Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe Option, Chrome

Our old reliable and inexpensive Mr. Coffee maker had served us well for almost 12 years, but finally the plastic started to show it's age and could no longer resist the daily abuse. The result was the carafe handle and the one of the filter pegs recently breaking. The coffee maker still worked great but clearly it was time for a new one... Let me preface this review by saying that I had two very important criteria when I was looking for a new coffeemaker: 1. Must have a thermal carafe. (wife wanted it) 2. Must use basket filters. (I still have several hundred of them, bought in bulk long ago, so I want to use them!) Price was also a criteria, of course, but I was open to spending over $100 if necessary to get a good one. I have a soft spot for Mr. Coffee based on the long and reliable life of our old one, but I looked at all the brands with models matching the above two criteria. Those two criteria really managed to limit the number of models I had to consider and I didn't see any real outstanding reviews on any of them, even the ones priced over $100. Then I stumbled upon this little gem. The reviews were good, it uses basket filters, and provides the option of buying a thermal carafe. The price is so low that even with the extra bucks to buy the thermal carafe it was still cheaper than pretty much all of the other models I had looked at. Plus it is Mr. Coffee, which has served us so well for so many years. Sold. So, with the story of how I came to purchase it out of the way I can get on to the heart of the review... First off the coffee maker looks great; sleek and compact. It actually takes up less space than the old Mr. Coffee model that it replaced. The instructions are very straightforward and it is very simple to operate. It doesn't have a lot of fancy settings or other complications. It includes a water filter but since we already filter our water I opted not to use it. Before using you are advised to run it through a brew cycle with just water to get rid of any manufacturing residues. You can definitely pick up some chemical smells right out of the box so I opted to run a couple of brew cycles just to be safe. After two cycles it was ready to make coffee. Making coffee is a snap. The filter basket lifts out easily - you just rotate the spray arm out of the way and lift out. This makes it easy to add the ground coffee and to clean up afterwards. After you have the filter basket loaded up with ground coffee you just put it back in and rotate the spray arm back into place. You add the water into the reservoir through the same opening in the top and there is plenty of room to pour. The cup markings are on the right side of the machine and may be a little difficult to see in low light, but I haven't had any trouble. If you measure your water before adding it then it won't matter in any case. Once you have added the water you just press one button to start brewing. If you want to change the brew strength you press one more. The machine will beep when it is done. Easy. The unit automatically senses whether you are using the glass or thermal carafe. The heating element turns on only for the glass carafe since the whole idea of the thermal carafe is to keep the coffee warm without continually heating it. We typically use the glass carafe when we are going to drink up the coffee quickly and the thermal when we have more time and want to drink coffee at our leisure. The thermal carafe easily keeps the coffee warm enough for us for a couple of hours. The instructions advise pre-heating the carafe with hot water to help maintain the temperature but we usually don't bother. This machine brews great tasting coffee quickly and easily. If that is what you want in a coffeemaker then I highly recommend it. If you want lots of fancy settings to fiddle around with then it isn't for you. The clock on the machine is not illuminated so you can't see it at night. If you really want/need an illuminated clock then you will want to find another model. This coffeemaker suits our needs perfectly and the price can't be beat. The optional thermal carafe is great for keeping coffee warm without cooking it - perfect for extended coffee drinking sessions.

