The coffee lacked a little of the overall sweetness that was a hallmark of the Ninja’s brews, but finished at a higher temperature than many of the other coffee makers, at an average of 176°F in the carafe. While the hot plate can’t be switched off like the Ninja’s, the Cuisinart’s plate does have a temperature control with settings for low, medium, and high heat-holding. We mr coffee latte maker liked the low setting as a way to keep the coffee warm without causing it to turn acrid. The Cuisinart brewed a bit faster than the Ninja, taking 11 to 12 minutes to brew a full batch, as opposed to 13 minutes, but the basket came very close to overflowing on several occasions. Like Ninja, Cuisinart defines a cup as 5 ounces, so a full pot makes about six mug-sized servings.
Just pull it out of the box, set it up, throw in your favorite coffee grinds and hit the button. Both coffee makers have the Auto Pause feature and are warranted for one year. Oh, and because this coffee maker doesn’t have an automatic shut off, remember to switch the power off when you’re finished.
I’m obsessed with smart home tech and channel my obsession into new stories for Consumer Reports. When I’m not writing about products, I spend time either outside hiking and skiing or up in the air in small airplanes. For my latest obsessions, follow me onFacebook andTwitter (@danwroc). As for owner satisfaction, two more brands rate exceptionally well.
For instance, we realized that the machine doesn’t “remember” the brew settings you used last. Instead, we needed to make customized selections for, say, batch size, or rich or classic, before hitting the brew button every time, otherwise the machine would brew to its default settings. Once we got into the rhythm mr coffee espresso of it, it was easy to brew to our tastes every time. The carafe pours comfortably, though the lid screws off rather than opening with a hinge, which might make it more difficult for some people to open. The Cuisinart DCC-1200 reliably brewed decent coffee, but the final product was not as good as the Ninja’s.
In 2012, more than 600,000 Mr. Coffee Single Cup Brewing System models were voluntarily recalled in the United States and Canada. A malfunction caused the machines to build up steam and potentially spew water and grounds out of the brewing chamber. There was a 164 reports of the malfunction made, among which there were 61 injuries including facial and hand burns. We also liked that the machine doesn’t get too hot to the touch while brewing, unlike the Capresso and Black+Decker models we tested, which had more prominent steam vents—all the easier to burn oneself on. Generally speaking, what you’re looking for is a flat or mostly flat bed of grounds and a high water mark that appears even and controlled, falling below the top rim of the filter.