 degrees cooler, The coffee out did not taste any different. If anything it was more drinkable out of the carafe. The carafe pour system is very good, pours well and without spills. What I like about this coffee maker, the water tank is removable and easier to clean (unlike the older one), and the coffee basket is fully removable for cleaning. The ease in maintenance along with a “clean” feature makes this coffee maker more desirable. I also liked the fact that I can control the brew temp. I noticed that in “bold” mode, it took 20% longer to brew compared to regular mode, given that the rainshower head did not drop water as quickly, it lets the hot water soak in the beans longer. Hence the flavor theoretically stronger, though I couldn't take a difference, it tasted just as good. The brew time for a standard 12 cup was about 12 minutes, vs. 15 minutes for “bold”. In the coffee maker settings, I liked the plate warmer settings, where one could set it for how long and what temperature. There are two settings for temp, and I found the lower temp worked well to keep my coffee warm without the feeling that it burned the coffee. I set it for 1 hour, based on the fact that coffee that is made is usually drunk within an hour or two anycase. But it does let you warm it to a period of 4 hours. Overall this is a very good coffee maker. Surely the market is saturated and you can choose anything, but for the price and features, this KitchenAid unit is very well built, and looks premium on a budget price. I am sure it will run for years and serve our coffee needs. You would not go wrong with this coffee maker.

I like the look and features. It can be oriented head on or from the side. It has two auto brew times. Removable water reservoir with handle. Brew pause. All great. However, after less than a month of use, the machine started leaking. I thought the first time was user error, but it continued to happen several times. After just getting new kitchen cabinets, I can't risk ruining them on a coffee machine, no matter how much I liked it. Returned.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY 4 – WORTH IT REVIEW: KitchenAid - 12-Cup Coffee Maker - Onyx Black BEST BUY Tech Insider Network SUMMARY: Quality really makes a difference, you can tell from the second you open the box this is going to be a good investment. We are trying to wean ourselves from single cup brewers to help with the environment. Our first brew with this was perfect. Previously, we tried a cheaper brewer from another mfg and after 4 attempts of the worst coffee ever we tossed it in the garbage. I strongly recommend this over some other common brand makes you might find at a cheap grocery store or hardware store. This is the real deal. UNBOXING: INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: Everything was securely packaged and individually wrapped. No corners were cut in the mfg or packaging of the product. There are lots of thoughtful touches and hints along the way as you unwrap things. Each of the baskets have handles built in for example. Very nice touch. PERFORMANCE / EASE OF USE: I took my time and read the quick start guide as well as the instructions. I rinsed everything, and ran 3 water only brews to help eliminate the plastic taste that is coming with the first few brews. Once I no longer got a strong plastic odor, I took it for a spin. I course ground enough beans for 4-5 cups, I added 4-5 cups of water and here I am happily drinking my first brew. The included metal filter has a graduated guide on the inside, so that you know just how much ground to put in. I like that you can pour in water the traditional way or remove the water reservoir to fill it separately. I had assumed that you could fill the reservoir and select the number of cups but alas that was not the case. It will run all the water you put into it. Not a deal breaker. Just a bad assumption on my part. I’m not a big user of timers etc. But rest assured that it has these features as well as a “Bold” brew mode and a “Cleaning” mode. SUMMARY: I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good solid worthwhile not a dime store coffee maker. The black and chrome finishes look great with my other appliances. Though we intended it mostly for parties and large family gatherings it might just find a home on the counter.