Comments on: Cuisinart DGB550BK GrindandBrew 12Cup Automatic Coffeemaker

By: A. Mott

A. Mott — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:34:54 +0000

If it worked consistently, then it would be great
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
My parents bought this coffee pot and liked it so much they bought one for my husband and myself. Well unfortunately, this product is deceiving. It makes very good coffee, when it actually works. My parents coffee pot broke within a few months of purchase, they sent it back to cuisinart, received a replacement and then that one broke within a few more months. I have had mine now for 2 years, and within the first 6 mos the program feature would just shut off, then the on knob would be tempermental, so sometimes you had to set the program feature otherwise it wouldn’t turn on. Once it actually made the coffee, it would then shut off randomly and come back on. Now almost at the 2 year mark (22 mos) it completely died mid-brew. The clock won’t even come on, and all of our outlets are working perfectly fine. I will be purchasing a kitchen aid tomorrow morning. Definitely some manufacturing flaws with this product.

By: Success on the Go...

Success on the Go... — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:54:23 +0000

Have absolutely LOVED this coffeemaker!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We purchased this coffeemaker just over 18 months ago and have been very happy with it all along! It shows no sign of slowing down. We go through quite a bit of coffee here. Freshly ground quality coffee beans make all the difference, but you may add pre-ground coffee and turn off the grinding feature when needed.

Simple to clean. Maintains the best temperature of any coffeemaker I know of without over-heating. Attractive on the counter.

We always appreciate the wonderful aroma of quality coffee at home & save those stops at the coffee shop for buying better coffee beans!

Purchase & Enjoy!

By: Sarah T

Sarah T — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:52:40 +0000

bad machine, bad customer service
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I actually enjoyed this machine when we first got it, even though it was a pain to clean. The real problem came when it just stopped working after a minute or two of brewing, we had to turn the machine on and off several times just to get a pot of coffee. It was pretty useless, and it was about a year after buying it. I tried to call customer service on multiple occasions, I never was able to talk to anyone, and left several messages that were never returned. I finally threw the piece of garbage out. My mother in law also had similar problems with the machine not working anymore after a couple of months, and was also unable to reach customer service.

By: P. Turner

P. Turner — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:51:12 +0000

Great, but not for the messy at heart
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just bought the DGB-500BK after doing much research and reading lots of customer reviews. I am thrilled, but I will offer the following caveat: do not buy this, or any similar machine, if you are not prepared to thoroughly clean and DRY it after every use. Yes, there are lots of parts to rinse. Yes, steam from the brewing does gunk up the grinder. that’s the nature of the design. The cleanup process is really not that time consuming and, in a weird sort of way, it helps you to sort of bond with your machine. It becomes part of the overall coffemaking experience. To me, seeing the nicely rinsed compenents laid out to dry makes me start looking forward to my next pot.

The noise thing is a non-issue. It is really not that loud and only lasts a few seconds. I never hear it from elsewhere in the house. It’s not even a third as loud as ice grinding in a blender, and I’ve never known that to stop anyone from enjoying a daquiri.

I almost always brew less than four cups, and the 1-4 cup feature really works. I no longer have to nuke a freshly poured cup in the microwave to get it up to drinking temperature. It is also a bit more compact than most grind and brew machines, and fits under my upper cabinets even with the top lid open. The only real minus to me is the water measuring system, which requires that you lean over and peer down inside the unit. Easy to avoid by simply using the measurements on the carafe itself and adding just a bit more than called for in the final brew.

Bottom line: a great machine which makes great coffee but requires a bit more participation in the process than the standard nineteen dollar coffemaker.

By: Sharon D. Sceper

Sharon D. Sceper — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:07:03 +0000

Gourmet Coffee on Demand!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought the first one of these at a resale shop, new, unopened, unused, and loved how it worked. After a couple years it began to leak, so bought one on Amazon. Another year or so and it too began to occasionally stop brewing mid-stream. Contacted Cuisinart and received a replacement and a free return slip for UPS. They stand behind their products.

Cleaning the grinder parts is messy by hand, but it is top shelf dishwasher safe. Set it up at night while cleaning up after dinner, and you wake to freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee, and 12 cups, to boot. Easy to program, easy to use. Grinder can be loud, so don’t sleep in the same room. Another major brand of a grind and brew coffee maker that we tried will wake the dead and was a reason we returned to Cuisinart model. Buy from Amazon and skip the retail stores, to save $30-40 dollars for the exact same thing (and there’s no shipping cost).

By: NC Oma

NC Oma — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:46:11 +0000

favorite coffee-maker
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We had one of these appliances in a house at the beach this summer. It made such an impression as to inspire me to purchase one as soon as we returned. I knew it was wonderful before it came to sit upon my counter…….

By: Will Edward Patrick

Will Edward Patrick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:40:36 +0000

Does not last.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I was in love with this machine when we bought it. After about 6 months, the grinding function quit working. This is not the first time I have been dissappointed with a cuisinart appliance. I am off them for good.

By: Lynn S.

Lynn S. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:01:16 +0000

Great while it lasts.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I received this coffee maker for Christmas, and loved it from the start. It was convenient, fun and made great coffee. Then, the grinder stopped working, and the company replaced the coffeemaker for me immediately. About a year later, the grinder again stopped working, and the company again replaced it for me. (the service is great.) After the 3rd coffeemaker also, the company again would have been happy to replace it for me a 3rd time, but, unfortunately, our 3-year warranty had expired. If you want to continue replacing your coffeemaker ad infinitum, you will love it as long as you have it available.