Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Don't even waste your time with any other coffee maker - this is it! Are you sick of terrible coffee at home? Want your coffee to taste like what you get at a real coffee shop? This is the ticket. That was really my only requirement. I wanted to be able to make GOOD coffee that tastes just like what I get a my local coffee shop - at home. This coffee maker makes that possible! The first obstacle was deciding which model. I watched MANY reviews and read through comparisons before deciding this was the one I wanted. Since we frequently make 4 cups - more often than we make larger amounts, I liked the versatility of being able to move the little switch to allow the water to steep a bit longer for smaller pots. That feature is not offered in other models. The hot plate does turn off automatically after a certain amount of time - nothing else I could want it to do. I had considered the models with the carafes rather than the glass pots, but as I read and my personal experience is that insulated carafes absorb odor and are difficult to rid of that odor. Plus, I only make the amount of coffee I plan on drinking within the hour anyway - so no need to worry about it sitting around for hours at a time. Also, a taste test video I watched actually rated the coffee taste higher from the glass model that had sat around on the heater for an hour as BETTER than the one from the insulated carafe. Not that I recommend drinking coffee after it has sat around for an hour anyway - but that was enough to convince me. I imagine the glass carafe might also be less expensive to replace if replacement was needed - but that is just my guess no real facts to back it up with. I also want to mention I purchased this model for $227. HOW? Amazon Warehouse deals. Check for them under the "used" section. They aren't actually "used" at all - usually it just means the box has damage - however sometimes there is more to it than that so read the item description carefully! In my case it was just box damage and the coffee maker was in perfect new condition! Great bargain for me! On brewing - I watched some "expert" videos on recommendations about how to brew in this machine. Some people recommended closing the drip valve and stirring at specific intervals of the brew etc - I tried all of these methods - and I did not care for the outcome. What works best for me is to use a standard "American" ratio of 2T coffee to 6oz water. This takes some figuring out and some approximation because the cups listed on this machine are 4oz cups - so you'll have to do math (the horrors) - but that's the best ratio I've found for my own personal preference. Also, I turn the drip valve to the fully open setting for anything 6 cups or over and to half for anything below that. Also on the heating plate - I only ever turn it to half. I felt that the full heat setting was way too hot - especially after you've poured a few cups. Anyway you can play with settings on your own, but these are my golden ratios. I also want to make a note which should be common sense but I feel must be said - please make sure you are using FRESH coffee and are freshly grinding it before each pot. Don't use crap coffee and expect it to taste wonderful - that's not how this works. Use good freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee and filtered water and you will be golden with this machine.