I love my new coffee pot but it doesn't meet most of your criteria. I have the Technivorm Moccamaster with the thermal carafe (they make one with a glass carafe and warming plate) and it makes great coffee - it heats the water to the correct brewing temperature which few coffee makers do (Capresso machines do this too).

1. It's not programmable but brews really fast.
2. Durable - so far so good.
3. It doesn't come with a mesh filter but the gold mesh filter from my old Capresso fits in it - although I prefer paper filters - the mesh lets through too much sediment in my opinion.
4. The glass version has a warming plate but I don't know if it's adjustable - I'm curious though - if you use a programmable model, why don't you set it for the time you want to drink it in the morning so it's fresh and hot? Warming plates tend to ruin coffee. By the way, grinding the coffee the night before is not the best way to make coffee.

Anyway, it's sounds like you're more into the convenience features than getting the best possible cup of coffee, but I'll tell you the Technivorm is the best coffee maker I've ever had.

By the way, grinding the coffee the night before is not the best way to make coffee.

I knew someone would call me on that one! Getting me, my wife and our 3 year-old out the door each morning calls for sacrifices... I agree that grinding it morning of is a better choice, though.

As far as the adjustable plate... we set the coffee for the time we want it (the first cup is great), but by the time we're ready to leave, the to-go coffee seems a little scorched (approx 1 hour, 15 minutes later)... I used to have a pot that I could adjust the plate, and that eliminated this problem. Thermal carafes also eliminate the problem, but the coolness of the carafe is always a problem if we set it the night before.

Is there a model that pre-warms a thermal carafe?

alywa,

You're going to laugh at this, but after many attempts at top of the line coffee makers, we now use a home-kitchen type Bunn. It requires paper filters (we use the brown to avoid the bleach found in white)and, very importantly, we use the Kroger coffee that is strongest(arrow on the "DARK"). Heaping measures. Also, when I want a really fancy cup of strong coffee, I use our French press and make a couple of cups. Altogether, about $130.

Jim Henry

Alywa, could you explain the issue with the carafe? We've programmed our coffee maker to go on at an exact time each morning so the coffee in the carafe is hot when we drink it. (Our carafe is also effective enough so that on weekends the pot stays pretty warm most of the day.) Is it the outside temperature of the carafe that you find off-putting?

Capresso. It makes great coffee, and rarely gives us trouble. It has stopped brewing a couple of times in the last 5 years, but my husband plays with the part that pumps the water, and gets it working again. Mesh filter, no warming plate, and the carafe keeps the coffee hot for quite a while.

Mr Coffee, 29.99
I'm serious. I have been through ever coffee pot out there - really expensive ones, really cheap ones. and Mr Coffee with all the features you need (except the multitemp plate) is the one I keep coming back to and it hasn't yet broken down on me and it makes good coffee, makes it hot, and keeps it hot.

We have a several year old Braun coffee maker (I don't know the model number off hand) that meets most, if not all of your criteria. Unfortunately, I don't believe it's made anymore. The only complaint we have is that it beeps three times when it's done brewing, and sometimes that wakes up my wife.

We've been searching for a new coffee maker so that we have a replacement when this one finally gives up the ghost. We are very unhappy with the styling (kind of industrial) of most new coffee makers. We thought we found one through the JC Penney Cooks catalog. It's a beautiful copper-finish, 14-cup coffee maker. It had the absolute worst timer function I've ever seen - you could set it for programmed start, but it would often shut itself off before the program time was reached. Even worse, was the mechanism for allowing you to withdrawl the pot while brewing was on-going. It was nearly impossible to engage the basket in such a way as to allow dripping (as opposed to overflowing the basket on the inside and making a mess). When it made coffee, it was actually pretty good. Anyway, that got returned back to Penney, and we're still using the Braun.

We have a Keurig - not a coffee pot, but makes 1 cup at a time. You can set the timer to turn the machine on and warm the water at a certain hour, but it takes no time to warm up if you don't. You can adjust the water temp for a hotter cup. The plus side is that we can each have hot coffee when we want it, and if one of us wants decafe or tea or hot choc, it's just as convenient. The downside is that I like really strong, rich coffee and I haven't found a K Cup brand that is as good as freshly ground and brewed. There is a "my K cup" that you can fill with your own coffee, but it's not as convenient. However, the fact that it can make hot water so quickly means that I can make a small French press of really good stuff when I want it. Another downside is more trash than with a gold filter or a even a compostable paper filter. However, we waste much less coffee with this.

We have a Krups FME-10 that works great. Programmable, lots of power so you get a good brew. The warming plate is not adjustable and it is a bit of a pain. If we're not going to drink the coffee within a short time frame, I transfer it to a thermal carafe. As far as the carafe goes, I've tried warming it with hot water prior to putting the coffee in but that's made no detectable difference.

