Reviews for Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: A good quality product. Easy to program and clean. Great look.

Weakness: Price

It makes great tasting coffee. I like the 1-4 cup feature as well as the programable timer feature. With the self cleaning and water purifier features, this product should last a lot longer than most. Being able to remove the gold filter and filter cradle makes it easy to clean. Although I thought the price was a bit high I think that it was worth it and I would recommend it to others.

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Cuisinart DCC1200 Brew Central coffee maker

Strengths: Easy to use & looks fantastic as well. Coffee comes out piping hot-even when making small quantities. Construction appears durable (eg. buttons do not feel cheap)

Weakness: Need some clearance to be able to open lid to pour water. The beep to tell coffee is ready is almost inaudible.

Best home coffee maker for price! I am trying to save money by making my own coffee at home & this machine comes very, very close to what you would get outside. I am absolutely pleased.

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Brews great coffee, but has its flaws.

Strengths: Stylish, makes great coffee.

Weakness: Filling reservoir requires a steady hand. Hot plate shuts off after a pre-determined time and is not adjustable. Electronics shuts off unit while brewing.

When my wife first brought it home and I filled it for the first time, I said "you've got to be kidding!" Filling the reservoir is like putting oil in my car without a funnel. You will most likely spill water until you get the hang of it. And if you are elderly and and/or don't have a steady hand then I can see where you would have a problem.

The warmer plate shuts off after approximately 2 hours. There is no way to extend the time it stays on. Great during the week when it's 2 cups and off to work. But during the weekends and snow days it would be neat to be able to extend the time the warmer stays on. My workaround is that I turn the pot off and on again when I fill my cup, which restarts the timer.

Now for the "bug". I can verify that the brewing process will stop for no apparent reason and the power will shut off. You can restart the process and it will complete (usually). This seems to be an electronics problem. I have 30 years experience as an electronic technician, and it's common knowledge that microchips and hot, wet environments don't mix well.

As for those reviewers that say the problems don't exist, they are just lucky to not have a unit with problems. The people reviewing on this site are not likely to make these things up.

On the whole it's a descent coffee maker. A little "tweaking" with the electronics and it would be a great one IMHO.

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Cuisinart Brew Central

Strengths: Carafe is easy to pour without spilling,self-cleaning feature, attractive design, easy to clean, controls easy to use

Weakness: Area to pour water is too small and awkwardly located, water level readings are only seen if you stand on tiptoes and look inside the water area.

I just got this coffee maker and have already brewed three pots of coffee. The controls are easy to use. The coffee tasted great. The biggest complaint I have is that you cannot see the water level readings from the outside of the coffee maker. I use a Brita water pitcher to pour water from, so now I have to pour from the pitcher into the coffee carafe and then from the carafe into the coffee maker. Other than that, this is really a wonderful coffee maker.

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No So Sure!!

Strengths: makes great coffee

Weakness: Have had maker for 3 yrs and it stopped working , startes with hot plate ,then stops totally, this is the 2nd maker I have had and the same problem both times., the exact problem.

this coffeemaker is too expensive to replace every 3 yrs. I likedt his maker, but i am not going to replace it again. company won't replace it because they say there is no evidence that this has become a problem. Got your money, don't care!

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Review updat

Strengths: Same as first review

Weakness: Same as first review

We've now had our DCC-1200 for about 2 1/2 years, and it still is as good as the day we first plugged it in. You can read my original review if you scroll down through the older reviews. That review was written after owning the machine for about a year.

One thing that has impressed me since writing the original review is the "cleaning cycle" function. It took nearly two years for the coffee maker to finally tell me that it was time to clean it. We followed the instructions exactly and the results were amazing. This thing does not do cleaning like every other coffee maker; it's different. It has a special cycle that runs when you clean it, and it is very efficient. We captured the "debris" that was removed from the mechanism using a regular filter. We couldn't believe how much "stuff" was purged from the machine.

