Product Description

To achieve a spectacular cup of coffee there are essential steps that need to be taken. The water must be free of chlorine taste (hence the charcoal filter), the machine must be able to brew larger or smaller amounts successfully (this one "knows" to disperse hot water more slowly when the coffee ground amount is less). The coffee must be very hot (right around 192 Degrees F, like the brew from the MT500), and kept fresh, as in a double walled stainless steel carafe with a one way valve that keeps flavor and aroma in the coffee. Now it doesn't hurt if the machine itself is gorgeous either, or that it can output 10 cups of coffee in 8 minutes. Oh and one more thing: this is the only coffee maker in its class that has a stainless steel boiler so your coffee doesn't ever come in contact with aluminum. Normally this type of construction, and a 1200 watt heating element are found only on commercial grade appliances.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8741 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Size: 10-cup
• Color: black
• Brand: Capresso
• Model: 440.05
• Dimensions: 11.40" h x 11.70" w x 16.70" l, 9.00 pounds

Features

• Brews up to 10 5-ounce cups in just 8 minutes for maximum flavor, aroma
• Stainless-steel vacuum carafe keeps coffee hot up to 4 hours
• Stainless-steel ThermoBlock heating system reduces calcification
• Brew-pause for mid-brew pour; digital, programmable clock/timer
• Measures 9-3/4 by 13-3/4 by 10 inches; 1-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
Employing a stainless-steel vacuum carafe instead of a warming plate, this 1,200-watt coffeemaker brews up to ten 5-ounce cups in just 8 minutes for maximum flavor and aroma, and the carafe then keeps the coffee hot for 4 hours. The carafe prevents coffee from turning bitter, as it can when sitting on a warming plate, and doesn't have to remain with the machine for coffee to stay hot. To reduce calcification, Capresso's stainless-steel ThermoBlock system prevents water from contacting aluminum inside the machine. Other features: a digital, programmable, 24-hour clock/timer that makes it possible to have coffee ready in the morning; an automatic pause when the carafe is removed during the brewing process for a quick pour; a charcoal water filter to remove up to 83 percent of the chlorine in tap water; an electronic indicator to show when the water filter needs replacing; a setting for brewing three to five cups without diluting flavor and aroma; a permanent Gold Tone filter; automatic shutoff after brewing; an external water-level indicator; and concealed cord storage.

With a polished, extruded-aluminum body and plastic accents, the machine looks great on the counter. It measures 9-3/4 inches wide, 13-3/4 inches high, and 10 inches deep, weighs 7 pounds, and carries a one-year warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

Customer Reviews

A true drip coffee connoisseur's pot
I have been brewing with this pot for four months now, and I have never been anything but completely pleased with its performance. The pot it replaced was another high-quality thermal carafe unit, and the MT-500 is head and shoulders superior in coffee consistency and flavor.

I am a bit of a coffee fanatic, roasting my own beans about twice a week, and as such I demand a high-quality cup of coffee. Normally one assumes that coffee prepared in a drip machine is going to be a bit of a compromise, but my experience with this pot has changed my opinion on that point! Using a wire mesh filter (the included filter is appropriate) and an appropriate grind (as fine as possible without building a lot of sediment in the pot or clogging the filter, in my experience, gives the best flavor with this pot), the flavor from this pot compares favorably to press extraction.

Coffee stays hot in a full carafe for four or five hours; as the coffee is poured off, keep time shrinks. I often brew a pot at about 9AM and drink the last cup at about 1PM, and the last cup is hot enough for my tastes, but noticably cooler than it was at brew time.

The 3-5 cup (half pot) brewing cycle works well. On previous pots I have owned, half pots are difficult to gauge grounds for proper extraction. With this pot, divide your normal ground quantity in half, push the 3-5 button, and brew away. The resulting pot will be very similar to your normal full pot in quality and flavor.

I have not used the timer features, so I cannot review them fairly. It seems incongruous to me to pay $180 for a coffee pot and then grind your beans the night before.

Pros:
* Brews a consistently high quality cup if you do your part.
* Removable brew basket makes keeping the head unit clean a piece of cake.
* Thermal carafe, while not the best specimen of its kind I have seen, is effective.

Cons:
* If not using the integral water filter, the "extra" water held in the filter bucket is sufficient to overflow the carafe if the reservoir is completely filled.
* Pricey! If you're not a true coffee lover, the $50-80 tier of thermal carafe pots will serve your needs just as well. Does not produce a markedly superior pot of coffee from my previous unit when using grocery store "gourmet" coffees.

We Love the Coffee!
After wasting $200 on 2 Cuisinart coffee pot's that didn't last long we researched this Capresso and based on the reviews bought one. It does make a great cup of coffee and that's the bottom line for us. We have had no problems with dripping, or warm coffee. Sometimes we have a cup late in the day and the coffee that's left over still takes good.
Yes, I agree with most that the Coffee Pot is pricey. In the long run I would have saved money if I had gotten the Capresso before I bought the Cuisinart's.

Good Machine!
We had a Starbucks Barista machine before which we liked but it started leaking after six years... This machine does everything that one did though it does not hold as much coffee. The carafe, however, does keep the coffee hot for three hours. I was amazed.

Everything about its construction is rugged and reliable and clean up is easy. Also has the filter which is nice so you don't have to keep descaling.

I bought it because it won a reward as best value from Wall Street Journal and I figure those guys drink a hell of a lot of coffee...