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- Verified Buyer
I purchased this item as a "damaged, but still working item" from Amazon.I'm not sure what the "damage " was supposed to be, since the item was in perfect shape, never used, and no scratches. Reduced price lowered the price to what I think the price point should be in the retail market when comparing this model to other brands. Strictly my opinion and I'm no marketing expert or price level analytic reviewer, either.Since January 2020 when I purchased this coffeemaker, I've noticed few things about it different than how described in its manual.First, no matter how much water above the line of 10 cup marking in the water feed container, the machine brews 9 cups as marked on the coffee carafe. That seems a bit odd to me, however, having used all 3 variations of brewing (light, gold, bold) to see if it was a particular brew strength that limited the amount, I consistently ended up with 9 cups in the carafe.10 cupCOMMENTS: I finally figured out why only 9 cups in carafe: the machine only brews a maximum of 9 cups regardless of how much water is in the clear water container. To get 10 cups,leave water container on machine, I fill coffee carafe to the bottom edge of the black top of the carafe and then fill the water container. Pouring from carafe fills the water container right up to the top. No way I’d be able to remove container, fill it so full and not spill it while placing back on machine. It would be nice if this was explained in the manual. However, even with water container filled to the top, the only way I've found to brew 10 cups of coffee is in two stages; first dial the brew all the way clockwise to the full carafe image. Run the brew cycle. When finished, the carafe will be at the 9 cup line and water still in the clear container on top of the machine. Turn the power button off on the machine, turn the brew dial all the way counterclockwise to 5oz cup, turn on the machine again and brew the 5 ounces with the same fresh grounds that were just used for 9 cup yield. Since I'm brewing immediately, there isn't any flavor effect that I've noticed, just a full carafe of coffee. Not the most ideal of brewing scenarios, however, the coffee carafe is now full 10 cups. Perhaps in a future model Braun will ensure that the original brewing cycle brews 10 cups as marked on the carafe. Makes no sense to me to sell a coffee maker with a 10 cup carafe and then have the maximum brew cycle brew only 9 cups.Second, the manual itself is actually labeled for 5 different models. Apparently there is a travel cup that is included with some of the models and not with others. It would have been helpful to know from the manual which models included the travel cup and which didn't. This model didn't include the cup, however, the pictures on the box and lack of complete description in the manual left me thinking there was supposed to be a travel cup included in the box. A call to Braun customer service earned me a call back and an apology that the manual wording wasn't more clear and for my troubles they sent would send me 1 free travel cup. Two weeks later said travel cup arrived. Works great with the coffeemaker and kept coffee hot for the 1 hour I drove around town running errands. I suggested to Braun that they identify in the manual which models included the cup in order to avoid future confusion and false expectations.That's the sum total of differences I've noticed from description to actual use.In another review a user made note of the fixed lid, opening too small for a hand, and difficulty cleaning the carafe. For me, not an issue. Particularly because the pour spout doesn't drip down the side of the carafe when pouring a cup of coffee as happened regularly with my Kitchen Aid flip-top wide open carafe.I've found rinsing the carafe with warm water, swirling it around gets most of the residue off the glass sides. A decanter brush, by GKBrush washing brush ( I bought mine right here on Amazon) and Dawn liquid dish soap removed the rest of residue. For me not a big deal in the grand scheme of things in my life.In other reviews people made negative comments regarding the temperature of the coffee. Personally, I like to be able to drink my coffee hot enough to be hot, yet not hot enough to scald my tongue on first taste. If you're like me, you'll enjoy this coffee temperature as brewed, just the right temperature to enjoy. If you like scalding, you'll need to place your coffee cup in a microwave oven and boil the hell out of the coffee.... no thanks.Also in other reviews some people were annoyed that the coffee warmer had a set time limit (remaining time visibly displayed, too) and functioned in an automatic mode with no manual override to keep warmer on past original timed amount. Me, I like the fact there's an automatic shut-off to the warmer plate. Cheaper coffee makers I've owned in the past kept that warmer plate as long as the power was on and tended to distill down the coffee over the day to almost non-drinkable. I'm not so much of a coffee snob that I'm above warming up a cup of today's coffee in the microwave oven for 45-50 seconds to have the coffee warm as I like it again. I'll take manual warming over constant distillation, thank you.As to brewing strength and flavor of the brewed coffee, for me I prefer what's labeled as "Gold". I presume after all the fancy wording this is a regular strength brew at temperature just right. Works for me. I use two brands of coffee: Death Wish Coffee original beans and Maui Grown Coffee Peaberry beans. Both are purchased as whole beans and fresh ground in my Braun coffee grinder when making coffee.Maui Grown Peaberry comes from Maui Grown Company Store here on Maui in Lahaina, HI over on Lahainaluna Road. Death Wish Coffee is a strong coffee sold online direct from them and also in some local stores. Peaberry is a mild roast with milder flavor. Death Wish is an in your face strong coffee without tasting burnt. Both brew exactly as I like the taste of them to be in this Braun coffeemaker.Some reviewers complained about the power button being too close to the on/off switch. Really??? The buttons are two very different shapes and CLEARLY labeled. Perhaps the negative reviewers have fat fingers??? Hint: power switch is the bottom of the switches.Bottom line for me: excellent coffeemaker at proper price packed with all the features I was looking for to replace the prior maker I had which lost its LED lights over time.
