Best Cuisinart Coffee Makers 2020 (Reviews & Buyer’s Guide)

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Cuisinart is synonymous with food processing machines. However, they have also built a reliable name for themselves in the department of coffee makers.

This brand currently has a super versatile catalog of these products. Whether you are looking for the best Cuisinart coffee maker with grinder, or you want a model that allows brew-strength customization, Cuisinart has it.

These coffee machines are highly regarded for being notably cheaper than other models in the same class. They also score a lot of marks in terms of aesthetics- the most neglected front by most competitor brands.

🌟 Our Top Pick: Cuisinart DCC-3000 On-Demand 12-Cup Coffee Maker

Product award: Best Overall Cuisinart Coffee Maker

Highlights:

• 12-cup in-built coffee reservoir
• Removable water reservoir
• Coffee gauge
• Fully programmability
• Clean alert

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One of the best Cuisinart coffee makers today, the DCC-3000 is what you’d call a ‘drip coffee maker and single-serve combination’ machine.

As its name suggests, this model holds and offers coffee on demand thanks to the hidden but removable coffee reservoir. This is a double-walled tank capable of holding up to 12 five-ounce cups of coffee. The non-carafe design of this maker means that you get your shots in 1-cup/mug servings as the rest is held piping hot for up to 2 hours on the inside.

You don’t have to brew all the 12 cups if you are not planning to take them all. This model also offers you an option to brew 1-4 cups. Even better, there is a brew-pause feature, which allows you to sneak in a cup mid-cycle. 

Since the coffee reservoir is somewhat hidden inside the machine, a coffee gauge labeled E-F eliminates all guesswork by showing you the amount of coffee remaining.

This fully programmable model uses ground coffee. For optimum flavor extraction, it is fitted with a commercial-style gold-tone filter and a round showerhead. 

View Cuisinart DCC-3000 Price on Amazon

Runner Up: Cuisinart DCC-3200 Programmable

Product award: Best Cuisinart 14-Cup Coffee Maker

Highlights:

• 14-cup capacity
• 1-4 cup setting
• Adjustable-temp hotplate
• Gold-tone filter
• Brew strength control

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You might want to check out the DCC-3200 if you are looking for the best Cuisinart 14-cup coffee maker. This is one of the most advanced models in Cuisinart’s DCC line- and among the most affordable too!

For coffee connoisseurs, the best feature of the DCC-3200 is going to be the bold setting. This setting slows down the speed of the heated water, thereby allowing it enough contact with the ground to produce a stronger brew. 

The bold brew feature again gets a good boost from the temperature-adjustment button that lets you tweak just how hot you need your coffee. Not most coffee makers offer this versatility. So, consider it a bonus, especially at this model’s current price.

This coffee maker’s 14-cup glass carafe with hotplate makes it a good option for gatherings, large families, and small-to-medium offices. On the other hand, the 1-4 cup-size options allow smaller brews for personal use.

Check Cuisinart DCC-3200 Price on Amazon

Cuisinart DGB-700BC Grind and Brew

Product award: Best Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffee Maker

Highlights:

• ½-pound coffee hopper
• Brew strength adjustment
• 2-12 cup-size brew
• Fully programmable

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There are quite a good number of Cuisinart coffee makers with grinder out there. While most of them may beat the DGB-700BC in terms of affordability, this model has the upper hand in terms of convenience and great-tasting coffee.

The DGB-700 has a half-pound bean hopper with a gasket seal to prevent air and moisture from affecting the quality of the beans.

If you are using a coffee maker with a grinder for the first time, you might appreciate that this model will automatically determine the right amount of coffee beans to grind for you. You only need to choose your desired number of cups from 2-12, and then set the desired strength of your cuppa between mild, medium, and strong.

One thing that we can’t fail to mention here is that this grinding system uses a burr grinder. This type of grinder is much more preferred compared to a blade grinder since it crushes the beans to an even size as opposed to slicing them.

Also, if you happen to run out of coffee beans, there is an option to use pre-ground coffee. On this note, the DGB-700 comes with a gold-tone filter that is reputable among coffee enthusiasts who appreciate European-style drinks.

