Review on Braun MultiServe Coffee Machine: 7 Programmable Brew Sizes, 3 Strengths, Iced Coffee, and Hot Water for Tea – Glass Carafe (10-Cup), Stainless/Black, KF9150BK by Darrius Frison

I purchased this item from Revain as "damaged but still working". Not sure if that applies to "damage" as the item was in perfect condition, never been used and had no scratches. The price cut has brought the price down to what I think the retail market should be when comparing this model to other brands. This is purely my opinion and I am not a marketing expert or price level analyst. In the short time I've had this coffee maker, I've noticed little about it that differs from what is described in its owner's manual. Firstly, no matter how much water is above the 10 cup mark in the water dispenser, the machine will brew 9 cups as indicated on the coffee pot. This seems a little strange to me, but after using all 3 brew options (light, golden, heavy) to see if a particular strength limited the brew size, I consistently ended up with 9 cups per carafe. UPDATE COMMENT: I finally figured out why there is only 9 cups in the carafe: the machine will brew a maximum of 9 cups no matter how much water is in the fresh water tank. To get 10 cups, I leave the water tank on the machine, I fill the coffee carafe to the bottom of the black carafe lid, and then fill the water tank. Pouring from a carafe fills the container to the brim with water. I would never be able to remove the container, fill it up completely and not spill anything and put it back on the car. It would be nice if this was described in the instructions. But even with the water reservoir filled to the brim, the only way I've found is to brew 10 cups of coffee in two steps; First rotate the drink clockwise until the full picture of the carafe. Start the brew cycle. When you're done, the carafe will be on the 9-cup line and the water will remain in the transparent container on top of the machine. Turn off the power switch on the espresso machine, turn the brew knob counter-clockwise to 5 oz, turn the machine back on and brew 5 oz using the same fresh coffee grounds just used for 9 cups. Since I brew immediately, I didn't notice any flavor effect, just a full carafe of coffee. However, this is not the ideal brewing scenario, the coffee pot is now filled with 10 cups. Perhaps in a future model Braun will ensure that the original brew cycle brews 10 cups as stated on the carafe. It makes no sense to me to sell a coffee maker with a 10 cup carafe and then have a maximum brew cycle of only 9 cups. Second, the instructions themselves actually point to 5 different models. Apparently some models have a travel mug while others don't. It would be helpful to know from the manual which models have a travel mug and which don't. This model did not come with a mug, but the pictures on the box and the lack of a full description in the manual made me think the box was meant to have a travel mug. A call to Braun customer service got me a call back and an apology for not being clearer in the manual wording and for my concerns they sent me 1 free travel mug. Two weeks later, the aforementioned travel mug arrived. Works great with a coffee maker and keeps coffee hot for 1 hour when I was in town on business. I suggested Braun to indicate in the owner's manual which models include a cup to avoid confusion and false expectations in the future. This is the sum of the differences I noticed from the description to actual use. In another test report, a user complained about the tight lid, the opening that was too small for the hand and the difficult cleaning of the carafe. It's not a question for me. Mainly because the spout doesn't drip down the side of the jug when pouring a cup of coffee, as is often the case with the wide-open Kitchen Aid folding jug. most remains from the glass sides. Dawn's baby bottle brush and liquid dish soap removed the remaining residue. It plays no part in the overall scheme of things in my life. Other reviews spoke negatively about the temperature of the coffee. Personally, I like being able to drink my coffee hot enough to be hot, but not so hot that it burns my tongue on the first taste. If you're like me, you'll love brewing coffee at this temperature, just the right temperature to enjoy. If you love roasting, you need to put your coffee mug in the microwave and heck brew the coffee. No thank you. Also in other test reports, some were annoyed that the coffee warmer had a set time limit (the remaining time was also clearly displayed) and was operated in automatic mode without manual control to maintain the temperature during the initial elapsed time. As for me, I like that there is an auto shut off feature for the hotplate. The cheaper coffee makers I've had in the past held that warmer platen while the power was on and tended to distil the coffee almost undrinkably throughout the day. I'm not such a coffee snob that I'd put today's cup of coffee in the microwave for 45-50 seconds to get the coffee back to how warm I like it. I prefer manual heating to constant distillation, thanks. In terms of brew strength and the taste of the brewed coffee, I prefer what is marked "Gold". I'm guessing from all the fancy wording that this is a regular strong brew at the right temperature. works for me I use two brands of coffee, both medium roasts: Maui Grown Coffee Peaberry and Caribou Medium Roast. I buy both as whole beans and freshly ground in the Braun grinder when making coffee. The Maui Grown Peaberry comes from the Maui Grown Brand Store here on Maui in Lahaina, HI on Lahainaluna Road. Caribou is available in 40-ounce bags at Costco stores west of the Mississippi. The big difference in price is the cost of two cups of coffee, but both were brewed exactly how I want them to taste in this Braun coffee maker. Having had the coffee maker for a while I will update this review with additional comments on the features I have used. In particular, I will only use the hot water machine for tea and separate cups to test the selector switch. Bottom line for me: A great coffee maker at a reasonable price, equipped with all the features I was looking for to replace the previous kettle that lost its LED lights over time.