Cuisinart 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Programmable PerfecTemp Thermal Carafe Coffee Machine with 1-4 Cup Setting, Brew Strength Control and Brew Pause, Stainless Steel, DCC-3400NAS, Silver

Update: The first one I bought lasted about 19 months. The price has increased almost 50% since I bought that one. When it died I tried a few other models that are less expensive. After a day or a week I returned those and ultimately bought another one of these. I’ve had my second one about 11 months now. I will likely never buy anything else. Best coffee I’ve ever been able to make at home. It used to be if you bought something from Cuisinart you could expect to still have it in five years. I wish that was still the case, but if I’m being completely honest I would buy a new one of these every year if I have to.I looked at every model of thermal carafe coffee maker and read a lot of reviews before choosing this one.This is, by far, the hottest coffee I have ever gotten from a home coffee maker. For me, this is a huge selling point.The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot enough to enjoy without microwaving for at least 4 hours. Even after 6 or 7 hours the coffee is still warm and tasty. Because it does not use a warming plate to keep the coffee hot, the last drop of coffee tastes as good as the first. I will never go back to a glass caraf. I like the flavor of my coffee better than I have with any other coffee maker I've ever owned.The carafe is large. It holds almost 2 liters if you fill it to the 12 cup mark.The pour spout is designed specifically so It doesn't dribble all over the place when I pour.It makes the coffee pretty quickly. Speed depends on the settings you use and, obviously, how much coffee you're making. A full pot without the bold setting is read in about 11 or 12 minutes.It is completely programmable so you can setup the coffee to be ready at whatever time you'd like. It also has a "1-4" button for if you're making 1 to 4 cups of coffee, and a "bold" button if you like stronger coffee. Those two buttons have a similar function. They slow the water flow over the grinds so you get the full flavor in a small pot, or a bolder flavor in any pot.A note about pouring because I've seen some reviewers that didn't like how the pot pours. I don't use the pot to fill the reservoir with water. I did that the first time and it pours way too slowly. That was aggravating. That may be why others complained. So I use a plastic pitcher for filling the reservoir. It appears that the top to the pot is designed to control the flow rate when pouring. I see this as a positive. When I'm filling my coffee cup I'm never wishing it would pour faster. I'm just glad coffee isn't getting all over the counter, the floor, or me.I noticed some reviewers said the buttons stopped working after a few months or a year. I will say that it doesn't take much force at all to get a response from whatever button you push. Because of those reviews I make a point of not using much force when I hit "Brew" or whatever button I'm pushing. If you poke them hard over and over, I could see them not working anymore after awhile.This coffee maker looks nice in my kitchen. If you have stainless steel appliances it will match. It takes up a very reasonable amount of space on my counter. The measurement lines are on the right side in the middle; however you can pour the water into the reservoir from either side. The reservoir is the whole back of the unit and is accepts water on either the left of the right side.The filter basket is cone shaped. It comes with a gold screen reusable filter insert. I still use a paper filter in that as well because I don't like any sediment in my coffee. The paper cone filters cost a little more than standard filters but not so much that it is deal-breaker for me. A few extra dollars every 3 or 4 months.You have the option to use a charcoal water filter, but if you never use one it doesn't change how to unit performs. The charcoal filter's purpose is to filter things like the chloriine flavor out of your water. I use it.Some reviewers complained that the instructions are lacking in detail. Maybe the manufacturer has updated them since then. For the most part the setup is all pretty logical. The one thing I found difficult to figure out and not explained in the instructions was getting the charcoal filter into the filter holder. Turns out it is apparently so easy it looks hard. I included a few pics. On the stem portion of the charcoal filter holder is the word "open" with an arrow pointing downward. Right below that on the base is a little notch that sticks up. Just gently pull on the little notch and the front of the base flips open. The back left corner of the water reservoir has a slot cutout in the bottom to hold the base of the charcoal water filter setup. You just gently set it down in there. You don't have to force it. And it stays in place. The last pic is of the cutout in the bottom of the water reservoir. Other than that setup was really easy. The filter basket only fits in one way. It's a no-brainer to see where the water goes. The instructions tell you how to use all the buttons and features.There is a ready tone that beeps 5 times when the coffee is finished brewing. It's pretty loud. If you don't like that, you just press the "Tone" button near the clock face and the ready tone is off.It comes with one charcoal water filter, several cone shaped paper coffee filters, and a coffee scoop. Amazon sells the charcoal filters and the paper cone filters for very reasonable prices.I've been using this coffee maker since the day after Christmas 2019 and I have no complaints. I will update this review if anything changes. I've had a Bunn, and several models of Hamilton Beach over the course of 20 years. So far, this is the best coffee maker I've ever owned.

This is the second pot I have owned. This one I bought in June 2024. It works amazing. The coffee remains hot for over 8 hours in the carafe. It is the hottest coffee brewed I have had. The flavor is amazing with the bold button. My first pot lasted over 4 years and the only reason I updated was the gaskets for the lids broke due to my tearing them for not paying attention. If you use the bold setting brew speed is a little longer. The size is perfect. You can brew multiple different amounts. I will be buying another one because I have moved and this one was given to someone. I love it!

This coffee maker takes some doing.You may not notice it at first, but when you lift the lid, the condensation runs not only into the well but also down to the hinge and tiny ledge at back, from which it drips worrisomely along the cord area and then onto your counter. You must wedge a thin cloth behind the hinge as you open it and simultaneously dry the other side with another cloth, and then repeat this maneuver a couple of times.The lip of the carafe is ingeniously designed so that the coffee fairly leaps forward in a neat parabola as you pour—until you reach the bottom of the pot, at which point the coffee trickles out in every direction. But if you remove the lid and turn the carafe smoothly and completely upside down, it will pour out its last cup perfectly.You can cut standard paper cone filters to fit, but because of the showerhead design, they will frequently fold over, wasting most of the coffee. So, instead, you must work out a routine for cleaning the reusable filter, which will clog your drain if you do not wipe the grinds out before rinsing it. On the considerable plus side, the reusable filter sports a flat bottom, making it easy to fill.If you cannot count on a dishwasher load for the carafe, you will have to use a bottle brush to clean it: in order to provide a takeoff ramp for the leaping pour spout, the carafe’s opening has been constricted so severely that a hand can’t reach through, unless your five-year-old volunteers for the job.So here are my recommendations to Cuisinart:1) Make a 6- or 8-cup model, plenty for most of us, so that you can keep the small rectangular footprint but set the lid and water farther in, making it easier to pour water in and harder for water to get out.2) Forget the thermos concept, with its tricky lid and spout design, and instead bring back the simple glass carafe and hot plate, and make it like the old models that stayed heated until you shut them off—via a huge back-lit button.3) Forget the programmable brew time. Coffee making is a morning activity. Who wants extra chores and wakeful aromas in the evening? And who wants the possibility of accidentally setting off a programmable brew and then not being around—a much greater fire hazard than a simple on/off hot plate.4) Ditch the LED display and special functions. I do thank Cuisinart, a thousand times over, for providing that mute button, but why do you need the beeps in the first place? Everyone hears the distinctive belch of a coffee maker when it’s done. All we need is one big bright Brew button.In the meantime, this Cuisinart model has the smallest footprint available for a nice brew that will stay heated for a number of hours.