Review of Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker

I have been using the Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew. Let me start out by saying that if I had to rate this automatic coffee maker from 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best, I would have to lean towards a 2. This is for a number of pros and cons that I will enumerate now.

Starting with the Pros...

1. Programmable Brew Time

This has to be the best feature of the Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew coffeemaker. You can prepare the coffee 24-hours in advance by placing the beans and water into the coffeemaker and then press "program" and enter in the time you'd like the coffee to brew. At that time, the coffee maker will automatically turn on and brew your coffee. This is great for early-morning coffee drinkers who don't have time to make their coffee in the morning.

2. Thermal Coffee Pot

The next best feature of the Cuisinart Automatic Grind & Brew Coffeemaker is the thermal coffee pot. As the coffee gets brewed, it is stored in a thermal coffee pot so that it remains hot and fresh. This is a much better alternative to the coffee pots that sit on warming devices, which often burn the coffee or leave it tasting old and bitter.

3. Sleek Design

The Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew Automatic Coffeemaker has a pretty sleek and modern design, using stainless steel.

4. Grind-Off Function

The Cuisinart Automatic Grind & Brew Coffeemaker has a grinder for those that prefer to use whole beans. But, if for some reason you don't want to use whole beans, or don't have any on hand, you can use pre-ground coffee with this coffee machine and simply press "grind-off". Very simple and easy!

Now it's time for the Cons

1. Cumbersome Cleaning

The Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew Coffeemaker has so many different parts to clean everyday that it quickly becomes cumbersome. For each new batch of coffee you must clean seven separate parts! To be fair, these parts don't need to be cleaned with soap between each brew, but must be thoroughly rinsed. For those that don't have a dishwasher, cleaning the different parts is difficult, tiresome, and can be time-consuming.

2. Coffee Quality

When purchasing a $80-$120 coffeemaker, and a Cuisinart at that, one would expect the coffee quality to be fairly high. Unfortunately, this coffeemaker's coffee is not up to par. Somehow the coffeemaker seems to "drink" some of its own beans, because I usually put 4 tablespoons of beans in and 2 cups of water, and only then is the coffee not weak (and I don't like strong coffee). I don't know what happens, but this machine requires one to put in double the amount of beans just to get a good cup of coffee. It claims to make 12 cups of coffee at a time, but seeing as the grinder doesn't fit 24 tablespoons of beans, I wouldn't recommend making 12 cups of coffee flavored water at once.

3. Loud Grinder

If you use the programmable brewing function in the morning, you'll never need an alarm clock again. The grinder is so loud that it jolts you awake-when I wake up to the grinder my heart is literally racing (I live in a 1 bedroom apartment). The grinder stays on for about 30 seconds at this loud pace and then shuts off. As long as I use this function, my alarm clock is completely obsolete.

Overall, I would not recommend this Cuisinart coffeemaker. While the thermal feature is a huge plus, the below par coffee quality and cumbersome cleaning demands outweigh any positive attributes. At $80-$120, this coffeemaker is just not worth the expense.