For the past 4 years, we've used a Cuisinart DCC-1200 that has been okay, as long as I would dismantle it (twice) to adjust the contacts on the on/off switch. The unit would turn off during a brew cycle due to a faulty switch connection. We decided to pass on getting a replacement unit and settled on this Mr Coffee model, mostly based on the high rating in Consumers Reports. After reading some of the reviews here on Amazon, I wondered if it would be a wise decision, as no one wants their coffee leaking from the decanter onto the floor or counter top or smelling like burnt plastic. Those who complained about the leaking problem are either putting out a scam review, or they have a different model than the one we received. I tested the glass decanter, and there was NO WAY I could get it to drip over the side. It poured directly into the cup with no dribbling. I tried pouring it very slowly and could not get it to run down the side of the decanter. One reviewer said she had to 'lift the cheap plastic lid' in order to pour the coffee. Well, I don't know where that bit of info came from, but the lid is not cheap plastic, and you don't have to lift it at all.....hmmmm. We ordered the optional thermal decanter and it is very solid. It has an 8 cup capacity and has no pouring issues either. The coffee quality is as good as your water and coffee can provide. It brews quickly and gives you a hot cup of coffee, at the right temperature. I did not detect any off-tastes due to plastic. I did smell a bit of plastic during the first brewing, but this is normal for new appliances that are heated. The plastic is 'off-gassing' some of the volatiles and this should subside after a few uses. The unit is very well-designed and looks great on our counter. It is actually shorter than the Cuisinart model and that is a plus for us. The controls are great and easy to use. Setting the clock is intuitive, and programming it for a delayed brew is very easy. It is also a 'smart' unit, in that it senses when you are using the thermal decanter, and automatically turns off the hot plate under the decanter. It also has a button that lets you see how long it has been since the coffee was brewed. As far as I can tell, it will heat the glass decanter for 2 hours, before it beeps 3 times, then shuts off. With the metal decanter, the unit shuts off immediately after brewing (no lights are on). The LCD showing the time is easy to read, but you need to bend over to see it. The instruction manual says there is a red light that will light when it's time to clean the unit, but I can't find this light anywhere. The unit is easy to fill and the water level can be seen easily in the gauge on the right rear. If you need a cup of coffee before it is finished brewing, you can pull the decanter away, and it gives you 30 seconds to pour a cup, then replace the decanter. I detected no leakage of coffee when I did this (contrary to what some other reviewers have claimed). Make sure you have some basket-type coffee filters (not cones), or have ordered the optional permanent filter basket, since these are not provided with the unit. The unit also has a water filter and holder that fits over the basket and under the water 'shower head'. I'm not sure this is a good design for the filter, since it is another item you need to install before every pot, then clean afterwards. The Cuisinart had a drop-in water filter, that worked before the water entered the brewer. I like this better. We don't use any filters since we use filtered water from the fridge. All-in-all, this is a great coffee maker at a very decent price. The option to get a thermal decanter for it is a big plus for us, as we will be pouring less coffee down the drain in the future. I expect to get many good pots of coffee from this coffeemaker. If I find otherwise, I will update this review.

Replaced my former Mr. Coffee maker with this one when the other one just decided it wasn't going to make coffee anymore, suddenly. I like the sleek design of this one better. Coffee is really hot when done, which is a MUST for my husband. You can adjust the strength of the coffee too. It really makes the perfect pot of coffee and my husband likes that you can turn on the signal that beeps to let you know the coffee is done so you'll know to come and get it. No need to keep checking, if you're in another room. We have a permanent mesh (washable) filter which I always like much more than the paper ones. No chance of coffee grinds skipping over a paper filter that is not inserted just "exactly" perfectly. And, again, it's a really nice design to the unit itself. I also like that it's not a glossy black finish. My prior one was and it showed smudges and fingerprints a lot. This one doesn't. Easy to just wipe the exterior casing with a damp or dry cloth. Can't think of any negatives EXCEPT a couple of incidental ones, which took away one star. With my prior coffee maker, the "cleaning cycle" was easier. If you're not familiar with this, it is advised/suggested that you clean your coffee maker's coffee making parts at suggested intervals to remove mineral deposits which can damage your machine. With my former Mr. Coffee machine, you put the specified amount of vinegar (or separately bought cleaning solution made for this purpose) in the water well and it would process the initial amount of the vinegar and then "sit" for the specific time required for the cleaning cycle to do it's thing and then automatically release the rest of the vinegar through the system at the appropriate time. THIS one doesn't do that. It does have a clean cycle but, after putting in the vinegar, you must manually dispense X amount of the cleaning solution (i.e. vinegar) then stop the coffee maker for the specified time and then, again, manually start the dispensing of the vinegar again until it all runs through the unit. This means you must be looking at the clock while cleaning this unit to determine when to do what. The prior one did it on it's own. All I needed to do was (as with this one), follow up with brewing full pots of WATER a couple of times then, to make sure all the vinegar is rinsed out. Not a big deal to do. Also, I don't know what's with the "pot". We wash it but it stains from the coffee anyway. Wonder if it's a glass mixture, if there is such a thing. When I first noticed the light staining/slight discoloration of the coffee pot, I noticed then that the "glass" didn't feel totally like glass. I'm afraid to scrub the pot for fear of scratching it. We KNOW the pot's clean because we know we've washed it so, for us it's not a big deal but I'd be embarrassed if I had someone over for coffee and they saw that it looks like we just emptied the coffee out, and made another pot without cleaning the pot. When it goes through the cleaning cycle, these discolorations disappear but, I'm not going to soak the pot in vinegar every night! It's not really dark staining or discolorations so please don't let that stop you from buying this. Or, maybe it's just the pot that I got. BUT, really, all in all, the discoloration of the pot is a minor thing. And, the different "clean cycle" is a minor thing. If something happened to this one and I needed to buy another one, I'd buy this one again! What's most important is if it makes a good pot of coffee and this one does! We use regular, canned coffee and this brewer does a good job with it. And, it's a HOT pot of coffee -- some coffee makers lack that and initially serve mildly hot coffee, until it heats more while sitting there. I've tried various coffee makers. This one's really good at doing what it's supposed to do.