In over two years, nothing has failed. The clock will survive minor "power failures" without resetting to "12:00 AM" every time. A prolonged power failure will cause it to loose the time setting, but the electronics must have a storage capacitor in the circuit that let the clock hold it's settings through minor "power blips" that we have often here in Houston. If the power is off for longer than, say, 30 seconds, it probably will need to be reset, but it's great to not need to reset the clock.

We are careful to be certain that the carafe is underneath the basket valve correctly when we set up the machine, so we haven't had the spillage problems others have had. I can see how that could happen if the valve on the basket isn't open as it should be when the carafe is in position on the warming plate.

Speaking of the warming plate, we still have to keep ours at the middle temperature setting; "High" is still too hot for us.

I generally set this machine up in the evenings, before bed, so I'm not so groggy when I pour the water into it. I can see how some folks might thing the water opening is a mite too small for early morning setups. Personally, we don't ever spill any water, but maybe others are more shaky early in the morning. My advice: just set it up before you go to bed!

If this coffee maker failed, I would immediately go purchase another identical to it. In fact, if I ever hear that it is to be discontinued, I will actually go buy another one and keep it in the box until the day ours dies (which I'm sure it will ...someday).

This is far and away the best coffee maker I've ever run across, and I hope they keep making them for many years. We would have had to buy at least two lesser machines by now. It's paid for itself, and that's what we were looking for when we originally bought it.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Quality product, great look, brews a hot delicious cup of coffee.

Weakness: Grounds run through the gold filter.

This is a wonderful coffeemaker. I love the 4 cup option and also the water purifier feature. Makes a very hot, delicious cup of coffee. I would buy this product again if something ever happened to this one. Also love the feature to set the timer so I can awaken to a fresh cup.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Coffee is hot, Excellent flavor, easy to operate

Weakness: Charcoal filter holder is easily breakable

We love our coffee maker. The coffee is nice and hot, with excellent flavor. In general we don't love drip style because they tend not to be as hot as perked, but this one is preety close. It is easy to use and clean and the autmatic timer is easy to set.
Minor negatives are that the charcoal filter container has a flimsey opening area, which can break. A back up battery to the clock in case the power goes out you don't have to reset the time would be nice. We were very happy with the company also.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Great looks and features

Weakness: Price

Looks great and makes full flavored aromatic coffee. I love the timer feature and 2-4 cup option. The self clean will make it a long lasting durable coffee maker.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: nice looking, easy to use, great coffee

Weakness: none at this time

bought this coffee maker for my wife for Christmas. has everything she wanted in a coffee maker, nice looks, timer, ease of use and great coffee. for the price i would by this coffee maker again.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Compact design

Weakness: Price

I love it. It's wonderful. It makes terrific, flavorful, aromatic coffe. Love the programmability feature. Times well. Remembers when you want your coffee brewed. MMmmmm. Yummy.

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After owning for 2 years....

Strengths: Looks, original quality

Weakness: Electronics failure, possible hazard?

I loved the look of this unit in my modern kitchen, and it brewed a mean pot of coffee as well.
Now almost 2 years later, the electronics are screwed.
The unit resets all the time. Middle of brewing, right after brewing, when NOT brewing...
Makes the timer useless, and if it DOES finish brewing, HURRY UP, because it's shut off again and the warmer is off.
Of course Cuisinart says "sorry, you're out of warranty. Enjoy your $120 doorstop."
The unit has never been dropped or missused in any way, hell, it hardly moved from it's spot.

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DCC-1200

Strengths: Programmable timer and shut-off

Weakness: price

We used our Xmas gift card to get this item when the store had a 20% off coupon, so total price w/tax was $70, which was a great deal. Love the timer features. The auto shut-off can be set for 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours which is very convenient and I don't have to worry whether I turned off the machine before left the house. Having the coffee ready in the morning is simply wonderful. As far as not being tall enough to see the cup measurements where the water fill up is, I just fill the carafe to the number of cups I want and pour it into the back. We love this machine.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Beautiful, stylish design, excellent coffee.

Weakness: None so far.

