DeLonghi DCM485 10-Cup Coffee Maker

Pros: Looks great on the kitchen counter Only one: Looks great on the kitchen counter
Cons: Poor brewing temperature; overflows; drips when pouring

I can't imagine a more poorly designed product, especially from DeLonghi. I have experienced all of the problems other reviewers have commented on and the overflowing/flooding is the worst of the problems. I walk into my kitchen every morning with ...

Pros: excellent coffee thermal carafe (no burnt coffee) timer function price
Cons: size (takes up a lot of counter space) look (maybe too modern for some kitchens)

After a month of brewing coffee, I am very happy with this coffee maker. It has all the features you'd want in a coffee maker (unless you're a professional barista): thermal carafe, timer feature, reusable gold filter basket, water filter and brew ...

Pros: Good looks, removable water tank and no paper filters.
Cons: Drips,overflow and makes a generic cup of coffee.

I've been looking for a stylish thermal coffee maker in black to replace a favorite, ( nothing wrong..but the color).I thought I had found it, well I got the stylish part right, thats about it.I had read some reviews about the overflow and drip problem ...

Pros: Sleek design, colorful display
Cons: Overflowing, drippy pours, tepid brew, lasted 1 year and then died electrically. Sleek slug.

I purchased this sleek machine at Starbucks for $149.00. The main unit's top loading for coffee grounds and the water basket are well designed, easy to use. The water level indicator on the side is clear, keeps you informed of the actual brewing ...

Pros: Looks good
Cons: tepid coffee,leaking lid,overflow

Starbucks replaced my Barista Aroma with this disappointing DeLonghi machine. What a waste of expensive coffee beans and coffee! The lid leaks no matter how tightly I hold the lid on while pouring, spilling and wasting the coffee which is not hot enough, the thermal carafe does not retain the heat, and it will overflow and the pause feature doesn't work. A dismal way to start the day.

Pros: The thermal carafe
Cons: temp varies, machine overflows & was dead in less than 6 months.

This product lasted less than 6 months. We lived with the temperature variations...unhappily. We tried to laugh off the overflows. We are a household of coffee snobs. We need a well made product that makes a decent cup of coffee without making a mess and lasts more than 6 months. This is NOT it!! Shame on Starbucks for selling this coffee maker.

Pros: nice looking
Cons: overflows hard to pour a cup of coffee without going all over the place

I have never had a coffee pot so poorly designed! I have to hold pressure in on the pot all during the brew cycle, for it not to overflow. Do they even test these products before they mass produce them? My last DeLonghi for sure.

Pros: None, this thing is garbage.
Cons: Great for covering counter/floors with luke warm coffee. Only $149.00 at Starbucks.

Purchased at Starbucks, Nothing but leaks and flooding since purchase. Cannot interrupt brewing cycle to pour a cup, you get additional flood of coffee on counter or floor.

Pros: Nice design.
Cons: Leaks. Everywhere. Every time.

I cannot imagine a poorer designed carafe. No matter what position we have the lid, it leaks when it pours. I asked the Starbucks Barista (where we purchased the maker) if he had any ideas and he suggested taking the lid off. Well ... it even leaks with the lid off.

Pros: Overflows
Cons: Digital and forces us to get a new one.

This coffee maker overflows all the time!! It's very aggravating because then it's difficult to handle and you end up burning your hand.

Pros: Makes a decent cup as long as it works.
Cons: Poorly designed program buttons, overflow problem, it dies in about a year.

I'm in the same boat as the rest of the reviewers here! Had to replace my Aroma Grande, due to a recall, with the DeLonghi DCM485. All seemed to be good for about a year, other than one overflow and the stupid programming buttons. Then one morning I got everything set up for a brew and I realized the stupid thing was just dead!!! No clock, no power at all!!! Thinking it was my outlet I checked and rechecked, all to find that this was the same experience others were having. It just dies. What a faulty piece of CRAP! I'm done buying over priced low quality coffee makers from the one place that hails itself as the coffee god! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Pros: Looks good. Great coffee. Easy to use and clean.
Cons: Expensive. Coffee could brew warmer.

We have had this coffee maker for a year. It does require an attentive user - the carafe lid must be in the right position both for brewing and for pouring. Positions are clearly marked and work well. Show me a coffee maker that doesn't overflow if not emptied first or carafe not placed properly. Manufacturer is NOT responsible for people who do not use equipment as designed. The on/off/timer switch can be confusing but is perfectly understandable once figured out, or after reading - "GASP" - the manual. Coffee taste is excellent. Removable water tank is great. The coffee doesn't brew terribly warm but that isn't a big deal for people who expect fresh coffee - not coffee that is hours old.

Pros: looks, great features, stainless durability
Cons: reliability is non-existent

No, the coffee tasted fine, it's the lack of reliability that is hard to swallow. After reading all the mixed reviews (knowing the average was not so good) on this site I decided to buy the DeLonghi with my heart and give it a try. Bad, bad decision! After impeccable care to compensate for its pouring and brewing peculiarities, yesterday it simply refused to heat up and operate. Overall I received about two years of seldom used performance from it. Probably would have been cheaper per cup to have just purchased fresh brew from Starbucks over that time.

