I purchased this machine for Christmas 2010. It''s got all the features I want and the build quality is great. BUT I had the same problem as others with beans not making their way to the grinder. I called Saeco where upon the woman told me there were no problems with this that anyone had ever heard of. She also said that everyone uses this machine there and loves it. And she knew the details of the machine to a tee so yes they really do use it there. Surely, I told her there has to be a problem since the reports are widely available in customer reviews at various sites. She would send another machine if I wanted it but it seemed like a true waste to me to do that. I would just have the same issue all over again.
So no satisfaction there .. BUT I HAVE A 2 MINUTE FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM and now I completely love my machine. Here''s what you do .. Inside the bean basket is a black round shield over the grinder. Mine shipped to me with the smooth surface of it sloping down from the center. I unscrewed the center screw (requires a small straight screwdriver in the triangle screw head), flipped it over, screwed it on smooth face down, and now no more problems at all. Yes it is that easy. Now you have a great machine without any problems. And I use some pretty sticky beans too.
I''m thinking the design dept didn''t talk to the assembly department and this problem resulted. The smooth side looks more presentable so it''s logical to assume that that''s the side customers should see .. wrong. The smooth side is to ensure that beans don''t get hung up on the way to the grinder. So there you have it, problem solved!
Now buy this thing and enjoy a truly great coffee machine! You can make really strong coffee with it and with no bitter taste at all. It doesn''t burn the beans and extracts all the oils from the beans!
There is just one little issue .. this unit DOES NOT accept no 4 coffee filters as the literature says but it comes with a really nice gold basket filter so you have no need for paper filters anyway. It''s a good filter that works even on very fine grinds.
** PLEASE SEE MY UPDATED COMMENTS ON BOTTOM OF THIS REVIEW **
I was an early adopter for the Krups KM7000 and generally had a good experience, contrary to the negative reviews found here on Amazon for that machine. For the purposes of this review, I will use the KM700 as a comparison.
I pre-ordered the "Saeco Bean To Brew" in July and I was slightly apprehensive about trying such a new product prior to any reviews. Saeco has a tremendous reputation for high end espresso machines. But, they have almost no U.S. presence in consumer level home products, especially for drip coffee. So, it was my hope that their high-end features and technology would trickle down to this product. And I am very happy to report that this wish has been fulfilled! The "Saeco Bean To Brew" is a winner as it outshines the KM7000 in several important areas.
Construction
What I really appreciate are the little details that separate the Saeco from other coffee makers that I''ve used and seen. The Saeco feels solid and well constructed. It is deceptively heavy. The lids are sturdy and require some effort to snap shut. The bean hopper has a rubber gasket, which when sealed, should prevent air and moisture from entering the container. This ensures that the beans will stay fresh. The water lid swings on a hinge and must be pushed tight to close. This gives me a feeling of security that the water will stay relatively free of impurities when I have the unit preset for a morning brew.
Features
* Steam vent this ingenious feature reduces condensation during the brewing process by releasing the steam out the front of the unit, away from the beans. This keeps the exterior of the coffee maker nice and dry while keeping the beans away from temperature fluctuation. The Krups KM7000, in contrast, does not have a steam vent. The condensation from that unit would drip down the sides and eventually form a puddle on my counter... and, the beans in the Krups hopper are exposed to the heat and moisture.
* The standard glass carafe is typical for this style of coffee maker. However, a very nice surprise is that the Saeco brew capacity is 12 cups and not 10 cups as advertised here on the Amazon product description.
* Gold tone filter basket included nice touch that Saeco included this in the box. I had to purchase the basket separately for the Krups.
* Charcoal water filter another unadvertised feature. Amazon does not mention that the unit comes with a built in charcoal filtration system. Unfortunately, Saeco forgot to include the filter in my packaging, so I had to purchase a set of Cuisinart filters from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
* Noise level not silent, but significantly quieter than the Krups. On weekends, the Krups grinder would wake me up... the Saeco does not.
User Interface
* Simplicity the Saeco is dead simple to set and use. The instruction manual is not really necessary for basic use. The Krups was only a little more confusing because the clock is set in 24 hour (military time). The Saeco uses a common 12 hour clock which is easy to program.
* Front Panel nice, easy to read, blue backlit LCD front panel displays the time, # cups, strength and timer on/off settings
* Audible Feedback annoyingly LOUD beeps confirm your selections and when the coffee has completed brewing. This is a feature that I could have lived without... but, I guess it''s ok if you want to be notified (from across the house) when your coffee is ready.
Cleanliness
I can confirm through experience that the primary complaint about the Krups KM7000 on Amazon was the mess that it would leave on your countertop. I am very happy to report that the Saeco does not suffer from these design flaws. The Saeco is very clean and does not spew grinds or water on my counter. Keep in mind that you probably shouldn''t place the Saeco directly under a cabinet because the steam vents upward (like chimney smoke).
Taste
* Strength I like strong coffee. And the Saeco only slightly disappoints in this area. My wife has always complained that the Krups coffee was too strong. She thinks the Saeco tastes perfect. I think that the primary difference between the two units is the volume of coffee grounds used. The Krups grinds much more beans than the Saeco for each cycle. I have learned to compensate for this by setting the grinder for 2 more cups than the desired amount. Example, I set the grinder for 12 cups but only add 10 cups of water. This results in a cup more to my preference.
* Aroma Setting The conical burr grinder has about 8 different settings that affect the grind coarseness. Through trial and error, I have noticed that the finest setting (#1) is almost too fine. On this setting the coffee tends to clump together and not push out the shoot quickly enough into the basket below before the automatic door closes. I think that the optimal setting (for strong coffee) is probably #3. The grind consistency on this setting travels much more smoothly into the basket.
