Ah, The Smell of Freshly Ground Coffee--
Written: Jan 25 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Convenient freshly-ground coffee, programmable for automatic brew, capable of using both beans or pre-ground.
Cons: Slightly involved cleaning process between uses, may be considered pricey by some.
The Bottom Line: If you truly revere a good, freshly-ground cup of coffee and prefer more control over the strength of the brew, this is one of the best coffee makers available.
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| redeemersgirl's Full Review: Cuisinart DGB-300BKFR 10-Cup Coffee Maker |
This coffee maker was a gift from my husband and has been a total joy to use! Definitely designed for the discerning coffee drinker, it has a sleek design, it's relatively easy to use and, above all, makes one heckuva good cup of coffee!
It brews relatively quickly and can use either whole coffee beans or pre-ground coffee, dealer's choice. I am an admitted coffee snob and prefer to use only whole beans, but this machine has done justice to every roast I've tried. The strength of the brew is almost entirely controllable and makes every pot a pleasure.
The carafe is glass and has a generous 10-cup capacity; however, it's actually closer to 12-cup if you fill the carafe to the top. There's a semi-transparent monitor/meter on the side that also contains a little red "float" which shows you exactly how much water you've put into it--you can whittle your coffee-making down to a science, if you choose to. ;-) It uses the cone-shaped coffee filters; I personally purchased one of those permanent filters and it both fits and works perfectly.
I absolutely adore the auto-brew. There's something positively "God-is-in-His-heaven-and-all's-right-with-the-world" about hearing that grinder kick in in the morning while one is still snuggled in bed, and knowing that in just a few moments, a freshly-ground, perfectly brewed cup of coffee will be available once one's feet hit the boards...ahhh, it almost gives me a joy-shiver just imagining it. (Yeah, okay, I'm slightly obsessive about my coffee. ;-D)
The Cuisinart Grind and Brew features also include: digital AM/PM clock, programmable for auto-brew, automatic shut off, temperature control to prevent the coffee from burning, capability of choose a 1 to 4 cup brew instead of an entire pot, choice of grinding whole beans or turning off the grind for pre-ground, and a self-clean function. (Admittedly, I've yet to actually try the latter, but it's a sweet option to have if one is finicky about coffee, eh? ;-D)
Which does lead me to the one issue I have had with this otherwise wonderful coffee maker: the cleaning in between uses. It's a bit complicated; a good chunk of the innards have to be literally disassembled and it's certainly not "lazy-friendly" as it's recommended one does this as soon as the coffee is finished brewing. (Do I do this? Oh, heavens, no. LOL) If one doesn't clean it right away and promptly forgets about it until coffee is required again (guilty as charged), then it takes a little bit to get the coffee going in the morning, creating quite the grumble-fest after staggering into the kitchen upon awakening. (Hint: Make certain you've dried the pieces well before you use them during a fresh grind or the next cleaning is even more involved; the "bean dust" sometimes sticks and dries.)
But seriously, don't let this one minor issue prevent you from enjoying the superior performance of this little wonder appliance! The cleanable pieces are all dishwasher-safe, making clean-up much easier and quicker as well as removing any remaining odors/oils, especially from any flavored coffees used--so just pull out the pieces, give 'em a quick rinse and toss 'em in. You'll be good to go in the morning...or reassemble as soon as it's dry, set it up and then wait for that heavenly sound and aroma to greet you the following morning. Trust me, pure joy!
When last seen, the Cuisinart Grind and Brew cost right around $100. Sound like a lot? No, not really, not for what you're actually receiving. And for those who truly appreciate good coffee, it's worth every cent! It also makes a superb and unique gift for the coffee aficionado. (I'm speaking from experience on that one. LOL)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
redeemersgirl
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Reviews written: 2
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