Cuisinart DGB500BK Grind and Brew Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been using this coffeemaker daily for about 9 months. I'm not completely satisfied with it.
The positive: It does what it's supposed to do, most of the time.
Cons:
- It's a real pain to clean. There are six parts to clean after every pot of coffee. The worst is the two-piece grinder assembly. Due to the complete absence of venting and valving, by the end of the brew the entire grinder assembly is soaking wet from condensed water vapor. This means it is coated with a fine mud of pulverized coffee. The grinder assembly has plenty of annoying nooks and crannies; cleaning it means standing there with a few paper towels, jamming them into the crevices to get the old coffee out. After that, you have to clean the filter holder, the filter holder lid, the pot itself, and the pot lid. The pot lid is annoying, requiring two hands to remove - I usually drop it once a day or so.
- Fit and finish. Once you've passed the plastic parts through the dishwasher once, they never fit quite right again. About once a month, the filter holder pops out during brewing, spilling hot coffee all over my kitchen counter and floor; the cleanup from this invariably scatters wet grounds everywhere.
- The machine ships with one tiny charcoal filter. Once it's done, where do you get another one? I don't bother; I just use Brita-filtered water to begin with.
- The hot water jets out onto one spot, drilling a hole in the grounds, and then quickly fills up the flat-bottomed filter holder, floating the grounds and making a soup which then slowly drains. This isn't the optimal way to extract coffee.
Bottom line - it does what it's supposed to, most of the time. Bad design, however, shows itself in the areas of cleaning, brewing, and operation (including occasional kitchen disasters.) I'm in the market for a different unit.

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You would expect nothing less than a fabulous cup of coffee from this trend-setting machine. From its Italian styling to its roster of desirable features, Cuisinart has designed a winner. The freshest and most flavorful coffee possible is assured by its charcoal water filtration system, its programmable operation, and its bean-grinding mechanism.

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