Updated: Born: Nov. 2015, Died: May 12. I used this coffee maker twice weekly, but today it refuses to make coffee. Other reviews suggest the relay has died. Its life was far too short. Rest in pieces, you hunk of junk. Original Review: So... it's a high quality coffee maker for all the reasons everyone else has said. But, I wouldn't buy it again given the chance. My old coffee maker (also a Mr. Coffee) simply had an on/off switch. When the light started flickering, my wife recommended I replace it before the world came to a screeching halt (i.e., the thing actually stopped working and she had to deal with a coffee-less me). I bought this one because it was inexpensive and well-rated, figured I ought to treat-mah-self to a small upgrade. But, the way I used my coffee maker was not like that of a lot of people, I guess. Long ago I learned that if you put water to the 8 line in a Mr. Coffee Maker pot, it won't reach the 8 mark in the reservoir and when you make coffee, you won't get coffee to the 8 mark in the pot when all is said and done. So I'd make 7 or 8 or 10 (1 scoop to one whatever those lines mean) and if there was some left over, I'd leave it in the pot and just make new on top of it with fresh grounds/fresh filter the next day. And I'd keep it on much of the day so as the mood struck me (working from home), I could go and get a nice hot cup of coffee. While my method may be unconventional (or appalling) to some coffee drinkers, it worked for me. This coffee maker fails me in two regards: the heating element under the pot isn't as powerful/quick as the one I replaced. If the coffee has cooled and I turn the coffee maker back on, I often find myself using the microwave to finish the job. Secondly, it turns off automatically after 2 hours with a rather annoying beeping. (The beeping is annoying. It does that to signal that it's completed a brew, or shortly after you turn it on to reheat coffee, long before it's even tepid, and again when it's been on for two hours and is deciding to go to sleep. My other coffee maker was a mute pack animal that did the job without calling attention to itself.) Speaking of calling attention to itself - the coffee maker is quite attractive, from the shiny metallic plastic to the very pleasing colored lights that give it a high-tech appearance. The buttons have a nice look to them. It's not too difficult to set the delayed start but doesn't repeat on its own and it has a brew strength setting button for some reason, so whenever I want to brew a new batch, I have to press two buttons - one to turn it on, a second to select "strong" (as opposed to the standard/weak default). What's not visible on the front is the water level - it's on the side. I have to pull it out and turn it sideways to see the water fill line. The fill area is also rather small (you need to use the pot or other pitcher with a precise spout to pour water into the reservoir. I need to pull it out anyhow because the lid flips to the side and stands higher than the height from counter to upper cabinets. I would really recommend looking for a coffee maker with a removable water tank. Standard Mr. Coffee pitcher, identical to the one I donated, complete with the slightly uneven spout that causes the coffee to pour in a nice, tight, twisting stream without any splashing. (Watch it sometime while pouring slowly - you can also see how liquid twisting as it goes - kinda neat.) The coffee maker also includes a water filter that goes below the water dispenser and above the grounds and coffee filter. You're supposed to change the filter about once a month. They're pretty inexpensive on Amazon (the replacements I ordered shipped directly from China passing through customs as some kind of Sony product). When you're adding new coffee, you turn the water dispenser arm out of the way, pick up the filter and then... um.... there's no real logical place to put the water filter. I balance it on the open lid, but it would be nice if they had added a few plastic tabs to the lid for just that purpose so it's not precarious. The other option is to put it on a clean plate or in a separate pitcher of water or something. So there you have it. If you have a wide open counter with nothing about it, like the ability to set the timer to have coffee ready when you wake up (and are disciplined enough to remember to do it), don't need fresh coffee at a moment's notice throughout the day, don't mind a device that beeps at you, and want a nice looking coffee maker with a water filter, this one fits the bill. I know I gave it four stars, and then mostly groused about it, but hopefully this gives you some additional context when researching your purchase.

