Customer Reviews

KitchenAid 12-Cup Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker, Onyx Black

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

This replaced a Krups coffee maker (KM4065).

This coffee maker has been wonderful. As another reviewer mentioned, it has one of the best pouring spouts around. The carafe keeps the coffee hot for at least 2.5 hours, and reasonably warm enough after 3 hours. A side note: make sure you see the small arrow indicator on the lid of the carafe, and that this arrow points toward the spout of the carafe when installed. We had placed the lid on the carafe with the arrow facing the toward the handle because it appeared to be a "selector arrow" matching the selctable positions with words on the carafe for "lock" "pour" and "open", but the arrow is actually supposed to point toward the spout "outlet" while pouring coffee. It'd be helpful if Kitchenaid could modify the lid with a white (or molded) dot to indicate in which of the position it is set. That's a negligible issue.

Coffee is brewed at a pleasingly hot temperature. Other coffee makers I've used have not heated the water enough.

The removable water tank is a superb feature that the Krups had which we were not wanting to give up. This coffee maker has a much better implementation of the tank that allows it to fit snugly into the coffee maker with practically no fussing or adjusting; it just settles into its slot perfectly. The Krups unit required lots of adjusting to have the tank drop into place.

The blue lighted display is very nice and matches a lot of the current appliance displays. It's not a glaringly bright display, which is nice because the Krups unit was unfortunately like a night light. The numbers not huge, and are somewhat fine, not bold or blocky.

This unit has a feature which should be user-selectable to be switched off: the unit beeps once when the BREW button is pushed, and emits 3 short, semi-loud beeps when brewing is finished. It's nice to have a audible confirmation that the Brew button has been pressed, or when brewing has finished, but if someone is sleeping nearby and you're trying to make coffee quietly, the beeping can be a bit annoying.

The only other very minor issue is that the coffee grinds basket is shallow (but hasn't overflowed any coffee grounds) and uses the "Bunn" type flat bottom filters which have been difficult to identify as to the type. Fortunately, this coffee maker comes with its own gold tone reusable filter basket, so filters aren't really necessary. It also comes with 3 or 4 "trial" paper filters. The gold tone basket is great, but because we use a coffee grinder we sometimes have very fine coffee "powder" that can flow through the gold filter basket. Nowhere in the documentation does it mention what type of paper filters should be used; the "trial filters" provided came in a clear plastic bag with no identifying labels. Since this is a 12-cup coffee maker we're going to try the Bunn flat-bottom 12-cup filters, but they appear to be too large, so perhaps the Bunn 10-cup flat-bottom filters would work better.

Overall, I would highly recommend this unit as one of the best 12-cup coffee makers currently available. The carafe and removeable water tank (reservoir) also help make this unit one of the best.

As a coffee addict/connoisseur, I have spent hundreds of dollars on a wide variety of different coffee makers. Out of all the fancy and expensive makers, the best one was still my 10 year old single cup Black and Decker brewer. It was completely basic, but brewed into a thermal travel mug and brewed a great cup of coffee. However, one cup isn't enough for me. Most larger machines use glass carafes with warmers, which ruins the coffee after about an hour. I drink coffee all morning and I don't enjoy burnt coffee. I have been searching for a good thermal carafe coffee maker for awhile now. Up until recently, there just weren't enough on the market, and the ones that were on the market received mostly terrible reviews.

First off, this one is very aesthetically pleasing. It looks great in the kitchen. The removable water tank with fill level marks makes adding water easy. The door on the front that secures the filter basket swings open and snaps shut snugly. The included gold tone filter is a nice touch, some feel you get a better cup of coffee than with paper filters. I agree, however paper filters provide easier cleanup since you have to clean out and rinse the permanent filter every time. You don't have to use the permanent filter, but it's nice that it is included if you want to. The included water tank filter is one of those things where I'll use it until it needs replaced and then throw it away and fill the tank with filtered water and not bother buying overpriced replacements. Most people have a Brita or water filtration system built into their fridge so in-tank filters are kind of overkill and unnecessary in my opinion. Using the filter is optional, the coffee maker will work the same without it.

