Product Description
Black & Decker SmartBrew coffeemaker in black. Includes 12-cup capacity, lighted on/off switch, removable brew basket, water window, cord storage and Perfect Pour carafe.
Product Details
* Amazon Sales Rank: #609 in Kitchen & Housewares
* Size: Black
* Color: Black
* Brand: Black & Decker
* Model: DCM2500B
* Released on: 2004-08-15
* Dimensions: 6.00 pounds
Features
* 12-cup coffeemaker features digital clock and delayed start
* Wake up to a pot of freshly brewed coffee
* Perfectly drip-free pouring spout; 2 water windows
* Sneak-a-cup feature; automatic shut-off after 2 hours
* 13 inches tall, raised lid requires 22 inches; 1-year warranty
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
This is one programmable coffeemaker that's actually very easy to program. The touch-pad buttons are intuitive, and the printed directions clear, so there's no excuse for not waking up to the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of java. To prepare for making a pot at any hour, the lid lifts up (hinges in rear), exposing the brew basket: add a flat-bottomed paper filter and the ground coffee of your choice. There's ample pour space for water, the level of which you can view through a convenient window on either side. Simply close the lid and push the On button. Auto/On and the clock buttons set the time for delayed start.
The most satisfying thing about the glass carafe is that the wide lip pours without a single drip. In addition, the broad bottom on the carafe affords good surface contact with the stay-hot plate for up to two hours; at that point, the machine shuts off automatically for safety. Those who can't wait for a sip before the entire pot is brewed will appreciate the Sneak-a-Cup feature. While the coffeemaker stands 13 inches tall, it must be pulled forward on a counter to clear most cabinets since the raised lid requires 22 inches. The DCM2500B features a sleek hourglass shape, comes in black or white, and is covered by a one-year warranty. The brew basket and carafe are dishwasher-safe in the top rack. --Ann Bieri
Customer Reviews
An excellent coffee maker5
Because we're serious about our coffee, we sold our old $100+ Cuisinart coffeemaker to be replaced with this much better designed and much easier to use coffee maker.
A motel room we stayed at had this model coffee maker. We used it twice a day for 10 days. The coffee was delicious and we found no minuses at all, so I bought one. We've been using it daily now for about three months.
The carafe is made of heavy duty glass and doesn't drip at all. The hole to pour water into is large and easy to get to. There are convenient and accurate water level windows on both sides of the unit. The controls are convenient, easy to understand, and easy to use. The basket is easily removed for cleaning, easy to position, and uses standard flat bottomed filters. The time and function displays are large and bright. All of these are comparative problem areas in the Cuisinart.
Programming works perfectly and is so simple to use we didn't need the manual. To set the time of day press the "Hours" button until it reaches the current hour and then the "Minutes" button. To set the "Auto on" time, press the "Program" button, and then set the start time the same way. Press the "Program" button again to go back to time of day. For auto start, press the "Auto on" button, which lights up. That's it.
In addition, the water enters the drip chamber in a shower rather than a stream, resulting in consistently smooth and uniform tasting coffee. I can't comment on the warming plate because we put what we don't drink immediately into a Thermos for all day use. The warming plate shuts itself off after two hours if you forget.
The negative reviews are a puzzle to me. We found none of the problems mentioned.
This is an addendum in mid Nov, 2007. The coffeemaker still makes perfect coffee and everything works like new. The only negative I'd add is that the warming plate is quite rusty, probably because I put a pot of tap water on it at night to have chlorine free water in the morning. Often the pot is damp. When we need to replace this coffeemaker, I'll paint the new warming plate with bar-b-cue paint before the first use, for rust protection.
This is an update, dated 11/20/07. The coffeemaker still works perfectly and still looks good. I sanded the rust off of the base plate, painted it with bar-b-cue paint, and as expected there is no more rust problem. I don't think the rust would occur for most people. I caused it by putting a wet pot on the plate overnight seven days a week.
The Best of the Inexpensive Coffeemakers4
I drink lots of coffee in lots of places. I've had the terrible plasticky coffee from the $10 drippers and very fine pressed coffee from the shops.
This is my third Black & Decker (more on that later) and continues to benefit from design upgrades and improvements. I found this dripper to be the top of the line inexpensive coffeemaker. Mine came with the resusable filter, but I find that using the disposable filters (for me) makes a slightly stronger and better coffee.
The program feature was a little counter-intuitive for me, but only took 30 seconds once informed to master. Wake up to my coffeemaker's aroma. Warning: The first time I tried to make coffee, the carafe didn't push the sticking, new drip basket arm in and I had a little overflow. Apparently, it was because the machine was new and it now works flawlessly. But you might want to make sure it drips properly the first time or two you use it.
I mentioned earlier that this is my third machine from this family. It's not Black & Decker's fault that I live in an area with extremely hard, unprocessed well water. All water processing appliances (like my water heater) get clogged up with time, even with proper maintenance. These machines have lasted better than the old, bottom line machines I started out with, and longer than a more expensive one I bought.
It Just Makes Coffee.5
Since the trend seems to be the production and purchase of items that make phone calls, play mp3s, serve as calulators, take pictures, play movies and change the cat litter box, this coffeemaker may not impress some people. It just makes coffee. It uses normal coffee filters (the flat bottom type), brews the coffee and turns off the warming plate after two hours. It does not do anything else. I, personally LIKE that. After all, how many mp3 players does one need? What kind of tech-crazy person wants to make phone calls on their coffee maker? Who can talk before they have had their first cup of coffee in the first place?
If you are looking for a coffee maker that just makes coffee and does it rapidly and without any complicated instructions that must be followed (who can follow complicated instructions before their first cup of coffee, either?) then this would be a good choice. If you want to film a movie with your coffee maker, this is not the coffee maker for you.
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