Customer Reviews

KitchenAid 12-Cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

We bought this KitchenAid coffee maker to replace our beloved Cuisinart one that we'd had for about 4 years. I was hesitant to switch brands but we've always had good luck with KitchenAid and so far, this coffee maker doesn't disappoint. I really like the removable water reservoir for cleaning purposes. It's generally easy to set for morning brewing (though admittedly, it took me a few tries to get it right - I did find the Cuisinart easier to set initially). I like the "bold" brewing feature. And I like the blue lit display.

All in all - this has proven to be a reliable, attractive, and overall solid coffee maker that I would recommend to others.

This is a good coffee maker with a very pleasing design. It is, however, the most water retaining coffee maker I have ever had. I love that the water tank is removable, and it's a good thing that it is because there's always a little puddle of water left in it that needs to be drained. The carafe is a nice weight and does not leak coffee as you pour. But it also retains liquid because the heavy black lip around the top allows liquid to seep underneath. This measns when you pour the coffee or when you rinse it out with water, there is no way the last bit will be removed. That darn seal will hold on to some every time you tilt to pour. The top of the coffee maker has two lids which can't be opened at the same time. One lid reveals the coffee filter. The inside of this lid puddles up so much that it needs to be wiped dry if you are one who likes to set the coffee maker the night before. Otherwise it will leak down on to your dry coffee grounds. The other lid is the top of the water tank. This is the only coffee maker I've had that will not allow both areas to be opened at the same time for air drying purposes. Since the water tank is removable, this is not a major issue. I like KitchenAid products and this machine makes a good cup of coffee. If dealing with left over water is of no concern, I would recommend this product.

"ok guys and gals, here is my story, i've been using a black and decker space saver coffee maker mainly because of the removable water tank. the carafe drizzled coffee alll over the counter, the water tank could not be set full of water over nite in the maker because the water would leak out at the seal. and it made some incredibly weak coffee. but i trudged through because i don't like the idea of pouring water into the most of the time tiny opening most manufacturers give you. all i can see is that i'm usually pretty messy anyway, so pictures of water all over the counter. and i didn't and don't want that. hence i wanted a pot that offered the fill in the sink. so back to the old maker, so i used the b&d for not quite a year and when you "sneak " a cup it drip drip drip coffee onto the hot plate, which now has caused the hot plate to rust out. i had almost gotten to the point of not wanting to make coffee... and i love me some coffee. so when i saw this coffee maker offered by kitchenaid, and saw that it was brand new design, and it had no reviews yet, i was very hesitant to purchase it. so much so that i have been several weeks trying to decide if i would risk it. i mean 80 bucks is 80 bucks. if it was 20 i might have risked it earlier. so anyway, i finally decided to throw some money at it and see if it would actually work. and guys, AWESOME. i love it. i only have to use half as much coffee beans and the coffee comes out way stronger than the b&d ever dreamed of. if this coffee maker lasts as long as it looks like it will then i will truly be one very happy coffee drinker. only time will tell. if i remember i'll try to come back in a few months and do any update review, but so far i would have to say this is very much money well spent. maranatha"

*** ok, two week update... it is still awesome. the carafe pours without putting coffee on the countertop, which is awesome. when i sneak a cup while it is brewing there is no leakage, which is awesome, the temperature is extremely hot, i cut my coffee with milk so after getting the ingredients mixed the temperature is perfect. after brewing when you open the lid to clean out the old grounds it does have condensation go onto the lid for the water resevoir, but to me that is no big deal. the bold setting on the coffee gets the full flavor out of the beans. the removable water resevoir, as of this date shows no sign of leaking. so as of this update, two weeks out, i'm still on the "i recommend this coffee maker to everybody who drinks coffee, it is awesome" oh i see a guy gave this thing 3 stars, this is his only review, which to me sounds kind of odd, maybe he works for the competition. so if you are in the market for a new coffee maker, i highly recommend this one. oh and btw, i drink two pots of coffee every day, so my coffee pot gets well used. will update later on down the road if i remember

***** 9 MONTH UPDATE ***** still awesome, still glad i have it, and i still recommend it and confirm everything i have said up to this point. this is my last update on this unless something really wierd happens.

I wrote the review below after owning the coffee maker for about 6 weeks and rated it 3 stars. I've now owned it for about 4 months and I urge you NOT to buy this coffee maker. I put up with all of the issues below but now the carafe leaks like a sieve. Not from the spout but from under the rim so no matter how you pour it sill leaks. I'm not sure if I can return it now since it has been a few months but don't put yourself through the anguish. The whole thing was poorly conceived.

