Cuisinart CHW-12 Coffee Plus 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Hot Water System, Black/Stainless

by Cuisinart

• Fully automatic with 24-hour programmability, self-clean function, and 1-4 cup setting
• Brew Pause feature, adjustable carafe temperature control (low, medium,high), adjustable auto-shutoff
• Hot Water System lets you enjoy instant teas, soups, cocoas and more
• 12-cup glass carafe has a drip-free pour spout and a comfortable handle for easy serving
• Includes 2 charcoal water filters, gold tone filter, measuring scoop and instruction book

Product Details

View the Product Manual [PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 12.4 x 16.5 inches ; 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B003KYSLMC
• Item model number: CHW-12
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (777 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #12 in Kitchen & Dining > Coffee, Tea & Espresso > Drip Coffee Machines

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Product Features

• 12-Cup Carafe with a drip-free pour spout and a comfortable handle

• Fully Automatic with auto-on and auto shutoff, self-clean function and 1-4 cup setting. Blue backlit LCD with digital clock brightly displays everything at an easy-to-read glance

• Carafe Temperature Control offers a heater plate with High, Medium and Low settings to keep coffee at the temperature you prefer

• Brew Pause feature lets you enjoy a cup of coffee before the brewing cycle has finished

• Charcoal Water Filter and Gold Tone Filter remove impurities that can alter the taste of your beverages

• Hot Water On Demand heats up fast to let you enjoy oatmeal, soup, tea, cocoa, and more any time you like. Simply press the lever to dispense hot water

• Easy to Use indicator lights let you know when water is hot and ready to dispense, and when it’s time to refill

• Removable Drip Tray leaves you plenty of room for tall travel mugs

• Separate Hot Water System has its own power button and 54-ounce water reservoir; operates independently or at the same time as the coffeemaker

• Safety Feature prevents hot water from being dispensed

• Charcoal Water Filter removes impurities that can alter the taste of your beverage

• Limited 3-Year Warranty

• BPA Free: All materials that come in contact with water or coffee are BPA Free

Coffeemaker Controls

1. On/Off Button
   Use to turn your Coffeemaker on and off. Works in tandem with the Function knob.

2. Clock Display
   Displays time of day, Auto On, and Auto Off times.

3. Hour and Minute Buttons
   Use to set hours and minutes for time of day, Auto On, and Auto Off times.

4. 1–4 Cup Setting with Indicator
   Improves extraction, flavor and temperature when brewing fewer than 5 cups.

5. Clean Indicator
   Indicates time to clean Coffeemaker to remove calcium buildup.

6. Carafe Temperature Knob
   Set the heater plate to Low (L), Medium (M), or High (H) to keep coffee in the carafe at the temperature you prefer.

7. Function Knob
   
   • PROG: Select to program Auto On time. Coffeemaker can be programmed to automatically start brewing up to 24 hours in advance.
   • AUTO ON: Select to automatically start brewing coffee at the time you’ve programmed.
   • AUTO OFF: Select to program your Coffeemaker to automatically shut off up to 4 hours after brewing.
   • BREW: Select to begin brew cycle when On button is pressed.
   • CLOCK: Select to program time of day.

   Hot Water System Controls

   

8. On/Off Button
   Use to turn your Hot Water System on and off.

9. Water Ready Indicator
   Indicates when water is heated.

10. Add Water Indicator
    Indicates when water should be added.

11. Safety Feature
    (Shown in the locked position)

The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Element 1: Water
Coffee is 98% water. The quality of that water is as important as the quality of your coffee. If water doesn't taste good from the tap, it won't taste good in your coffee. Cuisinart includes a charcoal water filter to remove chlorine, bad tastes and odors, for the purest coffee flavor, every time you brew.

Element 2: Coffee
While coffee is 98% water, all of the flavor comes from the beans. To achieve the same great taste you enjoy at a coffee bar, you need to use the same quality of coffee. If you choose to grind your own beans, buy them fresh and whole. Buy only about a two-week supply at a time, because once the bean is broken, its flavor degrades quickly.

Element 3: Grind
The grind is critical for proper flavor extraction. If the grind is too fine, over-extraction and bitterness will result. Too fine a grind may also clog the filter. If grind is too coarse, the water will pass through too quickly and the maximum flavor will not be extracted. When grinding your own beans, we recommend a medium-fine grind.

Element 4: Proportion
Coffee that is too strong or too weak is always a disappointment. Follow the recommended portions of ground coffee in the instructions under Brewing Coffee, and later adjust the amount to suit your taste.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

426 of 432 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love it! September 11, 2010