View Cuisinart DGB-700BC Grind and Brew Coffee Maker on amazon

Cuisinart SS-10 Premium Single-Serve Coffeemaker

Product award: Best Cuisinart Single-Serve Coffee Maker

Highlights:

• 5 beverage sizes
• K-cup compatible
• 70-oz reservoir
• Fully programmable
• Adjustable temperature

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Read Our Detailed SS-10 Review

Since you are looking for a coffee maker, then you probably prefer having your coffee ready as quickly as possible whenever the urge kicks in. Nothing does this better than a single-serve machine, especially a model with a super-fast heating system. The Cuisinart SS-10 perfectly matches this description, and it has a lot more to offer.

First off, we like it when manufacturers give us the freedom to use any brand of coffee pods that meets our budget and taste needs. The Cuisinart SS-10 not only allows this, but it also comes with a reusable filter for those who prefer using freshly ground coffee.

This Cuisinart K-cup coffee maker has the largest water reservoir in Cuisinart’s SS series. With a capacity of 72 ounces, this is a tank that you won’t need to refill often, more so if the coffeemaker is for personal use.

Switching gear to the actual brewing process, this coffee maker offers 5 brew sizes; 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12oz. What we find so fascinating, however, is its speedy brewing process. This model heats the water and brews a cup in under 2 minutes.

It also offers brew temperature adjustment, and you can even wake up to coffee. A hot water button also adds a lot of convenience to your cocoa, tea, and instant soup.

View Cuisinart SS-10 Single-Serve On Amazon

Cuisinart DCC-450BK

Product award: Best Compact & Affordable Cuisinart Coffee Maker

Highlights:

• Thermal carafe
• 30-minute auto-shutoff
• Brew-pause feature
• Small footprint

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The DCC-450BK will be one of the best recommendations if you want a compact coffee maker for a small kitchen and a college dorm. It’s also recommendable for office use, RVs, and if you are starting to live on your own.

This coffee maker has a width of 5.25’’, a depth of 8’’, and a height of 10’’. Its minimal footprint saves you space besides making it super-portable for coffee-on-the-go.

This model comes with a 4-cup stainless steel thermal carafe with a comfortable handle and knuckle-guard for additional safety.

The Cuisinart DCC-450BK has only one button; the ON/OFF switch. We didn’t expect so many features, especially at this price. All in all, most of its previous users report that it makes good coffee. In our opinion, that’s what matters most.

This affordable Cuisinart coffee maker has 2 more customer-favorite features that might interest you too; a brew-pause and a 30-minute auto-off.

View Cuisinart DCC-450BK on Amazon

Our Verdict

It was so easy to pick our winner for these reviews- you guessed it right, the Cuisinart DCC3000. This model offers a whole lot of features that we don’t often see in most coffee makers in its price range (sometimes even higher). What we liked most, though, is the drip and single serve combination design. Its on-demand coffee delivery is unique too.

Best Cuisinart Coffee Maker Buying Guide

Are Cuisinart Coffee Makers The Best?

Well, any coffee maker brand has some highly rated models that meet the users’ expectations, and others that don’t cut it. Cuisinart is not any different. There are a few things that we like about this manufacturer, though;

• Incredible price to feature ratio– the best Cuisinart coffee makers come in all price ranges. Regardless of the cost, several features come standard in most of them, including auto-off, programmability, and dishwasher-safe parts. Speaking of the price, most Cuisinart coffee machines are notably more affordable than most of their competitors in the same class.
• Excellent quality– Cuisinart has a solid reputation as far as the quality of its household and commercial products go. Its coffee makers aren’t left out. The unusually long 3-year warranty evidences the level of quality used on these machines. Keeping in mind that most renowned coffee machine brands offer 12-18 months of warranty, then it’s clear that Cuisinart’s systems are built to last.
• There’s something for everyone– Cuisinart has over 31 different coffee makers. Whether you are looking for an affordable and compact coffee machine for a dorm, or you are after a gigantic coffee machine for a large family, Cuisinart’s catalog has something for you.

How do Cuisinart Coffee Makers work?

Regardless of their differences in capacity, coffee type compatibility, and price tags, Cuisinart coffee makers tend to use a very similar brewing system to move the water from the reservoir into your cup or carafe.

