Cuisinart is known for making quality appliances, and its coffee pots are among the best on the market. But do you want a programmable model, a thermal carafe, or a single-serve brewer? Cuisinart offers a wide range of coffee makers, all with different features and price points. How do you choose?
To help you shop, we reviewed many different Cuisinart coffee makers and made a list of our five favorites. We will go over the good and the not-so-good of each one so that you can know what you will be getting before you make a purchase.
A Quick Rundown of the Winners (Updated in 2024):
| Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall
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Cuisinart 14-Cup |
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Cuisinart 10-Cup |
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Best Value
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Cuisinart 4-Cup |
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Cuisinart Premium Single-Serve |
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Cuisinart 12-cup |
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The 5 Best Cuisinart Coffee Makers:
1. Cuisinart DCC-3200 14-Cup Coffee Maker – Best Overall
The DCC-3200 14-Cup Coffee Maker is the cream of the crop among Cuisinart coffee makers. It is incredibly convenient and easy to use. You can program your coffee pot to start brewing on its own at a set time, and it will automatically turn off after four hours. It even has a self-cleaning mode, brew-strength control, and a brewing pause button.
When we tested the Cuisinart DCC-3200, we found that it made an excellent cup of coffee. It includes a gold-tone reusable coffee filter and charcoal water filters to ensure that your coffee is pure and smooth.
The water reservoir is well-marked, so it is easy to see when your reservoir is full. However, the water tank lid doesn’t open far enough and gets in the way. It also overflows easily, so you’ll need to pay attention while filling the tank.
All in all, this is our pick for the best Cuisinart coffee maker of 2024.
- Fully automatic & programmable
- Self-cleaning
- Automatic shut-off after four hours
- Brew strength control
- Easy-to-see water level window
- Brew pause feature
- Charcoal water filters
- Gold-tone reusable coffee filter
- Reservoir lid doesn’t open far enough to fill
- Reservoir overflows easily
2. Cuisinart DCC-1150BK 10-Cup Coffee Brewer
Cuisinart’s DCC-1150BK 10-Cup Classic Coffee-Maker has many of the same features as the DCC-3200 14-Cup model. It is convenient to use because it is fully automated and programmable, though the interface can be difficult to read. It’s also self-cleaning, so your morning routine can run smoothly.
The DCC-1150BK also has a brewing pause feature. You do need to check that the unit has stopped dripping before you remove the pot after brewing, as it continues to trickle longer after brewing is complete.
This model differs from the DCC-3200 in that it automatically shuts off when brewing is complete. The coffee is delivered into an insulated carafe to stay warm, but it doesn’t have a warming plate to keep it warm longer.
The DCC-1150BK comes with a charcoal water filter and a reusable gold-tone coffee filter to give you the best-tasting cup of coffee possible. Unfortunately, the carafe isn’t very well-designed and can be hard to pour.
- Fully automatic & programmable
- Self-cleaning
- Double-wall insulated carafe
- Brew pause feature
- Auto shut-off when brewing is complete
- Charcoal water filter
- Gold-tone coffee filter
- No warming plate
- Numbers hard to read
- Rim on pot makes it hard to pour
- Continues to drip coffee after done brewing
3. Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffee Maker – Best Value
The Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffeemaker has our vote for the best Cuisinart coffee maker for the money. It is on the smaller side, so it doesn’t take up too much of your counter space. It is not programmable, so you will have to fill the water reservoir and turn it on manually every time you want to use it. It does, however, automatically shut off 30 minutes after brewing has finished and your dripless stainless steel carafe is filled. As with the previous two models, the DCC-450BK has a brew pause feature, so you can interrupt brewing to get your first cup sooner.
This unit makes a good cup of coffee, but the paper filters don’t fit smoothly. You will have to play around with them sometimes to get them in correctly. Once it starts, it is very loud when brewing. The biggest turn-off of this particular unit is that it only heats your coffee to 160°. Many people prefer their coffee closer to 200°.
- 30-minute automatic shut-off
- Brew pause feature
- Dripless stainless steel carafe
- Small footprint
- Only heats coffee to 160°
- Paper filters don’t fit smoothly
- No timer
- Loud
4. Cuisinart Premium Single-Serve Coffee Maker (SS-10)
The Cuisinart SS-10 Premium Single-Serve Coffeemaker is fully automatic and programmable for your convenience. It also has an adjustable temperature control, which is good because some models don’t brew your coffee hot enough. Though we still find this coffee to be cooler than we would like, it is nice to be able to adjust the temperature, especially if you’re using the hot water button for tea or hot chocolate.