By Jeff Shane

Since we don't usually need a full pot of coffee except on weekends -- I typically just grab a Starbucks "Via" instant coffee on the way to work in the morning (a pretty remarkable innovation, by the way) -- I was attracted to the hot water dispenser on this coffee maker. I like it particularly because of its 58-ounce capacity -- meaning that you don't have to keep refilling it if you're just using it once each morning to fill a car mug. My wife prefers tea to coffee, and she loves being able to get a cup of really hot water whenever she likes. (We fill it with spring water, and the results are superb.) I haven't had any problem with the "add water" light, as another reviewer apparently did. I was concerned about squandering energy by keeping a reservoir of water constantly hot, but it doesn't. It keeps only about 13 ounces of water at serving temperature; the rest of the reservoir is unheated. It doesn't take all that much energy to keep 13 ounces of water hot. And if you know you won't be wanting hot water for a while, you can just turn it off with the on/off button. I had expected it to heat water instantly through some kind of coil system -- much like an under-sink unit does -- but not so. As a result, if the unit hasn't been on, there's about a 3-minute wait for the water to reach the right temperature. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I wish the hot water dispenser were programmable in the way the coffee maker is, but it isn't. You have to start it manually. (No - you can't use an outlet timer because the unit has an electronic on/off switch.) I also wish the hot water dispenser had a temperature adjustment (the coffee maker does); the water it dispenses is so hot that I have to wait for several minutes before I can drink any beverage I make with it. Finally, some Cuisinart coffee makers have a strength adjustment but this doesn't. But these are minor quibbles; it's still a great appliance. The coffee maker itself works as well as an automatic drip coffee maker can -- always a function of trial-and-error at the beginning (what kind and how much coffee you use). It uses a cone filter (#4) -- which in my humble opinion always delivers better coffee than the flat filters used in so many other coffee makers -- including a lot of Cuisinart models -- and the water is sprayed onto the coffee by a showerhead array in the reservoir lid. (Tip for review "Me2": Pour water into the coffee maker by putting the lip of the carafe on the rear LEFT corner and pour it in that way. It's a lot easier and you won't spill any.)

268 of 275 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than I expected. July 2, 2011

By frankfromnj VINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

I looked at a LOT of different coffee makers before deciding on this model. Buying a coffee maker has to be one of the hardest things to buy. The problems come in because everyone has a different take on what coffee is supposed to taste like and unfortunately many of them are dead wrong. The most important thing for anyone that really enjoys coffee the way it is supposed to be made is that the water heats up to a sufficient temperature (greater than 190 degrees). This allows for the best flavor to be extracted from the coffee ground without that bitter taste that you get when the temperature is too low. Since most people don't know that you don't find that information in most reviews. I found that information in the good reviews for this product and it had an overall rating of 4.5 at the time that I purchased it but I was a bit concerned with some of the bad reviews. They pointed to things like the carafe leaking, the hot water dispenser side leaking or not functioning correctly, bad tasting water, etc. Well, I'm happy to report that I have not seen any of these problems.

Pros
1) Hot water dispenser heats water to 185 degrees. This is perfect for anything you might want to use it for.
2) The coffee maker side heats the water to about 200 degrees. This is GREAT for making a really good cup of coffee.
3) The coffee temperature allows the coffee too stay warm even after I add half & half.
4) The lid on the carafe is NOT hinged which means that it doesn't flop around when you're pouring and it doesn't have a flimsy hinge to break.
5) The hot water dispenser side is HUGE, much larger than it looks in the pictures. That is why I've uploaded some pictures with mugs sitting on it and my tape measure showing the actual size. It fits both very wide and very tall mugs.
6) The auto-off setting is adjustable from 1-4 hours. This is great for my mom who likes to brew a pot and drink it all morning.
7) The indicator lights on the hot water side that let you know when the water is ready and when you need to add water are great.
8) Indicator light lets you know when it is time to clean the unit.

Cons
1) I'm not really sure how much safer the safety lock is on the hot water side. Anyone that can reach the lever can EASILY slide that safety lock to the left.
2) This is a small nitpick but pointing out small things like this show how much I really like this coffee maker. In order to set the clock you switch the switch to Clock and then hold down the HR button until the time starts blinking. What else am I going to do while I have the switch set to Clock? Why do I have to hold down that button too? The only reason this actually bugs me is because if you hold it down a split second too long it will begin to change the hour. So if you only wanted to change the minute it can be annoying.
3) This is only a con at first. The first time you pour water into the coffee side the angle of where you have to pour it makes you feel like you're going to spill it. Not to worry though. The design of the carafe and the fact that the flipped up lid will catch the water if you go to far make it really easy. Just don't hesitate and you'll find that it is as easy as pie to pour the water in.

Finally, this thing makes a GREAT TASTING cup of coffee. I can't believe I finally have a drip coffee maker that I enjoy using. Prior to this any time I wanted a good cup of coffee I would break out my French Press.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I'll be glad to check it out and get back to you.

248 of 264 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Works great for coffee,, hot water needs a redesign May 21, 2011

By tea lover

This machine was to make both the coffee hound and the tea lover in our family happy in the morning. Only one of us is happy.. No complaints at all with the coffee maker..
The hot water dispenser has a strong bad taste that I cant get rid of with repeated vinegar or the 1 cup of lemon juice suggested by the customer service representative.. She had heard my story many times before..
The taste is similar to drinking out of a garden hose. The customer rep assured me that the insides are stainless steel and not plastic. I think there may be some quality control issues...
Even if I could get the bad taste out, the dispenser will only release 16 oz of water for the 32 oz you must put into it. This leaves 16 oz to sit until the next day to be reheated when you add 16 oz of new water.
You must always put in 32 oz to get out 16 oz. If you put in any amount less than 32 oz, the "add water" light will come on after only 6 oz drawn out..The machine will not let you take more than this out--even thought there is plenty more inside of it.
Consequently the new water put in always mixes with the old water that is both stale and bad tasting. Who wants day old water that has the taste diminished further by reheating?
I see this as a big design flaw that requires you to take the entire machine to the sink, pull the very ergonomically incorrect and difficult plug out of the bottom and manually drain it... The manual tells you to do this if the water has been in the dispenser a week or more...
There always will be water in the dispenser a week or more.. yuck..
I say back to the drawing board with this item..
Not what I expected from Cuisinart...