BLACK+DECKER CM0700BZ 4-in-1 5-Cup Coffee Station Coffeemaker, Black

All I need !

makes great coffee!

The point of this coffee maker is obviously to create something cheap for people that only need to brew a couple of cups. A couple of the problems with this machine are that it does not have a showerhead water drip system and the water temperature doesn't seem to be consistent (it does reach around 200 degrees F in the final parts of the brew, but is lower before that). The temperature is not something you can fix unfortunately, but there are a couple tricks you can do to overcome the way water drips into the coffee:1. Use two coffee filters. Place your coffee into one paper filter and then place another coffee filter on top of the coffee grounds. Use a toothpick to poke some holes into the top filter to allow the CO2 to escape (important for the next step). What this will do is allow the water that comes out of the spout to spread and cover the coffee grounds more evenly for a better extraction. When I do this, I don't get the pit in the middle of the coffee grounds like you typically get if you're running this machine in stock configuration.2. Use a smart plug to create your own bloom cycle. This coffee machine does not have a built-in bloom cycle, but you can manually create your own either by turning off the coffee machine for about 20 seconds a minute or two into the brewing cycle or using a smart plug to automate this. Since I use an Alexa Smart Plug to start my coffee automatically in the morning, I created a routine to automate the bloom cycle. I've included a screenshot of my routine in case anyone else wants to try it also. Note that although the recommended bloom time for coffee is 30 seconds, my routine does it in 20 seconds because the coffee machine will not start dripping water the instant it is turned back on.After trying these two steps, there was a noticeably smoother taste in the coffee, and it felt like the extraction was much better. This of course is not going to be as good as a high end coffee maker or other brewing techniques like French press or pour over, but for the $25 you're paying for this budget coffee machine, these two modifications will produce a very respectable taste for your morning coffee.

This is a good little coffee maker great for small spaces or for one person. I’ve had two of them and they last a long time and you don’t need coffee filters. I recommend.

This Black & Decker 5-cup coffee maker has all the benefits that are deficits in the 5-cup Mr. Coffee unit that I recently returned. Unlike Mr. Coffee's ridged basket, the B & D basket's sides are smooth. If you wet the basket and place a paper filter inside, it stays in place when pressing the filter's sides against the wet basket. The filter won't fold down during the drip, so you won't have grounds in your coffee. It also comes with a permanent filter, which is great to have in a pinch. Secondly, there's hardly any drip onto the warming base if you remove the carafe to pour a cup mid-brew. Thirdly, with some carafe's, one must pour slowly in order to avoid spills. This is not a problem with this pitcher. Finally, the shower/dripper portion is built into the lid unlike the Mr. Coffee unit that has a dripper lever that one must move to access the basket. The temperature is perfect also. Enjoy!

Good solid unit, heats up fast, good safety features, shuts down automagicly, looks good too!

I needed a little coffee maker to replace my old one from years past - had a 4-cup Mr. Coffee maker. It is so hard to find a good quality 4-cuper, especially with the new fast one-cup Keurig coffee makers flooding the marketplace. I even tried a Keurig coffee maker for many months and even though the flavor is good, the cup of coffee does not stay hot at all. I like to start with a cup and slowly add to the same cup, which you cannot do with a single cup Keurig.I researched for a long time and read all the reviews - even the dependable Mr. Coffee was not generating favorable reviews. I did however, find this little 4-cup Black + Decker coffee maker and I am so happy with my decision to purchase it. I have had it for a couple of months now and every pot of coffee is fresh and hot. It is a simple, basic little coffee maker with only an on and off switch - that's all (no timer or auto shut off) and I love it!

On/Off switch failed after two years.