I bought this because it has a removable water reservoir. I had a beloved Capresso maker (but they no longer make it) that had a removable reservoir. I keep my coffee maker under my cabinets and I HATE having to pull the coffee maker out from under the cabinets to fill the water. I researched every coffee maker I could find with that feature and purchased the KitchenAid out of the few with that feature mainly based on it's name and I liked the design. Overall I am rather satisfied with it except for some minor issues (but there are a lot of them).

PROS: Removable Water Reservoir works well: So coffee maker can be stored under cupboards with a tight overhead clearance without pulling coffeemaker out (still need to flip up top to fill coffee so need a few inches above pot)

Built in Water Filter: Handy if you don't have filtered water available.

No drip feature works pretty well: If I pull the pot half way out, wait a second, then pull the rest of the way I usually get away with no dripping mid cycle. If I pull the pot out fast, in one motion, I always get a drip, which quickly evaporates so not that big a deal.

CONS: (all small but there are many)
No On Off Switch: The auto shut off feature is nice and normal. Shuts off after 2 hours. But you can't simply hit an on button again to turn the burner back on if you are not quite finished with your pot. You have to put in a small amount of water and hit brew again to fool it into a new 2 hour cycle. It will not brew without water, hence it will not go back on.

Drips Water: When you flip up the grounds cover after brewing it drips water on the top of the water cover requiring you to dry it off with a towel. It also dumps about a tablespoon of water down so if you have already taken out the pot it runs all over the burner (you are soon trained to never open the grounds cover without a pot underneath)

Lot's of beeping - could wake up others sleeping near by - When you hit brew it beeps once. When the brew cycle is complete it beeps 3 times (rather loud beeps) which is nice to let you know you can go get your coffee but I get up before my husband and I am always worried this all will wake him up. It then beeps again when it is auto shut off. This is NOT a stealth coffee maker!

Grounds Cover and Water Cover can't be open at the same time: If you like to completely dry out both your grounds basket area/lid AND your water tank you can not do this at the same time (the lids bump into each other. I usually leave my grounds compartment open in the morning and my water area in the evening then make my coffee before I go to bed. But a bit high maintenance

Lid does not come off pot: The only problem with this is that while the pot is top rack dishwasher safe, the lid does not open all the way on the pot so fitting the pot with open lid on the top rack requires a dishwasher with a rather large clearance (luckily mine fits)

Clock/Timer a bit confusing: Other reviews said the same thing. It is not completely intuitive. You will probably have to read the directions the first time and if you don't set the auto timer often, keep the manual handy, you will need to read the directions again. But since I'm frequently changing my auto timer, it is second nature to me now.

Overall, I am happy with the coffee and it has all the features I want. I have learned to adjust to all of the cons listed above. But as I said, if you don't need the removable water reservoir I believe there are many other makers out there without all of the little inconveniences of this one.

I've read all the comments here and think some people may have missed the point: It Brews Great Coffee! Much better than any other maker I've found (except maybe for a worn out Krups I found at a vacation rental unit at the beach). Yes, it has a wide carafe so if you pour too fast the coffee comes out in a wider stream than the cup can catch. Yes, the condensation that occurs on the bottom of the lid means that when you lift the lid to put in a new filter you get some water dribbled onto the top at the back. Yes, it drips slow on the "BOLD" setting, because that allows the water to pick up more flavor out of the grounds as it passes through. Yes, it leaves some water in the bottom of the reservoir. I've always assumed that is probably because it has a charcoal filter at the bottom in a little well, and it needs to stay moist. But since the reservoir is removable, if you don't like this then pour it out. This KitchenAid brews really great coffee! So my advice is: pour slower; wipe up the condensation; don't worry about the water at the bottom, and be more patient while you wait for the Bold coffee to brew. I turn it on then go out to get the paper off the driveway. It will be done when I get back. I have had one of these machines for more than a year, and I'm now buying another one for my second home because while I'm here I miss not having really great coffee. The maker that I have here now doesn't drip, pour funny, or leave water in the bottom, but neither does it make the kind of coffee I've become accustomed to with my KitchenAid. Did I mention it brews really great coffee?

