A light comes on to let you know when the DCC-1100BK needs an internal cleaning. Our only gripe is that it can be difficult Hamilton Beach to fill the tank with water without splashing. It’s available in black or white, as well as in a smaller, 10-cup model.
The KitchenAid Precision Gooseneck Electric Kettle proved less than intuitive to use. Yes, you can adjust the flow rate on the spout for better pour-over control. But it requires lots of fumbling inside the lip of the machine, so you better make sure you’re operating with a cold, empty kettle.
Even the KitchenAid KEK1522 Pro Line Series Electric Kettle doesn’t have any more to offer than the Cuisinart CPK-17 kettle, which usually costs about half the price. The Tribest Glass Raw Tea Kettle GKD-450-B lacks a button on the handle to open the lid. Its blue light constantly turns on and off until it reaches the desired temperature, something we found annoying. Despite the price bump, this intuitive, easy-to-use kettle probably won’t provide more longevity than you get with the Cuisinart, but this model is sleeker and slightly more ergonomic. This 1.7-liter kettle heats water quickly and accurately to the various temperatures needed to get optimum flavor from teas and coffee.
A Brew Pause feature even allows your guest to pause operation until a later time. The coffee maker is designed for use with ground coffee and pre-portioned filter packs. Despite all of these extra features, I wasn’t impressed with the overall quality of the coffee.
So, if you decide to use the warmer, I recommend using the lowest setting. Right off the bat, it’s easy to see that this is a good-looking Cuisinart coffeemaker. 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.
There’s even the removable drip tray and two reservoirs, one for each side of the machine. As with most coffee makers nowadays, the Coffee Center has a brew program feature that allows you to set up your morning brew up to 24 hours in advance. To program it, you turn the dial to Prog, choose the time you’d like the machine to start and then switch it to Auto On. You can program the brew timer, the auto shut-off, and the brew strength.
If you try to turn it on with an open lid, then it won’t work. This ensures that you don’t spill blood while making a cup of joe. This makes it one of the more affordable coffee makers on the market. It’s the pinnacle of coffee making and dates back to 1884. It’s often expensive and can be a hassle to maintain and clean. Dashing in brushed metal and bright red, the Cuisinart® brew central coffeemaker makes a bold statement with its elegant tech-industrial design.
Not to be deterred, I switched to a coffee with a darker roast profile. Plus, I used a much finer grind setting to compensate for the quick brew time. For those Keurig K-Mini of you who enjoy single servings of dark roast coffee, let me say this machine is a winner. The results were rich, chocolatey and incredibly satisfying.
Her writing has appeared in Vox, The Cut, Buzzfeed, and Runner’s World, among other publications. Despite her expertise as a barista and a coffee editor, her husband is the one who brews their morning cups. The plastic hinges on the Hamilton Beach 40880’s lid are one of its biggest drawbacks. Other models, including our top pick, the Cuisinart CPK-17, have metal hinges that seem more durable.
In spite of its relatively low price, the Cuisinart DCC-1100BK is attractive and offers the same basic perks as the more expensive models. It’s programmable, so you can set it to have the coffee ready the minute you wake up or walk into the house. Many times a Keurig will shut off while brewing because the K-Cup hasn’t been punctured on the bottom by the needle in the K-Cup basket. It can also shut off as a result of a clogged brew needle, faulty outlet, or misaligned water reservoir magnet.