Cuisinart DCC-2000 Coffee-on-Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Brushed Metal

I was going to wait several months before giving my opinion on this machine, as it seems that most of the negatives have to do with the machine not working after a few months or a year. However, I am so thrilled with this coffee maker that I decided to go ahead and tell you my thoughts now and if it breaks in a few months, I'll come back and let you know.In the meantime, I have to say that after years of trial and error (most of it in the past three years), we have finally found a coffee maker that we absolutely love; I believe it may even be The One. Here's what I can compare it to (keep in mind that I always use good coffee beans, ground fresh and will drink only filtered coffee because we don't want the cholesterol-producing gunk)...When I first started drinking coffee 25 years ago, I used a Braun. Decent coffee (but I was also a newbie and didn't know much) and the machine was a workhorse. I believe I had it for around 15 years...no kidding. When I finally decided to try something else (it didn't die, mind you, I just wanted to try some other coffee maker...it's probably out there in someone's kitchen working hard...), I bought a Krups Thermal. It made good coffee (similar to Braun) but we had a number of issues with the machine parts not working right from the start. Once we got all of those worked out, we had it for a couple of years (around 4) before we noticed it started not being hot anymore. I mean, as soon as it brewed, we would have to put our cup in the microwave so it would be hot. We heated up the thermal carafe before brewing and everything, but nothing helped. So we went on to a Presto Percolator. I remembered in graduate school housesitting for a family once who had a percolator and it was the best coffee I'd ever had. So, we bought one and loved it for awhile. It made excellent coffee (FAR better than the Braun or Krups) and it was always super hot. So hot, actually, that we had to let it cool down before drinking. But, it became a pain after awhile because since we use filters, we would have to cut a hole in the basket filter to fit it over the percolator tube. And it was a pain trying to get the coffee into the basket...we always wound up with coffee everywhere. And even with filtering it, we always had sludge in the bottom of our cup. This seemed to defeat the purpose of filtering it, so we put that one in the garage as a back-up.Next, we had tried coffee from a Bunn at some relatives' house and were extremely surprised that it tasted good. So we bought one and liked it for several weeks. The coffee was fast (3 minutes) and not bitter. But we like our coffee strong and it was impossible to get the basket filled with enough grounds to make it as strong as we like it. Because it brews so fast, it seems to explode the grounds in the basket and we were winding up with coffee and grounds all over the counter while it was brewing. We kept reducing the amount of coffee we were putting in the basket, used the special Bunn coffee filters, and even ordered the water shower flow adjuster to try and fix it but nothing worked. We just wound up with super fast but weak "what's-the-point" coffee. Also, we weren't crazy about having to have the coffee maker on all the time keeping the water hot. Seemed like a potential hazard and not very good use of our electric resources.I was on the verge of spending $400 on a different coffee maker when I came across this Cuisinart. I loved the idea of no carafe and stainless steel components. I also liked that we could program it, that it had a paper filter option and a nice, wide basket filter for flavor extraction. In spite of all the bad reviews for mechanical issues, I went ahead and ordered it and we have now had it a mere 10 days or so.But, holy smokes, what great coffee! My favorite coffees are those that come from Ethiopia because they have a very distinctive apricot aftertaste to them. I had bought some from my local coffee roaster and was using them in the Bunn (that was the one right before the Cuisinart) and was thinking that I had gotten some beans that weren't good because there was no apricot aftertaste to them. Actually, there was no flavor at all. We were about halfway through this bag of Ethiopian when we traded the Bunn for this Cuisinart. We made coffee with the Ethiopian the first morning and not only was the coffee smooth and hot, it was so full of apricot flavor, I was actually stunned at the difference in taste from the two coffeemakers. The Bunn may be fast but it does nothing for getting the flavor out of your coffee. It was like I had used two different coffees.Anyhow, we love not having a carafe. Love it. Love that we can set the timer for how long we want the coffee to stay hot and that it stays hot without getting bitter. Love that it's filtered with a basket. Love that there is an exterior water gauge so we can see how much water we've put in. Love that, even though it takes almost 13 minutes to brew a 12-cup pot, it's so smooth and flavorful that it's worth the extra time (well, compared to a Bunn). Plus, you can program it if you like. It's easy to clean and yes, it does have a lot of condensation on the lid but I just wait a while and then hold a towel on it as soon as I lift the lid to absorb the moisture.Like I said, I have only had it 10 days so I can't speak to the mechanical part of it. But I can tell you beyond any doubt, that it makes quite possibly the best coffee I have ever had from a home brewing filtered system.Have I mentioned that I love this machine and think it may be The One?Edited March 3, 2011: Been two months and nothing has broken! Still love the coffee. I would add, though, that there is an off-taste that develops after the coffee has been sitting for 3 or 4 hours. It's not as "off" as it gets in a glass carafe, and it takes much longer to become "off"...like I said, I have only noticed this off taste after I pour a cup that's been in the warmer container for longer than 3 or 4 hours. Still better than a glass or thermal carafe. And the initial 2-3 hours worth of coffee are excellent!

