Customer Reviews

Cuisinart DCC-1200W Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, White and Stainless Steel

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Finally, something that is what it says it is! "A great coffee maker."

My Cuisinart DCC-1200W coffee brewer arrived late this morning and I quickly unpacked it. Following the manufacturer's instructions, I flushed it once, and installed the included water filter (only one came with the unit), and prepared to make the first pot of coffee.

The White and Chrome model was my choice to blend in with my other appliances. This Cuisinart product is made from sturdy material and is visually appealing (not disappointing or offending my spouse ((doubly important)).)

In just ten minutes the coffee brewer beeped (gently) five times to let me know the coffee was ready. (Yes, I could tell by the silence that it was done but as I said its beep is gentle.)

You will love the carafe. Did you know that someone really can design a carafe that doesn't dribble or spill as you pour? Cuisinart did. And yes, you can pour a quick cup before the brew cycle completes. The handle on the carafe is the perfect size and shape to fit any hand. It's just that now you can pour that quick cup without pouring all over the counter. You Mr. Coffee users know what I mean!

How did it taste? It makes a fantastic cup of coffee. Whether you use an expensive gourmet grind or right off of the donkeys back, you will be pleased with this coffee maker as I am.

The controls are simple and easy to understand as well as reachable and easy to operate for big or dainty hands. The Cuisinart DCC-1200 has the entire expected preset features you are accustom too, and a few more such as the adjustable warmer plate temperature control. You won't be scorching. If you only have time for a quick 1-4 cups, there is a setting made for it exclusively and the brewer will double the heat so the coffee will be hot enough for your liking when it's done. Yes there are many more great feature, so look at the product description for those bonuses.

To sum up: The Cuisinart DCC1200 is a well made and finely designed coffee maker that you will be glad to own and use over and over again. I can't emphasise that point enough in type. Enjoy.

We have this coffee maker at work, so I had the opportunity to use it for six months before buying one for home. It does make excellent coffee. I've usually bought my coffee at a shop because I could not stand the "Folgers" taste of most coffee made at home. With the water filter and a decent brand of coffee, making my own at home will pay for this machine in no time.

The styling is nice and sturdily built. The temp is hot. I **love** that the carafe doesn't drip all over the place when pouring coffee. The beeper is not that loud (and that's coming from a person that always has her computer muted because she cannot stand the constant dinging noises). As another reviewer said, if you can shop online or program your Tivo, you can program this machine. So the dials are a bit small--program it once and it's all downhill from there.

A few quirks:

-The stainless steel is very difficult to keep clean. Looks nice out of the box, but I'd give anything to have a solid white unit.
-Yes, the opening for the water reservoir is a bit small, and would be more convenient if located in the front instead of the back. A few days of practice solves this issue. I've always measured my water in the carafe, and since the lid doesn't leak, filling the reservoir is no big deal.
-It's a bit tricky learning how to get the carafe lid off--and the instruction manual does not discuss it. Once you figure it out (pull up at the handle), it's easy.
-Placement in your home can also be tricky since the cord is fairly short and the lid hits the underside of the cupboards when opened.

Despite the quirks, I love this machine and would recommend it to others. The fingerprint-loving stainless steel is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.

Disregard the "very disappointing" review -- it's talking about the combo grinder/brewer and not this product. I've had the brew central for a couple of weeks now and it makes the best pot of coffee I have ever tasted. Very hot, and the little shower head over the grinds does seem to make for a stronger brew.
It's bulky, certainly, but is an excellent machine. The white/steel finish is much brighter than the trendy, mod, black-on-steel favored in last year's kitchens.

I have used Krups, Braun, Mr. Coffee and others,but I am impressed with this coffee maker. It does not have a door to swing open, the carafe is absolutely dripless!, the controls are above the carafe and out of the way if coffee is spilled, it is easy to program, and best of all it makes a great cup of coffee. Thanks.

