Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying that I've been a big fan of grind and brew coffee makers. I know full well what to expect. My last grind and brew was a Cuisinart DGB-550 which means I was already accustomed to cleaning 7 different parts every time I made a pot of coffee and having my cats run for cover when the grinding began. The Cusinart had served me well for over a year but I really wanted something with a thermal carafe and I was excited for the prospect of a burr grinder. On weekends it can take me hours to drink a pot and I hated having my coffee cook during that time. Not to mention the wasted electricity while keeping that carafe piping hot for hours.
PROS
====
1) Conical burr grinder. The burr modules spin at lower speeds than standard burr grinders, imparting less heat to the beans.
2) SUPER easy clean up. I don't think anyone can beat this model when it comes to clean up. Just 4 parts -- 3 if you use paper filters. The carafe, carafe lid, basket and permanent filter. No filter lid, no dirty grinding chamber, etc.
3) Compared to blade style grind and brews, the noise volume is lower (still loud) and the tone is of a lower frequency. There is no way to make a grind and brew coffee maker quiet, but it would be nice if manufacturers started employing noise insulation or noise cancellation techniques. But overall, I found the noise very tolerable. My cats did not even care, normally they would bolt to the basement when the Cuisinart fired up.
4) Thermal carafe is designed very well. You activate a thumb button to pour and the flow rate is very good, maybe 75% of the flow rate you would get from a standard, glass carafe.
5) Backlit LCD display is large and easily legible both day and night, although like others have said it is very bright.
6) The little charcoal water filter seems to be the same size as the Cuisinart ones. I'm pleasantly surprised that they seem to be interchangeable. Helpful because I've seen the Cuisinart ones sold at several locations, but not the Capresso ones.
CONS
====
1) Bean reservoir lid pops off during grinding. Yes, I made sure it was securely in place. It just snaps on, there is way to lock it in place. The machine vibrates during grinding, which eventually works the lid free.
2) Coffee was weak on the 4 cup setting, even bumping the aroma setting all the way to dark didn't help matters. For a $200+ coffee maker that determines the amount of beans to use itself, this was strange.
3) Thermal carafe, despite being well designed, is small (10 cup). The Cuisinart burr grinder models come with 12 cup thermal carafes.
4) No outside water gauge.
5) Top lid does not snap close easily and feels like it could be the first thing to break.
6) Capresso was stingy on the stainless steel. The sides and top are black plastic. Not a huge deal, but for this price I expected a more high-end look. To compare, the Cuisinart DGC-650 which is less than half the cost has stainless steel on both sides.
7) There are a couple of tablespoons of beans that are "in transit" to the grinder and inaccessible. They are processed when the next pot is brewed. So if you decide to brew a pot of decaf and were previously making regular, a portion of your pot will be made with regular beans. Or in my case, if you sometimes go several days between pots, your coffee is always made with somewhat stale beans. Unfortunately all of burr grind and brew coffee makers that I've seen work like this.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Capresso 465.05 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder and Thermal CarafeEquipped with a built-in conical burr grinder, this coffeemaker automatically grinds and brews up to 10 cups of exceptionally flavorful coffee. The unit's slow burr grinding produces minimal heat, which helps preserve coffee's full aroma and flavor, while its solid-steel conical burrs offer five grind settings from coarse to fine for adjusting the coffee strength. A user-friendly push-button control panel with an easy-to-read illuminated LCD display ensures simple operation and programming. Choose from five brew amounts (2 to 10 cups) and select the coffee strength: mild, medium, or strong--or set the clock and timer for automatic brewing at a later time. The coffeemaker provides two modes of operation for brewing coffee with or without the grinder. Grind/Brew mode grinds a programmed amount of whole beans directly into the gold-tone filter, then automatically starts the brewing process. Brew mode allows for adding ground coffee without the use of the grinder--simply push the filter-release button to open the swing-out filter holder. Freshly brewed coffee dispenses into the included 10-cup stainless-steel thermal carafe, which comes with a stay-cool handle and non-drip spout. For sneaking a quick cup midbrew, just remove the carafe from the machine to pause the flow of coffee, then return it to continue brewing. Other highlights include a 200 degree F brew temperature, a 6-ounce capacity bean container, a see-through window for checking to make sure ground coffee flows smoothly into the filter holder, a detachable see-through cover for cleaning the grinder channel, a charcoal water filter that removes up to 82-percent of chlorine and other impurities from tap water, and two-hour automatic shut-off for safety and peace of mind. The 1000-watt fully programmable 10-cup coffeemaker measures approximately 9-4/5 by 9-1/2 by 15-1/2 inches.
Click here for more information about Capresso 465.05 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder and Thermal Carafe
