good coffee
After years of breaking and replacing Krups glass carafes, it was time for a coffemaker with a thermal carafe. I bought a refurbished Capresso 441.05 MT-500 for $89. At that price it's a steal. At the usual $189 price, it would be a bit expensive. But it makes tasty coffee, which is what matters.
I've been using it every day for about 6 weeks. I use a measuring cup to determine how much water to use, so the tiny numbers on the gauge are not an issue for my aging eyes. The brewed coffee always flows into the carafe - the only way for it to spill onto the counter would be if the carafe were not empty if you started. The carafe keeps the coffee hot enough for at least two hours - that's the longest I've let it sit. Usually ... Read More
Good Coffee
Since it extremely hard to purchase a Technivorm KB741 - I decided to give this one a try.
The Technivorm is a 1200 watt machine while the Capresso is 1000 watts.
It brews a very hot cup of coffee which makes the coffee very tasty.
It is very fast and extremely easy to use.
Is it worth it? Well, it would depend on what you are used to drinking. If Folgers is adequate for your taste and you never go to Starbucks - this machine is a waste of money for you.
However, if you frequently go to Starbucks and coffee is a priority in your life - then this machine is well worth it. Especially if you were to brew your own joe, instead of going to Starbucks. This machine would pay for itself ... Read More
Nearly ideal
I had this coffeemaker for 2 weeks already. I have a Capresso coffee grinder for a few years and never had problems with it - decided to give their coffeemaker a try. The styling is superb and the controls are effortless and intuitive. The programming works great, and the clock is plainly visible even when the kitchen is brightly lit. There is no innate problem with an overflow, as long as you won't go over the "max" marking on a side. The red indicator ball, albeit small is clearly observable.
The machine makes very good coffee, and even though the liquid temperature is fine by me, it's not brewing as hot as my old Cusinart used to. That's not a defect in my opinion, because it's still hot enough to wait a couple of minutes before talking ... Read More
customer service
I never write reviews but just had to reward the company for their excellent customer service. My machine stopped working after about 1 1/2 years of hard use (and good coffee). My local small-appliance guys don't fix this brand, so I had to contact the company. For $65 they sent me a UPS label and promised to fix the machine, and within about one week of me putting it in the mail, I had a brand-new machine delivered to my door.
I appreciate this response, even though the $65 initially annoyed me.
The second best drip coffee maker and worth the price!
If you are looking to brew fresh ground coffee at the right temperature, with the correct amount of water contact time, there are very limited choices of machines from which to choose. The hundreds of "Mr. Coffee" type brewers are all basically the same and simply don't do right by the beans. Water too hot, not hot enough, brew too fast or too slow. The Technivorm is, arguably the only other option. It costs a bit more. The Capresso MT-500 is certainly more commercially available, on line and at higher-end kitchen/home retail stores. It is a proven machine having been available unchanged for some years now. The are only two choices here: all metal alloy or the model with the black plastic coffee filter holder unit. You choose whichever model fits your ... Read More
