Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Thermal Coffeemaker 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black
by Cuisinart
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: CuisinartBrand: Cuisinart
Model: DTC975BKN
Color: Black/Stainless
Product features:
- Fully automatic, 12-Cup coffeemaker with 24-hour programmability
- 12-Cup double-wall insulated, stainless-steel carafe
- Patented brew-through / pour-through lid for easy serving
- Includes: Instruction book
- Measures 16 by 7-1/2 by 11-1/4 inches; limited 3-Year warranty
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Thermal Coffeemaker 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black
Customer Review: Read my tips. This machine can be great for you too!
Summary: 4 Stars
There are tricks (enclosed) to using this one properly, but when educated, it's decent. I recommend this machine to those who understand the mechanics of a sneak-a-cup drip coffeemaker and want a 12-cup thermal carafe in stainless steel. I hesitate to recommend it for a location where multiple people will make coffee who haven't been properly educated on this particular machine.
Pros:
- Super easy to set time and program. Plus no burner timer to set! (My Braun 12-cup is kinda complex compared).
- 12-cup capacity thermal carafe- a rarity in the market for some reason. Why would anyone buy anything smaller anyway?
- Thermal carafes are "green". They save energy! Plus they keep the coffee from getting burned
- Really nice to not have the coffee pot tethered to a warming plate. Take it to wherever you're sitting for easy refills!
- The coffee tastes good, is at the proper hot temp when brewed and the carafe holds the temp for many, many hours. Even after 12 hrs it's still fairly and pretty darn hot- still drinkable!
- No-fuss carafe lid does it all in one position- brews and pours
- Pretty stainless steel and black design
- Filter basket easily lifts out of the swing basket to dump a used paper filter and clean. It has a little handle on it to keep hands clean and seat the basket properly.
Cons:
- The swing and filter baskets were NOT designed to fit a standard #4 permanent gold filter! I am shocked that Cuisinart would make a machine that can't use a permanent filter and not clarify that in the manual!!! Well, if you are handy like me, there's workarounds. See my tips below.
- The power cord is barely 3' long and can require an extension cord to place it where needed- not acceptible at all.
- The reservoir's water indicator window faces the left side. It should be facing forward. I have to do some gymnastics to read it while pouring water in.
- It is extremely tall- 16"! If it's placed under a cabinet that has a light, it blocks the light and of course you must pull it out to fill the reservoir if it is under a cabinet. For a machine where they skimped on the filter basket height, I don't get why they made the carafe and base so tall? It could be better designed all around. (I wouldn't mind a short, fat carafe, flat base and a vertical control panel along the side).
- There's a (steam release?) hole in the top back of the water reservoir. You must be careful not to pour water through it and onto your counter top when filling it.
- The coffee does pour out of the carafe in a thin stream. You do need patience when filling a cup. I wish the stream would adjust when the lid is opened a bit more, but it doesn't. I also wish there was a way to close the spout completely so you can't pour at all. Then I could take the carafe with me anywhere- on picnics etc..
- The carafe is lined primarily with stainless steel (glass on bottom only). A full glass lining would yield better tasting coffee, is easier to keep clean and would probably provide a longer carafe life with no seam in there to eventually fail.
- It's true the carafe lid can screw on crooked pretty easily, so you need to pay attention when screwing it on.
- Seems to make coffee slightly weaker than the Braun comparing equal volumes water to grinds. Looks from the wet grinds like the water just drips though the center of the filter basket rather than being sprayed over the top- dumb.
- The LCD display is dark and difficult to read- should be an LED backlit display
Meh:
- The beeps- The Braun also beeps at the same volume with several beeps when done, so this is pretty common in high-end coffeemaker brands. Doesn't bother me. I have air conditioners and an alarm system that beep louder in a mere 1700 sq ft home. I think people are too touchy about this. Anyway it's nice to know when it's safe to take the pot to the table.
- Would be nice if there was some sort of coffee level display for the carafe since you can't see in it, or even a simple weight-based indicator light on th emachine that stays lit whenever there's any additional weight in the carafe.
Tips on this machine:
This is a sneak-a-cup drip coffeemaker. There are moving parts that must align properly between the lid and the bottom of the filter basket. If you do not close the swing basket all the way or do not put the carafe under the basket so the popup in the bottom of the filter basket is aligned with the center button on the lid and pushed up by it, the filter basket will not open up and allow the coffee to flow into the carafe. The filter basket will overflow. ALL sneek-a-cup drip coffeemakers have this.
