Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker,

Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker, Brushed Stainless/Black

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 13.2 x 10.1 inches ; 9 pounds
Shipping Weight: 14 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
ASIN: B000T9XPHC
Item model number: DGB-900BC

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Easily brew up to 12 cups of great-tasting coffee with this 24-hour fully programmable coffeemaker. The unit comes equipped with a built-in burr grinder, which automatically grinds beans right before brewing, and its grind-control function makes it easy to program the amount of coffee to grind--from 2 to 12 cups. In addition, its strength selector allows for choosing from strong, medium, or mild coffee. The unit's bean hopper holds up to a half pound of beans and comes with a sealed lid to prevent moisture. Other highlights include automatic shut-off after brewing, a grind-off option, and an integrated 2- to 4-cup feature, as well as a Gold tone commercial-style permanent filter and charcoal water filter to remove impurities, and a brew-pause function for sneaking a cup midbrew. A 12-cup (5 ounces each) double-wall insulated thermal carafe comes included, which seals in heat and freshness so the last cup tastes as good as the first. The coffeemaker measures 10-2/3 by 8-4/9 by 16-1/4 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty.
From the Manufacturer
The Cuisinart DGB-900BC Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Thermal Coffeemaker

The burr mill grinder in the new Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Thermal Coffeemaker is responsible for the superior coffee flavor that you can experience. Add to that the pleasure of choosing the flavor strength you like best, easy-to-use controls, and a thermal carafe that keeps coffee hot and fresh for hours and you'll understand why we say this Cuisinart coffeemaker is a grind above the rest.
The Quest for a Perfect Espresso
It is generally agreed that there are four basic elements critical to the perfect cup:
Element 1. Water:
Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the quality of the water is as important as the quality of the coffee. A good rule of thumb is that if your water doesn't taste good from the tap, it won't taste any better in your coffee. That's why Cuisinart has added a water filter to the Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Coffeemaker. The charcoal water filter removes chlorine, bad tastes and odors, for the purest cup of coffee every time.
Element 2. Coffee:
While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the flavor should be from the coffee. To achieve the same great quality of coffee you receive at a coffee bar, you need to use the same quality beans. Buy the beans fresh and whole, only about a two weeks' supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades very quickly. That's why the Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Coffeemaker grinds your coffee just prior to brewing. If it is not practical to buy small supplies, we recommend you separate larger amounts of beans into one to two week portions immediately after purchase, and freeze them in airtight containers. The best way to maximize freshness is to minimize exposure to air, light and moisture. So, once beans have been removed from the freezer, maintain them in a sealed container at room temperature, since damaging condensation occurs every time the beans are removed from the freezer or refrigerator. Note that some coffee experts advise against freezing dark-roast beans, because freezing can cause the oils to coagulate. Other experts disagree. We suggest you experiment and decide yourself. We recommend keeping the hopper at least half way full. Be sure that you have sufficient amount of beans in your hopper for the amount of coffee you intend to brew. Although it is preferable to use fresh, whole beans, you can make coffee in the coffeemaker using pre-ground beans. To do so, turn off the grinder by pressing the Grind Off button before turning on the unit. It is suggested to use 1 level scoop of ground coffee per cup and adjust the amount to your taste. The maximum capacity for ground coffee is 16 level scoops, using either a paper or permanent filter. Exceeding this amount may cause overflow.
Element 3. Grind:
The grind of the coffee is critical for proper flavor extraction. If the grind is too fine, over extraction and bitterness will result. Too fine a grind may also clog the filter. If the grind is too coarse, the water will pass through too quickly and the desired flavors will not be extracted. The Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Coffeemaker is preset for a medium grind, the optimal grind for this type of coffeemaker.
Element 4. Proportion:
The Fully Automatic Burr Grind ; Brew Coffeemaker makes up to twelve cups of (54 ounces) of coffee.
Making Coffee with Whole Beans

