We''d switched to a Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function (which I was fortunate to review for Amazon Vine) because it seems like every drip coffee maker we buy quits on us within a few months. But we just can''t afford the K-cups, and using our own coffee with the My K-cup setup has been really messy and time-consuming. (Don''t get me wrong: I love coffee made with the Breville, but sometimes you just want decent coffee fast and lots of it. There''s a little more bitterness with a drip maker than with K-cups, but that just makes the coffee seem stronger.)Out of the box, it''s clear that the Frigidaire Professional 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker is of a higher class than your typical plastic drip coffee makers. Its appearance is solid, sleek, and industrial-looking. This is the kind of coffee maker I''d expect to see in a small office setting. It''s tall, so be sure to measure your cabinets if you think you''re going to want to slide it under them. (It doesn''t fit under mine, but my cabinets are set too low even for a shorter coffee maker.) The entire top lifts up to pour in the water and access the filter, so keep that in mind.
One thing I love about this coffee maker is that you can set it to brew at high temperature, which will extract the coffee better than your usual drip makers. [UPDATE: The coffee maker brews with "superheated water"; as pointed out in the comments, this temperature is not adjustable. I misunderstood the manual and just left it at what I thought was the default highest temp for my testing.] You can also set it to brew regular strength or strong, and we''ve been using strong. It''s definitely stronger than coffee from our Breville. We''ve been using the included reuseable gold filter so far, which does allow some fine dregs through, so next time we''re at the grocery store we''ll be getting some cone filters to use with it. I''m thinking the coffee is going to taste fabulous when filtered through a paper filter. (Users are cautioned not to use the gold filter and a paper cone filter simultaneously to avoid major overflow accidents, so if you''re one of those who ignores the requisite "read before using" instructions, tuck this caveat into the back of your mind.)
After brewing, you have a (programmable) maximum of 120 minutes of warming before the bottom burner shuts off automatically. The lighted LED window shows you how much warming time is remaining and also the strength of your coffee and its brewed temperature. You can set the pot for autobrew, but we typically don''t bother with that. It takes about 12 minutes to brew a full pot, which is less time than it used to take for two of us to individually load up and brew one cup each with the Breville/My K-cup setup. We''re in a routine now of me pouring water into our Berkey (Big Berkey w/ 2 Black Berkey) before we go to bed at night and DH getting up before me to start the pot.
Which leads to the filter. The Frigidaire has a charcoal filter to filter your tap water for best taste. We''re using it now as I test the product, but once it''s past its use date, we''ll probably not replace it. The coffee maker is smart enough to tell you when it''s time to change the filter. It will work without it, but those who don''t filter their tap water separately may wish to use filters, and the change filter notification feature is really quite nice.
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This makes great cups of coffee! I love my coffee, and it is my little morning indulgence. This coffee pot delivers better than any of the various coffee pots that I have used over the years. From the moment you pull it out of the box, you know you have just received a very well made product.It has all sorts of convenience factors, as well. It beeps when the pot is done brewing, so there is no guesswork in knowing if the brewing process is over. One thing I experimented on, because I was running low on my favorite coffee was to try adjusting the strength to be able to use less ground coffee with it. I set it on strong, and used enough ground coffee for 8 cups, and the water for a full pot (12 cups). I didn''t notice any weakness in the brew, and because of this feature I can now use 1/3 less ground coffee than before!
The gold filter is a nice touch, and the removable filter basket makes for easy cleaning. One thing you will notice when cleaning this unit, is that it is actually made of metal, and not just plastic made to look like metal. This may look similar to other coffee makers out there (I used to have a Gevalia that was very similar at first glance), but this one is much more sturdily made, has more features and just simply makes better coffee in the end.
I plan to use the carbon filters, as it does make a noticeable difference in the flavor of the coffee, when used. If they are not economical, I guess I will have to get one of those brita pitcher filter things. I have looked around and can''t seem to find these filters on the market though, so that is currently somewhat of a concern. After searching on the web for the filters, that seems to be the only thing people are worried about with these, and I didn''t see anyone that does not like these units for any reason.
If you love coffee (and you wouldn''t be here reading this, if you didn''t), you can''t go wrong with this product. :)
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This is one of the nicer coffee makers I''ve used. I had given up drinking drip coffee and was using the French Press, however, this coffee maker extracts good flavor from coffee.The things I liked:
Auto feature Nothing like getting your coffee made by itself in the morning
Coffee Strength Strong or Regular can be selected which helps extract more flavor from coffee on Strong setting
Water filter The cartridge filter improves taste of coffee
Gold Mesh filter It''s easy to clean and helps extract good flavor from coffee without any sediment
Option to set plate temperature for warming and set time to stay warm You can keep your coffee warm upto 120 min and the plate temperature can be set to medium, high or low so that your coffee does not get that burnt taste
Beeps after coffee is done brewing so there is no guess work involved
Water level indicator and provided coffee scoop
Easy to use, and fits under counter
Solid build, stainless finish
The negative:
The carafe leaks as the joint between glass and plastic rim had a little crack. I called customer service but since this is a new product they did not have any replacement parts. The leaky carafe is an annoyance as I have to clean up messes every time.
What would be nice to have:
An integrated grinder available in some coffee machines like Cuisinart, although that can get messy too.
A pause function so I can pour coffee mid-brew. If there is one I haven''t found it.
Overall, a nice coffee maker but on the pricey side. The leaking carafe was a big disappointment. They''ve asked me to call back in a month to check for part availability. Hope I can get a replacement carafe soon!
Update July 2012It took a while but I got a new carafe shipped to me for free by customer service. I did not have to send the old one back. I have been using this coffee maker 2-3 times a day every day for past 7 months. It has held up well to all the coffee making and has handled various brands of coffee pretty well. I use a burr grinder to grind my coffee and if the grind is too fine it can create sediment if you use the included mesh filter. I just choose to leave the sediment in the cup. Also regular strength coffee setting works best to extract flavor from finely ground coffee. Strong coffee setting can produce a bitter taste from most coffees, especially the dark and robust roasts. In my opinion, it makes better coffee that some cheaper auto drip machines. I used to go to Starbucks more often before this machine almost everyday on the way to work but now I set the machine at night and prefer to have coffee at home made the way I like it, that has saved me quite a few $$. I am also using my coffee presses and other machines less and less as this machine is very convenient to use and makes pretty decent coffee.
I would now upgrade my rating to 4 stars, considering it has performed well with daily use.
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I bought this last December. Worked very well. Tasty coffee with good control of strength and temperature (and the coffee got as hot as with any coffee maker I have used.) After using it daily, it died last week. (Front panel lights up and the clock still works. But no brewing or heating.)I really experienced none of the problems cited by others. And I did not see any other reviews here reporting the premature death that mine suffered. So I won''t rate it one star since mine was probably a very rare bad one. But, of course, it is disappointing to have it last only 4 months.
August 11, 2012 REVISION: I decided in May to buy this model again, figuring that my bad one was a fluke. This time it lasted 3 months, suffering the same failure as the last one. I now believe this is a design defect and will stay away from it.... and I lowered my rating to a single star.
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