Is your carafe half empty or half full?
Written: Jun 29 '09 (Updated Jun 29 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No burner to make the coffee bitter
Cons: Very poor design.
The Bottom Line: Coffee stays fresh and warm longer, but there's a huge trade off.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Proctor-Silex Plus 10-Cup Programmable Thermal Cof... |
I can't believe how overwhelming it can be to shop for a coffee maker. I could have gotten a cheap one for just $13 or one that would automatically grind the beans and brew for $250. I “wanted” the $250 one because it looked pretty and shiny but foolishly chose this piece of junk instead.
Thermal Carafe
I've been wanting a thermal carafe for some time because I hate the way coffee tastes after it sits on the burner. This coffee pot automatically turns itself off when it's finished brewing so there's no extra cook time to make the coffee taste bitter.
I also thought that silver would look nice on the counter because it would match the stainless appliances in the kitchen. I found it to look a little cheap, but it is acceptable.
My excitement for the thermal carafe ended when I realized the drawbacks outweighed the benefit. There is no marking on the carafe like there is on a glass pot. The reservoir does have a water gauge but is not removable so water has to be added until the correct level is reached and hope you don't add too much because you can't take it back out like you can in a carafe.
Most coffee pots are 12 cups, but this one is 10 which didn't matter to me. We rarely need 12 cups of coffee at one time and it's no problem to make more coffee if needed. Of course I have no idea how much coffee is left since I can not see through the carafe.
Nothing says good morning like the smell of freshly perked coffee. I love the smell and was disappointed that the coffee is brewed directly into a sealed carafe so the heavenly fragrance is bottled up.
If it's done or not, who knows. There's no bells, lights or coffee gauges to give you a clue. There's enough to remember the way it is without worrying about the status of the coffee. I knew that I had a problem when my husband woke me up one morning to ask me if the coffee was freshly brewed or if it was still warm from the night before.
Temperature
The temperature can not be adjusted so you had better be tickled with the temperature it comes out. It's not that hot because I can start drinking it immediately after it brews. It's warm, but not piping hot like our last coffee pot. The coffee stays warm and still tastes fresh after sitting in the carafe for hours however it's no longer steaming hot and will likely not be hot enough for some coffee drinkers. I have noticed that the second pot stays warmer for longer.
The box indicates that this also makes iced coffee. I don't drink it that way, but that's a cool feature that you don't get with glass carafes.
Cleaning
A glass carafe can look unsightly with old coffee on the bottom and or coffee stains on the glass. No worries here because no one will even know there is coffee in this carafe. The carafe is dishwasher safe which is great because how else are you going to clean it? The opening at the mouth is so small that I can't even stick my hand in there.
Messy. Seriously.
The pour spout is a plastic prong that sticks up that you have to push with your thumb as you pour. The pot has to be tipped nearly upside down to get the coffee to come out. The coffee has such a small exit that it comes out sloppy due to the resistance rather than smoothly flowing. Most of it goes into the cup but a lot of it pours down the carafe and onto the counter. I tried different ways of pouring it and even asked different people to try but no one could pour a cup without it running down the side.
The last straw was when I woke up to coffee grounds that had exploded for whatever reason. There were coffee grounds all over the top if the lid, in the reservoir, inside the carafe, all over the burner, all over the counter, and a little on the floor. Not surprised really.
Digital Clock
It's easy to program the clock and brew time however the buttons are positioned poorly. There is no back light on the clock so nothing will be glowing in the dark. It's easy to brush up against the button when you're getting the carafe and accidentally change the clock time without knowing it. In order to find out if you still have the correct time you have to lean down and squint to see the time depending on your eyesight.
Another problem with the clock being at the bottom is that when the coffee pot runs all over the place it gets the electronics all wet. Let me also clarify that “pause and serve” means pause and immediately dump liquid all over the counter. The instructions say 20 seconds but it's really 1 second.
Overall
The Proctor Silex brand is owned by Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. I'm not really sure why they would put their name on a product this poorly designed and then have the nerve to put a $60 price tag on it. This is going back to the store and I'm buying a pretty shiny one!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 542
Trusted by: 172 members
About Me:
Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!
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