The blue digital readout on the front is nice and easy to use. You can set the clock, brew strength (regular or bold), 1-4 cup brewing, cleaning cycle and automatic timer. I haven't tested the bold brew strength, so I don't know whether or not it really make any difference in the taste. The stainless carafe is very nice. The indicators on the lid are hard to read, but once you figure out the three positions (open, pour, lock) you don't need the indicators anyway. The carafe keeps the coffee plenty hot for 2-3 hours, depending on use and fullness of the carafe. When there is less coffee in the carafe, it will cool down more quickly. My only complaint is the pour volume and angle. The way the carafe is designed with the lid and rubber seal to keep the coffee as hot as possible inside, it limits the pouring ability. The carafe pours slowly and by the time you get to where the carafe is almost empty, you literally have to hold the carafe almost upside down to get the coffee to come out the pour spout. The good thing is that it is very well sealed and will not spill. It's just a little strange getting used to. This is a minor inconvenience, however you can take the lid off to help the situation if you are at the end of the pot.

As far as the coffee itself goes, once you get the right grind setting (I strongly recommend burr grinding your own coffee) and proper amount of ground coffee you need per cup, it tastes great. I tried using the recommended amount of 1 level scoop per cup stated in the manual, but this turned out to be too weak for me. The included scoop seems really small compared to my other scoops, so I just used a different one that was larger and followed the same 1 scoop per cup and got it tasting great. One thing I did note is that if you don't preheat the carafe before brewing, using the pause and pour feature too early on in the brewing process will produce luke warm coffee. This is because the cool carafe is absorbing a lot of the initial heat quickly. Either preheat the carafe with hot water or allow it to brew a full pot before pouring a mug.

Overall, this is definitely the best coffee maker I have ever used. I commented on one of the negative reviews, disputing about every claim. I wonder if KitchenAid has a quality control problem because I have not experienced any of the problems I see on other negative reviews. One thing to note is that I did not purchase the item here, it was purchased at BB&B. Different supply chain? There seems to be a trend of quality control problems nowadays in this economy of cost-cutting at every turn. It's too bad, because the coffee maker I received is a great one.

As with any coffee maker, there are always users who negatively review the product based on overflow problems. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this: size of filter basket, coarseness of grind, amount of ground coffee in filter basket and coffee roast. One of the easiest ways to help control issues with overflow is to play with the grind setting on your grinder. This is also why you need to purchase a good burr grinder and buy whole beans. Different roasts will typically need different grind coarseness and amount of ground coffee per cup brewed. It is not hard to overflow the filter basket with too fine of a grind. I've done it myself many times on different machines. Typically, it is not as much the machine's fault as it is the user. Another thing to take into account is the "pause and pour" feature of most brewers. Honestly, I never use this. Not only is the coffee not as good half way through, it backs up the filter basket and makes it more likely to overflow. My recommendation is to minimize the use of this feature.

There is a limited selection of coffee makers available with a thermal carafe and a removable water tank. I purchased this unit after trying a similarly equipped Mr. Coffee which leaked. This KitchenAid is simple to use, makes good, hot coffee, and has the best pouring carafe of any I have owned. Spendy for a coffee pot, but worth it for the features and performance.

After my 10 year old coffee maker started leaking, I began a search for a replacement. Requirements were: removable water tank, thermal carafe, adjustable brew strength (bold was very important), automatic brew timer.

I almost gave up after searching through the popular brands, talking with friends about their failures with coffee makers, and trying out several duds. But then I found this Kitchenaid and all our problems were solved!

It works exactly as promised. I can fill the water tank at the kitchen sink and slip it into the back without spilling the water everywhere, I can load the ground coffee into the flat brew basket, and I can pour out of my thermal carafe without the burned taste that comes from a glass heated carafe.

As other reviews noted, there are initial confusions about the carafe lid not quite working intuitively. After analyzing the problem of seating the lid properly, I put 2 little dots on both the lid and carafe to match up for pouring, and now anyone can figure it out! It just takes a little patience to check out the 3 different positions; one to take off the lid, one for locking, one for pouring. As with all things, it just takes getting used to, and now that I have marked the positions, it's second nature. And all the positive points overcome this initial confusion created by Kitchenaid in not clearly marking the lid.

Also, be aware that after unpacking and plugging in your new coffee maker, upon the very first activation and programming, you will receive a display notice to go to the Cleaning Cycle. I called Kitchenaid, and they said this was normal, and would clean out any manufacturing dust. Just have a big bottle of vinegar on hand! And don't think you can just unpack it and immediately start making coffee.

It looks like a little happy robot sitting on my counter, and we couldn't be more pleased. In fact, our friends liked it so much they bought one too!