There are a few drawbacks to this model, though. This unit is compatible with any brand of single-cup pods, but they don’t seem to empty completely during the brewing procedure. It is made out of cheap plastic and has a very short cord, so it has to be near an electrical outlet. It is also very noisy when brewing.
- Fully automatic & programmable
- Adjustable temperature control
- Compatible with any brand single-cup pod
- Hot water button
- Cheap plastic construction
- Coffee not hot enough
- Pods do not empty completely
- Very noisy
- Very short electrical cord
5. Cuisinart Coffee Maker (DCC-500)
The Cuisinart DCC-500 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a good product for those with a tight budget. It is very convenient to use since it is programmable, but it has two different clocks that sit one above the other, making it confusing to know which is the actual time and which is the programmed time. It does have an automatic shut-off, as well as the brew pause feature. It also has a nifty rinse feature that cleans the inside of your brewer. Though it does have a warmer, it does not have a climate control on it.
One problem with this coffee maker is that the hole where you pour water into the reservoir is too small. You tend to spill quite a bit of water on the counter. There is also a problem with leaking when pouring liquid out of the carafe. The lid doesn’t just lift off; it snaps off and feels like it is going to break when you try to remove it. This model is also quite noisy when brewing.
- Fully automatic & programmable
- Adjustable auto shut-off
- Brew pause feature
- Rinse feature cleans inside of brewer
- Hole to pour water in is too small
- Very noisy
- Confusing time display
- Carafe drips when pouring
- Lid cannot be lifted off
- No temperature control on warmer
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Cuisinart Coffee Maker
When looking for the perfect coffee maker to meet your needs, you first need to know what those needs are. Is this for home use for just you or maybe a couple of other people? Are you buying for the coffee room at work that serves a number of people all day long? The way you’re going to use this brewer will help you decide what kind of unit you will need.
Things to think about when you’re looking for a coffee maker include:
Convenience
How much would you like your coffee maker to do for you? Programmable models will allow you to fill the water reservoir and program the machine to begin brewing at a particular time. This is great if you’re short on time or can’t think until your first cup of coffee. You can set it so that your coffee is ready for you before you get up.
Manual models don’t have timers, so you won’t be able to set them ahead. They’re typically very simple to use and may also be smaller and less expensive.
Types of drink
What kind of coffee do you want to make? If you want a perfect cup of coffee and a perfect cup of espresso, your best bet is to have different machines that are made for one specific thing. However, having multiple devices is costly both in money and in countertop real estate.
Some machines will make decent cups of different kinds of coffee, but they don’t do the best at any of them. The trade-off is more money in your pocket and more available room on your counter.
If you or your family members enjoy other beverages like tea or cocoa, you may want to look for a hot water dispenser. That way, you won’t need a separate electric kettle.
Brewing Capacity
How much coffee do you brew at a time? Before choosing a coffee maker, you may want to consider whether you typically brew a single cup or an eight-cup pot.
- Single serving: single-serve coffee pots are great if you want to make just one cup of coffee.
- Pods: great when you have a few people who all want different flavors of coffee. You can quickly change what is being brewed by changing the pod.
- Four to ten-cup brewers: these are great for a family, or if you want to brew coffee once in the morning and have it available all day.
- Ten-plus cup brewers: great for offices or any other place that serves large groups of people.
Size
Make sure you have enough counter space to house the unit that you are purchasing. Coffee machines can be bulky and heavy, so you’ll probably want to consider your kitchen and look at each model’s dimensions.
If you are purchasing a single-serve machine, make sure your favorite coffee cup will fit under the spout.
Extra features you may want to consider:
- Programmable brew times
- Warming plates
- Automatic shut-off
- Bean grinders
- Milk frothing
Final Verdict:
Now that we have talked about things that you need to know before you begin shopping for your perfect coffee maker, let’s have another look at our top five Cuisinart coffee makers. Our top pick is the Cuisinart DCC-3200 14-Cup Coffee Maker, followed by the Cuisinart DCC-1150BK 10-Cup Classic Coffee-Maker. If you’re shopping on a budget, you may want to look at the Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffeemaker.
After reading our reviews and buyer’s guide, we hope you have enough information to find a great Cuisinart coffee maker. Start your day out right with the perfect coffee machine. You’ll enjoy your cup of joe more if it’s easy to make!
Still looking? Here are some of our other coffee maker guides:
