Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

Mr. Coffee FTX20 / FTX23 12-Cup Coffee Maker Key FeaturesTypeCoffee MakerBuilt-in Water FilterWith Built-in Water FilterCapacity12 CupOp...

Great Coffeepot Mr. Coffee FTX20 / FTX23 12 Cup Coffee Maker When I bought this Mr. Coffee coffeepot, I wasn't exactly thinking, "Now, what do I look for when I need a coffee ...

Purchased this at Costco - $35 and a $10 off coupon. If I had paid regular real price I am sure I would be unhappy with the coffee maker, since for $50 I would expect perfection.

The unit makes a capable pot of coffee and is impressive to look at. The beeps at the end of the cycle and at shut off are pretty cool. The decanter pours clean, unlike my Krupps which usually deposited an ounce of coffee on the counter!

I only had a major water spill one time, when I was running water through it before the first use, as per the instructions. I forgot to replace the filter basket! My bad on that one. After reading all of the reviews here I was ready to the unit back before I even opened the box, but I have not had a stray drop of water or coffee since.

On the other hand, I did have to set the coffee maker to brew “strong” to get good coffee, and I am not even a strong coffee drinker. The stainless steel plate that fixes to the water spray has to be cleaned after every pot and often has grounds stuck to it. Coffee grounds make their way into the carafe, and it is hard to clean and dry the carafe (hate those little drips, I like the glass clean and spotless!) The condensation inside the coffee maker is a bit of pain, I pour it out into the sink every time I clean the coffee maker. Also, there is a lot of condensation in the carafe, so when you first start to pour a new cup, you get a little water first!

My final “other hand” concerns the electronics. The machine shuts off after two hours, but there is no reason that the consumer should not be able to customize this feature. During the week, it is great not to have to remember to shut off the coffee maker, but on weekends, its nice to have have a pot lounging around on warm for late risers. Over all, I like the shut off feature. On my old Krupps, there was a low mounted switch in front, and if you bumped it, it went on and you might not find it again for hours.

Since I use filtered water for brewing anyway, I have not used the filter that came with the Mr. Coffee, but I wonder if it might contribute to the spillage problem others have reported.

By the way, as a previous reviewer noted, the pause and pour found on most coffee makers today does seen like a silly idea. I’m sure some of you swear by it, but I’m sure the first couple of cups that go into the pot taste different from the last couple, and until they figure out how to stop the water flowing into the filter basket, you run the risk of running over!

Overall, a pretty nice coffee maker that look great (and more expensive than it is,) makes good coffee, and pours without making a mess, BUT, it is not perfect, so keep your receipt for a while to make sure you are happy with it.

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