Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Preface: I own a specialty coffee shop in the Midwest that specializes in high quality single origin espresso. We wanted to purchase this brewer to see what the hype was about and to have a new brewer for at home. PROS: It looks very nice on our counter at home or at the shop. I prefer all manual when it comes to brewing coffee, but if you don't, the all automatic function can be a pro. It has a pot warmer which is awesome. CONS: The temp at the brew head hits a maximum of 184(f) degrees, and that's only after a few minutes of brewing. The standard for specialty coffee is anywhere from 195-205(f) degrees depending on the varietal and origin of the bean. The brew head is too small for full coverage of the grounds in the Chemex, so when it starts its cycle you have to physically move the Chemex pot around for the beans to be fully saturated. The timing and water amount in the cycles are WAAAAY off for a typical pour over, definitely effecting the flavor in the cup. There is also a constant amount of water pouring out of one of the spout holes in between bursts(cycles) that is quite bothersome. The water level indicators on the water reservoir are wrong. In order to get the proper pour over amount, you'll need to measure out the water yourself and then mark the water reservoir for future metrics. In short: If you bought a Chemex, then you are looking for top quality coffee flavor. This machine won't deliver that. It's obviously another Chinese made POS that could have been a contender if the developer actually wanted to put the money into it.