Fill the Water Reservoir: Open the reservoir lid. Pour the desired amount of water in the reservoir using the water level window indicator. Close the reservoir lid. Note: Do not exceed the 12-cup line; doing so may cause the carafe to overflow.
Add Beans: Lift the hopper lid, using the recess on either side. Fill the hopper with beans. It is recommended keeping the hopper at least halfway full. Be sure that you have a sufficient amount of beans in your hopper for the amount of coffee you intend to brew (maximum capacity is 1/2-pound Do not over-pack the hopper. Over-packing may result in jamming the grinder.) For easy filling, the hopper container can be taken out by turning the hopper container release knob to the unlock position. Note: Do not put any water in the unit once the hopper container has been removed. If the water gets into the grinder motor, the motor may become damaged and may malfunction. Put hopper lid back in place.
Lock Hopper: If you have removed the hopper from the unit, be sure that the hopper container release knob is in the unlocked position and place the hopper container back in the unit. Turn the knob to locked position. This unit is equipped with a safety interlock system. The unit will not grind if the hopper container is not in place. If you try to turn on the unit for grinding with the hopper out of place, the unit will beep continuously until the missing part is installed. The brewing process can be restarted by pressing the On button. Restarting the process will not affect coffee results.
Insert Coffee Filter: Open filter door by pressing filter basket door release button. Remove filter basket cover and place a 4 basket paper filter or Cuisinart's commercial style permanent filter in the basket. The unit is equipped with a safety interlock system. The units will not operate if the filter basket cover or filter basket are not in place or if the filter door is not closed. If you try to turn the unit on while the filter compartment is out of place, the unit will beep continuously until the missing part(s) are installed.
Brewing:

Immediate Grinding and Brewing:

Turn the Grind Control Knob to select the number of cups you want to brew. The coffeemaker will grind the corresponding amounts of beans. The unit will automatically adjust for low cup settings.
Press the Strength Control button to set the coffee strength. MILD, MED or STRONG will show on the LCD display.
Press the On button. The indicator will light and process will begin.

Programmed Brewing: Press the Program button. The indicator will light and the display will show the programmed time for as long as the button is depressed. The display reverts back to the time of day once the button is released.

Turn the Grind Control knob to select the number of cups you want to brew. The Coffeemaker will grind the corresponding amount of beans. The unit will automatically adjust for low cup settings.
Press the Strength Control button to set coffee strength. MILD, MED or STRONG will show on the LCD display.
The coffeemaker will begin brewing at the programmed time.

During and After Brewing: The Brew Pause feature allows you to remove the carafe from the resting plate during mid-brew. The brewing process does not stop during this period; only the flow of coffee from the basket stops. Do not remove the carafe for longer than 20 seconds or the coffee may overflow the basket. While Cuisinart offers this feature, it is not recommended that you pour coffee before the cycle has reached completion, since the coffee brewed at the beginning of the cycle has a flavor profile which is very different from the coffee made at the end of the cycle. Removing the cup during the brewing cycle will alter the flavor of the finished pot. When the brewing cycle is completed, five beeps will sound. Coffee will continue to stream from the filer for several seconds. After brewing, the unit will automatically shut itself off. The thermal carafe will keep the coffee hot for hours.

Making Coffee with Pre-Ground Beans

Fill the Water Reservoir: Open the reservoir lid. Pour the desired amount of water in the reservoir using the water level window indicator. Close the reservoir lid. Note: Do not exceed the 12 cup line; doing so may cause the carafe to overflow.
Add Coffee Grounds:

Open filter door. Add ground coffee to the permanent or 4 paper filter.
Place filter basket lid in place and close filter door.

Brewing:

Immediate Grinding and Brewing:

Press the Grind Off button. When this function is activated, an amber LED will be illuminated.
Press the On button. The indicator will light and the process will begin.

Programmed Brewing: Press the Program button. The indicator will light and the display will show the programmed time for as long as the button is depressed. The display reverts back to the time of day once the button is released.

Press the Grind Off button. When this function is activated, an amber LED will be illuminated.
The coffeemaker will begin brewing at the programmed time.

