Customer Reviews

Cuisinart DCC-2600 Brew Central 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Glass Carafe

5 star:		(211)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This is a replacement for my old Cuisinart coffee maker which I had for about six years or so (the predecessor to this model). I loved my old one even with some of the little quirks it had. It beat out any Braun or Krupp pot which I had ever owned. This new updated model is a winner. All of the small annoyances have been solved, such as the small fill tank opening, the dripping cover that leaked back into the fill tank, and finally, thank you Cuisinart people, a water level guide on the outside of the unit. The front knobs on the front are now also easier to see and use. As my other Cuisinart did, it brews superior coffee and quickly. I find it takes about one minute per cup... 12 minutes for twelve cups, not bad at all. Yes, the unit does make some clicking and popping noises when it is new, so did my old one. But that goes away in time as the unit gets "broken in". I do not think you can find a better coffee maker on the market.

Who in the world would have a coffee pot as a best friend? When you make and drink 5 to 7 pots of coffee a day you need a best friend. You need a friend who is there for you anytime you need one and that friend has to be consistent; i.e., one good pot after another. The DCC-2600 is my new best friend. In a short time it has performed better than its older cousin, the DCC-1200. The DCC-122 is still right up there with the DCC-2600; however, I wanted a 14 cupper and it is perfect.

The coffee tastes the same: great. It still takes about one minute per cup. That is perhaps a tad too much time but I don't care. I can always do something else while it is brewing. After all, a super cup of coffee is worth waiting a few minutes. I can always set the timer and have it ready when I awaken. The setting process is still simple enough for me to do. I really like being able to see the plain water display on the outside instead of having to strain and look over the top of the pot. That's a nice enhancement just as it the anti-drip change Cuisinart made.

I'm not an interior designer; however, I like the changes made to the outside appearances of this pot compared to the DCC-1200. I just looks better to me. The included gold filter is a nice touch and its inclusion should be a constant; however, I still prefer the cheap, paper filters. Paper filters are easier to clean up from than the gold filter. That is the only reason for my statement.

Best friends do not let you down and this pot pumps coffee without one retort. It works well and performs the job with vigor.

We take coffee very seriously in my house and when our old Cuisinart broke I wasn't sure I wanted another. But they fixed the design problems (hard to pour the water without spilling, no visible water gauge) and it makes great coffee. Highly recommend it.

The title says it all. I've had 3 Cuisinart coffee makers the last 3 years, 1 thermal and 2 of these. After about a year using twice a day I start to find water on my counter top. Consumer Reports and Amazon customers love these and I did too until the leaks started. I didn't write a review before because I figured the leaking was just a fluke and maybe it is but after 3 go rounds I doubt it. I didn't read all the other reviews to see if anyone else had experienced this. Please understand I'm a retired senior citizen and have no axe to grind but I wanted to point out my experience with an otherwise excellent product.

Positives:

14 cup capacity
Keeps your coffee hot; even better than the thermal carafe coffeemakers!
Easy to load
Easy to clean

Negatives:

The carafe lid is prone to leak on rare occasion

Other:
Do not put the carafe lid in the dishwasher as the heat will alter the shape of the lid and you will be prone to excessive leaks from your carafe

This is my third Cuisinart coffee machine ... other two were the 12 cup model -- kissing cousin to this upgrade.

They greatly improved the features on this machine -- water level is now visible from the OUTSIDE and it has an added feature of selecting the flavor for "regular" or "bold". Of course the charcoal filter continues to be a plus feature.

As mentioned above, this is my third Cuisinart coffee maker. My first was a result of Consumer Reports' high rating ... purchased it around 2001 or 2002 -- I forget. Anyway, it worked well until it was almost 3 years old (warranty period is 3 years) ... it started making a snapping & popping noise while brewing. As it was still under warranty, I shipped it back (at my expense) and they replaced it with a refurbished model.

All in all, if you really enjoy your morning cup of coffee (and having it ready as soon as you step into the kitchen) ... I highly recommend this upgraded model. You won't be disappointed!

My wife and I have been serious coffee drinkers for the past 10 years. After our Braun thermal (which we loved) died on us, we had a difficult decision to make. I studied many different makes and models and finally decided on the Cuisinart 2600. We've had it for 2 weeks now and love it! We can't find one flaw. One reviewer mentioned the coffee wasn't hot enough. Their unit must be faulty because ours brews hot and maintains very hot coffee with a medium heat setting. The water filter holder even has a long handle so you can easily place it a slot in the bottom of the water reservoir. The designers afforded a lot of time and attention to the details. A must buy for serious coffee drinkers.

