Krups 453-4C 12-Cup Coffeemaker with Gold Tone Filter, Black
by Krups
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: KrupsBrand: Krups
Model: 453-4C
Color: Black
Product features:
- 3 brewing choices: full-flavored, medium-strength, strong; carafe lid seals in flavor, aroma
- Deep-Brew system pulses water through grounds for optimum flavor
- Permanent GoldTone filter; water filtration removes chlorine
- 24-hour programmable clock/timer; brew-pause feature; adjustable warming plate
- Measures 8 by 13 by 11 inches; 1-year limited warranty
- Krups 035-42 Replacement Carafe, Black
- Krups 53 Gold Tone Permanent Filter
- Krups 594-00 Charcoal Water Filters
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Krups 453-4C 12-Cup Coffeemaker with Gold Tone Filter, Black
Customer Review: The Lowdown on the 453
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned this coffeemaker for about 9 months and I'm buying another one. Why am I buying it again?
1. I drink my coffee black, so I can really taste it. This coffee maker makes excellent coffee -- way better than Braun, Cusinart, Mr. Coffee, or anything designed for home use. Don't use the gold filter; it's nonsense. And that's true not just of Krups but of all the other coffee makers that offer "permanent" filters. It's a gimmick. Use paper filters. (Get the brown ones.) Reason: The coffee taste is smoother through paper. The metal filters add a slight harshness to the flavor.
2. The Krups 453 is very well designed, but poorly built. Like every Braun I've ever owned, my 453 just died one day. It comes on, but the heater element croaked so it can't actually percolate the coffee. Nothing happens.
Even though I only got 9 months of use out of the 453, the coffee it brews is so good I'm willing to pay another $70. And if the new one goes in another 9 mos, I'll do the same if it's still around.
What's great about this coffee maker:
The carafe's seal is pretty ingenious, using the coffee itself to seal the honeycomb pouring area. The secret to fresh tasting coffee an hour after it's brewed (a *long* time), is a fully sealed carafe and gentle heat. This model lets you control both the heat level and its duration. And the overnight timer is great for those truly early mornings.
Another tip: Read the manual. Some of the comments from other reviews show that features are turned on that could be turned off (like pre-heating the carafe).
Bottom line: If you know of a better coffee maker for $70, I'd like to hear about it. I've tried a lot of different models, and there's no comparison to this one both in terms of features and coffee taste. Now if Krups would just improve the build quality ...
UPDATE: Six months into my second 453, I stand by everything I wrote above. But some additional notes are worth passing along:
a. The caraffe that came with my second unit spills coffee all over the counter whenever you pour -- something other people have complained about.
b. The feet the second unit perches on aren't fully level.
c. Both units had a problem with the wire-retaining solution on the back of the unit. If the coffee maker is moved around, the AC wire comes loose from this retaining hole, and the wire then slips under the unit, making it tippy.
d. The controls are more or less OK, but the On button should be more obvious. That's the button you use every day (unless you're a timer nut), and some mornings, when my brain hasn't engaged yet (after all, I haven't had my coffee!), I have to think to myself, is it the button on the bottom right (yes) or the bottom left (no). Don't bother trying to decipher the markings.
Nothing's changed for me in terms of the aggravation/reliablity vs. quality-of-coffee-brewing equation. If I could find a coffee maker that brewed coffee this well whose build quality and reliability were better, I'd buy it. Unfortunately, such a product has yet to emerge. Until then, I'll probably be stuck buying Krups coffee makers every year or so.
Come to think of it, my nine months on the current unit are almost up. ;-)
Description of Krups 453-4C 12-Cup Coffeemaker with Gold Tone Filter, Black
Wake up and smell the coffee! We mean it literally: this programmable coffeemaker will have your brew ready and waiting for you. Perhaps the aroma will rouse you from your slumbers instead of a jarring alarm clock. Now wouldn't that be a kinder, gentler way to start the day? You'll also appreciate the cleaner brighter taste that filtered water gives your coffee, thanks to the NaturActiv charcoal filter system that is integral to this machine.By offering three brewing-cycle options, this coffeemaker makes it possible to brew up to three 5-ounce cups of full-flavored coffee, or up to 12 cups of medium-strength or strong coffee. Choosing one of the options is easy thanks to an electronic control panel with a LCD display. Other buttons on the panel permit the 60-ounce carafe to be prewarmed, the warming plate to be set at six different temperatures or shut off automatically, and the 24-hour clock/timer to be set for brewing wake-up coffee. For extracting optimum coffee flavor, the coffeemaker is equipped with Krups' Deep-Brew system, which pulses hot water through the grounds at precisely timed intervals. For convenience (no messy paper filters), the machine has a permanent gold tone filter. For removing chlorine from tap water, there's a vegetable-based filter. (Replacement filters can be ordered separately.)
Other features include a 20-second pause in the brewing cycle when the glass carafe is removed for a midbrew pour, a carafe lid that seals in flavor and aroma, an electronic warning when the coffeemaker needs decalcifying (though calcification is minimized because residual water is removed when brewing is complete), an easy-to-read magnified water-level window, and cord storage. The coffeemaker measures 8 inches wide, 13 inches high, and 11 inches deep (including carafe handle). --Fred Brack
Drip Coffee Machines
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