We all know that too much coffee is terrible for the body in several ways. So, instead of using the 12-cup coffee maker, we decided to go with a smaller one - to force me to drink less coffee. I love this product for a number of reasons.
Pros:
- Perfect size for a single coffee drinker.
- Timer is great. Every other 4-cup maker that I found were switch based without a timer setting. Timer settings are really helpful when you want to just get your coffee and go.
- Easy to clean. This product has a removeable filter cup for easy cleaning. Also, the auto-pause in brewing is helpful to both allow for quick removal and less spilling.
Cons:
- It takes a little longer to brew 4 cups with this maker as it does in a larger maker. This may simply be due to the size of the product.
Summary:
- I really like this product. It makes coffee perfectly. It is compact and takes up very little space. It is perfect for my coffee needs. Mr. Coffee DRX5 4-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black
I bought the Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee maker a month and a half ago, and have no complaints thus far. I use the thing almost every day.
Time involvement:
I am a college student and part time employee who wakes up a different time each morning of the week, and I also like to drink tea sometimes instead of coffee. Mostly I brew coffee in the morning, but sometimes I like to see if I can go all day without a caffeine dependence, only to find I need to brew a cup late in the evening to finish my day's responsibilities. So far, this coffee maker has fit very well into my irregular coffee drinking schedule. It brews all four cups in about 5 minutes, and it only takes a few minutes to place in a filter, add coffee grounds, brew, then rinse the carafe and removable coffee filter basket. On days when I'm racing out the door, taking the small amount of time to prepare my coffee doesn't impede my rush.
Taste:
I buy gourmet coffee, and I find that the coffee comes out tasting great. Sometimes I take my gourmet coffee to the brewer at work--which is a 12-cup, 2-carafe brewer--and the coffee isn't nearly as good. Since these are the only brewers I've used regularly, I'm not sure if there are any brewers that brew "cleaner," but since I don't notice any unusual tastes in my coffee, I'd say this one is pretty clean. To enhance taste, I use cold water from my Brita faucet filter--I've found that impurities in tap water are sometimes amplified when heated in coffee brewers. I use paper filters now, just because there weren't any 4-cup permanent filters at the store when I bought this, but I hear permanent filters provide even cleaner of a taste.
Speaking of the filter, I've read a few reviews complaints about the filter folding over and allowing grounds to drain into the carafe. If this is the only problem, a permanent filter will certainly take care of this. However, I have not once had this problem.
Size:
If you have more than one coffee drinker in the house, or you are someone who likes a lot of coffee to get going, you may need the 12 cup brewer. 4 cups are enough for me to put in my thermos and sip on all day at work or college, and if I ever need more, I prefer a fresh brew anyway. There's just something about the taste of reheated coffee that turns me off.
Carafe:
The 4-cup carafe is well built and easy to pour. I saw reviews about how hard it is to pour without spilling--I haven't had a single spill yet. Just make sure you keep the lid from flopping open. If you need to, place your thumb next to the hinge when holding it to keep it closed (if you own this, you should know what I mean). The one complaint I do have about it, though--and it's minor--is the extreme tapered shape. The taper at the top creates a little "shelf" where the last few drops of coffee get caught when pouring, and you almost have to invert the carafe completely upside down to get it out. However, the amount caught on this shelf is very small and not worth inverting to get out. I always rinse my carafe out after finishing the coffee, and it's no problem to invert the carafe over the sink.
Timer:
At first, I was upset that the "delay brew" feature needed set every night. I was hoping for a brewer that you turned on once, and it would automatically brew every morning. Now I know why they built this brewer this way. There are times I'm just too busy to remember changing the filter and coffee, or I forget to replace the carafe on the heated plate after rinsing it. I'd hate to wake up the next morning and see twice brewed coffee in my carafe, or worse, all over my counter and floor! This feature is a blessing for busy and scatterbrained people. And since you need to change the coffee and filter each night to have automatic brew the next morning anyway, turning the "delay brew" button on each night isn't any more of an inconvenience.
My brewer sits between my microwave and stove, both of which have clocks. I haven't noticed the time being off on my brewer in the time I've had it, like others have experienced.
Other:
It's small, light, and the filter basket comes out so you can rinse it after each brew. I think that's important to the freshness of your coffee. I've also torn open tea bags and poured the ground leaves into the coffee filter so I could brew large batches of tea. This seems to work great and really maximizes the flavor of the tea, but since tea stains easier than coffee, I have to pay more attention when I rinse my filter basket and carafe so the tea taste doesn't linger when I'm going to brew coffee.
Now, this coffee maker seems pretty solid. However, any appliance can break early, and since I've only had this coffee maker over a month, I can't say how long these things last. But I've had no problems so far, and I recommend this coffee maker.'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