I puchased this coffeemaker right after last Christmas to replace my Cuisinart DCC 1200. My Cuisinart, which was less than a year old, would not pour hot water through the lid anymore. After doing my homework on the internet, I noticed that onsumerreports.org rated this coffeemaker as their "Best Buy". Considering the price on amazon.com, for $39.99, which is less than 2.5 times the price of the Cuisinart, I was encouraged that you could get a quality coffemaker product for under $50.00. When I received the coffeemaker, I ran water through the system to clean and check its use. I noticed that this unit pours hot water from a rotating spout arm that moves out of place over the filter basket. I also noticed that when the lid comes down, that the rotating spout is moved back in place, due to a clever design in the lid. The taste and temperture of the coffee was similar to my Cuisinart. What makes a different in taste is using a metal filter basket in place of a paper filter. The metal filter basket allows for very fine grinds to pour thru, which gives the coffee a richer taste. I purchased the brass filter basket separately for $9.99, which does not come with the coffeemaker. I would recommend that Mr. Coffee include the metal filter basket and charge the extra $9.99 in its price. Another "But" is that the carafe spout drips along its body if you are not careful when pouring the coffee into a cup. See new comment below. A great feature of this coffeemaker is that you can add a thermal 8 cup carafe for $16.46. The coffeemaker has a switch which does not require the hot plate to be on when using the thermal carafe. The coffee stays hot for hours in this carafe. Pouring 12 cups of water into the top was easier than my Cuisinart, which only had a small corner opening to pour into. Considering the price, features and design, I would recommend this product to anyone who enjoys a good cup of coffee and wants to save a few bucks. A Year Later: My wife and I still enjoy this unit with its ease of use, easy cleanup, good tasting coffee, and adjustable features. I did learn over time that if you do not want the spout to drip, just press the cover slightly up with your thumb, so that the coffee does not come into contact with the cover.

All right, here’s the thing: my wife and I live in a lakeside cottage that we love . . . but . . . it’s so small that when something new comes in like, for example, our new Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome, something has to go out. Where it goes to initially at least is the storage shed behind our home. Over time, that storage shed fills up and things have to go out of it. Where they go is to the dumpster. The latest thing relocated to the storage shed is our old Hamilton Beach coffee maker. We named it Mr. Grumpy because it made so much noise it frightened guests, little children, and birds and animals. You’ve already guessed that Mr. Grumpy will be relocated to the dumpster soon. Truth be told, I never trusted that Hamilton Beach. The first time I cranked it up, it began growling away and promptly spewed the coffee grounds, coffee water, everything, all over the kitchen counter, walls, and floor. From then till the very day it was relocated, I would do a head-jerk toward it midway through the brewing cycle to see if it was behaving itself. Now the Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome, on the other hand, doesn’t growl. It’s so nice and quiet, I hardly know it’s on. A soft little sound alerts me when the brewing cycle is complete. The coffee grounds and water stay right where they should. And get this – the glass decanter doesn’t spill water when you fill up the water reservoir or when you pour coffee into a cup. Nice! There’s a water filtration system that requires the purchase of filtration filters. We’ve tried coffee with and without the system and can’t taste the difference. Two hours after the brewing cycle the unit automatically shuts off. No worries there. Like all gadgets now it has a clock. You can delay the brewing if you want to. You can select the brewing strength; regular or strong. Plus, Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome, is actually attractive. All of that for less than forty bucks. Very nice!! It will probably be a long time before the Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome, is relocated to the storage shed.

I went back and forth over whether to give this two or three stars. Ultimately decided on three, because it does make coffee at an adequate temperature (even if only barely so) without any huge pains in the neck...and because it is (or should be) commonly understood that a dirt cheap price often comes at the trade-off of quality or other form of consumer satisfaction. This is no exception. Here are the problems I have experienced: 1. The "strong brew" function flat-out Does Not Work. It worked for a couple of months and then dropped dead. If I select the strong brew feature, the pot beeps (as though finished) about 10 second into the cycle and then continues under normal brew mode. This appears to be a very common complaint, and Mr. Coffee is displaying no desire to fix it. The response, after you filter out all the fluff and read between the lines, is: "Noted...so just don't use that feature." 2. As mentioned above, the water heating is only barely sufficient. Consumer Reports recently dropped this coffee maker from its "Recommended" list because of this, and I agree with that decision. The cup stays plenty warm if you sip it all down immediately (I don't know anyone who does this), but not after 15 minutes in a normal mug. 3. The carafe itself (I have the glass one) spills if you pour too quickly. This typically isn't a problem while pouring brewed coffee (as I am not dumping it quickly then), but often when I use the clean carafe to pour fresh water into the back of the coffee maker, it spills out (and in excessive quantity, not just a few drops) onto the counter next to the coffee maker. I can hear your reflexive response..."Just pour more slowly"...and I do, but this is still cheap, bush league stuff. This is the 21st century...we have the technology available to make carafes that don't spill. Otherwise, it's fine. "Good enough" anyway. The programmable time brew function (what is called the "delay" feature) works well and has never let me down. Some people have complained that the filter basket does not seat properly when the carafe is inserted, but that's baloney...it's designed that way on purpose. There has to be weight in the filter basket to compress the spring, and the water that fills it provides more than enough weight to do so. It may even be designed that way to keep the water in the filter longer and thus extract more coffee from the grounds (then again, the unimpressive water heating & non-functioning strong brew feature certainly counterbalance this design). It may look weird, but this part (at least in isolation) works just fine. Enough rambling already. If you buy this, do so because you're on a budget and you don't mind coffee that cools off quickly after it is poured and isn't particularly strong. Me personally, I like my coffee hot and strong, so I will be replacing this thing some time soon.