This is my first coffee maker and I'm very happy with it. Despite the high price, it's well worth it. If you're hesitating because of the cost, wait for a sale. It'll be worth it. The wonderful design blends perfectly with my other kitchen appliances. If you like hot coffee, this machine won't disappoint you. Easy programming ensures a hot cup of coffee in the morning.

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Highly recommended. My first one lasted 6.5 yrs

Strengths: easy to use, looks great, reliable

Weakness: none

I am on my second machine. my first one lasted 6.5 yrs. i considered 'upgrading' to the dcc 3000...what a piece of junk. very stylish looking, but way to fussy to operate and maintain. also condensation from the brew cycle would spill out all over the countertop.

a previous review mentioned about the valve 'sticking'. you need to make sure that the brew basket is seated correctly by pushing down until you hear it click. if not, then the carafe won't push on the valve to release the brewed coffee and you end up with a mess

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Cuisinart Brew Control DCC1200

Strengths: Great cup o' joe!

Weakness: None

I've only had mine for a little over a week now, but it quickly brews nice strong coffee. Easy to operate and program and looks nice too. The charcoal water filter is another great built in feature!

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Wonderful when it works

Strengths: Very hot, flavorful coffee

Weakness: Unreliable

We're on our second one. We used the first one for 18 months and loved it. Excellent flavor. Except when the valve wouldn't open and the coffee went all over the floor.

This increased in frequency. Then it started to just perk forever and never complete the brew cycle.

Oh, well, it's old. We'll replace it.

We have done that. Two months into the new one and it's déja vu all over again. The valve sticks about 25% of the time. Yesterday it wouldn't finish its cycle.

Time for a new brand.

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Doesn't perform as good as it looks

Strengths: Timer feature is relatively easy to use. Auto-off feature is nice.

Weakness: Small opening for resevoir. Carafe design promotes spilling.

I guess I was wooed by the looks of this particular unit, but in day-to-day use I was constantly annoyed by small design flaws. The biggest gripe I have is that the opening where you pour the water in is so small that half the time I end up spilling water into the fresh coffee grounds or on the counter. My other problem happens if the outside of the carafe is wet and you pour the water too fast, water become attracted to outside of the pot and end up spilling down the front of it. This maker is less than 3 months old and I'm going to have to retire it.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Looks, controlls, great tasting coffee, carafe 3 year waranty.

Weakness: None

I read the reviews on this unit and found out that most of the reviews were correct. The style the no drip carafe the options great tasting coffee ect. But the reviews that I found that were negitive like filling the resivor coffee not being hot enough the condisation on the lid ect. are the ones that were not correct.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Great looking and makes fine coffee.

Weakness: Water input hole a little small and a bit expensive.

I would buy this product again. It makes excellent coffee & has a high-end look. The carafe is glass so it can be washed in the dishwasher and the filter holder is removable. In addition, the item is low maintenance. The only negative is price. But, look around, you will find a deal on it.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: Good looking, easy to program, easy to fill and makes a good pot of coffee. Liked the ability to make less than a full pot while retaining the flavor and high temperature of the brew.

Weakness: Maybe a bit pricey.

This machine is easy to use and has well thought out programming routines. It a snap to set up and easy to fill and clean. I appreciate the way the carafe pours without dribbling the coffee or water when filling a cup or the reservoir. Besides the great tasting coffee, this machine has many nice features and is good looking as well.

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Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

Strengths: excellent coffee maker

Weakness: none

If you like hot coffee from a well thought out design, then this is it. Very classy apearance and makes excellent coffee. Easy to set timer for timed morning brew. I have have spent more for a coffee maker with much less satisfaction. Some may view the price as too high, but in this case you get what you pay for with a 3 year warentee.

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Was great until it died...

Strengths: Timer features , auto shutoff, 1-4 cup brew cycle

Weakness: Built to not be repairable by owner and based on several others' comments only lasts for 2-3 years.

Only lasted 3 years then for about 2 days it would shut off after just a few minutes. That was all the warning I got before it just completely died. No way to fix since they use non-standard security screws which are recessed so far that you cannot get them out w/o the correct tool (which of course they have). I'll give a factory reconditioned unit a try but 1 more failure and it's bye-bye Cuisinart.

