Cuisinart DTC-975BKN Programmable Automatic Brew-and-Serve 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, Black

Just last week my girlfriend had been telling me how much she loved her thermal one, and it really got me thinking how awesome it would be if the coffee stayed hot, and didn't turn funky like it always does on a burner. A day later, I was staring at this one in the store and fell in love with it.

First of all, it was the 12 cup factor - I had only seen 10 cup thermals before and I couldn't see the point - when I entertain, I need to have more than 10 lousy cups. It also looks super in my white/bisque kitchen, and the brushed stainless steel pot is very nice looking and heavy duty.

I was forever standing in front of the micro reheating a cup of coffee or tea. Today was a very extreme example: I made a pot of coffee at 9:30 am before heading to church - and at 4:30 IN THE AFTERNOON, poured a cup and it was TOO HOT TO DRINK! Mind-blowing! And it tasted exactly like the first cup did in the morning.

The whole fam likes to also likes to drink a lot of tea, especially in the evening, and it dawned on me that I could run the water through it without coffee, and wala.... hot water for tea anytime someone wants a cup... no more standing in front of the micro for 2 minutes.

I can't tell you how awesome this coffee maker is... and having never had one I can set up the night before is truly wonderful. I love the fact that I don't have to open the top to pour. I will never own a coffeemaker with a hot plate again.


Love it.!! Some issues are real but easily overcome   February 24, 2005
Ann Kammerer (San Francisco, Ca. USA)
91 out of 93 found this review helpful

I LOVE this coffee maker. It is true that the coffee is hot and fresh for hours. It's super easy to clean. Definitely one of the best purchases I made. I would highly recommend this machine for most people. Some of the issues mentioned do have some truth...but are unavoidable given the merits of the machine...

For example, the lid does need to be put on correctly and is a little tight (but this required if the coffee is to stay hot for hours). Every once in a while I misalign it, but I think it's obvious when this starts to happen. I could see that someone with arthritis would have a problem. This machine may not be for the very old, or those with people in the house who wouldn't make the effot to do it right (like some teenagers?).

Same thing with putting the brew basket in. It does have to sit fully down and can easily be put in crooked. But after you've used it a few times it's obvious when it's in properly or not. When properly placed you can remove the pot during brew without spilling a drop. Again, this machine may not be best for older people who really can't see very well (my grandmother would have a real hard time) and for those who don't bother to check these little things.

I did have a problem once with the autostopper not working well and dripping when I remove the pot during brew, now I always fill the basket with water and push the button to let water come through when I wash it. Works like a champ again.

Bottom line, for most people this coffee pot is fabulous. I may not be best for older people because it does have a few quirks.


A brilliant design   December 29, 2004
Charles Castleberry (Los Angeles, CA United States)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

As a coffee lover since 3rd grade, and an engineer with a low tolerance for flaws, I'd call this coffeemaker near-perfect. I gave it as a gift this Christmas, and our whole extended family was impressed with the unit. The thermos carafe has an ingenious screw-top lid (easily removed for cleaning), with a beautifully clever mechanism that allows coffee to trickle in during brewing, and pour out without opening the top, but still manage to be airtight the rest of the time. I'd like to shake the hand of the guy that designed that simple-but-elegant mechanism. The coffeemaker brews a full 12-cup carafe in just 10 minutes, a real benefit given the effect that brewing time has on the coffee's flavor. And the carafe is insulated enough that the coffee remained drinkable past the 2 hour mark. The only weakness that I saw is that, since the unit shuts off completely once the coffee is brewed, you can't tell at a glance that there is coffee waiting for you (if it started automatically by the timer). But that's pretty minor, and I'm already recommending this machine to friends. Well done, Cuisinart.


Close to perfect for us...   June 23, 2006
WebHost (Midwest)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I read all the reviews of this coffee maker before we bought one.

We must have a new and improved model. There is a water-line tube on the outside, left side of the machine...very easy to read and is accurate.
There is NO hotplate (don't know where that review came from), the filter holder can only go in one way for no mistakes, the screw-on lid to the EXCELLENT carafe is wide-threaded so no way can you get it on NOT straight (unless you don't look)...

Everything works great...and the coffee stays 'hot' at least 10 hours because that's how long it took me to drink it all. It makes great coffee (and uses less coffee with more taste) and we would buy it again in a heartbeat!