I love this coffee maker - it is my first grind and brew and I'm so glad I researched it before selecting this one, as others seem to have many issues. My only complaint is that the lid on the coffee pot does not want to stay up while the pot is in the sink filling with water. The lid keeps closing while it is filling. It sounds petty but it is a bit of a hassle. :-)
it's more that i wanted to pay, but thankfully my parents got this for me for me as an anniversary gift. Steven Dennis's review pretty much says all that needs to be said, and i agree with him on everything except one point, which is subjective anyway. yes, the coffee maker is loud, but i don't think it is too loud. then again, my previous grinder was a thirty doller black and decker burr grinder from wal mart. now that thing was loud. and the other point that i wanted to add, which others have also mentioned, is that the light display is bright. it is basically as bright as a night light... but if it bothers you that much, you can always tape a dark, semi transparant piece of plastic or something over it i guess... anyway, it's a minor complaint to an otherwise great coffee maker.
i also want to add that this is my first experience with a conical grinder, and i couldn't be more pleased. beats the pants off my old cheopo ginder. although i would be remiss to add that i do miss certain aspects of my previous french press/cruddy grinder combo - the character of this coffee is different then that combo; not necessarily better or worse overall, but different overall with some qualities being better and some a little worse, just in regards to the flavor of the coffee itself. what makes the overall experience better is the absolute ease of this system. no fuss, no mess, minimal clean up.
I have owned two Capresso CoffeeTeam (grinds beans just before brewing), one of which is kept at a vacation home and one of which finally bit the dust, making this model my third. I actually meant to order the model which has the thermal carafe (and is shaped differently, plus its grinding mechanism snaps back into its original position, like the older models, and it costs about $40 more--around $230 I believe), but I decided after receiving this one that it is just fine (so I'll wait and try the "better" model next time). I still have an original CoffeeTeam that I bought over ten years ago and it still makes a mean cup of coffee, so I had high expectations for this model, which did not let me down! Capresso continues to brew the best tasting coffee--and I love the control you get over how strong your coffee will taste. I actually like this machine better than the high-end Jura-Capresso machine (a loaner I was given to use temporarily by a local kitchen store)--it brews a cup-at-a-time with the push of a button, including espresso, frothed milk for a cappuccino, and other programmed delights, plus it self-cleans. However, the resulting cup of plain coffee from my CoffeeTeam tastes better (and I like mine extra strong, which I can get from my CoffeeTeam with no trouble). I detest weak coffee and no other brand of coffeemaker has ever brewed it the way I require it, so I will always purchase Capresso grind-and-brew style machines when I'm in need of a new one (which is rare, since they never seem to die).
This is as good as it gets. Had the old "swing basket" and I broke it forgetting not to push the basket. What can I say, I hadn't had my coffee yet! No such problem with this one. The tiny issues are - the lid covering the coffee doesn't want to stay on while grinding. Maybe this is the way it is? Second issue - if you pull this macine out from under the counter to fill it, the little rubber feet stay stuck to the counter. Again, not a deal breaker. Don't forget that if you make ten cups, you only get six, eight ounce cups. When you get it adjusted the way you want, it's great coffee.
The design of the overall coffeemaker is nice and compact and easily stores away under our cabinet. But the best thing about this machine is the carafe. It is designed so pouring is easy and there are no more spills. It is a bit loud when it grinds, but the coffee comes out perfectly. Be aware that this uses a flat bottomed filter, not the v-shape that so many others use. So, you many need to pick up a new stock of paper filters. I am very happy with my purchase. After 10 years of a grind and brew coffeemaker, I have found the best one yet.
