Review of Cuisinart DGB-650BC Grind-and-Brew Thermal 10-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker, Brushed Metal (present, used)

[reviewer]

This Cuisinart coffee maker has some great time-saving features, yet it is very competitively priced. At 9.8" x 12", it won't take up a lot of room in your kitchen, but will make a huge difference to the quality of your coffee.

With a 10-cup capacity, this machine will comfortably cater for a group of people, or provide many refills for just one or two people. To ensure freshness and flavor, the coffee beans are ground just before brewing. If you ever prefer to use coffee granules, there is an option to switch off the grinder. The cafe-style, permanent gold coloured filter adds to the pleasing appearance of this machine.

Aside from the 'grinder off' function, there are many other brewing options, including 'brew-pause', which allows you to pour a quick cup in the middle of the brewing process. It is also possible to program the machine to brew at any given time. This means you can have fresh coffee ready whenever you want; when you wake up, or after a meal. Programming is not difficult, as the control panel is clear, logical and easy to follow.

Whichever program I have used, the coffee has always been hot, which has been a sticking point with many other coffee machines. Previously I have had to preheat the carafe to compensate for this, but this is now not necessary (plus the instructions advise against this anyway).

A useful feature of the coffee maker is that there is a viewing window allowing you to see the water level - this was not present on the older model, and it makes such a difference to know when it is full before the water spills out.

Another improvement with this new version is that there appears to be less mess from spilled coffee granules once brewing has finished. Cleaning in general is very straightforward. There aren't really any small, fiddly parts to trap granules, so a couple of minutes is all it takes.

The one small drawback about this machine is that it does seem to be quite loud compared to others I have used. It is not a great problem however, as the brewing time is fast.

Included with this coffee maker is a gold coloured coffee filter, a charcoal water filter to ensure quality water, and a 10-cup stainless-steel, thermal carafe with a heat resistant handle. There is also a manufacturer's 3-year limited warranty.