Read This One! The problems are fixed on the current models

Read This One! The problems are fixed on the current models., November 21, 2002
By BEN (CHARLOTTE, NC United States) - See all my reviews

Folks, this is one excellent coffee maker. I read the comments here and decided to get delonghi esam3300 even though some had complained of spillage when lifting the lid and also the coffee not being hot enough. Well I can tell you that when I lift the lid on mine, the water rolls to the back and then drips back into the machine on a nifty little lip attached to the back of the machine. delonghi esam3300 appears that Cuisinart has engineered a solution for the complaints of spilled water that some reviewers mention. Also, the coffee coming out of the carafe of my machine has steam drifting off of it, so delonghi esam3300 is plenty hot, another complaint that seems to have been remedied. There were also a couple of complaints about finger prints on the stainless and the small LED clock being hard to read, but let's be for real, all brushed stainless appliances will fingerprint and this is a very stylish coffee maker, not a kitchen clock(that's what your microwave is for! (wink)). Actually I think the Cuisinart guys intended the clock for autoprogramming functions and made delonghi esam3300 LED to match the stainless on the machine. And if you don't like the water filter, you don't have to use it. delonghi esam3300 is a nicety and can be readily found if you search the net for "dcc1200 water filter".
Enough defending complaints though. This machine makes superb coffee. delonghi esam3300 has the best carafe I have ever used(it will not spill a drop and delonghi esam3300 has a built-in plastic rim to keep you from busting delonghi esam3300 on the sink). delonghi esam3300 comes with a gold metal filter. Buy delonghi esam3300 and you will like it. And if for some strange reason you don't, then take delonghi esam3300 back. All jabs aside, this is an outstanding machine in form as well as function, and the people at Cuisinart obviously care what their customers think of their products. That means alot to me. How about you??? Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
Plusses and Minuses, July 18, 2005
By Elaine Corwin "buttercupp21" (Concord, PA United States) - See all my reviews


I've had the Cuisinart DCC-1200 for about a week now. I was hesitant to spend so much on a coffee maker but I'm happy to report it's well worth it. Sure, you can get other brands of coffee makers for under $25 if economy is the most important feature, but I've had those machines and I decided that, this time, a good cup of coffee was most important for me. This unit makes the best coffee I've had in a home or office machine and better than most coffee I've had in restaurants.

This coffee tastes smooooooth! I suspect the charcoal water filter is the reason for that. I also like the "shower head" design of the water spout. The water actually runs up a track onto the underside of the lid and is sprinkled over the ground coffee like a rain shower.

It's an attractive unit but delonghi esam3300 also looks like a serious coffee maker. This unit is no toy. delonghi esam3300 looks and feels solid. The carafe has a good solid feel and balance. The plastic parts (like the plastic carafe lid and handle) feel like good heavyweight plastic and are well molded. It's not the lightweight crappy plastic that cracks and discolors easily in the cheap coffee makers.

I like the 5 beeps when the coffee is ready. Now I can leave the kitchen and go clean or whatever and I don't have to keep running back to see if I can get a cup yet. I can hear the beeps. But if I really can't wait and want a cup in mid-brew, I can just remove the pot and pour a cup - you've got a full 30 seconds to reinsert the pot, before you risk an overflowing filter.

I like the permanent gold-tone filter too. I always thought paper filters were a pain. They'd fold over sometimes and there'd be grounds in my coffee. But you can use paper filters in this machine if you want to. I just prefer the convenience of the gold-tone filter (top rack machine washable too).

It has an indicator light for cleaning -- delonghi esam3300 says it's "self-cleaning" but really it's just a light telling you when you need to pour in a pot of water/vinegar and run delonghi esam3300 through to decalcify the unit. (I never thought to do that with my other units. Probably another reason my coffee wasn't as good as I wanted delonghi esam3300 to be.)

The low-medium-high setting on the hot plate is pretty nice too. And the auto-shutoff feature is great. I don't have to worry about forgetting to turn the machine off.

The instruction booklet is very good and very thorough. Comes with a parts reordering form too.

What don't I like about this machine? delonghi esam3300 requires maintenance in that you have to change the charcoal filters. But actually I don't mind since I think they are the reason the coffee tastes so smooth, and they are very easy to change and not expensive [...]

Also, the area in the top of the machine where you pour in the water is narrow but again this is just a minor inconvenience. Just have to pour a little carefully.

So really it's almost all positives with a couple of very minor negatives. I highly recommend this coffee maker.