For additional product information, see the reference manual above.
Cuisinart’s fully Automatic Grind ; Brew coffeemaker features a burr grinder for superior coffee. The burr grinder evenly grinds the coffee without influencing the integrity of the bean, so the beans true flavor is maintained. The sealed bean hopper keeps up to a half pound of beans fresh to preserve flavor integrity. Fully automatic settings let you choose coffee strength: strong, medium, or mild, number of cups, brew start time and grind consistancy. The thermal carafe seals in the heat and keeps up to 12 cups of coffee hot and fresh so the last cup is as good as the first. It's never been easier to make a great pot of coffee!

Product Features

24-hour fully programmable coffeemaker with auto shutoff, brew-pause feature, and Grind off function
Double-wall insulated stainless steel thermal carafe with comfort grip handle holds up to 12 cups of coffee
Built-in automatic burr grinder and 8-ounce bean hopper holds a half pound of beans. Strength selector and grind control fine-tune intensity and volume
Includes: Charcoal water filter and permanent gold tone filter that ensures only the freshest coffee flavor flows through. Measuring scoop. Instruction book
Measures 10-2/3 by 8-4/9 by 16-1/4 inches; 3-Year limited warranty

Customer Reviews

I chose this grind and brew after reading all of the reviews for this and similar machines. Frankly, I am surprised by the negative comments. This is an easy to use machine once it is set up properly (the bean hopper takes a little of effort to snap in). The coffee tastes great and the parts are very easy to clean quickly. While the instruction book is not clear, Cuisinart was very helpful on the phone. The machine does not know how much water you put in, so if you set it to grind coffee for 6 cups and you have 8 cups of water in it, it will process all 8 cups of water. Other than this small quirk, the machine is a small wonder and I do not feel compelled to go out for coffee in the morning. The thermos carafe will keep the coffee quite warm for a few hours, even when the carafe is not warmed up with hot water. Wondering why it took me so long to go ahead and buy this machine. This is the best model; my neighbor has the first generation/second generation machine which is hard to clean and has a large footprint. Save your money and buy this model!
Now that I have had the machine for a month and a half: It requires some cleaning to get the fine grounds that compress and stop the grinder and ground coffee to get into the filter for brewing. I use a bamboo chopstick and a skewer to break up the compressed fine grounds that impede the machine from working properly. (Unplug the machine and put it over the sink area). I also use compressed air to blow out the fine ground particles. Still, this is a small maintenance to allow for great coffee in the AM.

This unit wastes beans.
According to the user manual, if you fill the coffee bean hopper with 1/2 lb of coffee, you can expect "at least" two - 12 cup brews. I thought this was a bit conservative but it was confirmed when I made the first pot of coffee. I set the machine for 12 cups and watched as almost half of the beans disappeared on the first pot.
I figure it uses almost 1/4 lb of beans to brew a full pot (12 cups of 5 oz coffee). This is about double what would be used if you followed the directions when using a manual grinder (one scoop of beans per cup using the scoop that comes with this coffee maker).
I think Cusinart kept the grind at very coarse level to ensure proper grind flow in the machine. To compensate, they increased the amount of coffee ground. Thus it uses about 4 oz of beans versus 2.5 oz of beans per 10-12 cup pot. It doesn't sound like much but works out to 60% extra per pot.
I've owned the Cuisinart DGB-600BC Grind and Brew Coffeemaker and Melitta Mill ; Brew Coffee Maker so this is my third unit brew and grind unit. The two previous units has manual bean fill and comparatively good control on the grind. This unit always grinds very very coarse.
Pro: Large Bean Hopper
Easy to clean
Fill level on side (DGB-600BC did not)
Gold filter basket included
3 Year Warranty
Simple operation (for a grind ; brew machine)
Seems well constructed
Cons: Grind is always very course
Uses twice as much beans
Carafe pours slow and tends to drip
The coffee tastes OK - its not as good as what you can get with a manual grind/brew but consistent with the other Mill ; Brew machines I've had. It is well built and I think the 3 year warranty is key because our other Cuisinart grinder motor lasted about 18 months, but its going back because I make about 2 pots/day and this translates into a couple hundred dollars year. Going to try the Capresso 455 or 454.
Update
I've got the Capresso 454 and love it. It can grind from super fine up to coarse and makes a great cup of coffee.