Cuisinart CHW-12 Coffee Plus 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Hot Water System, Black/Stainless

Since we don't usually need a full pot of coffee except on weekends -- I typically just grab a Starbucks "Via" instant coffee on the way to work in the morning (a pretty remarkable innovation, by the way) -- I was attracted to the hot water dispenser on this coffee maker. I like it particularly because of its 58-ounce capacity -- meaning that you don't have to keep refilling it if you're just using it once each morning to fill a car mug. My wife prefers tea to coffee, and she loves being able to get a cup of really hot water whenever she likes. (We fill it with spring water, and the results are superb.) I haven't had any problem with the "add water" light, as another reviewer apparently did. I was concerned about squandering energy by keeping a reservoir of water constantly hot, but it doesn't. It keeps only about 13 ounces of water at serving temperature; the rest of the reservoir is unheated. It doesn't take all that much energy to keep 13 ounces of water hot. And if you...Read more

I looked at a LOT of different coffee makers before deciding on this model. Buying a coffee maker has to be one of the hardest things to buy. The problems come in because everyone has a different take on what coffee is supposed to taste like and unfortunately many of them are dead wrong. The most important thing for anyone that really enjoys coffee the way it is supposed to be made is that the water heats up to a sufficient temperature (greater than 190 degrees). This allows for the best flavor to be extracted from the coffee ground without that bitter taste that you get when the temperature is too low. Since most people don't know that you don't find that information in most reviews. I found that information in the good reviews for this product and it had an overall rating of 4.5 at the time that I purchased it but I was a bit concerned with some of the bad reviews. They pointed to things like the carafe leaking, the hot water dispenser side leaking or not functioning correctly, bad...Read more

This machine was to make both the coffee hound and the tea lover in our family happy in the morning. Only one of us is happy.. No complaints at all with the coffee maker..
The hot water dispenser has a strong bad taste that I cant get rid of with repeated vinegar or the 1 cup of lemon juice suggested by the customer service representative.. She had heard my story many times before..
The taste is similar to drinking out of a garden hose. The customer rep assured me that the insides are stainless steel and not plastic. I think there may be some quality control issues...
Even if I could get the bad taste out, the dispenser will only release 16 oz of water for the 32 oz you must put into it. This leaves 16 oz to sit until the next day to be reheated when you add 16 oz of new water.
You must always put in 32 oz to get out 16 oz. If you put in any amount less than 32 oz, the "add water" light will come on after only 6 oz drawn out..The machine will not let you take...Read more