You can make plenty of tasty coffee with this 12-cup machine, or you can adjust it to brew just one to four cups. During our testing, we discovered the coffee that emerged from the machine was a nicely heated 176 degrees Fahrenheit, making for an excellent first cup. However, after the carafe sat for a time on the warming plate, the temperature dropped quite a bit and at 30 minutes later, the temperature was substantially cooler. However, that did not much detract from the flavor, which still ranked as very good.
Our taste testers in general liked the tasty brew the KRUPS Savoy drip coffee maker produced, although a few found it too strong. However, that's a situation that is easily remedied since you can adjust the strength settings on this 12-cup coffee maker.
We had a few difficulties when programming this coffee maker. Some settings did not stay set, so we had to reprogram the machine, which resulted a lower ranking on our ease of use score. If you're looking for a machine that is easier to program, try the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker.
Although this is an inexpensive machine, you get some helpful convenience features. This coffee maker features a large LCD display that you can watch as you program the device, and you can see the water level through a clear indicator. In addition, this comes with a built-in water filter to help improve the flavor and smell of tap water. The carafe is well-designed, and the shape of the opening helps reduce the likelihood of dripping as your pour.
For the brewing process, you can either make use of the gold mesh permanent filter that comes with it or use paper filters. The brew basket is cone-shaped, which a number of coffee fans insist makes a better-tasting pot of coffee. Gravity compresses the water and grounds into the bottom of the brew basket to extract the fullest flavor. Paper filters trap some of the rich oils of the bean and keep them from making it into the carafe, producing a sweeter, fruitier cup.
This coffee maker offers an adjustable dial that you can rotate or push for different settings along with round buttons for the automatic on function, the choice between regular and bold strengths, the choice of the one-to-four cup amount and the cleaning function. In addition, there are small rectangular buttons that let you set the warming plate temperature and time.
If you are desperate for coffee in the morning, you can use the automatic brew pause function to quickly grab a cup without coffee from the brew basket dribbling all over. One small but appealing feature is the mouth of the carafe: The curve of the lip prevents drips and pours smoothly and easily.
