Customer Reviews

Braun KF187B FlavorSelect 12-Cup Coffeemaker, Black

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have owned both this Braun and the competing Krups model, and the Braun model is hands down the best. It has a lot of really nice features. I like good, strong coffee and I'm willing to buy really good beans to make it (like Peets, for example). This coffee maker really does good beans justice. Its really fast - much faster than the Krups, for example, but the coffee is fuller and richer tasting.

I never really experimented with the coffee strength setting, so I can't say how effective it is. I set it about 2/3 of the way between weak and strong and just left it that way. And the coffee has always been great. I do like the feature where it beeps when the coffee is done - this is nice when you have company for example, and you're chatting away in the next room. You don't have to keep checking to see if the coffee's done. We used the timer feature a few times - its nice, and easy to set up, but the Braun makes a full pot quickly enough that I don't really think you need it.

Its also really reliable - we had ours for over 5 years, and moved it with us in three different houses. If only all household appliances were this good and this reliable! It costs a little more than a typical "Mr. Coffee" type maker, but its well worth it. Over the course of many years, the extra cost won't matter. The ease of use and quality of the cup of coffee will make you forget the extra 20 bucks you spent.

I've had this coffeemaker for about two weeks now and I'm very happy with it. The coffee comes out good and strong and never bitter. My one quibble, and why I only gave it four stars, is the nylon filter that comes with it. I think the coffee tastes much better when dripped through a paper filter. I had come to the same conclusion with my old Braun, when I switched back to paper after having used a gold-tone filter for about 2 years. The coffee tastes much richer and more flavorful. My friend who just got a new Cuisinart coffeemaker that also came with a nylon filter came to the same conclusion and uses only paper filters now. Plus clean up is much easier with paper filters. You just pick up by the tabs and toss away. The nylon or gold filter gets messy grounds all over the sink and you have to run the water quite a long time to get it clean. So my advice is to go with the lower priced Flavor Select model and skip the permanent filter.

As others have pointed out this is a reliable and convenient machine. It makes decent coffee but (like other auto drip machines) doesn't get the water to the right temperature. In fact, it's about 20 degrees fahrenheit too low. You'll probably need to nuke your coffee in the microwave after brewing it, and you won't get quite the rich taste you achieve with hotter water.

I have tried just about every coffeemaker on the market. Several years ago, after disappointment with my then still working Farberware electric, I purchased my first Braun Flavor Select.This was my first purchase of a drip style pot. I had been disappointed in coffee from my mother's Mr. Coffee and other drip pots. Well, not only did I purchase one with the auto shut off, but also a cheaper model for my mother's summer cottage without that feature. I have never brewed such consistently excellent coffee. I especially liked the model with auto shut-off. When I broke it, I tried other brands. Guess what? They couldn't compare. Even my husband said to go buy another Braun. It was well worth the money. The coffee is not just consistently good, but the speed at which the machine brews it is superb. Also the coffee stays very hot, even though I brew it at 6AM and my husband doesn't drink his until 8:30am, sometimes later. I wouldn't even consider another brand at this point. When people comment on the coffee, I have to admit it is the coffeemaker and not me to thank. This is an excellent product.

I recently purchased this Braun and am so far impressed with the quality of coffee it brews and the features. I like the ability to use the 1-3 cup feature as well as the ability to lower the temperature on the hotplate so the coffee doesn't burn after sitting awhile. I owned a Braun in the past but replaced it with a Mr. Coffee after it burned out because I wanted a less expensive coffee maker. I suffered with coffee I hated as a result of being cheap. I then purchased a Krups because it was a new model and touted features which led me to believe it would make a superb cup of coffee. After trying it several times, I determined that I didn't care for the coffee no matter how I adjusted the amount of coffee used for the brew. I returned it and purhased this Braun and am so far very pleased with the quality of coffee and the features it offers.

I'm picky when it comes to my coffee makers. The coffee has to be kept HOT, the carafe has to be durable but easy to clean, there has to be a timer (to save me from the grumps at six a.m.), and the brewing must be quick and flavorful. And I don't want to spend a hundred dollars. The Braun has it all.

This is my second programmable FlavorSelect. My first lasted about five years, and, although this doesn't seem long at all, our water is about as hard as it can get without solidifying. (When I bought the first Braun, they had the spacer for the water filter but the filter itself was not yet available. I never bought one.) If you've never use a timer before, you're in for a real treat: there nothing like having the last of the coffee dripping into the pot as you walk into the kitchen.

Braun has made several improvements since I bought my last model. The carafe no longer drips if you pour too quickly, and the lid has a much simpler and easy to clean design. The basket which holds the filter looks more solid, with fewer extraneous parts. The dial which you turn to remind yourself when to change the filter seems excessive and maybe even useless (you have to remember to check the top of the pot after all), but I'm sure some people will be grateful for it. I use a gold filter, so the steel one was not a selling point for me.

Overall, the Braun coffee maker is an excellent product. It's as good as the Krups my parents own - and a lot less expensive.

This is my third Braun flavor-select in ten years. Only one of those accually broke (leaked)and that was after 5 years of heavy use. It makes great coffee and I love the 12-cup capacity is a necessity for me. The auto shut-off and other features are really useful and simple to use and set. I like the idea of the filter cartridge, this is my first braun with the cartridge. I don't care for the gold-screen filters (I use a good paper filter). Can't go wrong with this choice.

I switched to this model from a competing Krups, and the Braun blows it away in every category. The triple jets make a huge difference in both flavor and speed. In fact, this brews great coffee so fast, that I never even use the timer anymore. All of the features (timer, plate temp setting, filter) are practical, easy to use, and best of all, actually WORK as advertised. Buy it and forget it.... this is as good as it gets in this category.

Best coffee maker I've had. The adjustable hotplate is very convenient, the filter eliminates the need for pouring tap water through a filtered pitcher, and the small footprint is perfect for my tiny city kitchen. Most importantly, the coffee tastes great, and I'm particular about my coffee. I thought the filter basket would be difficult to clean, but it's really not, even hand washing. If this one were hit by a bus, I would buy another before the end of the day.

The coffee from this machine is as good as any you might expect from a drip filter coffee maker, but not twice as good as its price implies. The main reason we bought this coffee maker is that it is one of the few that lets you adjust the temperature of the hot plate - and we like our coffee not so hot.

The best thing about this coffee maker is that the coffee stays good for a long time. Three or four hours after brewing it is still quite fresh tasting, probably due to the lower tempurature of the hot plate we use, and the design of the carafe lid that reduces evaporation.

My main complaint is that it breaks when even a little water seeps below the hot plate into the electronics below. We had the electronics replaced three times in the first year under waranty, and after the waranty expired the electronics conked out several more times - but self-recovered in a day or two when it dried out. It doesn't take much water to cause the problem - just the amount that comes out of a moist sponge when cleaning the machine. My second complaint is that the plastic ball which is part of the mechanism responsible for opening the valve under the drip filter when the carafe is in place also broke three times. The coffee maker still works without this little ball - but you have to position the carafe more carefully during brewing. My third, more minor complaint, is that the markings rubbed off the plastic, which was cleaned using only a sponge and water.

When we broke the carafe (our fault - not the coffe maker's), we decided not to replace it - since a new Braun carafe costs as much as many other new coffee makers including the carafe.

I would not recommend this coffee brewer. My next coffee maker will not have a clock (which I don't need), and will cost half the price.