On this particular machine, the swing basket closure is much tighter than other coffemakers and a standard #4 permanent filter doesn't fit. Both must be understood by users! See below.
The swing basket must be firmly "snapped" shut, not just pulled over and loosely placed. I stick a finger under the machine frame and push the swing basket into it with my thumb until they snap together. (You must do this in reverse to open it too.) If it's not closed all the way, the carafe lid might not seat firmly with the filter basket popup and the swing basket could move during brewing causing a spill. With this machine, always close the swing basket first, then slide the pot onto the platform. It doesn't sit well if you already have the pot there when closing the basket.
You can't use a standard #4 permanent gold filter in this machine out-of-the-box! The filter and swing baskets are 1/2" too short for them! I retrofitted my Braun filter to get it to be short enough to fit in this basket with room to allow it to be raised by the popup at the bottom of the basket. It must have space to move up or the carafe will not fit under the basket properly and open the popup which will cause a huge spill. You need a filter that has a deep plastic rim on the top so you have something to trim off. The finished height of the filter should be between 3.5-3.7 max. I cut it with a hacksaw. It was some work, but really worth it! Mine works great with this retrofitted gold filter.
NOTE- I only use 8-10 tbsps of coffee in the filter to make 12 cups. If you like your coffee strong, you might find the coffee is too close to the top of the shortened filter, so I would carefully test the first brew because some water might need to sit on top of the grinds while brewing.
OR..
If you can be sure NO ONE WILL EVER do a sneak-a-cup, you could remove the filter basket's popup and then you can fit a standard gold filter;..but you'd better be sure!!
Keep the coffee in the pointed hill shape in the filter rather than flattening out the top surface, because this maker just drips the water through the very center (dumb) and that will help get the water flowing through more of it.
The carafe lid must be screwed on straight and level, not at an angle. I've read more than one reviewer state it should be on at an angle. That is ludicrous! Watch the lid while the coffee is brewing and you'll see coffee collects a bit in the little center cup before dropping into the carafe. If the lid is crooked you will have a spill for sure!
Secondly, the cap is not that touchy. Just screw it on straight and reasonably tight and you're good-to-go. You don't need to read the markings on it. It certainly has enough play in it to be forgiving. I don't even close it as tight as it should be to line up the "pour" mark with the spout and it still brews and pours fine.
Of course if you have anything left in the carafe and make a new full pot you will get an overflow! Since you can't see what's in the carafe, ALWAYS use the carafe itself to get the water to make a new pot of coffee. This will force you to ensure that the carafe has no coffee still in it from the last pot.
Definitely warm up the carafe with hot tap water before brewing to keep the coffee to temp longer (unless your water heater is old and rusty ;))
This carafe has a typical small-ish thermal carafe opening, yet a regular size pot scrub-brush fits easily into this opening (but your hand and a sponge certainly won't!). Coffee carafes only need scrubbing now and then anyway. Just rinse and swish it with most uses and periodically scrub it when it starts to get a dark film. If you don't like small openings, get a glass carafe machine!
Because this machine has unique moving parts in the carafe lid and filter basket to flow the coffee through, it is imperative to keep the moving parts clean to avoid clogs in the flow. Run a vinigar & water brew through it now and then to clear out the gunk and keep everything moving freely. You can also carefully open the lid top cap and manually clean in there, but put the balls back placed as you found them. Clean the filter basket now and then (It's removable). Be careful with the popup machanism at the bottom as it can break easily, but ensure it is gunk-free.
If you take care of this machine and understand it , it should provide years of quality service. I'll add an update in a few years!
More Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Thermal Coffeemaker 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black reviews:
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Description of Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Thermal Coffeemaker 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black
With 24-hour programmability this coffeemaker lets you choose when to brew. The unit automatically shuts off and has an audible beep when brew cycle is complete. The convenient Brew Pause feature lets you enjoy a cup during the brewing cycle and the easy to read water level indicator takes the guesswork out of measuring. It?s large capacity thermal carafe keeps up to 12 cups of coffee hot and fresh and features a patented Brew Through / Pour Through Lid that seals out air and seals in flavor.Drip Coffee Machines
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