After a visit to my Super K-Mart, an 8-cup stainless carafe Mr. Coffee came home for $51. Certainly it's not as beautiful as Ms. Delonghi but if I only get another two years tossing it in the dumpster (along side the Delonghi) won't break my heart and burn my wallet.

Lesson learned for others-stay away from this model. Don't be seduced!

Pros: ZERO
Cons: Not hot enough, hard to pour, not reliable

This along with the other Starbucks Barista coffee makers it replaced are very poor designs. Obviously nobody has tested these machines in any type of product qualification process.

Starbucks replaced my defective Barista units, but their customer service has disappeared when it comes to replacing the junk DeLonghi. It never brewed coffee hot enough, had all of the problems that have been previously documented, and quit working in less than 1 year. Starbucks will not honor the warranty without a receipt. This was my last purchase of any kind from Starbucks, but that is for another review.

Bottom line don't buy this machine or any other coffee maker from Starbucks.

Pros: Looks nice. Display is luminecent blue. Durable stainless steel. Water filter.
Cons: low brewing temp and safety issue because heater stays on after water runs thru unit

Traded in a leaking Barista 4 cup for this replacement coffee maker at Starbucks. This model looks great but has two major faults. 1) brewing twmp of water is 160 and 2) does not shutoff after water runs thru unit (safety issue).
I called Delonghi customer service and was told it is designed this way.
Have since replaced with a Zojirushi unit that is great!

Pros: Looks good.
Cons: Expensive, malfunctions.

We purchased this coffeemaker from Starbucks upon the recommendation of the Barista person. I loved the idea of the thermal carafe and thought that Starbucks' endorsement of the product would indicate that this was a good coffee maker. NOT! From the beginning there were problems with leakage. I was going to return it, but didn't. After one year this has been nothing but a problem. I cannot tell you how many times it's overflowed all over the kitchen counter. This morning was the worst. . . .grounds and coffee everywhere. The only good thing is that the carafe does keep the coffee warm, but if the lid isn't exactly on the mark coffee leaks all over. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. I can't say enough bad about this product.

UPDATE: I talked with Starbucks consumer division who advised me to call DeLonghi. They agreed that this is a flawed product and they removed it from their stores. DeLonghi has discontinued it. However, I saw it this morning in a "Grandin Road" catalog for $189. STAY AWAY.

Pros: We didn't have to pay for it.
Cons: Nothing happens when you turn it on.

Thankfully we were given this coffee maker as a anniversary gift and didn't have to pay the over-priced cost of $149. We never experienced the overflow problems that others did, but pouring coffee was sometimes a bit messy. Our problem came after having the coffee maker about 6 months. One morning it just refused to work. DeLonghi's "customer service" admitted having internal problems with this machine and suggested we cut the cord off ,send it back and wait 6 to 8 weeks for a replacement. Starbucks was no help either. We had a cheap coffemaker for the first 8 years of our marriage that gave us no trouble. So much for the DeLonghi name. Don't buy this coffee maker, I hope Starbucks yanks it off the shelf before it further damages their reputation.

Pros: Looks nice, that's all.
Cons: carafe leaks, poor temp control, annoying light, no beep

After my Starbucks 12 cup thermal died (a year to the day) I took it back to Starbucks to get it replaced. Unfortunately they discontinued my model so I got this one as a replacement.

What a disappointment, everything that could go wrong did.... I went right back to my old Cuisinart with all the features a coffee maker should have.

Issues: The carafe leaks (pouring and brewing), does not keep coffee hot, no temp control, no beep when finished brewing, the light stays on all the time, (did I mention that it leaks?)

Pros: reusable gold filter, even hot water dispersing
Cons: breaks after 2 years and company won't even sell you the parts to fix it!!!

Yesterday my Delonghi was working fine and aside from an annoying drip in the carafe when one pours coffee too quickly, I loved this machine.

However this morning the machine would not work, the lights are on and it appears to be fine, but it does not brew. I called the Delonghi company as well as a local seller and they told me that it would not be cost effective to fix it and to buy a new one. Upon doing research I found that MANY people have this same problem, but the product is beyond warranty at the 2 year mark!

I have only had this coffee pot for 2 years and I originally paid close to $200 for it at Starbucks. I think I will buy a cheap Bunn coffee maker next time!

Pros: Makes good coffee, easy to clean, simple design
Cons: Annoying blinking light, cumbersome clock feature, drippy carafe, slow brew time

We bought this coffeemaker 18 months ago after our Starbucks 12-Cup Barista died after just one year. Starbucks was nice enough to give us the DeLonghi as a trade in for the Barista. Otherwise, we would have paid $159 for it.

The carafe drips, unless you line up the cap EXACTLY right, which we never do. So we're always wiping coffee off the counter. It did make really good coffee.

The clock and timer features weren't exactly intuitive. had to get out the manual to see how it was done.

Every time I wanted to set the clock or the brew program, I Last week, the DeLonghi just up and died. The clock works, the lights work, but it won't brew. So we're back to using the French press, which makes excellent coffee -- which is loaded with muddy sediment that apparently raises cholesterol levels!

