Coffee systems are about convenience and cosmetics. You can integrate one into your kitchen with a minimal footprint, push a button, and.....coffee! Just know that for much less cost you can make far superior coffee. But, depending on the type of brewing you want to do, you will need a few devices on your counter (grinder, maker, pour-over, espresso machine, etc.). You will also need to do a little more work and get more engaged in the coffee-making process. Both are valid approaches. Coffee snobs (I'm guilty) wouldn't dream of a coffee system and/or super automatic machine. The results are in the cup.

My friends put in one of the Miele built in coffee systems last fall and they love it, say it's one of the best things in their kitchen. I haven't personally had any coffee from it so I can't weigh in on taste. But like I said, they rave about it, how good the coffee is, how easy it is to use, and it works well for them.

joc makes a good point though that you can get much better coffee if you can/want to put some effort into it. There is an appeal for quick, easy and good though. There are days when I'm rushed and a good cup of coffee would suffice if it would only make itself :-)

I'm a coffee drinker but not a snob. I like really good coffee but I also drink it all day so a decent cup of jo is really all I'm after most of the time. I wanted something a bit more convenient than a stand alone counter top model. When searching I found a lot of dissenters like joc6820 regarding any auto/or super automatic coffee maker. And further found that the higher end ones often produce an inferior product and tend to fail frequently. After perusing many forums I found a review for the Brew Express where the snobby reviewer said that while it wasn't a fantastic cup of coffee it made a very good cup and that if he HAD to have an automatic brewer this would be the one to get. Sounded good to me, I've had a 10 cup maker for over a year now and make at least 4 pots a day, sometimes as many as 10 depending on how many people are over. It's as good a cup as my Bunn made. It's plumbed in, you just need to empty the basket and put in a filter and coffee, it has a thermal carafe so no hot plate. It's not quite as fast as the Bunn but it's pretty fast. My only complaint is 10 cups isn't much coffee and the carafe only keeps coffee 'hot' for about an hour or so. About 6 weeks ago it just stopped working in the middle of brewing a pot, I figured "here we go", called service, answered a couple questions, went on line and filled out a service request. Even though the warranty was up they agreed to fix it no charge, I sent back the unit (which basically plugs into the wall) and 5 days later was making coffee again. It's relatively inexpensive for a plumbed in unit and is very easy to hook up with quick connect attachments for the water line. I put it next to the fridge so water is right there. I would get another one if this one lasts around 5 years (my Bunns never made it past about 5-6 years).