I too am one of those people replacing coffemakers in hopes of aquiring the perfect cup of coffee (in a 12 cup model). Dispite the negitive reviews I took a chance and am very pleased with this product. I have had no problems with leaks or pouring and the features are wonderful. I love the removable water tank, the lid is alittle tight on the fingers but overall this is a great coffeemaker. I have been using it about a week now and no problems as of yet. I have tried other 12 cup thermals and have had no success with them, this one appears to be a keeper.

Just got this one today, after the premature death of 2 Cusinarts. I agree that there are not that many choices for a 10-12 cup programmable coffee maker with thermal carafe and pause and serve. Very happy this one is 12 cups. Got it in silver, very nice looking. Set up was easy. The first full pot (made with water only to clean it) brewed 12 cups in 14 minutes, which I consider a reasonable time. Then made 5 cups of Starbucks Cafe Verona decaf, auto drip grind, in the gold filter basket, on regular brew setting. I used the supplied scoop, 1 scoop per cup, and the coffee came out surprisingly good (I'm not a big decaf fan). I expected that I would need to use the Bold setting, since I like my coffee strong and black but now I think that the regular setting will be fine.

I hated having to pull the Cusinarts out from the wall to fill them. I agree that you must do this with the Kitchenaid too. However, filling the tank at the sink is much neater and more convenient (we were always spilling the water when we filled the Cusinart). Didn't bother with the water filter, since we live in an area with good tasting water. The door to the brew basket closes with a snap. I think perhaps some of the other reviewers did not close it completely, leading to leaks. It is hard to get the last few ounces out of the pot.

My only real complaint is the lid. Not intuitive, no instructions, hard to read. If you leave it on "locked" and try to pour, the coffee will come out of the fill hole in the top, not a good thing. The arrow on the lid needs to point to the spout, not the "pour" in order to pour the coffee (a perfectly understandable error by a prior reviewer). After grappling with it for 10 minutes, I just decided to leave it so it pours, and forget the "locked" position. This works fine. The manual says that the coffee will stay hotter if on "locked", but it is still hot 3 hours after brewing and that is good enough for me. But, really, Kitchenaid should redesign the lid or improve the instructions.

One last thing: I love that it has a "clean" light to remind you to decalcify it. Haven't had to use it yet, obviously.

Overall, I'm pleased with it so far.

Although I agree with other reviewers that the front door doesn't seem very secure, overall I find this to be a very good coffee maker. I looked at KitchenAid because my wife has a mixer which she loves. And KitchenAid has a reputation for high quality products and they're manufactured in North America, primarily in the U.S. I am willing to pay a higher price for quality, American-made products.

I had a Cuisinart coffee maker before, which sometimes spilled the coffee because there was an issue with how the carafe fit under the filter tray. I have no such issues with this coffee maker. The coffee stays hot for long periods, and I don't feel that the water temperature is too hot to ruin the coffee. In some respects, it produces a French press quality.

It is extremely easy to clean. I am very happy with that feature, because coffee makers have a tendency to build up coffee grime.

We have this coffee maker for little over a week. The door that conceals the brew basket springs open during brewing or after completion and coffee already has been all over the counter. Customer service concedes this is a problem and they offered to send us a redesigned door. This flaw should have been discovered during product qualification and not during customer use. Coffee temperature isn't hot enough for coffee lovers and carafe pour volume is insufficient. Otherwise, there are some good features like the removable water tank, large LED display and charcoal filter.

Good features:

*Removable water container

*Reusable coffee filter

*Beeps when the brewing is finished

*Thermal carafe keeps the coffee warm for a long time.

*Once the carafe lid is positioned correctly, it pours without spilling.

Minor flaws:

*The lid of the carafe is a little sticky. It took some investigation to figure out how to position it for pouring.

*The coffeemaker won't run unless the water container and carafe are positioned exactly right and the grounds basket housing is snapped shut.

*Even with the aforementioned failsafe, coffee occasionally leaks out onto the saucer during brewing.

*The basket doesn't hold quite enough for a full pot of very strong coffee.

Major annoyance:

The carafe is designed with an inside lip all the way around. This helps to keep the coffee warm, but also makes it impossible to get the last few ounces of coffee into the cup. I have to shake the carafe over the sink to empty it.