This really is a great coffeemaker. It not only makes excellent coffee but also cleverly avoids the problem of coffee left over in the carafe cooking into mud on the heating plate over the course of several hours. Several guests have admired the look of the machine, the taste of the coffee produced, or both.Complaints about the need to use a measuring cup or pitcher to pour water into this coffeemaker seem somewhat off base to me-- maybe these people are uncoordinated (or I'm much more so than I thought). It seems to me no big deal to fill the coffeemaker when I set it up each evening for the following morning. I'm not ending up with significant spills.The machine is actually quite well designed, both asthetically (the analog "coffee gauge" with the brushed steel finish, along with the knobs, lever and colored lights seem somehow both 'retro' and modern at the same time) but more importantly, functionally (the coffee reservoir comes out for emptying, with no drips; the filter basket comes out easily; and the water fill gauge on the side is quite accurate).I think my favorite thing about this machine is that it appeals both to me (for my gadget loving nature) but also to my wife (because it looks tidy on the counter, with no carafe.) With a conventional coffeemaker it seems like if the carafe is half full or anything less than sparkling it looks like dirty clutter.The only thing I don't understand is the gold filter. What is the appeal of these things? If one can afford a Cuisinart coffemaker than one can afford paper filters. My feeling is that a filter such as this only serves to make discarding grounds a little easier; it can't replace a paper filter. Not only does it allow the beans' oil (if you use one, look for the oil slick on your coffee! ewwww!) which would normally be held by the paper to get into the coffee, it also lets quite a bit of sediment through. I use the gold filter, with a paper one sandwiched beneath, between it and the filter basket. I am always glad I do when I see the amount of sediment it catches. Using the gold basket in tandem, though, at least eliminates the task of handling a wet filter which is full of grounds.Overall a great product, and well worth the price. The three year warranty is pretty impressive too.***UPDATE 2/23/07***Still works great...None of the mechanical problems others have mentioned.Still no issue with spilling water-- at least, not often!***UPDATE 9/14/11***Still working...

I must admit I am hooked on Cuisinart products. This is my 3rd Cuisinart coffee maker, and they keep getting better and better. This one, by far, is my favorite. My only complaint is that it is difficult to read the water level on the side of the maker. The numbers just aren't marked well. I love the look of the "fuel guage" on front showing how much coffee is left in the resivor, and, of course, the press and serve lever....it's SO NICE not to have to worry about those glass carafe's!! I like it so much I"m buying one for my mother for Mother's Day!!!UPDATE: June 24, 2011Mine "died" about 2 years into ownership. I did what I said I was going to do, and purchased one for my mom and dad. The first one died about 1 1/2 into ownership. But, they liked it so much, I bought them another one. BIG MISTAKE! Guess what...it "died" about 1 1/2 into ownership on that one too! Obviously, a problem with this Cuisnart! I will make another purchase for another Coffee-on-Demand coffee maker, but it won't be a Cusinart. Oh, and by the way, we did everything the manufacuater suggested. We used and changed the filter regularly, and even tried the vinegar and hot water to clean out the system on numerous occasions. It helped for only a little bit, but finally stopped working altogether. Save your time and money...and purchase a different product! I should have learned from the first one I purchased!