BLACK+DECKER 12 Cup Thermal Programmable Coffee Maker

I think that I shouldn’t read reviews, just go with the number of positives. Some people posted nasty things about this coffee maker, like cheap plastic and well, I can’t remember. I ordered anyway. This is the less expensive version of a coffee maker with insulate carafe. Is it deluxe plastic? No. But it does the job that I wanted it to do…make good coffee (I love the way it sprays the water…no overflowing with coffee grounds in my coffee) and keeps it warm, at the table so I can refill my cup while relaxing at breakfast. Love, love, love it.

When my most important appliance (coffee maker) died last month, I replaced it with this B+D 12 cup maker. The most important feature I needed was the ability to make iced coffee* in the summer – so a glass carafe wasn’t a good idea. And since iced coffee lasts much longer than hot coffee, being able to make 12 cups, instead of the standard 10, is another good idea.
I like the wide opening of the carafe, for cleaning (and filling it with ice is easier) but I wish the lids designed for all coffee makers with a ‘sneak a cup’ feature came apart for cleaning. They can hold several ounces of liquid inside the lid and get gunky if not thoroughly rinsed out. I like that the water indicator is a window, rather than some sort of separate tube gage (that was impossible to clean on my last one).
The ‘strong’ feature saves a bit of coffee (it uses a longer brewing cycle, so you could use a little less, but the regular cycle makes a pretty good cup of coffee. I use the strong feature for iced coffee though, since the coffee needs to be double strength to hold up to the ice.
I like that the power light pulses when the coffee is being made, and goes solid when done – often you never really know when things are done, even with that nice gurgling sound every drip maker makes at the end.
As others have noted – if you leave the carafe in the coffee maker after it’s done, the valve at the top will remain open, letting heat out. You can solve this just by taking the coffee filter holder out, since you’re going to clean it at some point anyway.
The water indicator, the ‘strong’ indicator and the time, is hard to read if you kitchen lighting isn’t good. That’s the only thing that effects the ‘easy to use’ rating.
Otherwise it’s a coffee pot, and if you can’t figure it out, you are either in need of some coffee before operating this appliance, or should just let professional at a coffee shop make your coffee.

*How To Make Iced Coffee:
Please follow any manufacturers instructions for safety. Test with less ice the first few times and keep an eye on things since your ice trays may vary, and you don’t want to thing to overflow.
Fill the water reservoir to 6 cups (indicated in the window), fill the coffee filter with as much ground coffee as you normally would for 12 cups (12 T’s or so) and fill the carafe with 2 trays of large ice cubes. I can get away with 3 trays – you are trying to almost fill it, but like I said, don’t make it overflow, or it’ll be messy. The ‘strong’ feature can save you a little coffee or as you might expect, make it stronger.
As soon as it is done (when the light stops pulsing) put the carafe in your fridge (third most important appliance, after the furnace) and the ice will last for 24 hours.

This is a lovely machine but unfortunately is not UK compatible

Being former U.S. Navy, I drink a lot of coffee. I’m no coffee snob, but I want a good cup. I also don’t want to spend a fortune on a coffee maker. This machine isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done at a reasonable price. I got the thermal carafe because I don’t want the coffee to cook on the burner if I forget to turn it off, and so I don’t have to worry about breaking a glass carafe. The thermal aspect is a nice plus, but not my priority. It does however stay warm for a couple of hours. The coffee is smooth and rich, without being over-powering like some of the name brand coffee shops. I prefer a medium roast like MJB or Chock Full of Nuts. Your mileage may vary.

Este producto lo compre hace 3 meses y me ha funcionado bastante bien, ya que lo uso todos los días, es fácil de usar, no incluye el filtro de tela lavable, por lo que recomiendo comprarlo para evitar estar comprando filtros de papel. La cafetera incluye el contenedor tipo termo que conserva por un periodo largo de tiempo el café caliente aproximadamente por 1.5 horas. Lo recomiendo ampliamente, ya que al ser una termo el contenedor es diferente a las cafeteras tradicionales que incluyen una resistencia térmica que mantiene el contenedor de cristal caliente mientras se sirve la bebida, esta mejora beneficia en bajar el consumo de enegía electrica. Super recomendable