The Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffeemaker makes a good cup of coffee. It is simple to use. Just put a #2 cone filter in the basket, add in the desired amount of coffee and pour in the desired amount of water. This is advertised as a 4 cup coffee maker....that is four 5 ounce cups, even though a "cup" is actually 8 ounces. The water tank holds about 23 to 24 ounces of water, so if you are careful, you can probably get about 22 to 23 ounces of coffee, taking into consideration the coffee grounds and filter will retain some of the water. I am satisfied with the amount of coffee this makes. The manual states that all plastic parts that come into contact with water are BPA free. The coffee pot itself is stainless steel with plastic. If you are hearing impaired, this coffee maker could be frustrating. There is nothing to indicate the coffee maker has finished brewing, no light, no beeping, no signal. The stainless steel pot is just that....stainless steel. You cannot see how much coffee is in the pot. The only way to tell if it has finished brewing is to listen to it. When it stops huffing and puffing, and the trickling noise has stopped, it has finished brewing. Or, just wait about 10 minutes after pressing the start button. For the impatient folks, the pot can be removed in the middle of brewing to get a cup of coffee. This really isn't a good idea because it affects the coffee flavor. The early part of the brewing will likely be stronger and the later part of the brewing will be weaker. If one waits until brewing is completely finished, the flavor will be more even. The heating plate automatically shuts off after 30 minutes. This may be too short for some people to finish 4 cups. A lot of the time I'm pouring the hot coffee into a thermal mug so this isn't a big deal. On the days when I'm relaxing, I may discover the warming plate has shut off and the coffee is cooling down. On the bright side, the coffee doesn't get "cooked" on the warming plate. There is no clock on this coffee maker; that was clear to me before I purchased it. I don't need a clock. If I know I'll be in a rush in the morning, I'll set the coffee maker up the night before with water and coffee. In the morning, I'll just turn it on, then go get dressed. By the time I'm dressed, I have hot coffee. If you really want a timer, use a heavy duty appliance timer and plug the coffee maker into that....or buy a different small coffee maker with a clock, but then you won't get the good coffee this machine makes. The coffee pot doesn't drip when pouring. I think this is the first coffee maker I have owned that didn't drip during or after pouring. Cleaning is easy. Cuisinart recommends washing in warm sudsy water after each use and dry....like who really has the time to do that every day. I'll rinse the basket, pot and lid under warm running water and let it air dry. When I have time, I'll wash everything. So far, no issues doing this. Getting all of the water out of the pot is a bit of a challenge. The lip inside the pot doesn't let all of the water pour out, even if it is completely upside down. I have found shaking it over the sink works to get most of the water out, then I let it air dry. I don't care about water spots, but I haven't gotten any yet. I suspect I will after several months, but that doesn't bother me. Cuisinart customer service told me the water heats up to the 195 to 205 range. I suspect it does. Immediately after brewing, the coffee in the pot is 185 degrees, and this was starting with cold filtered tap water in the water tank. There will be temperature loss as the water goes through the coffee grounds and into the pot. What is important is the temperature the water gets to before it hits the coffee grounds....this I haven't figured out how to safely measure. Whatever, it makes good coffee.