I have had a DCC-1200 for a couple of months and really like the coffee it makes. I had a Braun Flavorselect (actually a couple of them), over the past several years, and really liked them, although I kept blowing the thermostat. When the last one failed, I found out they were no longer made, so I bought the cuisinart baed on reviews.
PROS
1.) The coffee is very good-probably better than the Braun as the latter seemed acidic in comparison (probably the charcoal filter in the Cuisinart).
2.) The coffee, both after the brew, and with the warmer on high, is very hot, which is what I liked about the Flavorselect.
I have to have my coffee hot!
3.) It is a very sturdy unit, looks good, and is easy to keep clean. (I have the Black with Grey steel looking sides).
CONS
1.) As is frequently mentioned, the pouring hole is small and incovenient to get to. My wife easily resolved this by making
a small funnel cut out of the top of a liter Coke bottle. I recommend this as a work around.
2.) The condensation dripping off the lid. We work with this
by setting the lid about half open for a few seconds, and if need be, lightly jiggle it before completely opening it to pour in the water. That way, very little drips down the back.
3.) The lid is a little difficult to get off and snap back on. However, I soon realized the advantage of this lid, over a conventional hinged lid, is that: 1.)It is easier to pour the water in without spilling (with the lid on), and 2.) The tight fit keeps you from spilling or dripping from the first cup. The Carafe is very nicely balanced.

Again, the most important thing is the taste of the coffee, and the fact that it stays hot.

Use these little workarounds, and the unit will work great for you!

Milt

to this otherwise excellent coffeemaker -- you must pour the water into a very narrow chamber and you can't see how much water is in it unless you are making at least 8 cups. I always measure the water into the pot first and then into the machine. No big deal and worth it because this pot makes great coffee! I love the setting for 4 or less cups that superheats the water so you get a hot cup (you know how the first couple of cups are always tepid!)....great machine.

Pros

The Cuisinart DCC-1200W 12-Cup Coffee Maker is an impressive-looking product that makes excellent coffee. There's a special flavor that French Roast coffee has in a good coffee shop, and in 25 years of brewing freshly-ground coffee at home I've never been able to get that flavor until I purchased and started using the DCC-1200W. I think the water filter is a good idea, and it may contribute a lot to the pleasing taste of the brewed coffee.

I also really like the look and feel of this machine; it is attractive, strong, and well built. The quality of physical design and construction are evident from the feel of the lift-up lid to the plastic ring around the top edge of the carafe that protects the glass and should reduce the likelihood of breakage, which ended the life of my previous coffee maker. The controls are laid out for style but are still simple to use. In addition, while other reviewers complained about the high volume of the brewing-finished chime, I found that not to be a problem. In fact, it's softer than my previous coffee maker, a bit too soft to hear all the time, depending where I am in the house. Maybe it's the size of my kitchen or perhaps Cuisinart listened to earlier reviews and comments and lowered the volume at some point.


Cons

Having said all that, the DCC-1200W (and presumably the black version as well) has some problems. To me, the biggest is that the brewing process splashes coffee grounds from inside the filter onto the lower surface of the lid, where the splashes merge with condensation. Opening the lid causes the grounds-laden moisture to run down to the back edge of the lid where ridges channel the flow to a collector that prevents drippage onto your counter top. That's a good thing, but there's a flaw: it runs down into the water reservoir where it gets recycled into your next pot of coffee. Maybe this isn't a big deal, and maybe the water filter removes it from the flow into the next pot, but it seems to me that it will build up over time, and I don't see any easy way to clean it out. My wife and I have taken to grabbing a paper towel and wiping the inner surface of the lid while we're opening it in order to minimize the amount of water that gets back into the reservoir.

Drippage control is the worst of a cluster of problems related to the design of the top of the coffee maker. It's easy to get coffee grounds sprinkled and splashed across the interior surface around the filler opening and brewing cone and into the shell around the brewing cone, but it's not so easy to clean all these surfaces thoroughly. The reservoir fill opening is narrow, requiring a steady hand to pour water from the carafe into the reservoir without spilling any onto the counter, the top interior surfaces of the coffee maker, or directly into the brewing cone (potentially a mess if you've already put a paper filter and grounds into it). In addition, since my counter has cabinets above it such that only a narrow strip of the counter lies beyond the cabinet's footprint, I'm not able to open the lid all the way. The coffee maker's height causes its lid to rest against the cabinet rather than opening until the built-in restraint stops it. This aggravates the difficulty in filling the reservoir and also contributes to another difficulty: seeing the fill-level indicators when brewing fewer than 6 cups of coffee. The fill-level indicator is inside the reservoir and you must look down into it alongside the carafe to observe how much water you're adding; the markers for 2 and 4 cups are in deep shadows at the very bottom of the reservoir. For 6 cups or more, the problem is much less serious.

