Review on Braun MultiServe Coffee Machine KF9070S - 7 Programmable Brew Sizes with 3 Strengths, Iced Coffee Feature, 10-Cup Glass Carafe, Stainless Steel by Heather Laudun

****EDITED 11/3 To put it down to one star, I've had nothing but bitter coffee from this machine - I've tried grocery stores, boutique Seattle mid-range brands, and expensive large money exotic. It's all bittersweet no matter what settings I use. Also, I've found that the temperature on this machine is lower than any other I've used. Maybe it's part of the certificate they claim is special, but my coffee isn't hot enough right after brewing. If I apply just a little bit of cream, it's already cold enough, then I look for toppings to warm it up. Nothing I've tried with this machine makes a really hot cup of coffee or anything that doesn't turn bitter. Bitter, slightly warm coffee is not for me. Instead, go back to your old worn out car. The first review was: This is a really nice machine from a very reputable brand that can make really good coffee. The SCA certification is pretty strict, I've read the requirements and they're really impressive. I'm not a professional coffee critic - I don't like chain store $5 coffee with one attitude and one jargon. I'm treated like an outsider when I ask for a tall black coffee instead of their particular art language for sizes and "coffee jargon" for the different brewing methods. However, I like a cup of good coffee when I can taste the real beans and different aspects of their flavor. This machine replaces my Braun, which I bought in the early 90's when I was in the Air Force eating coffee. to help me get through those 16 hour workdays. When choosing between new and new, I would rather go for my old Braun, just as I would with my classic car. I'll tell you why The controls on this new one aren't very good. You need to read the instructions and remember the procedure for setting the automatic timer. Now, having remembered the instructions, I understand that they are either wrong or my car is broken. According to the following instructions, which differ in the quick start guide and in this book, first morning: no coffee. Goed through the procedures by holding the button for two seconds, pressing the other buttons in the correct order, ignoring the part where they said it would turn on automatically even if it was off (not true), and left it on this time. no coffee. I got up half an hour after the timer was supposed to do my morning life-giving fuel and was only halfway through, which usually takes less than 8 minutes from start to finish. Wondering how the timer could be half an hour behind, my wife then informs me that she was just pressing the start button when the timer failed again. Second, I guessed and checked myself to make sure there wasn't an AM/PM error or something. No, that is not so. The AUTO light was on all night but there was no coffee. I reject this part. It's so fast I can create a bank in less than 10 minutes including setup, so I just initiate it myself. I was hoping the smell of fresh coffee would help me get out of bed on this cold winter morning. The controls are ambiguous, mainly because the screen and buttons are the same - those soft-touch buttons are trendy. , but it's often impossible to tell if the device understands what we're pressing because there's no haptic feedback. I would have preferred to have had a handle for strength, just like there is a handle for drink size. Either give me some old-school pens or make everything fancy buttons, but it's an odd mix of the two. The carafe is strange as the hole is very small so clean. strange. Your hand won't fit in there, so a small but long hand is the only way out. There's a little shelf if you're making a cup, which is great. The heating base expires and you cannot turn it back on. Sometimes I want to make a full pot and enjoy it for hours, but this machine can't do that. like my 25 year old Braun jug (I should mention that in 25 years my old car always turned itself on automatically when set up). The temperature can somehow be adjusted to your liking, the vintage machine has a knob for that. If you have the feeling that I prefer an old Braun coffee maker, you are right. Other features include the "Ice" setting which, as far as I can tell, simply disables the base heater. The coffee melts the ice in the carafe almost instantly, and besides, I don't understand the fashion for iced coffee, so I don't care. A charcoal filter can be installed in the tank, but I already use filtered water, but that can be useful if you're using tap or well water. The tank is convenient as it has an integrated handle for easy handling. It doesn't take up a lot of space to remove the tank, but it REALLY takes up a lot of clearance to remove the coffee filter. I have to pull it out from under the cabinets to install and then slide it back. Its design is wide rather than deep, so it takes up a lot of counter space. The stainless steel is clean and the black control panel and finish make it modern and "techy" which I like. It goes with all of the stainless steel appliances in my kitchen and people comment on how "cool" it looks. It pains me to give it two stars because I was hoping to love this car. But I do not know. The controls are not well thought out and the automatic adjustment does not work yet, although both versions of the guide have been followed. The heated base does not run long enough to turn itself on. There are other machines in this price range that offer more features, some even grind beans in the morning before brewing your morning cup of coffee. I'll figure out how to get the temp up and through but I'm very disappointed after the excitement of waiting.