CSN Product Review: Cuisinart 4-Cup Coffee Maker

As reported in earlier blog posts, I have been given the opportunity to review products for www.csnstores.com. Well, here's the first review. My wife and I selected a small coffee maker, 4-cup capacity, because we recently got a espresso machine and started enjoying coffee at home. The only thing we didn't have was an actual drip-style coffee maker. We had a few requirements. We wanted one that was a smaller capacity, we certainly don't need 12 cups of coffee at a time. We wanted one that would allow us to pour a cup mid-brew. And finally we wanted it to be compact. Our counters are already crowded enough as it is.

After searching through the CSNStores catalog, we came across this specimen. It fit our criteria exactly so we ordered it on 12/21/2010. Knowing it was right at Christmas time, I didn't expect to take delivery on this item until pretty close to the 1st of the year. However, the promise date given was "on or by 12/28/2010" so I was satisfied when the package arrived on the exact date promised. An e-mail was sent with the UPS tracking number as well.

Here's the product out of the shipping box and then out of the product box. All items received in good order. The coffeemaker included 3 filters and a coffee scoop as well. So after dinner last night, the wife and I decided a nice cup of Dunkin' Donut brand coffee was in order. Within the water reservoir we found that there are demarcations based on how many cups of coffee you'd like to brew, another plus! So we filled it up to the 2-cup line, added the coffee and let 'er whirl! Within a minute or two, we assumed there was enough coffee for a cup and pulled the carafe to pour a cup. The auto-brew-shut-off worked as expected and not a drop of coffee hit the hot plate. We then let it finish it's brewing cycle and poured the other cup. The coffee was steaming hot and delicious.

Clean-up was a cinch. The coffee grounds basket pulled out from the container and had the shut-off mechanism attached, so it didn't drip on the way to the trash can. I dumped the filter and grounds, and then rinsed out the empty pot. Viola, we had our coffee and a clean kitchen rather instantaneously.

So, I'll go ahead and give my ratings of both the product and the CSNStores ordering/shipping process:

1) CSN Stores Shopping Experience: 5 of 5 stars - easy website to navigate and find products, easy check-out process; very little confusion regarding what step of the process you're in.
2) CSN Stores Shipping - 5 of 5 stars - even during the holiday season, they hit their target promise date. The item was shipped in an appropriate sized box with air pocket cushions within to protect the cargo.
3) Cuisinart 4-Cup Coffee Maker - 4 of 5 stars - It made coffee just as expected, the shut-off valve is exactly what we were looking for and the low capacity suits our needs perfectly. The only downside is the stainless-steel carafe. While it does keep the coffee hot, you do lose the ability to see how much coffee is already brewed that you would have in a glass carafe. Other than that, I'd recommend this product for anyone looking for a home coffeemaker!*

*Disclaimer:  This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me (The Dimwit: Sam). This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for my posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.*