Customer Reviews

Factory Reconditioned Cuisinart DTC-975 Programmable Automatic Brew-and-Serve 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, Black

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

We use this at work in a 7-person office. It makes very good coffee and keeps it hot for hours. The previous reviewer's note of the coffee grinds and water all over the kitchen counter is true. The basket has to be set into a slot and "click" into place for the coffeemaker to work correctly. If it doesn't, the grinds can get into the thermal carafe's cap, clog it's opening and prevent coffee from getting into the carafe. For some in the office, they figured it out without a problem. For others (including me), it took one pot and a little advice. Otherwise, it's fine. We've had the 8-cup version for three years, previous to this one, and hasn't been a real problem. Once, the spring-loaded nozzle to the basket broke. We called Cuisinart, and we received a replacement basket within a few days with no hassle. I like it like a brother.

Read this if you are a serious coffee drinker like us! We have been buying, using and tossing out coffee makers for the past 45 years. We have used every type known; percolaters, presses, Melita gravity cones, and etc. This coffee maker is the best! This Cuisinart is a cinch to use and the coffee tastes great. This is my second one. the first one is still cranking out good coffee after over five years of daily use. We purchased the new Cuisinart so that we could put the old Cuisinart on our motorhome permanently for use whenever we travel.
The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot and tasty for hours. The carafe is rugged stainless steel in and out. I thought that it may not keep the coffee hot long enough because of the thermal transmission of steel vs. glass. (our old one has a glass vacuum bottle inside.) Not so! It works great. We always pre-heat by rinsing the carafe with a little hot water before we start. Some people commented that the carafe lid is difficult to screw on. This takes a little gentle technique development. After about two patient attemps it becomes second nature. We run a little warm water over the lid. That helps the threads to slip into place. Be sure to turn the lid until it stops at its limit. Its easy. The gravity actuated "ball check" valve in the lid is ingenious. It automatically closes when you stop pouring and set the carafe down. When you want to pour, you just tilt the carafe. Gravity works on the ball check. The valve opens instantly and automatically. How clever is that? Nothing to twist, no clumsy levers to push as in the abominable Mr. Coffee thermal unit. The Cuisinart simply works great!
Regarding one reviewer's comment about the possibility of overflow, the subsequent mess and bail valve clogging with grounds: I experienced this only once. I think the cause was that (1). I overfilled the bail with too much coffee. (2). I used a very heavy paper filter. (3). I had ground the coffee too finely in our home grinder. As a result of all three factors, the coffee could not drip through as fast as the boiler was feeding hot water into the bail. 'Nuff said.
Controls are simple. The front control and viewing screen location is more convenient than our old one which has a side mounted switch. The clock is a handy feature but, we have never used the pre-setting timer. The water fill measuring tube works perfectly. We use reverse osmosis purified water so we do not need to clean the unit very often and of course, the coffee tastes better.
The black color with the stainless carafe and trim is a handsome combination. However, more importantly, the carafe lid does not show coffee colored staining over time as the white colored unit does.
I recommend this coffeemaker to everyone who loves good coffee!

Be careful closing the grind basket. Have had several overflows of coffee on our counter. Basket must be CLICKED into place. A couple of times it seemed closed but wasn't. You must hear the click. Found it easier
to do so with the water container lid open.
Difficult to turn the coffee pot lid to pour, where it must be when the coffee is made. It stays on when the
coffee is poured with no problem. Coffee nice and hot when made, which we wanted, but doesn't stay hot as long as we like.

I have had the earlier, smaller version of this coffee pot for years, and love it. When I noticed the larger version, I upgraded. I always have multiple carafes for friends who like decaf, extra-strong coffee or tea, whatever. The coffee stays hot for a very long time, so I make multiple pots and then don't have to think about it all day. I have never had any trouble with the reconditioned units, but I am really after the carafe, which costs as much to buy separately. I have both black and white carafes so I can keep things straight. I agree with others, that you MUST have the basket in place properly. If you don't, you will come out to hot coffee all over the counter and floor. This hasn't happened to me in years, but I know now to be careful. The only flaw in a simply great coffee maker.

If you are reading this, it might mean you don't have one. That means you are missing out on the best tasting coffee ever!!!

For starters, the program feature is great. I can go to sleep and wake up to a nice pot of steamy, hot, auroma-filled coffee. And with the thermal carafe, it stays HOT for hours. I actually timed it, and found the water was still scolding hot after 4 hours, burning hot after 5, and just warm after 6.

As for the Thermal carafe, it is not that hard to clean. This is what you do...RUN IT UNDER YOUR SINK WATER FOR 2 MINUTES!!! You may ask, "Is that all?" And I will say, "YES! You needen't try getting a sponge in there and clean all the crevices, wax the interior, and let it out in the sun to dry. It does not take long to clean this thing.

