I would give it 5 stars but the K cup side likes to leak all over from time to time. It brews both sides wonderfully and the filters make it even better. But if I can’t keep water in the single cup side it is an inconvenience.
There is also a problem with leaking when pouring liquid out of the carafe. The lid doesn’t just lift off; it snaps off and feels like Cuisinart Coffee it is going to break when you try to remove it. This unit makes a good cup of coffee, but the paper filters don’t fit smoothly.
The temperature of the freshly brewed coffee sat at 170oF/ 77oC, and we poured out a couple of mugs and left the rest in the carafe. Two hours later, its temperature had dropped to 151oF/ 66oC, which was still hot enough to drink. Five hours after brewing it was down to 129oF/ 54oC, which is just about hot enough – if you don’t plan to add milk. All in all, considering the coffee had been sitting in the carafe, not on a hot plate, for five hours, that’s a pretty good result. The Cuisinart comes with two charcoal water filters to eliminate chlorine and unpleasant flavors from tap water. A filter will see you through around 90 days, and you can purchase replacements inexpensively online.
In general, if you use a K Cup or the reusable filter cup, it’s best to brew on the 8 ounce setting per the manufacturer’s instructions. The carafe is your standard glass model and holds a healthy 12 cups of your favorite brew. That’s twelve 5 ounce cups or less, depending on your mug size and how much – or little – you coffee lovers slept last night. Right off the bat, it’s easy to see that this is a good-looking Keurig K-Minimaker. Of course, I’m partial to the black version, but this model comes in quite a few colors. There’s your classic silver and white, but Cuisinart also offers a smart-looking copper model as well as a sleek navy blue.
It is on the smaller side, so it doesn’t take up too much of your counter space. It is not programmable, so you will have to fill the water reservoir and turn it on manually every time you want to use it. It does, however, automatically shut off 30 minutes after brewing has finished and your dripless stainless steel carafe is filled. As with the previous two models, the DCC-450BK has a brew pause feature, so you can interrupt brewing to get your first cup sooner.
At first glance, it seems to be a pretty well-rounded machine in terms of features, too. Let’s continue this Cuisinart Coffee center review by breaking them down. Most coffeemakers don’t get up to full temperature in the first portion of their brew, and therefore they make a weak cup if brewing less than a full batch.
You can pull the carafe while it’s still brewing, and the water will pause until the carafe is returned so that you can pour yourself a cup. First, the 60 ounce reservoir for the drip brewer is not removable. You’ll need to have enough clearance above the coffee maker to pour in your water. Not only that, filling the water tank takes a steady hand seeing as there isn’t much of an opening to aim for.
Just dump and rinse out the spent grounds, and you’re ready for the next pot. This is where a dual brew coffee maker comes in handy. You can brew a pot to share or just a single cup, whatever you’re in the mood for or what time allows. This brewer is perfect for those of you Cuisinart Coffee who want an easy to use, fully programmable, compact coffee maker. But if your machine does everything for you, including cleaning itself, then maybe it’s worth considering for your next coffee investment. At least that’s how this coffee maker was built to make you feel.
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