Who needs all the frills and thrills of a timer, pause and serve, hot plate, etc...when all you want is COFFEE!
Positive Product Points
Brews coffee HOT, fast, and good.
Negative Product Points
Only two things....the filter holder's plastic 'stop' lever. It's kind of cheap and I'm afraid it will break. The other thing is that if you don't let the carafe sit under the filter for 5 minutes, the coffee will drip onto your counter.
Detailed Commentary
I originally owned a Braunn (I think). I bought it from Marshall Fields years ago, and I thought this was a great coffee machine. Now that I'm an adult, I thought I would spurlge and get something that is top-of-the-line. I read a number of reviews here and found the Technivorm's to be one of the best. This is why I originally chose the product. I wanted the glass carafe with hot plate, but fortunately, Intelligenstia only sold the one with the carafe. Now that I've owned it, I'm glad I didn't get the glass one. Turns out that it's not good for coffee to 'cook' on the hot plate. Besides, the carafe keeps it plenty warm 8 hours into the day.
I'm so happy that I decided to buy the machine. I would definitely purchase another one if it ever dies. There are no bells and whistles on the model...but honestly, I don't want all that. If you walk into a store, it's hard to find a coffeemaker that just makes coffee! The only things that I'm a little leery about are the design of the filter holder. There's a little lever on it that closes the hole so you can 'pause and serve'. I'm afraid that someday, it might not seal all the way or something might snap off. This issue sort of goes hand-in-hand with my next one. Whenever I move the carafe when it gets done, the filter still drips. I suppose I could 'pause' the machine so that it stops dripped...but I use to place a paper towel under it so it catches it. The other solution is to carefully remove the plastic filter from the machine and carry it over to the garbage can to dump it WHILE it's on the carafe. This way, it drips back into the carafe and not all over the floor.
Those are such minor annoyances though that I just put up with it because the machine is truely awesome.
Buying Experience
Inteligentsia is great. I'm lucky enough to live in Chicago so I can go down there and pick it up. I've bought Ms. Silvia, the Rocky, and now the Technivorm from them. I've never had a problem with them and find that their staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.
