KitchenAid 12-c. Pro Line Coffee Maker  Product Reviews

"I love my coffee more than most people, and although I wouldn't consider myself an expert or coffee snob, I know what to look for. When looking for a replacement coffee maker, I made the decision that it was time to step up to a good model. No more compromises with $30 walmart specials you throw away after a couple years of cold, thin coffee. Life is too short to drink bad coffee! I had a few criteria that I didn't want to compromise on. It had to be solidly manufactured, brew at a hot and consistent temperature, and brew at an appropriate rate. In the end, my search narrowed it down to the Technivorm, the Capresso with thermal carafe, and this one, the Kitchenaid. The capresso struck me as "gimmicky" for some reason. I'd used makers that brewed directly into a thermal carafe before and was always disappointed with overflow. I didn't want to waste time with that again, I can always brew into a traditional pot and pour it into a separate insulated carafe, like a thermos. The Technivorm, I heard good things about, but let's face it. It's just too ugly. In the end I settled on this one, and I'm very glad I did. To begin, this thing is solid. You handle it and get the impression it'll be around for a while. I realize that doesn't say anything about the internal equipment, but given the attention to detail in manufacturing the exterior and visible components, it gives me some reassurance. Secondly, it brews consistently hot. Right at the perfect 200 degree sweet spot. The water showers down on the grounds evenly for better extraction. Finally, it's not too fast, and not too slow. I had a Bunn before this one, and my only complaint was that it was TOO FAST. The water would shoot out and it was this two minute race to finish. As a result I would always end up with weak coffee unless I used a ton of grounds. It got expensive fast. Plus it would overflow from time to time-- I like my coffee a bit strong and the amount of grounds I used would sometimes be too much. No such issues with the Kitchenaid. It takes about 6-8 minutes, an appropriate time for the water to be in contact with the grounds, and its completely silent the entire time. None of the gurgling and hissing you find with cheaper products. A little alarm bell sounds when the brewing is complete. When the box arrived on a Friday afternoon, the glass carafe was broken. Imagine my disappointment after getting all excited about having a new toy for the weekend. I put in a call to the Kitchenaid support line, and aside from determining if it was shipping related damage, I had a new one sitting on my doorway Monday! Very happy with their support. "

"I received this coffeemaker over six months ago and it is the first coffee machine that I have purchased that exceeded my expectations. The quality of the coffee is excellent from a 4 cup batch to a 12 cup pot. I went with the Nickel Perl finish as I just couldn't justify the extra $100 for the stainless steel version. I am really glad that I did as I think the finish is easier to keep clean then stainless steel and it still blends nicely with the stainless dishwasher. The charcoal water filter makes a big difference with tap water and so far I have not noticed any difference from tap water to bottled water."

"After much research on coffee makers, I decided to buy this machine, on my quest for the perfect cup of coffee. I also got the Pro Line grinder, which is fabulous. This machine is awesome. In addition to the great features, e.g., beeping when coffee is brewed, hot coffee, simplicity of use, adjustable warming plate, auto turn off, gorgeous design, the bottom line is its testament to a superior cup of brewed coffee. I like that it uses a 1350-watt heat pump and shower head water dispersion mechanism to fully saturate and extract the intense flavor from the ground beans. The other components to the "perfect" cup of coffee are superb quality, fresh-roasted beans ground to the proper fineness (I use #6 to 6-1/2 on the grinder, in the matching gold filter) and pure water (I use filtered water with the included charcoal water filter). The results are everything one could want -- coffee as good as that from Peets. Yes, this is a very expensive machine and it is a case of getting what you pay for. I am hoping that, due to its sturdy build and solid components, it will also last a LONG time. . ."