Brews coffee right, with a high temperature and good water dispersion. Easy to use, but not very durable, so take care when operating. Highly Recommended if you put quality coffee above all else (in the auto-drip catagory of course.)
Positive Product Points
Has all the important features of a good drip coffee machine: - High Power/Temperature - Thermal Carafe (non-heated) - Shower Brew Head for best water distribution over the grinds - Water Filter - Small pot brew feature, useful for those times when you only need 1 or 2 mugs
Negative Product Points
- Plastic parts feel flimsy... Not the most durable of machines - Does not include a gold permanent filter. Also, filter type is Cone, which in my opinion can lead to over-extracted grinds. - Considering the quality, it is overpriced. But this is not so much a con if you are looking for a good cup of coffee, whatever it should cost. - Easily gets air bubbles in the water level meter
Detailed Commentary
I am writing this review because I spent countless hours trying to find an appropriate answer to the question: "what are the best drip machines availaible?" My old machine had recently died, and I wasnt willing to spend money on a new one unless it was going to brew consistently good coffee. There are a lot of reviews and a lot of opinions, but non make this question any easier to answer.
Nothing is more important than temperature (or power), but specs on various machines are hard to find. In the store I was deciding between this machine and a Braun KF600, since it got rave reviews everywhere. My bias for the Braun was quickly curbed upon further inspection. It was even cheaper feeling than the Krups. The water is introduced to the grinds with a single hole, not a shower head, and it had a lower power rating than I had read online:
Krups - 1100W Braun - 1000W
Everything else, however, was comparible, except that the Braun came with a gold filter. The Braun $20 less, and the Krups is far better looking, but I deliberately left price and appearance out of my decision. In the end I decided the krups would have the best chance of making better coffee.
I took it home and immediately tested it. I made an initial run with water as instructed, and measured the water temerature in the carafe after the entire cycle had completed. It was 187°F. Note that the water is hotest as it goes over the grinds. It cools as it enters the pot and since the carafe isnt 190°F it cools slightly in the carafe. In conclusion, the water is most likely above 190 as it is showered over the grinds. This is a deal breaker for me. Any cooler than 190 and I would have been returning it.
The carafe kept the coffee as warm as any other thermal carafe out there does. My 3rd cup was just as hot as the first (roughly an hour later.)
The annoying beep to tell you the brew is done was easily disabled (to my great relief). It is easy to program, and has a 20 min auto shut-off feature for the thermal carafe version. (The glass model can be set to shut off between 1 and 5 hours.) The small-brew feature adjusts for those shorter brew cycles, and works better than just brewing a small pot normally. This is a handy feature since I dont need a full pot if my girlfriend isnt around.
The cord is longer than most drip machines (my last one was only 2 feet.) It rolls up discretely inside the machine so it wont snake all over your countertop; an obvious feature that should be on every machine out there. On the down side, the machine is cheap. You have to use care in operating the carafe lid and swing-out basket as the plastic pieces will break easily.
To sum up, my purchase was a success. It makes much better coffee than my old drip machine, it keeps the coffee hot without cooking it, and is easy to use. If you are willing to gamble on a cheaply produced machine, and dont mind shelling out a little more than other brands in its class, this is definately one to keep in mind. I wouldnt hesitate to buy the Krups FMF S again.
Buying Experience
Smooth. It was on sale for $20 off, and everything worked fine out of the box. I was able to buy a decent permanent filter at the same store.