As for the people who have coffee spilling everywhere, quit drinking liquor the night before. Hangovers can make people a bit queezy and unable to put a carafe in its holder under the coffee maker. The carafe sits PERFECTLY in its "cradle" and cannot be adjusted any other way. I have made coffee every morning since I got this (1 month) without any trouble. I have a feeling a quadruple amputee could put this in place and not have to worry about spillage.

So in a summary, you people who are against this coffee maker got a bad one. As for me, I could not be happier. I had a cheapo-Walmart coffee maker that was good. But after getting this coffee maker, I feel like I am at Starbucks.

Also: Be sure to get the gold filter, it is not a hassle, easy to clean, and works like a charm. PLUS, get a coffee grinder while you are at it. If you think they are useless, think again. Coffee beans oxidize easily in the air, and when you grind them...you expose more surface area to the coffee...therefor oxidizing them quicker. So if you just grind them before use, they will taste fuller and less bitter.

ENJOY THIS PRODUCT, GET IT, EVERYONE IS DOING IT!!!

Very impressed. Good tasting coffee that stays steaming hot 8 hours later. We bring the carafe and Sunday newspaper to the upstairs master bedroom and enjoy coffee and crosswords for hours. No problems with spills from misaligned baskets and carafes. Also looks great in the new kitchen.

I had this coffeemaker for several months and loved it. Apparently, it is the ONLY 12-cup maker with a thermal caraffe. Then, one morning, it just didn't work any more. Of course I no longer have the sales receipt or packaging and...oh yeah...I'm jonesing for my coffee. I trashed it and bought a cheapie at WalMart to make it through the day. It makes me nervous about spending another $100 on a maker that lasts a few months. Could have been a fluke, but how would I know?

I have owned this unit now for about six months, having received it as a gift for X-mas. I would like to give it 4.5 stars, because of the design flaws noted in other reviews, but due to its simplicity and ease of use I can forgive this.

Pros:
Thermal carafe keeps coffee warm longer
Easy to load basket and it's washable
12 cup capacity means I have coffee in the carafe for two days (and it's usually still warm the next day!)
Easily programmable and simple to use
Carafe is well balanced and easy to pour
The swing out basket makes adding grounds from my grinder a breeze

Cons:
Must be VERY cautious that the basket is properly seated otherwise spillage is a certainty
Cleaning the carafe is somewhat problematic (though a mixture of warm bleach and water left to sit a while will usually do the trick)
I could see the beeping being annoying but it doesn't bother me

Overall, I recommend this unit, with the caveat that you be CERTAIN to adequately seat the basket or there will be coffee on the floor and none in your mug (this happened one morning to me at 630 am, not a good time for mopping up cups of spilled coffee). The basket design is problematic on my model, but everything else works like a champ. Perhaps in the future they can have it click into place or something to indicate that it won't stab you in the back - et tu Cuisinart?

I've had this machine about one year now (purchased xmas '05). My experience has been great. Good tasting coffee that stays hot throughout the morning, without sitting there cooking away. I have only had one counter mess and it was due to not removing a chunk of coffee that had gotten betweeen the filter and the holder.

I do suggest that purchasers do two things if you take the plunge on this unit:

1. heat the carafe first. When you rinse it out before use, refill it with HOT water and let it sit for one minute while you clean the filter and filter holder. For me, heating made all the difference.

2. make sure when you clean, you clean the filter and the holder. Due to all the issues reported with spillage/overflow, I just make a habit of checking that the area around the stop mechanism is clean.

So far I love it. I decided to get this unit because it was the only 12 cup thermal and I'm glad I did, and I wanted to wait until I'd used it often enough before I offered an opinion.

UPDATE 03/26/2010: Coffee maker just pooped out on me after less then three years. Why? Heck if I know...

I have had this coffeemaker for five years and have been very happy with the product. It unexpectedly gave out on me the day after I had turned it over to wipe down the underside with a damp cloth. I'm not sure if moisture got in to the circuitry and shorted the heating element/control when wiped, if moisture was already inside and tipping it over caused a problem, or if it just wore out. I really liked the insulated carafe and simplicity of design and operation. When I saw that Amazon sells a refurbished model for 1/3 the cost of a new one it was too good of an opportunity to pass especially with Amazon's great return policy. I received the coffeemaker and it looks absolutely brand new. Not a scratch or blemish on either the maker or carafe. Comes in a white box labeled refurbished. The package includes a set of instructions and a few filters. There is a sticker on the box that indicates the manufacturers warranty for a refurbished Cuisinary is only 90 days. A new one has a 2 year warranty. The model I received is not the one pictured. I received what looks like the 975BKN which basically has more stainless steel on the filter housing. I also noticed a significant difference from the maker that I had gotten 5 years ago. My original insulated carafe was made with the mirrored glass inside making it like a thermos. The carafe I just received is just two layers of stainless steel similar to a travel mug. The thermos carafe is definitely superior in keeping the coffee hot for a longer time. The thermos carafe only holds 10 cups while the new carafe holds 12 cups due to its thinner walls.
Four stars because my last one gave up the ghost without cause and the new and un-improved carafe.