1. When you set your desired cup size and hit the brew button, a volumetric pump springs to life and pumps cold water from the reservoir to a series of wires collectively called the heat exchanger.
2. In the heat exchanger, the water is heated to the optimum temperature required to extract the coffee oils and flavors.
3. The heated water is then pumped further up and into the brewing chamber to saturate the coffee. The balance between the water temperature, pressure, and resistance by the showerhead (or needles) helps in giving the brew a crisp, sharp, and pleasant aftertaste.

How do you clean a Cuisinart Coffee Machine?

As you continue using your machine, the taste of your coffee will slowly start gravitating towards a bitter and funky taste.

Usually, this is caused by an accumulation of coffee oils and water impurities that together form a rancid residue in the brewing chamber and exit needles. If you feel that your brew’s temperature is starting to get off too, then that’s an indication that your machine’s heating system has scale build-up. 

When this happens, it’s time to descale and clean your machine. Descaling a Cuisinart coffee maker is easy and straightforward, and you probably have everything that you need for the job in your kitchen.

Requirements 

You’ll require water, white vinegar (half carafe) and dishwashing soap.

Instructions

1. Start by switching the machine off.
2. Remove the carafe and the brewing chamber (if your maker uses one) and empty the 2.
3. Make a cleaning solution using white vinegar and water in the ratio of 1:1.
4. Add the cleaning solution into the reservoir and fill it up using equal parts of water and vinegar.
5. Next, switch the machine ON and run a half cycle. You do this by running the pump for a few seconds for it to pull the cleaning solution into the heat exchanger.
6. Switch the machine off and let it stay for 1-2 hours.
7. After 1-2 hours, switch the machine ON and let the cycle run complete.
8. Next, add a small amount of soap in the water in the reservoir and run 2 full cycles to eliminate the vinegar smell.
9. Lastly, discard the water in the tank and run 2-3 cycles of clean water to rinse the entire system.

How to Choose a Cuisinart Coffee Maker

Narrow down to the type of coffee maker

Cuisinart’s list of coffee makers can be divided into 3 major categories;

• Single-serve coffee makers– these are popular among coffee lovers who don’t want the hassle of dealing with messy coffee grounds and the clean-up that follows. These machines are also known as pod coffee makers as they use coffee pods. If you prefer using freshly ground coffee, you could look for a single-serve model that also accepts a reusable filter.
• Drip coffee maker– if you prefer brewing several cups at once, or if you want a machine that will serve several people, a drip coffee might be the way to go. Keep in mind that these models don’t use pods.
• Espresso– if you are a serious coffee aficionado and love espresso, then you might want to go with an espresso machine. This machine will save you a lot of money that you’d have spent on coffee shops besides offering a convenient way of entertaining your friends after dinner.

Capacity

Cuisinart coffee makers have different sizes of water reservoirs. The ideal size will mainly depend on how many people will be served by the machine or how many cups you can take before getting out of the door in the morning. Usually, the more cups the reservoir can accommodate, the better.

While considering the capacity of the tank, check whether it’s easy to refill. A removable reservoir allows you to take it to the sink for easy refills. It gets even more comfortable to deal with if the tank is front-loaded.

How do you like your cup of Joe?

If you are super strict on how your coffee comes out, it might be essential to get a machine that allows a level of adjustments on the temperature and brew strength.

Extra features

The best Cuisinart coffee makers for 2020 have a range of features that might make your coffee experience even more appealing. You might find some of these crucial;

Built-in grinder– if you prefer fresh coffee grounds, a built-in grinder might be a great way to save counter space.

Programmable settings– they allow you to program the machine to brew a certain amount of coffee at a given time. This is very convenient if you want to wake up or come home to a piping hot cup of natural nectar.

Auto shutoff– are you fond of forgetting to switch off some appliances during the early morning rush? If so, an auto-shutoff feature may be more of a safety feature than a convenience.

Tips and Hints of using your Cuisinart Coffee Machine

1. Clean and descale your machine every month for fresh-tasting coffee brewed at the right temperatures.
2. Regularly cleanse the carafe and brewing chamber to prevent residue build-up.
3. Replace the water filter on a timely basis to remove contaminants that could alter your coffee’s taste.
4. Always buy good coffee. A quality brew boils down to the quality of the grounds or pods.
5. Coffee tastes great when served hot. Don’t let it sit for 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions