Cuisinart DCC-1200 – Review – Popular Coffee Maker but is it the best?
The Cuisinart DCC-1200 is one of the most intelligently designed coffee makers from Cuisinart that combines technology and functionality in the same melting pot. It is programmable, flavorful and robust, making it a pleasant surprise for any 21st-century buyer. It is famously known for its 12-cup carrying capacity and an easy to handle carafe. It also has a wide range of features such as 24-hour programming, pause-and-brew functionality and a small batch option.
In most of the online and brick and mortar stores, this brewer retails at an average cost of $79. However, other stores sell it as high as high as $120. However, compared to its value, the cost is favorable. It also has an excellent usability rating.
This drip type coffee machine comes with a host of exciting features tailor made for the modern day consumer. Some of the outstanding attributes of this brewer include:
Adjustable Hot Plate Temperature
It is equipped with three temperature settings (low, medium and high) for the warming platter. These settings provide the ideal brewing temperatures for extracting the best flavor from the coffee grounds. The maintenance of the brewing temperatures is further enhanced by the water spout design that incorporates a shower-head which evenly distributes water over the coffee grounds to lower the chances of temperature loss.
Charcoal Water Filter
It also comes with a charcoal water filter that removes chlorine from tap water thereby enhancing the taste of coffee. This has helped the machine to score highly on performance measurement tests.
Easy-to-handle carafe
The carafe has an ergonomic design that gives comfort and reduces the chances of coffee dripping while pouring. Many users have praised this feature.
Pause and Brew feature
This functionality is mostly used by those individuals who cannot wait to have their first sip of hot coffee. Through This feature, you can easily sneak a cup without causing any mess and spill offs.
24 hour programming
Whether you are an early riser of not, this feature ensures that you wake up to a freshly brewed and hot coffee pot each and every morning.
Beeping Signals
A series of five beeps lets you know that your coffee's ready. This reduces guesswork and eliminates chances of taking half-brewed coffee. The beeps are loud enough to make you hear even if you are in another room.
Small batch functionality
It is understandable that you may at times require less than a full pot. This feature enables you to make a batch ranging from one to four cups. This prevents wastage and gives you exactly what you need.
Great color Schemes
This machine has lots of color options giving it a stylish and enviable appearance. It has a front-panel interface that makes it look sleek. Unlike other kitchen equipment, this brewer can blend with any kitchen theme. This is made possible by its five different color themes. There is the black/brushed metal, black/chrome, matte black metal, metallic red and metallic pink.
The good
In line with the above features, most users of this equipment have hailed the safety bypass that enables the lid to be opened while the machine is still brewing.
Also the location of the controls and electronics above the carafe reduces the chances of coffee spilling over on them.
The 12 cup carafe still attracts attention while the reusable gold filter has been described as economical.
It is also stylish and has a stainless steel finish.
The Bad
Apart from the intelligent design that comes with this coffee brewer, there are some areas that if worked on, which will make it an even greater coffee brewing machine:
It is slightly difficult to remove the carafe lid from the pot and snap it back into its proper position.
The programmable functionality needs to be further improved so that it may incorporate separate presets to cater for workday and off-workdays.
The water reservoir is difficult to access due its back positioning.
Filling of the reservoir is also tough especially for those people who are left handed. It also tends to leak with time.
Many users have also complained about its durability saying that it stops working after some years of use.
The Verdict
This is a solid, attractive and reliable machine that has a host of convenient and made-to-market features. The buyer stands to benefit from its small batch feature, adjustable hot plate and the 24 hour programming functionality. This coffee brewing machine was designed with the end user in mind, taking into consideration all the preferences and tastes out there in the market. Compared to the standard coffee makers, this model has more features thereby making it an exciting and attractive package. The downsides are small and insignificant compared to its usability and value. Its pricing of between $79 and $120 also makes it accessible to the lower end market segment.