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I'd buy it all over again!

Strengths: Great tasting coffee - not burnt, not weak, not weird tasting - great every time.

Weakness: I've yet to find a weakness.

After reading all comments, both negative and positive, I went ahead and bought this machine. And, I'm happy I did. Many negative comments sound like they're coming from those who probably don't handle any type of appliance with care and respect. I mean, it's just a coffee maker (and a darned good one), not something that takes a rocket scientists expertise to get the best out of it.

If you have a problem treating these kinds of items with care and respect (for the fact that none of them are intended to be used by grizzly bears or elephants) and going ahead and trying to beat the daylights out of appliances and other products, in order to declare "there, you see, it's a shoddy piece of equipment and now it's broken, then you should probably just go to Starbuck's for your java fix. I've yet to see the frailties many posters talk about. I haven't found anything wrong with the design, operation or functionality of it. I love its design and appearance!

So, I would heartily recommend it. And yes, I would buy it all over again.

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2 x Carafe handle seperated

Strengths: none

Weakness: Quality

We purchased last Spring 2008

Sept08 -Carafe handle came off while pouring- They sent another

December08 - Replacement Carafe did same thing again.

Complained again - Nothing yet Jan08.

Someone will get hurt soon!

Also under lid alway wet- unhealthy

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Premature Shut-off

Strengths: Looked great in our kitchen.

Weakness: Shuts off after a few minutes.

After just a year the warmer started shutting off after just a few minutes. Nothing is worse than having your second cup of coffee be tepid and your third cold.

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I guess I need to keep looking

Strengths: Small brew feature - use it all the time

Weakness: Poor quality carafe

I must admit - this coffeemaker is better than many I have used before, and I was excited after reading so many positive reviews, but the beef I have right now is that these carafes break like crazy. I have used coffemakers for over 30 years now. Usually, a glass carafe would last me at least 12 months. Not these. It almost seems like planned profit improvements, they are so poorly made.

The simple economics of it tell me that If I go on buying $25 carafes every 2 months, I'd be better off just biting the bullet and buying a new coffee maker. An that is what I'm going to do. Sorry Cuisinart.

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good til it stops working

Strengths: programable, you can extend the time before it turns off to 4 hrs, makes a good cup of coffee

Weakness: hard to fill with carafe as the lid is hard to get off

Was a good coffee maker while it lasted. One day it made coffee, but when I went to get a pot everything was off, luckily the coffee was still hot. Next day everything turns on, but will not brew! This coffee pot is about a year old. They are sending me a new one, but I have to pay for shipping both ways.

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My Coffee Maker

Strengths: Programable, Dependable, well built

Weakness: None

I love my Cuisinart coffee maker. The main thing I really love! is that it is programable you can put your coffee in the well made gold tone screen filter and put your water in set it 15 minute's before you get up smell that fresh coffee brewing it's like a x-tra alarm

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Great... just great

Strengths: Highly dependable, love using the automatic turn on when needed

Weakness: I don't know... still trying to find one.

Use it every day. Sometimes use the automatic feature. Easy to clean. Looks as good as when we bought it 4 years ago. Yep, thought it was a little expensive but it's a non issue now. I guess the name of the game is to take care of and keep it looking presentable.

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The Best Coffee Brew System

Strengths: Piping Hot Great Tasting Coffee

Weakness: none

This is the best coffee maker I've ever owned. I've been a coffee affacinado for over 30 years and this is the best brew system I've ever used.
There are the French Press systems and admittedly a tad better but a lot less convenient.
This coffee is actually hot. The adjustable temperature warming plate is my most favorite feature.
Complains of (water opening too small, etc) are just looking for something to complain about. Also, those who call it (pricey) I'm thinking, "what"

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Best Coffee Maker

Bestcovery experts have rated the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker as the Best Coffee Maker. This product has also been rated as a best pick for the Best Drip Coffee Maker. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.

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