Bought this coffee maker from another online retailer for $87 but that entailed a substantial restocking fee should we choose to return the coffee maker. I weighed the odds and gave it a shot knowing that I would lose the cost advantage over Amazon if a return was necessary. Luckily, the coffee maker works fine and no return was required. Three things I was concerned about: previous reviews complained about the five beeps when the brewing cycle completes, a low coffee temperature and the lengthy brewing times. Even though it is not possible to disable the five beeps, they are very quiet beeps. Nothing like the shrill beeps emanating from another brand which caused us to toss it in the trash. Second, the coffee temperature is quite hot. We have our coffee maker set at the highest temperature and it is fine. Third, the brewing time is perhaps on the long side but this is not something we've noticed either. No complaints in this regard. Positive subjective comments: the coffee maker brews well with less coffee than our previous twelve cup brewer. This certainly saves some money on each brew cyle. Finally, the coffee warmer plate does not appear to be painted. Our previous coffee maker had a painted plate and it constantly bled black (presumably toxic, considering the country of origin) water onto our countertop. This concerned us greatly because of the presence of a young child in our house. Hence, the donation of the old coffee maker to charity and the selection of this one. All in all, after a month of use, we couldn't be more pleased.

I have to agree with other reviewers that most, if not all, problems are corrected with this model. I use much less coffee with this model than I did with my last. Water is easy to pour into the tank with very little care. You do have to pull the unit forward to open the lid. A good bit of steam comes out the top, so I found it is best to have a plastic sheet over my upper cabinet's underside to protect it. I really like the outside of the unit, which is fairly fingerprint-free with regular use.

The pot lid can take a little bit of fuss (about 3 seconds) to align just right. It doesn't drip at all, and it pours at just the right rate, not fast enough to splash, but not slow at all. The lid pops off easily for cleaning. The pot in hand feels great, even when full. It is easy to hold and pour with no strain or heat.

I love the 3 temp warmer plate (the low setting keeps it a bit hotter than drinkable), and the beeper to tell you that coffee is ready, or that the warmer plate is turning off. It is just the right pitch, tone quality, and loudness whether sitting in the kitchen or a room away and is not annoying at all for my sensitive ears, while my husband - who has trouble hearing beep tones - hears it well.

All the buttons are intuitive, and I love having the little round knobs vs touch pads and toggles. It is easy to turn the warming plate back on if you need more than 4 hours, or want to heat up cold leftovers.

The brewing time is not as fast as some, but I haven't found it to be a bother at all. Planning is everything in life, and planning for your coffee maker is no different. It's got a nice auto feature if you need it ready for morning. Otherwise, in the time it takes to have a 5 minute shower, dry off and brush your teeth, the coffee is done brewing.

I have also used various tea bags in this brewer. If you fiddle with it for a while, you can figure out how much water on regular and bold settings is good for whatever you're brewing. It's absolutely wonderful to be able to have coffee during the day and tea at night without switching utensils.

The filter is a nice feature for those who don't have filtered water already. And the gold cone filter is handy if you prefer not to use paper, or run out. The unit does make some little snap, crackle and pop noises that haven't gone away in the month I've had mine. But it's not bothersome at all.

The clock is the only item I can think of complaining about. I need to use this pot in the darkest corner of my kitchen, and I can still read the clock just fine during the day. But I would have liked it to be lit, just dimly, so that I could read it faster, as well as in the evening, and from across the kitchen, or at 2am, without turning on the kitchen light. It's a small complaint considering everything else done well.

It takes a lot to give up a Bunn, or in our case three Bunn home brewers, all the same model.

But we finally got fed up with (1) burning out their cheap temperature controls, (2) losing the quick heating function, (3) the carafe warmer that has one temperature and it's too hot, and (4) the substantial 24/365 power drain keeping that water tank always close to 200 degrees.

18 years of inconvenient great coffee was enough.

After reading hundreds of reviews we chose the DCC-2600 at Amazon. So far, a great machine, but built to a price. For example, the power cord is just adequate enough for the wattage, and it's only 2 feet long! The User Manual taradiddles about why it's too short. The Bunn cord is 4 feet, and can handle twice the wattage.

The settings for the clock and the automatic On/Off feature will be lost if the machine is without electric power longer than one minute. For a few pennies per machine they could have held the memory for hours. My bedside Zenith clock radio from the 1970s (maybe 60s) holds its settings for several days when power is down, and without a battery back-up.

That was when Zenith was made by Zenith, but their legendary quality bankrupted the company. Their venerable name was found to be the 8th most recognized brand in the world, so the name "Zenith" was auctioned to Asia. The quality died in the bankruptcy, as quality does.

Our first pot of DCC-2600 coffee used the "gold" filter Cuisinart supplies, rather than paper, and the result was excellent. We'll stick with the metal filter. We grind our beans medium-fine on a commercial Ditting coffee grinder and this is perfect for the Cuisinart's gold filter.

Learning to use the various features of the pot is easy, but for me only 98% intuitive. If, when you fill it for the recommended new-pot, water-only, cleaning, you accidentally pour the water where the coffee should go, no harm is done and your counter and floor will be the cleaner for it.

My wife and I make 30 to 40 cups a day, so we'll know soon enough if the 2600 is made to last. The Bunns had a 10-cup capacity, this has 14, so the human workload is reduced by 1/3.

The prepare-now, brew-later clock timer is a nice feature for people who sleep through the night. We wouldn't know about that.
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Review re-visit Nov. 13, 2010.

We love this machine enough to take time a year later to say so. 13 months of daily use, 3 pots a day, more when we entertain, and not one single complaint. Thank you Cuisinart.