I love my coffee, but I'm not one to plop down $100 or more for our morning brew, and I like to make it by the potful, not the cupful. Over the last 40+ years I've gone through a lot of coffee makers, and this is the first one ever to impress me at so reasonable a price. No wonder it was one of the top rated machines in 2011 and considered a "Best Buy". First I need to say that if you want a TRUE 12-cup coffee maker, this isn't it. The standard for a "cup" of coffee has been 6 oz. for as long as I can remember (and that goes back to when we made our coffee in percolators). Every other 12-cup machine makes 72oz of coffee (12x6 = 72). This 12-cup makes 60 oz. So by redefining the size of a cup of coffee to be 5 oz., they call it a 12-cup coffee maker. Sorry, but it makes only 10. I'm OK with that because I never make more than that anyway, but you should be aware that 12 will get you 10 in this case. Now, on to the review ... The machine is handsome to look at in black with chrome trim and highlights, and is easy to wipe clean. It is very easy to fill (with a clear water-level window) with a generously sized opening so you don't spill water outside the machine (I've had one with which I had to use a funnel to insure that I didn't spill water all over my counter top). The controls are intuitive, easy to use, and brightly lit LEDs indicate the settings. While the LCD clock is not backlit, it is easily seen from most angles. There are two brew settings: "regular" and "strong". The strong setting just releases the heated water at a slower rate so it filters through the ground coffee more slowly but, of course, it adds to the brew time. Either setting can be used with the automatic timer. The LED indicator lights are bright to let you easily confirm your settings. The machine can be used with either the standard glass pot or the optional carafe. While the glass pot holds 60 oz. of coffee, the carafe holds only 40 (or just over 6 "standard" cups). The coffee maker automatically detects whther you are using the glass pot or the carafe, a nice touch. Another small but nice feature is that when brewing is finished, the machine gives 3 soft but easy to hear beeps that the coffee is done. The pot stays heated for 2-hours, after which time it automatically shuts off, again sounding the same 3 beeps. Of course, you can hit the "on" button again to keep the coffee hot, but you will quickly hear another 3 beeps (as when the coffee was first done). After 2 weeks of use, I have gotten nothing but consistently good coffee, pot after pot using Melitta Basket Coffee Filters, Natural Brown (8 to 12-Cup), 200-Count Filters (Pack of 8) . The sides stay upright and the very fine texture and thinness let the natural coffee oils through. Bought in bulk, they are just over a penny apiece. In the end, I am very happy with this coffee maker that is attractive, easy to use, gives me a consistently good cup of coffee, and have several features that others at this price do not. When someday it goes, I only hope it's still made so that I can buy another. Highly recommended!

Cumple perfectamente con el alcance que se conoce en la descripción, hasta ahora la he usado full y me ha dado muy buen rendimiento, tiene muy buena relación precio/beneficio, lo único que le integraría a la cafetera sería un filtro permanente.

Been over a year now since ordering my Mr. Coffee and I am as happy today with it as I was the day I opened it. Super easy to program, operate and clean, and most importantly it brews the best hot coffee - I emphasize 'hot' because many other units do not get the water hot enough to maximize flavor. Works perfectly whether brewing a small or big pot. Can't say enough. 5 stars

Great coffee maker. Operation is quick and quiet, parts are easy to clean off. The water filter is a welcome addition and it does make a difference in taste, only downside is that it has to be replaced monthly. Overall, highly recommended product.

We had a problem with the basket overflowing the first time we used it. Don't know if it was the spring in the basket or we did something wrong. I cleaned it up, rotated the spring, and it works great ever since. I called the company and they sent a replacement basket just in case. We have had Mr. Coffees for years and always found them excellent - good hot coffee that stayed hot on the burner [heat surface]. That's why we ordered this from you on line [not available anymore in Canada for some strange reason]. We are very satisfied. Thank you.

We love this coffee maker. Works great and makes a superb pot of coffee. Programming is easy to use and great for waking us up in the morning. We only use the strong brew selection, as we prefer a stronger tasting coffee. Highly recommended and very satisfied with this purchase.