I looked into these a bit before buying mine and am not aware of any with adjustable warming plates (which doesn't mean they aren't out there, of course). If you really want to do the research, head for www.coffeegeek.com. More reviews there than you can possibly get through.

I love my cuisinart, it has every feature you listed. I included a link to it. I didn't see it listed but it has an adjustable warming plate.

Here is a link that might be useful: cuisinart

We met our need for really-good-tasting coffee with cold-brewed coffee concentrate that we prepare as needed with less effort than using instant. We make the concentrate at our convenience, preferably at the time we grind the beans. Each and every cup is a pleasure.

The brewing container can make up to a pound of coffee at once, and it's lightweight and easy to stash, so we don't need a coffee maker sitting out all the time. Best of all, there's no more daily cleanup.

Here's the one I use: http://www.toddycafe.com/shop/product.php?productId=67

I like the coffee served hot. None of the drip makers I have used keep it hot enough so I use an electric percolator. I pour it into a thermal carafe if I want to keep it fresh over time.
I use a regular #4 filter and press it down over the percolator tube to punch a hole in it on its way down to the basket.

I love my Tassimo 1 cup coffe maker. I like fresh brewed and drink 2 or 3 cups throughout the day and like them each to taste fresh. I also like a strong brew and Gevalia carries the european blends. Love, Love, Love the europeon flavors. Another added benefit you can get the pods for Tea and Hot chocolate, they taste great too.

Keurig, it is fantastic

"I love my Tassimo 1 cup coffe maker."

Kitchenchaos - do you have an problems with that little after shot of water after the coffee is brewed? I bought a Tassimo, but returned it. The coffee is great! But I have tall cups and so I removed the platform to allow for a taller cup. However that platform also collects the water. Without it, the Tassimo just made a puddle in the little bottom tray.

Not a problem for me. I buy the european blends and they make a smaller cup. When I buy the Starbucks I do have to use a larger cup but its not so large that I have to remove that reservoir. When I first got it I did use a couple of regular blends, can't remember the names but I think it might of been KMaxwell or something like that and I tried my tall stainless travel mugs and it wasnt very convienient. So I just use my other mugs and pour it into the taller travel mug.

A Chemex white porcelain coffeepot (not thermal, we drink it too fast for that to be useful), Peet's Dark French Roast on a #2 grind, Chemex cloth filters. Think of the strongest Italian expresso coffee you can serve, and that's what we drink in 12-oz mugs.

My BIL has one of those thousand-dollar expresso machines, and our regular coffee is twice as strong as his espresso.

The coffeepot is 40 years old and reheats in the microwave if needed; although the recommended way is reheating the entire pot in a pan of hot water.

jkom51,

How does the Chemex work? Is it like a french press or does it go on the stove?

I've read some interesting stuff on coffee and high cholesterol: American studies have shown no corelation, European studies have. Theory is that the paper filters used in the US absorb the harmful oils, Euro gold filters don't. Worth keeping in mind if your cholesterol is high...

Since we've had the obligatory 'No coffee lover grinds the night before' post, guess I'll have to trump with the inevitable 'real coffee lovers roast their own beans' card. [I don't actually do this, but it comes up in every coffee disscussion on the web: I think its a law or something.]

I was all set to order a Technivorm, till I got to the 200 degree brewing temp: at my elevation, that's right on the edge of boiling.

I've had 3 of the Cuisinarts linked above, none lasted a year, the worst less than a month. If durability is your thing, they aren't for you.

My Bunn is bullet proof and very fast. 3 or 4 pots a day for years now. The only thing I don't like is that it keeps a reservoir of water hot at all times, a waste of energy and would probably get skanky if you only make a pot or so a day.

But it has NO bells or whistles, which is probably why it holds up so well. OTOH, it makes a pot in about 2 minutes, so the programable thing isn't a big deal. I think these extra features contribute to the high failure rate.

Another Chemex fan here: looks like a big glass beaker and makes the best coffee! I use espresso or French roast and I like it strong! OTOH - I also love my French Press. I never use an automatic pot unless I am having company.

I love my coffee maker and I had the same dilemma as you - for a few years, it seemed I couldn't get a coffee maker to last much more than a year. And I drink a LOT of coffee.

I have the Cuisinart coffee on demand, link below.

1. Programmable
2. Seems to be durable, I've been using it several times a day for 2 years with no problems.
3. It has the mesh/reusable filter. It's basket shaped though, not cone shaped and one can add a paper filter if one so desires.
4. N/A because there is no warming plate. The coffee is stored in a reservoir and never tastes burnt. I love that it's hot from the first pour whereas with some coffee makers the coffee doesn't get really hot until it's been on the warming plate a little while.

