Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

Gaggia Evolution Espresso Machine Product Technical DetailsEvolution Key FeaturesTypeEspresso MachineOperation Sourc...

Not impressed with Mr. Coffee’s 8 cup Thermal Gourmet Coffeemaker Mr. Coffee TCX83 8 Cup Coffee Maker Okay. I admit it. I bought this Mr. Coffee TCX83 Thermal Gourmet Coffee Maker because it looked cool. There it...

My husband and I love a good cup of coffee. So it was no easy task to select our next coffee maker, which, trust me, will have to work very hard over the next few years. The last coffee maker we had was a programmable one with a glass carafe and I had always wished that the coffee would stay hotter for longer, so we decided to give the thermal carafe a whirl.

Although I feel this is a very good coffee maker overall, I was very disappointed with the temperature of the coffee after an hour or so (more on that later). Otherwise, it’s a solid machine and here are some of the features it offers:

* 8 cup capacity — I was used to a 12-cup capacity, so I do feel this is a little small.

* Programmable Timer — Instead of fumbling around with a filter and beans and measuring water in the morning (when you could actually use a cup of coffee to function), why not set it up the night before? This is a very nice feature and it’s easy to set.

* Pause-and-Pour Feature — I love this. If you’re impatient like I am, you can simply remove the carafe from the warmer plate (for up to 30 seconds) in mid-cycle to pour yourself a cup of coffee.

* Removable Black Filter Basket — I’d never seen this with a coffee maker before, and I like this feature. What it means is that you can take the filter basket out and a black holder still remains attached to the coffee maker. It allows for a neater visual appearance of the machine while the basket is being cleaned.

* A Clock — we have about three clocks in our kitchen already, but it’s still a nice feature. It’s also necessary in order to set the programmable timer feature. The clock is easy to set.

* Thermal Carafe — although very sleek and sophisticated looking, it’s actually not that functional. In short, it doesn’t keep the coffee hot. The owner’s manual suggests rinsing the carafe with warm water beforehand to increase its heat-retaining properties. Well, I tried this and didn’t notice much of a difference. I’ve also turned the lid from ‘Brew and Pour’ to ‘Close’ as recommended after brewing, and still the coffee doesn’t stay hot past a half hour or so.

I think I know why too, and that’s because the warmer plate shuts off as soon as the coffee finishes its brew cycle. The coffee maker I had prior to this one (I think it was a Proctor and Silex) had the warmer plate on an automatic shut-off and it stayed on for about an hour or so. As a result, the coffee in its glass carafe stayed much hotter than with this thermal carafe.

The machine is easy to clean with vinegar and water and directions are included in the manual.

Onto its coffee-making abilities: I was not disappointed here. The coffee tastes good and the brew time is about average for a coffee maker. It definitely brews a decent cup of coffee.

Again, it would be nicer to have hotter coffee, but it’s still a good machine. Don’t get it if you’re a fanatic about HOT coffee (like I obviously am), but it is a very stylish looking and a solidly built coffee maker. Still, I would have expected more from Mr. Coffee.

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