I've been using a Starbucks Barista Aroma coffeemake for almost 5 years. Turns out, it was recalled and even though I haven't had any troubles, I did the prudent thing and called the recall hotline to return it. Besides, I figured I could use the $100 to buy an equally good or even better coffeemaker. So I hit Amazon to find out what's changed in the last 5 years and hit a few stores to check out the options in person. My old Barista had a thermal carafe--back when thermal was a relatively new feature, removable water tank, and control buttons at the top of the machine--features I didn't want to give up. So that limited my options. Even though the reviews are divided on this one, the nature of the complaints, along with the many excellent user suggestions, made me take the plunge. I also decided to read the manual before using. Seems many of the complaints could be avoided if users would read the instruction manual and take heed to the posted suggestions. I do take away one star because the Kitchenaid is not so user-friendly you can skip the instructions manual. However, I am overall pleased with it, and got a better cup of coffee from the Kitchenaid than I did my old Barista. Some comments:

* First off, a kind nod to Amazon. Three days after ordering, with Super Saver Shipping, the box was on my front door. Well done!

* The machine is really nice looking! Sleek and modern without being over the top. It will look good on your counter.

* There seems to be no standard on what makes 8 vs 10 vs 12 cups. There is not that much of a size difference between the carafe on my 8-cup Barista and the 12-cup Kitchenaid. Not that much size difference in brew baskets either. On the Barista, it took a few brews to find my optimal brew. Two healthy scoops of beans and 6 cups in the tank gave me two big mugs. Before getting rid of it, I measured 6 cups in the old tank, then poured into the Kitchenaid. It came out slightly over 7. So with this one proactive step, I don't need to complain about the measurements being off and not getting enough coffee.

* The brew strength feature is GREAT! I expected this feature to be fluff. Not so. I like strong coffee--only buy dark roasted beans, use more coffee per cup than instructed, and grind beans every morning to brew immediately. Co-workers once said I brewed motor oil! I used the same amount of water and beans, but the BOLD brew selector. WOW! Aweseome coffee. I can't believe that much more strength was contained in the same amount of beans. I have programmed the default to BOLD. I've maintained my optimal brew from the Barista, yet have a better cup of coffee with the Kitchenaide! For those that like a lighter coffee, the factory default is REG.

* The complaints about leaks are most likely due to user sloppiness. You do need to ensure the water tank is flushed and the brew basket is correctly in place. It would be very easy to get one or more of these wrong. I agree that these features should be more forgiving, but design didn't account for user sloppiness. You really can't blame the machine for user error.

* Again, the control buttons are at the top of the machine. If you do get sloppy one day and your brew leaks, you can fry the machine as water leaks over the controls. I don't plan to be sloppy, but why take the chance and fry my coffeemaker because of one lazy day? Or what if my visitor makes coffee and causes a leak? Not worth it.

* There are many complaints about a slow pour. Complainers mean "slower than my old glass carafe." A thermal carafe is NOT a glass carafe. With no heating element to keep the coffee warm, if the lid fit as on a glass carafe, exposing brewed coffee to air, the brew would quickly turn cold. You can't complain about a thermal carafe pouring slow(er). That's not a fault of Kitchenaid. That's a feature of design, so stick with glass if this will irk you. That being said, the pour on this one is actually pretty good. You have to line up the little arrow to the spout, not the the unlock/pour/lock labels.

* Several reviewers complained about having to turn the carafe upside down to get out all the coffee. Valid complain. Design flaw.

* The thermal carafe does a decent job of keeping coffee warm. My complaint with a glass carafe is the taste of coffee changed as it "cooked" on the warmer, whereas with a thermal carafe the flavor is still relatively fresh. I don't always have my mugs back to back, so when I'm having the 2nd cup an hour or more later, even though the coffee is warm, I nuke it. I want it HOT, just like the first cup. I've never found a carafe coffeemaker, either glass or thermal, that can maintain the temperature for an extended time. Most do well for shorter periods. I think the benefit of the thermal carafe is taste vs warmth.

* The filter is a nice feature, but you may not need it. Many people have filters on their refrigerator or water service. If you do, use your already filtered water and skip the filter on the Kitchenaid.

So overall, for the features important to me, the nice surprise of the BOLD brew strength, and the price, this turned out to be a great buy for me! I purchased knowing what could go wrong, so with a little care, I'm avoiding those issues. A couple other hints:

1 Kitchenaid often runs rebates. I own several Kitchenaid products and have never purchased one w/o getting a rebate or something. As of the date of this review, the current promo is a free coffee grinder.

2 With so many people complaining and returning, see if there is one in Warehouse Deals. You can save a lot of money, $50, maybe more.