One other problem is the difficulty in seeing the thin markings on the two twist knobs for function selection and heating plate temperature. I'm sure the age of my eyes doesn't help, but it takes a hard look to be sure I know where the knob is set. In addition, there are two other issues with the carafe itself: The plastic edge protecting the glass also makes it difficult to completely empty the carafe and traps water within it. And the carafe's lid is difficult to open and close reliably.


Quibbles

Finally, a few quibbles that wouldn't affect my decision to buy this product, but are things I've noticed while using it. The toggle switch appears and feels small and a little fragile. The clock display is small and unlit, but completely serves the purpose of programming timed brewing; I just can't use it for an auxiliary kitchen clock. The carafe presence sensor in the heating plate is large enough to create a very uneven surface for the carafe bottom, and makes it easy to insert the carafe crooked. I find that filling the cone filter from my grinder's receptacle while the cone is in the coffee maker is awkward, I've spilled grounds outside the filter multiple times and have taken to filling the filter completely outside the coffee maker. Finally, the tallness of the coffee maker causes all top-of-unit actions to feel awkward, even more so for shorter people.


The Bottom Line

In the end this is a good coffee maker that makes great coffee, but flaws prevent the coffee maker itself from being great. As much as I want to give a higher rating, I can't rate the DCC-1200W with three stars, so I have to give it two.

Agree with all the comments about the great coffee, solid construction and overall quality of this Cuisinart DCC-1200. We had a simple Krups Coffee Time unit for 14 years and got used to the swing out stand alone filter basket, front water level indicator, and ease of cleaning, so are having some problem adjusting to the use of the new Cuisinart. Specifically:

The unit is very tall and the top opens up so if you have upper cabinets, as we do, you may have to pull it out to use it.

We grind beans and can't move them from the grinder to the filter basket without removing the basket from the well...problem is the basket will not stand alone, so we need to prop it up in a measuring cup to fill it. Not a big deal but a bit of an inconveinence.

The water fill area and level indicator is neat but somewhat hard to see especially for small 1-4 cup batches. Would be better if it were a front view system.

Finally, the flip up top collects condensation and is hard to wipe down as it has nooks and crannies.

Once we get used to these differences it should be another 14 year winner.

I've had my DCC-1200W for just over 3 months, and so far it's performing great. It makes wonderful coffee, it's fast, it's quiet (it does beep when it's done, but I like that), and it looks nice.

I've had no issues with filling the reservoir. I'm not sure why anyone would ever need to look inside for the water volume markings -- I just use the carafe to measure the water, then empty it into the reservoir. I usually make 6-8 cups at a time -- I've done as many as 10 -- with no overflow issues that others talk about.

My ONLY complaint with the unit is cleaning. The design of the lid of the carafe makes it difficult to get at residue that appears to be trapped inside the "bubble." Also, cleaning the interior of the unit itself is tricky. About once a week I run plain water through it, and that seems to help.

I'd give this unit 4.5 stars if I could. The quality of the brew and ease of use far outweigh the other issues.

August 4, 2007: OK, so it's now two months later. A big lesson I've learned: DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, attempt to make 12 cups of coffee. It'll handle 10 just fine, but 12 is a disaster. Yep, I, too, had the "overflow" issues that others have reported. I didn't have the issue before because I'd never attempted to make more than 10 cups at once. While I was entertaining out-of-town company last month, one of my guests decided to be a nice person and start the coffee before I awoke. He tried to make 12 cups, and the result was VERY messy.

The problem is that the basket doesn't empty fast enough, which causes it to eventually overflow. You end up with a cleaning NIGHTMARE! Grounds all over the machine, down in the water reservoir, clogging the charcoal water filter, etc., and there's no way to really clean it out. You can't submerge the thing, so I ended up using a toothbrush and lots of paper towels.