Customer Service
I had to call customer service to inquire about the missing charcoal filter. The service rep was very friendly, knowledgeable and apologetic. Unfortunately, she could not issue me a replacement filter because the coffee maker was so new that they did not have any in stock. The filter was on order from Italy... but, she didn''t have an estimated delivery date. The service rep recommended that I find another brand filter that would fit in filter basket (Cuisinart).
Conclusion
Overall I am very satisfied with the "Saeco Bean To Brew" coffee maker. I am impressed with the quality and engineering of the product. With a little trial and error, it delivers a delicious cup of coffee. I rate the maker 4 out of 5 stars. I am deducting ½ star for the missing filter and ½ star for the slightly weak taste. It is important to keep in mind that the coffee maker can be tricked into brewing a stronger cup... and that the average person would probably be satisfied with the default settings.
** EDIT 12/6/2010 **
I''ve had this item a couple of months now and I''m taking another 2 stars off my original rating for two reasons:
1) The beans continually get stuck in the grinder. This results in very little ground coffee landing in the basket... and weak coffee. I was able to temporarily fix this by removing the grinder cover which was restricting the flow of beans into the grinder. Unfortunately the beans recently started getting stuck again. I don''t know what else I can tweak to get them flowing without tapping on the side of the machine during the grinding process.
2) Amazon dropped the price of this machine by $70. I pre-ordered at the original full price of $149. I''ve missed my return window by a couple of weeks... to say that I am disappointed is an understatement.
Buy Saeco 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffee Maker Now
I''ve had this coffeemaker for a couple of weeks. I ordered it elsewhere since it wasn''t available yet on Amazon. I love the coffeemaker but the coffee basket door opens during grinding so I am going to return it. I''m disappointed because I really liked the coffee maker, but I can''t risk the basket not being in place during brewing if I''m not nearby to push it back in. This didn''t happen at first, but after about a week it started popping open. If it wasn''t for this issue I would have given the coffee maker 4 or 5 stars. I loved the convenience of having fresh ground beans for my coffee with no mess or fuss. Besides the obvious problem of the basket popping out the only other negative is the annoying beeping. It beeps when you push the buttons. It beeps 5 times when it''s done brewing! It beeps a loooong beep when the warmer turns off. The beeper is louder than the grinder! I guess I''ll be trying the Jura Capresso.
Update: I gave the Saeco one last try this morning before boxing it up to return. I was hoping the basket wouldn''t pop open. To the contrary, not only did it pop open I had to hold it closed during grinding and ended up with coffee grounds in the pot. I might just have a lemon, but I''m not taking a chance on replacing it with the same unit.
Read Best Reviews of Saeco 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffee Maker Here
The grinder works well, although it''s very loud. However, the ground coffee does not fall down to the brewing basket below, resulting in hot and/or colored water.
I read the manual several times, and seem to be following the instructions. So I called Saeco, but after a 15 minutes wait, no one answered!
So I returned the machine to the store.
Want Saeco 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffee Maker Discount?
First of all, many review on Amazon are complaining about the price they paid for the machine which was followed by subsequent price drops. Yes, the machine''s original MSRP was too high, but that is how appliances / technology works -they start high and fall sharply very quickly. My review is considering the current amazon price of the machine which is 130.xx
The machine is simple to operate and requires very minimal maintenance / cleaning. All of the parts are easily washable and operation is as simple as turning a few knobs and tweaking the settings to your liking. I personally use dark for my coffee setting and about the third to finest setting for how fine the coffee is grind -this gives me a good cup of coffee.
One thing to note is that even though you can control how many cups you want to brew (2,4,6,8,10,12 are the options) the machine is ONLY using these settings for how much coffee it grinds. This is actually a benefit as long as you use it correctly. For example, if you want a rich cup, set it to brew 6 cups (so it will grind more coffee) but only put 4 cups of water in the reservoir. Alternatively, this gives you the option to make other sizes as well (a strong 1 cup would be ground to make 2 cups with water for 1 cup, etc.) Just keep in mind that like almost all machines, this will brew until the reservoir is empty, it will continue to brew. So if you set it to 2 cups (again this is the grind setting for how much coffee is ground into the filter) but put 10 cups of water in, you are going to end up with muddy water and not much else.
Another thing that is nice about this machine is the fact that it comes with everything you need. This includes a Goldtone filter (NO MORE BUYING PAPER FILTERS -EVER!), a cleaning brush, a water filter, etc. Literally all you need to start making coffee is to buy some whole beans and get going!
With regards to the carafe, no, the design is not the best in the world, but it also is not as bad as many reviews make it out to be. You have to pour it somewhat slow and pay attention, but I have yet to spill from it (maybe they have fixed it since the older reviews? I''m not sure..) but there are no real issues there if you use some common care. One tip of advice is to pour a very little bit out in the sink before you pour each cup. Because of the design, it seems like a little extra water (on its way to evaporation) tends to collect under the ring so I pour that off first because I like my coffee as dark as possible.
One final word of advice is with regards to the water filters. These are not necessary if you have a good water source (the better / purer the water, the better the coffee will taste) ALSO, you can save some money by using your fridge if it was a filtered water dispenser, if you have a Brita filter, etc. If you do want to use the charcoal filters (I personally use them) they are hard to find the exact model listed but I have personally bought and tested that these are the correct filters for the machine below just under a different name:
Capresso 3-Pack Charcoal Water Filters for CoffeeTeam GS and CoffeeTeam TS only
Overall, this machine has a lot of bang for its buck and is definitely worth the price.