I always had an eye for Kitchenaid products. When I stopped at Target and found Kitchenaid Carafe coffee makers I made no hesitation. I had to buy one. With an attractive price, one of the best features like brewing (in case no one notice, you can set bold and brew to make the coffee stronger), and a beautiful blue digital display this is totally the complete package. There is also a filter catridge included, which you don't find in many coffee makers and may be expensive if purchased separately. All in all, I was impressed and would recommend Kitchenaid Carafe Coffee Maker to anyone.

I bought this coffee pot as a temporary replacement (while I wait on a part for my Cuisinart Grind/Brew so I can go back to that one). It was the least expensive "decent" coffeepot that was available in the store for immediate purchase at BB & B. I was intrigued by the KitchenAid brand, as I know their large kitchen appliances are good (my mom has used them forever), but I had never seen a coffee pot by them. We have had several Cuisinart coffee makers over the years and they are good, but most have needed replacement after about 2-3 years. So, anyway, I got this machine home and went online to see the reviews (this was the one machine that I had NOT already read the reviews on before going to the store) and was worried after reading all the horror stories about the leaking and mess. But, hubby needed his coffee at 4:30 this morning, so I went ahead and opened it up to give it a shot. I read the manual and took it out of the box, removed the packaging stuff and set it on the counter. I washed the stuff you are supposed to and when I went to rinse the carafe, I think I stumbled on something that might be causing some of those other reviewers a problem. I filled the carafe at the sink just as if the machine were dripping coffee into the top of the carafe lid. (A medium/small drizzle of water directly onto the "bubble" top of the carafe.) It was an interesting experiment that demonstrated that if the carafe was not almost perfectly level, or the water didn't flow almost directly straight onto the middle of the bubble top, then it ran off the sides of the carafe lid. So I wonder... if perhaps some of those folks have a countertop that is slightly less than level. I know in our first home, I had countertops that were not level. Not noticeable most of the time, but it would have probably been enough to cause this issue with this pot. Also, after paying careful attention to that, and seeing that the depressed area around the "bubble" of the lid is rather small and that the REST of the lid is completely flat I set the carafe into the coffee maker. And noticed that if you don't have the handle oriented to the direct front of the machine (if it is turned to either side) it pushes the pot out just slightly enough that the proper angle is not achieved with the bubble top and the bottom of the brew basket.... in other words, the coffee will end up dripping off to the side of the bubble enough that it will run off the lid (because it will flow outside the little depression around the bubble). If the handle is to the front, then the coffee flows straight down onto the top of the bubble thingee and it works perfectly.

I also practiced (can't believe I am even typing this) pouring from the carafe over the sink with just water as I was washing/rinsing the carafe. There was not one single drip. No matter how fast or slowly I poured. So I don't understand the problem others are having. Maybe after some use the carafe seal will become damaged or something, but for now, I couldn't ask for anything more!

I ran the original water only cycle to rinse/clean the machine for first time use. Then set it up for a pot of coffee. Hubby turned it on this morning in the wee hours (like 5 a.m.) and then after making his cup, poured the rest into the thermal carafe (from our Cuisinart) so it would stay warm for me, since I wasn't going to be up until closer to 8:00 a.m. He didn't leave it on the warmer at all... just straight into the carafe. I poured my first cup around 8:45 a.m. this morning and it was still hot. :)) And tasted pretty good... I will have to tweak it a little, but that is the amount of grounds to use, not an issue with the coffee pot itself. Anyone who says it isn't hot, must have a different machine that what was inside our box.

As for dripping/leaks from the carafe... I guess only time will tell. But I had NO water or coffee anywhere except in the carafe where it belongs.
So, make sure your counter is level, and make sure you orient the carafe into the machine with the handle in the front (not to the sides) and I don't think you should have any problems. I think it works great! And was certainly worth the $68 I paid for it (after the BB&B 20% off coupon).

The best description I can use for this coffee maker is "quixotic." Positives - makes great coffee; carafe is well supported structurally especially at the top and I can get my hand inside to clean it; carafe does not drip when pouring coffee; removable water reservoir is convenient; has nice contemporary styling; brewing is relatively quiet; heats brewing water to a good hot temperature; and warming plate keeps coffee good and hot.