We're pretty weary of pricey and hyped coffeemakers dying after less than two years.

Pros: Looks great!
Cons: Lots of drips when you pour.

This coffee maker drips almost every time that I poured coffee with it. The problem is that you have to get the top perfectly lined up before pouring. And I mean EXACTLY lined up. Otherwise, you might as well grab the rag. Not a big spill.. just a few drops... but predictable and tiring. I was happy to see it die. The reservoir started leaking on us, so we sent it back to Delonghi and they will be sending us a brand new one. When it gets here, it will be going on craigslist!

Pros: Looks great, brews quietly, makes great coffee.
Cons: It could brew a little faster

I have had no problems with this coffee maker. I didn't buy it, I am a soldier deployed to Iraq and this coffee maker was a gift from Starbucks. I have been using it for 10 months and the only time it has over flowed is when I forgot to make sure it was empty before brewing a new pot. I have never had a problem with it dripping when I poor a cup of coffee. I am surprised to hear that so many people are having problems with this product. Mine works perfectly and I am very pleased with it.

Pros: It has not exploded or set my kitchen on fire, yet.
Cons: ugly, bulky, unnecessarily complicated, lousy spout that spills, annoying lid, faux Italian brand name, pretentious.

This is the most stupid & annoying coffee maker I've ever used. It doesn't even pour without spilling all over the counter. If you can't even design a spout, why are you making a pot, much less an entire machine. This thing is huge, and for what? Supposedly it keeps coffee hot and fresh longer. Whatever, have not noticed that. I just notice the annoying twist open lid that I have to wrestle with each time I want to top off my cup, and then re-adjust so the pot will fit back in its spot. The machine has something called the "accuflavor" adjuster. What a useless gimmick. The flavor of the coffee depends on the beans, not a dial you adjust on top of the machine. This thing is just a perfect example of overdesigning what should be a simple hot water pump. It will sit on my counter while I make "cowboy coffee" in a pot on the stove, and just allow the grounds to settle to the bottom. Or I'll "regift" it to someone (that I don't really like).

Pros: Attractive Design, Makes Good Coffee, Removable Water Tank is handy.
Cons: Carafe drips no matter how slow you pour, Pause & Serve too sensitive.

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS COFFEEMAKER. Looks great, but has the worst designed carafe in history. In order to avoid spilling coffee everywhere, you have to either pour it at the same speed as the coffee actually brews (which doesn't always work), or pour it over a sink or swimming pool. I thought "maybe I just got a bad carafe", so I call tech support for a replacement. 8 months and 4 periodic calls later, they still do not have a replacement carafe in stock. Instead, they suggest that I cut off the plug on the maker, mail it in and hope for an entire replacement some 2 weeks later. Excellent customer service.

The pause & serve function is also poorly implemented - if the carafe isn't sitting just so perfectly in the unit, the drip stop doesn't open and you come back to find an enormous mess of coffee and grounds that have overflowed into every nook and cranny of your machine (and there are a lot) requiring the entire thing be scrubbed out.

It does make good coffee, though. Too bad you have to lick it off the kitchen counter.

Pros: Makes fairly good coffee, when not full of grinds.
Cons: Floods a kitchen and stains countertops within minutes of overflow.

This was the worst Birthday gift I have ever gotten. It has flooded my new kitchen floor atleast 8 times in the last month. I just kept thinking I was using the wrong density of grounds and the store replaced the carafe after 2 weeks.

Pros: tough to say, all has failed so far
Cons: leaks everywhere, and has to be poured over sink,
also d9 zener diode burns out

i had my coffe maker die the other day i wasnt happy
but i am a fix it kinda guy seens how it was a 100 bucks for it
i took it apart and found the ckt. board inside on the board location
d9 theres a glass diode that burnt out and shorted the system
i went to radio shack got the diode and replaced it.
now the coffe maker is back to brewing luke warm leaking spilling coffe.
took about 1/2 hr to fix it. so if you want to make it work again
replace that diode.
its a 12 volt zener diode radio shack model # int4742a
good luck and happy brewing
tom

Pros: Looks nice.....
Cons: Cold coffee. Overflows when you make more than 5 cups. Way too expensive!!

I paid way too much for this coffee maker by buying it from Starbucks. That's my own fault but we live in a very small town and not a lot of places to shop. I foolishly expected that if you should get what you pay for, not true in this situation. The coffee was not hot enough and when I made more than 5 cups, like others have said, it overflowed and made a huge mess with coffee grounds everywhere, including in the coffee pot (yuck!).

This maker is going back to Starbucks today. Shame on them for selling a product that clearly is not worth the money!

Pros: Looks and works great.
Cons: I cant think of any right now

I have had it for about a month. The only time I have a drip problem is when I try to pour coffee in a hurry. I am sorry to see so many people not liking it.It brews fast and with no need for filter is great. Its my first coffee pot that does not need a hot plate. I will never go back to the burner type.And the lift out water tank is great. The filter that holds the coffee has never had a overflow problem. I brew full pots.