I suppose, if you use coarse-ground coffee, it MIGHT drain faster. But with "over the counter" ground coffee (I was using Seattle's Best), it simply doesn't drain through the gold cone filter fast enough to prevent overflowing.

Just consider this a 10-cup coffee maker, and you'll be fine. It DOES make very good coffee and it has a lot of nice features. I stand by my 4-star rating.

My favorite feature: this is the first coffee maker I've owned that did not drip outside the cup while coffee was being poured. I now enjoy pouring a cup of coffee without 1)having to hold both cup and pot over the sink to avoid a mess on the counter, or 2) pouring so slowly that a valuable chunk of my life is sacrificed in the process.
I found the Cuisinart manual informative and easy to follow. The initial set-up process was not difficult. Some reviewers griped about the cost of replacing the charcoal water filter. Please--if you buy a set of 24 filters from Cuisinart, the cost is less than $1.50 each. A set of 12 will set you back $1.67 each. If a filter lasts through approximately 60 pots of coffee, that small expense is hardly a drawback. Filter use, while suggested, is optional, so take comfort, misers of the world. (Someone who balks at the cost of replacing the charcoal water filter is an unlikely owner of this particular coffee maker. There are cheaper models. But remember, in most cases, you get what you pay for. This unit is worth the price.)
Other reviewers griped that the digital clock is difficult to read. If I stand in front of the coffee maker, I can read and set the time on its digital clock without strain. Back-lighting might be better, but it is a minor point.
I haven't owned the Cuisinart long enough to test the self-cleaning feature or the 1-4 cup brewing setting. Nice to know that both are available.
The toggle on-off switch is retro but handy and suits the design of the unit as a whole. I appreciate the reminder of soft beeping when the brewing cycle is complete, and when the warmer plate shuts off. I also like the adjustable heat option for the warming plate. I set mine at low and find that keeps the carafe's contents piping hot. A terrific safety feature is the automatic shut-off of the warming plate, the timing of which can be chosen by the user. No more shutting off too soon or too late--or if forgotten, not at all!
Clean-up is easy. The pot lid pops off with the flick of a finger. Even though the carafe is tall, it fits nicely on the top rack of my dishwasher. The filter and its basket slide out of the coffee maker for washing and back in without a struggle.
A reviewer commented that the filter capacity was insufficient. Seems fine to me.
This is a tall coffee maker. I measured mine at 14". That gives me 2" clearance from my upper kitchen cabinet. The unit is not so heavy that I had any difficulty sliding it under the cabinet or pulling it out for use.
Some reviewers disliked the "small" opening through which water for brewing is poured. I am not tall, but I can see the right spot and have had no trouble filling the reservoir, thanks in part to the dripless pot. As for the internal hard-to-see water level indicator, who cares? Don't you look at the water level in the pot before you add water to the coffee maker? Why would anyone need to check this twice?
My only gripe is, as others did note, the internal condensation on the lid of the water reservoir. True, there's a significant amount. Some of it does dribble down the back of the coffee maker when the lid is opened, towards the electric cord at the base of the unit. Right above the cord is a curved piece of plastic that protects the cord/unit interface from bumps and, presumably, from the drops of condensation. This glitch is new to my experience. I dug out my old coffee maker (competitive brand) and took a look at the pertinent engineering. When its reservoir lid is opened, a piece of plastic built into the rear of the lid directs any condensed droplets back into the reservoir itself. The Cuisinart lacks this feature. When the Cuisinart's reservoir lid is opened, it tilts away from the unit, giving condensation nowhere else to run but out and down towards the electric cord. I cope by using a paper towel to catch the initial drops, after which I wipe the inside of the reservoir lid to remove the remaining condensation. Mildly annoying, but not enough to ruin my appreciation of this coffee maker.
Overall, I give this coffee maker 4.75 stars. Bravo! Great-tasting coffee from a smart, attractive machine. All it needs is a more visible digital clock (minor issue) and re-engineering to eliminate external drips from condensation when the reservoir lid is opened. Thank you, Cuisinart.