Still, I missed the depth and complexity I’m used to when brewing the freshly ground coffee beans from Nicaragua in a Chemex. The Coffee Center also has a couple of features to conserve energy. There’s an auto off feature on the drip brew side that’s adjustable. This lets you decide when the coffee maker will shut off and can be set for up to four hours after the brew cycle is finished. By the way, if you can’t wait for the brew to finish and you need your morningcup of joe, the machine is equipped with Brew Pause Technology.
In addition to this reservoir, there’s also a separate 40 ounce removable one to provide water for the single serve brewer. This reservoir also has a charcoal water filter which I was pleasantly surprised to see. Plus, it’s pretty easy to know when to refill, as there’s an indicator light to give you a heads up when it gets low. Other features like auto shut off, gold tone filter, charcoal water filter, and self-cleaning are nice to have if the overall machine falls within your budget. But these are only value-adding if the machine gets the basics right.
All parts of the filter and the carafe can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher, for fuss-free cleaning. However, washing by hand isn’t too tricky either, with most coffee residue washing away with a quick rinse. On the other hand, you can brew up to a 12 ounce cup on the single serve side of the Keurig Duo, something the Cuisinart can’t do. There are separate controls for each brewer type, so you don’t need to switch functions like some other dual brew systems out there. This brewer is designed to make a great tasting cup of joe without having to be a certified barista with years of experience “dialing in” a proper extraction. If these features are important to you, you may want to take a look at our reviews of the Behmor Brazen and the Bonavita BV1900TS.
Coffee machines can be bulky and heavy, so you’ll probably want to consider your kitchen and look at each model’s dimensions. All in all, this is our pick for the best Cuisinart coffee maker of 2021. I’m obsessed with smart home tech and channel my obsession into new stories for Consumer Reports.
In terms of similarities, both the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew and the Cuisinart SS-15P1 have the same carafe and single serve brew options. The Flexbrew, however, boasts a third way to brew using a reusable filter cup on the single serve side. I’ve already congratulated the manufacturer on its reusable single serve filter in this Cuisinart Coffee Center review. However, upon seeing the HomeBarista I had serious doubts about how well it would work. That’s because the filter cup is just so small – there really isn’t much room for sufficient ground coffee in there. I have to say, the Cuisinart Coffee Center did a solid job of teasing out the orange and chocolate notes that make me love this coffee.
The coffee is delivered into an insulated carafe to stay warm, but it doesn’t have a warming plate to keep it warm longer. A filter coffee maker, this model can’t produce strong espresso-style coffee of the type used for coffee shop favorites such as cappuccino Keurig K-Mini and latte. For the K Cup brewer, toss your spent cup toward the nearest landfill or wash out the reusable filter cup if that’s what you used for your coffee. Incidentally, I started out using six scoops of medium ground coffee for a six-cup carafe.
While the heating plate is a concern when it comes to over-extraction, in this case, function serves better than form. Perhaps consider minimizing the plate’s use since it’s better for coffee extraction to lessen or stop altogether anyway after the initial drip. Cuisinart is a home appliance brand owned by Conair Corporation, an American small appliance, personal care, beauty, and health product seller. The Cuisinart brand produces home appliances like cookware, ovenware, kitchen tools, and kitchen accessories. Cuisinart was founded in 1971 to produce an electric food processor to the U.S. market. Our focus is your convenience – order online from your laptop, desktop, or smartphone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Try to gauge your average consumption and select the ideal x cup coffee maker for your batch sizes. If a single cup coffee maker suits your coffee cravings, you can then focus on other features you value. Sometimes your situation just calls for 12 cups of coffee regularly. Wake up your mornings with the Cuisinart Coffee Plus 12 Cup Programmable with Hot Water System. This machine self-cleans at the push of a button, and comes with a permanent gold-tone basket coffee filter and a charcoal water filter for the best-tasting coffee every time.