Professional looks and a unique design.

I don’t think there is any kitchen appliance in existence that gets updated or replaced more frequently than the coffee maker. Whether it’s because we’ve managed to kill one out of sheer over-use, or (in our case) we see a cool new unit that we just have to have.

For the past year or so, we have been using a Senseo Pod machine. Let me just say that I doubt anyone will ever beat the Senseo for convenience. It works fast and is super easy to clean up. We found three main complaints with the Senseo machine. They were: tiny little amounts of coffee per cup (this is America…I want a MUG), the fact that we never really liked the taste of the Senseo coffee, and the rising cost of the coffee pods. Those three issues led to our looking around at new coffee makers.

As soon as I saw the Cuisinart Coffee On Demand (DCC-2000), I knew it would be worth a closer look. After all, its appearance alone caught my eye…and that’s a good thing. We bought ours at Linens N Things. They have it for $99.95 plus we used a 20% off coupon to get it for $79.95.


Overview

The Cuisinart DCC-2000 is a fully programmable 12-cup coffee maker that has no carafe to clean or break.


Design and style

The first thing you notice about the Cuisinart DCC-2000, is that it doesn’t look anything like a regular coffee maker. With its brushed stainless steel finish and its square, elevated design, it has a very commercial grade look to it. With the absence of a carafe, it kind of reminds me of a high-end espresso machine. The unit stands 14 1/2" high, 8 1/2" wide, and 8 1/2" deep. I believe that may be a little larger than the average coffee machine. We have to slide it out from under the upper cabinets to open the door on top of the maker.


What’s in the box

When you unpack the Cuisinart Coffee On Demand, you will find the machine itself, a permanent gold tone metal filter, a few disposable paper filters, as well as a charcoal water filter. They also include a clearly written instruction manual, and warranty card.


Operation

Making a “pot” of coffee in the Cuisinart is easy. You simply open the top of the machine, add the appropriate amount of water into the water reservoir, and ground coffee to the filter basket. You can view the amount of water in the machine though a visible water “float gauge” on the right side. Close the lid, and turn it on. The Cuisinart can either be started immediately, or it can be programmed to begin brewing at any preset time. You can also program how long it will stay on before shutting itself off. There is a button you press when making smaller batches of coffee (1-4 cups) to keep the water extra hot. The machine has an audible tone that will beep 5 times when the brewing cycle is complete. The controls are easy to use and have a solid feel to them. Because there is no carafe, the coffee is brewed into an internal (removable) coffee reservoir. One of the coolest things about this machine is the round coffee gauge on the front. It looks like a gas gauge and it shows the amount of brewed coffee that’s left to drink. You don’t really pour yourself a cup of coffee with the DCC-2000. It’s more like you dispense it. You place a mug on the lower grill-like platform and press down on the dispenser bar. The coffee will pour into the cup until you release the bar. The coffee is very hot, and it’s as good as the coffee you put into it.


A few observations

One of the big selling points of this machine is its lack of a carafe. While it is nice not to have one to break, you still need to clean the internal coffee reservoir. I still like this design better though, because carafes always end up getting discolored and ugly over time. This machine should stay nice looking for a long time. The other reason I like this machine, is because of its coolness factor. It just plain looks good. The style looks professional, and the brushed stainless matches all of the new high-end appliances out today.

It would have been nice if they could have provided a small light to illuminate the inside of your coffee mug as you fill it. With a dark mug, it’s kind of hard to see how full it’s getting.

Of all the coffee makers my wife and I have owned, and that's quite a few, this is our favorite so far.


***UPDATE 3/20/07***

At this point we've been using our DCC-2000 (hard) for exactly a year and a half. Last week it suddenly stopped working. The clock was on and I could set everything, but it wouldn't turn on and brew. I assumed I was out of luck because it had been 18 months, but I checked the owner's manual and guess what....it has a THREE YEAR WARRANTY!!!
I contacted Cuisinart and they asked me to try a few things first. When they didn't work, she said, "No problem. You're still under warranty. We'll send out a new one right away!" It arrived yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they did not send me a refurbished unit, but a brand-spanking-new one in the retail box with all the stickers and everything. All they asked me to do was ship back the broken unit with a check for $10 to cover shipping. I was glad to do it. And this new unit is still covered for the remaining year and a half on the original warranty. Because of their excellent customer service and that amazing warranty, we will definately be Cuisinart customers again.