Negatives - if opening brewing compartment lid after brewing with the carafe not in place condensation runs down all over the warming plate; opening the brewing compartment lid after brewing also results in dripping onto the top of the machine and some may run down the side and can be difficult to dry if it runs underneath; brew set function is truly quixotic - if setting to automatic within a couple of hours of the machine being shut off from previously brewing it works as per the instructions but if one waits much more than that before using the brew set button it takes anywhere from one to three attempts to get it it set to auto or even to start brewing another pot without the auto setting (the first machine I got did this and when I exchanged it the second one does the same); white water level marks on water reservoir can be difficult to see when filling; and the plastic rim which supports the top of the carafe retains coffee and water after supposedly emptying it and continues to do so for some time even after repeated attempts to dry it in the process of washing it out.

Overall, one would feel that this relatively pricey coffee maker would be rather faultless and better designed, given that my wife's KitchenAid mixer is so and is powerful enough to mix cement. Our previous Hamilton Beach coffee maker with removable water reservoir cost $23 and lasted 12 years, and was trouble and fault free until it finally died. This KitchenAid machine needs design changes to make it truly worth its cost as well as consistent in operation. Still, its advantages make it reasonably useful for us.

Followup: After about a month and a half of use with the second of these coffee makers my wife pressed the "Brew" button and it stuck firmly in the pressed-in position, making the coffee maker unusable. I could not pry the button out to its proper position even when using a jeweler's screwdriver. Using the (thankfully!) one-year guarantee I phoned KitchenAid and they are to send a replacement and have me return the defective one at no charge.

Followup about followup: Cheers for KitchenAid's warranty service. Phoning them on their toll-free number resulted in a new machine delivered to our West Coast door within a week. This replacement (our third of these coffeemakers) has the same quirks as the others except that it is more consistent when pressing the "Brew" button, even though still not working as per the instructions.

Im one of those who usually researches first, then buys..but did it backwards after seeing this unit and being aware of Kitchenaid's reputation over the years. Was leaning to the Cuisinart but have issues with that brand lately, very disposable. OK, so I get it home and then come here to review before opening the box, and am not happy after reading these comments, esp. the "leaking" from all points. I decided to try it anyway. All I can say after reading the manual, cleaning it properly and then making coffee is that it works properly. First, I dont get the leak thing at the carafe some report. It pours normally, there is no leakage, and there is no drama. The tank does not leak either. Reports of tidal waves of leakage per pot seem mildly amusing. I do get a nickel size puddle of water once I shut it off and remove the carafe to cool, this hardly seems worth commenting on. Now, Im sure folks experienced the horrors they reported, and dont work for rival companies, but as far as I am concerned this thing works so far, the coffee is good and hot, and I dont need a mop after brewing. It does have the "B" designation after the model number, so perhaps the manufacturer took the issues seriously and made improvements? If the reviews are scaring you, I can only say that I am glad I tried it, and disregarded what was written here. I would have no problem saying the opposite if true, as I dont fall in love with products or brands out of blind loyalty.

My husband and I have been looking for a coffee pot with only one feature: removable water tank. After reading reviews, we purchased the Kitchen Aid 12-cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker. We've had it for a week, but are already reaping the benefits of the numerous features (besides the removable tank). Setup is a cinch - plug it in, add water and coffee, push the 'Brew' button, and you're good to go. I was disappointed to learn that you CAN'T change the time while coffee is brewing. There are features for brew strength (Reg and Bold), you can choose how long to keep the heating element on (and it will tell you how long coffee has been sitting in the pot!), there's a program function, it automatically shuts off after 2 hours (default setting - can change to 4 hours if needed), and the cord retracts into the base if you don't want all of it hanging out. It will brew 14 cups of coffee in about 10 minutes.

There are a couple of dislikes (I won't call them negatives; I would still purchase this if I knew about them). I don't like that there is a somewhat cumbersome sequence that must be gone through to program the coffee maker - my last one was very straightforward (push program, choose time, push start twice for timer to be activated) - and I believe I will need to use the book the first half dozen or so times just until I get the pattern down. Also, the filter basket is accessed through the front of the coffee maker (a door swings out, from above the carafe, and the basket comes out). That's all well and fine, but the maker also features a 'pause' mechanism that sits on the bottom of the basket (in case you can't wait for the full pot to be completed), so when you try to set it down to add the coffee, it doesn't sit flat.

Overall, we really like that is has a removable tank, the mechanism to load the coffee seems sturdy enough to withstand thousands of openings/closings, and my parents, who have used Bunn coffee pots for the past 15 years or so, threatened to take it last time they were out for a visit.