Cuisinart DGB-700BC Grind & Brew 12 Cup Coffeemaker (Black/Brushed Chrome)

Update: Not too long after writing the review my coffeemaker started smelling very hot and quit making coffee (the grinder continued to work). I tried cleaning it and finally called the company since it is supposed to have a three year warranty.It does but I had to pay the shipping to Cuisinart and I had to pay an additional $10.00.... so for an already expensive machine it cost another $30.00 after just a little more than a year.The service person was very helpful and explained everything completely. One very important thing is to keep your "proof of purchase". Had I not had it the warranty would have been voided because the coffeemaker was already out of date according to the serial number! I bought it from Amazon and all of your purchases can be found under your account.The first service person at Cuisinart told me to send everything back except the glass carafe, the gold-filter basket and the charcoal stick filter but when I was ready to ship it back I called the service desk again and asked if I could keep the baskets and the hopper - she checked with a supervisor and they let me keep those items. I keep regular coffee in one and decaf in the other. The old baskets didn't work with the new coffeemaker - they look exactly the same but the ground coffee spilled out the side of the basket - something wrong with the alignment, I guess. After using the new baskets that came with the new coffeemaker it works slightly better but is still off. The grinder on the new machine clogs very frequently - I now clean it once a day and if I made more pots of coffee I would need to clean it more often.I can no longer recommend this coffeemaker or the company that makes it. When this one breaks I will have to find another way to make my coffee - too expensive and not a quality item....the coffee does still taste wonderful!I thought a long time about buying this coffeemaker because I had a bad experience with an electric grill from this company but I liked the idea of really fresh coffee - it just sounded so good. I made my decision to buy it after carefully reading the reviews and I have never regretted it. I love this coffee maker or rather I love the coffee it makes. A lot has already been written about it but I will add a few of my observations after using it for almost a year.First, it was a little difficult to understand - I read the instructions and actually watched the DVD that came with it which helped a lot. I no longer worry about lining up the basket holder and it's top - it is hard to see the arrows (I'm short) and makes only a few seconds difference as it lines it up itself. It has several settings that are wonderful features but you do have to make sure you have them set correctly if you change them - some people will set them and never change them but I tend to make changes in the amount of coffee I make during the day and sometimes the strength.The hopper at the top to store the beans is very handy. I like not having to get the container out every time I make coffee. When you take the hopper off to clean the grinder or to change the kind of coffee (decaf or reg) there will be some beans left in the chute but that doesn't hamper taking off or putting the hopper back on.Even though I clean the basket, pot, etc at the end of the day I don't usually empty the old coffee grounds between pots during the day - I'm not a coffee expert - I just judge if it tastes good to me. If you are rather lazy like me then you will have to remember to briefly open the swing-out basket holder and always close it firmly - otherwise it will beep at you and not stop beeping until you do or until you unplug it! It took me quite a while to discover this! Failing to put the lid on the basket holder or leaving out the basket or paper filter will result in a huge mess to clean up.A lot has been written about the need to clean the grinder chute but a reviewer kindly explained that this was easy and quickly done - I am agreeing with him/her. Finding the area to clean is one of the reasons I needed to watch the DVD but once you know the location it is just something to quickly do every few days. I just do it on a regular basis now.....I learned the hard way that it does have to be done fairly often because one day I made my coffee and got clear water - it went through the grinding process but was completely blocked. One other thing to remember is to take the top off the basket holder while you clean the chute so the ground coffee will go into the basket and then remember to put the top back on! It tends to be very fussy about everything being in place correctly - again I found this out the hard way.The grinder is loud, I guess - it is a grinder...I do warn anyone in the room with me before it grinds just so they won't be startled but I don't find it too loud.As good as the coffee is, I think it tends to use quite a bit of coffee beans. At first I tried making it weaker (adjustments of mild, regular, and strong) but I like it strong so I usually keep it there.To summarize you have to learn to put the coffee maker together properly and how to clean the chute and do it regularly - other than these easy things, just enjoy a delicious cup of coffee!

Brief History - I had an old (not a Cuisinart) grind and brew type coffee maker for about 25 years. It did not get used regularly and finally when I began using it daily a part broke that I could not find a replacement for. The coffee that came out of it wasn't bad but the unit was incredibly loud (leave the room kind of loud) and very slow to brew. So I began to search for a replacement. I looked at all the grind and brew machines, narrowed the field by price and features and came up with a list viable replacements. Worth noting: I did check with consumer reports which was helpful for me to confirm the features I wanted. The negative reviews posted by far too many people do not treat this machine and likely many other machines fairly. There misleading criticisms left me with no clear or safe or comfortable choice and indecision for months. Finally a friend (whom I trust) convinced me to purchase a Cuisinart and what a great machine this is. For all the people whom claim this machine spilled coffee all over there counter I would say being conscious while operating any machine is always wise and if you were conscious then I suggest you try cleaning it once in a while! This machine is easy to use, makes pretty decent coffee and has worked flawlessly for me. I do rinse the pot, lid and basket components before each use. It just takes a minute, and I do dry these components with a paper towel. For me this is just common sense. The coffee brews quickly. The grinder makes some noise but is easily tolerable and is way less than my old machine. The only comment/criticism I have is brew completed alarm (the volume) I would describe as quiet - refined tones. So quiet that you are unlikely to hear the alarm from another room unless and are close and concentrating. For me the alarm volume is a NON-issue, first the brew time is pretty short. Next the unit has a clever feature (a stopper) to stop the flow of coffee out the basket when the pot is removed (remember to return the pot if you do this). I have been using this machine daily for about 3 months now and I am really happy with my choice.

This is our third machine from them, tried others in between as the price is pretty steep. But coming back to this one is like a deep sigh ... Why would you get anything else ... Good looking, easy use for regular coffee brewing as well as auto brewing coffee in the morning using the timer ... Coffee is just great, grinds enough for every setting so the coffee is consistently good and strong enough.The product is fantastic, no doubt 5 stars, but Cuisinart, come now ... That price is very high ... Made me think 10 times about it ...But then again ... Great product ... And if you think what you spend on coffee shops like Starbucks every say, well that Math becomes a little easier.If you can afford it, this is the product you want.