Pros - no coffee pots to clean or break or replace. I like the looks of it, though some may find it a little big or clunky for their kitchens. I know people who've had the Hamilton Beach similar style and the plastic reservoir develops coffee stains which look horrible and they also had problems with leakage. I like the lever better on mine too.

Cons - Can't fill a carafe or a tall travel mug with it, because it won't fit in the coffee mug space. Some consider it a con that no pitcher is included to fill the water reservoir, since you're not using the pot to pour in the water, but I use my Britta pitcher for filling the coffee maker so that's not a problem to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart Coffee on Demand

The Capresso CoffeeTEAM Therm looks like it might meet your needs. In addition to its 200 degree brewing temperature, this model is one of the only grind & brew machines that uses a burr grinder, as opposed to a blade chopper, which makes a big difference in the coffee flavor. My own preference is to have a separate grinder, so that it can be used for all kinds of different coffees (Drip, French Press, etc), but if you absolutely must wake up to brewed coffee, this is certainly a better way to get it than brewing with stale grounds from the previous night.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coffeegeek.com writeup on Capresso CoffeeTEAM Therm

Since everybody else is weighing in, I'll put in my $0.02.

I have a 12 cup version of the Cuisinart 'Brew Central' (see link) that was sold through Starbucks. I like it best of all the recent coffee pots I've had (and I seem to buy one every year or so). I think it meets the requirements listed that started this thread, even though it is a thermal caraffe type pot.

It is programmable, and easy to use (didn't need to read the instructions).
It seems durable to me, but we've only been using it since Christmas. It is definately more durable than the previous low-end Cuisinart unit I was using.
It uses a #4 cone filter, and comes with the gold mesh filter. I also use brown paper filters, for easy clean up.
The documentation for this model doesn't say anything about a warming plate, but it does appear to have one, or at least the base gets too hot to touch.

Pros:
1. It works great! The pieces fit into place, and the drip mechanism doesn't seem overly complex or failure prone. This is EXTREMELY important to me, as I've had WAY too many coffee makers over the last year that over flow, or mis-flow, or get clogged, or something goes wrong, spilling coffee all over the place. The LAST thing I want in the morning to to clean up the coffee that I only want to be DRINKING!!!
2. The apparent warming plate turns off right away, and the thermal caraffe keeps the coffee fairly hot for quite a while, without 'Cooking' the already brewed coffee over time.
3. It's a great size, that fits under our cabinets with plenty of clearance.

Cons:
a. It doesn't have an externally visible level or gauge telling you how much water to add. You have to look down in the tank at a little 'stair-step' thingie to see how much water you've added. When I'm blurry-eyed in the morning, this is one thing I don't want to have to focus on.
b. There is no overflow prevention system, and the tank can hold more water than the caraffe. It is completely possible to put too much water in the tank, which will then attempt to flow into the caraffe, and overflow on the counter. To prevent this from happening, I keep a pitcher of water with the exact correct water level marked on it. This also helps address Con #a.
c. I wish the coffee was a bit hotter, and that the caraffe kept the coffee hotter longer. If I'm in the mood, I'll pre-warm the caraffe with hot tap water before brewing. The water I use is room-temperature, so that helps. We had an 8 Cup Thermal caraffe pot that kept the coffee HOT for like 6-8 hours. This one will keep it hot enough for about two hours, but after that it's not hot enough for me.

I grind up coffee a couple of times each week for the next few days, and I fill the filter cone up to almost the TOP. I love rich, strong coffee! I use Reverse-Osmosis filtered water, and locally roasted beans from my favorite coffee establishment, and I'm happy with the coffee that is produced. We'll see if I'm still happy toward the end of the year, or if I will feel compelled to buy yet another coffee pot or not. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart Brew Central

Best88

The carafe temperature problem is like this:

If I get up on Saturday to make the coffee fresh, the carafe is great. I grind the coffee, fill the maker's reservoir, and run hot water into the carafe to pre-heat it. I dump the water, and put the carafe into the maker. We then have nice, hot coffee.

During the week, the story is different. We set the pot the night before, so we can't pre-heat the carafe. The cool carafe markedly decreases the brewed coffee's temperature, to the point of it being only "kinda hot".

I guess I could use my glass pot, and pour into a pre-heated separate carafe, but it is a bit more hassle and more clean-up.

I have a wonderful, wonderful Saeco which makes coffee, espresso, whatever you want. I got mine from Costco. They sell it as an espresso maker, but you can get up to an 8 oz. cup of coffee. It grinds the beans and dispenses the coffee one cup at a time. Just so delicious.