Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Cuisinart SS-20 Coffee Center 10-Cup Thermal Single-Serve Brewer coffeemaker, Silver

Top positive review

My first review ever. I would definitely recommend this coffee maker. However, "Line Up The White Arrows"

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017

My wife and I have been using this for about a month now. I usually make one 10oz cup thru the k-cup feature every day and my wife makes a cup every other day thru the mini basket. By that I mean she also uses the k-cup feature however puts her own coffee grounds in the removable mini basket. I have made a pot of coffee once and there are no complaints. There is only one hiccup. To insert the mini basket you first need to take the k-cup insert out, no problem. You then insert the mini basket with your coffee and start the brewing cycle, no problem. Usually I would think most people not in a hurry would remove the mini basket and clean out the grounds, no problem. My wife, bless her heart, then replaces the k-cup insert so it's ready for me. Here is where there is a problem. There are two white arrows inside the k-cup side of the machine. One is on the k-cup insert and the other is on the machine it self. These two arrows NEED to be lined up. The manufacturer decided to place these two white arrows toward the back of the coffee maker, thus making it a little difficult to see. If you don't line up these two white arrows, the machine will allow you to put it in backwards, close the lid and fire it up. The result is your k-cup foil lid punctured incorrectly and there are coffee grounds or tea or hot chocolate all over the inside of the machine. It's not something you can ignore and use it again right away, you must clean up the mess first. This happened twice now. It's frustrating getting out the Q-tips to clean out the pockets of coffee stuck in the machine. So, unless you enjoy telling someone they made a mistake again, look twice at the "White Arrows" before passing go. P.S. This is my first review ever, all in all I would definitely recommend this product. :-)Cuisinart SS-15 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Single-Serve Brewer, Stainless Steel

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Go Blue!

Single-Serve Side Leaks/Unusable

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018

After using a $20 coffeemaker for the last 20 years, we decided to upgrade our home coffeemaker. This particular model with the two methods of brewing looked like a great choice. When we received it, we completed all the setup instructions and registrations, as suggested in the product literature. The 12-cup side worked fine, but the single serve side was completely dysfunctional. Immediately, before the single-serve side was officially used, we noticed water was leaking from the reservoir onto our counter. Then, when we did use it for the first time, we got only one usable cup of coffee. The next cup brewed ended up all over our counter, complete with the coffee grounds. Cuisinart offered zero support, when asked.
If you are going to spend this amount of money on anything, it should work perfectly, as advertised, immediately. We are returning this for a refund and will go back to our faithful $20 coffeemaker. I doubt we will consider another Cuisinart product.

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Gerald Post

My first review ever. I would definitely recommend this coffee maker. However, "Line Up The White Arrows"

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

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2323 comments

hdcspike

but there are one or two items I wish were better. On the plus side

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

I have been using the SS-15 for couple of weeks now. I would give it 5 stars, but there are one or two items I wish were better.

On the plus side, the coffee brewing is top notch and brews just like my old Cuisinart. I haven't timed it, but it brews a full pot quickly. The controls are simple and laid out nicely. The K-cup brews fast and I haven't experienced any issues with it. Previous reviewers said it spit coffee grounds and made a mess. I aligned the arrow on the K-cup holder and haven't had any issues with coffee grounds spitting out. I have tried K-cups and the basket that holds your own coffee. Both work well, but I like the basket better (see below).

Things I wish were better: When pouring coffee into your cup, or water into the reservoir, it will sometimes run up the lip of the spout and you end up with coffee on the counter. I don't know if it's me or the design, but pouring slowly or fast doesn't seem to make a difference. It's not every time, but just once in awhile. For k-cup brewing, I find that standard K-cups brew the coffee great in 6 oz mode. However, when selecting 8 or 10 oz, the coffee is too weak for my taste. I like a strong cup of coffee. However, when I fill the K-cup basket with my coffee and select 10 oz, it brews a nice strong cup of coffee. I'll just need to search for a stronger K-cup coffee.

Overall, I really like this machine. I can brew a cup or a full pot and it doesn't take up much more room than my old machine did.

41 people found this helpful

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22 comments

JERRY MCBRYDE

Fixing the leaky reservoir

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

I received my coffee maker and just like the many other reviews, the reservoir on my single side leaked from the start...I found some rubber washers in my tool box and put one on the bottom where the water flows thru when the coffee starts...no leak...I agree that the company should fix this themselves, but to those that have the problem, which I believe is many, just get a rubber washer or o-ring that fits the little glass tube at the bottom where it connects to the water flow...Otherwise, so far I love it!!

19 people found this helpful

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Fussy Guy Garrett

Good first product to combine the best of both coffee worlds: Brewed and K-Cup

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

For those that want the best of both coffee worlds, fresh brewed, fresh beans and also the convenient K-cup, this machine does the trick. Great brewed coffee (uses a cone filter) and nice and hot K-cups with three size choices: 6-8-10 oz. And another real plus: The carafe doesn't spill. Pour away without spills. Then why only 4 stars?
Drawbacks:
1] Very small area to pour water into the 12-cup brewing reservoir. Have to be very careful not to spill into the ground coffee area or on the counter.
2] Smaller capacity K-cup reservoir than on other machines.
3] K-cup splashes quite a bit while brewing, and drips a few drops after brewing. Somewhat messy.
4] K-cup coffee stream is not centered over the cup. Too far forward.

17 people found this helpful

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A. Starnes

Overall I am happy with this coffee maker

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2019

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

This is my first review of a product and I only write it because other reviews helped me decide on this product. I bought this coffee maker (cm) at Christmas 2018 because I wanted to replace the single serve and regular coffee maker I had. They took up too much room on my counter. I read many of the reviews and I was a little skeptical because many said that the cm leaked. I too see water underneath it sometimes but I think that is more the result of condensation on the lid and it runs down the back when you open it. That is easy enough for me to handle. I also read that the single serve sputters and sometimes makes a mess. I've seen that too when I am using a short coffee cup but when I use a tall cup (which fits great) there is no mess. I think the mess comes from the distance from the spout of the single serve side to the cup. The tall cups have less of a distance and therefore no mess. I usually use a tall cup when I am making a single serve to take with me in the morning anyway so it works out fine for us. However, the main problem that I have with this cm is that the lid does not open far enough to pour the water in the cm easily. It's more aggravating than a real problem but I wanted you all to be aware. If Cuisinart would fix this one design flaw it would be pretty close to a perfect coffee maker.
Oh, and you might want to know that it beeps 5 times (pretty loudly) when it is done brewing. We set ours for 6:50 and it beeps five times at about 6:54. My bedroom is pretty close to the kitchen so really it could also function as my alarm clock. So you really get 3 appliances in one. LOL

7 people found this helpful

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K Griffee

Best of both worlds

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

My husband is a chronic coffee drinker. He used to keep a pot of stale coffee warm all day, but has really embraced the k cups. This unit offers him both options, but he hasn't brewed a full pot yet. Thanks to k cups, our counter is a lot cleaner than it was with ground coffee. I also like to use this to brew tea and k cup cocoa - perfect portioning and brewing instead of boiling a whole pot of water. We give it 4 stars because the k cup needles plug easily. We use it so much, that we would love to have a water line hookup, but that seems silly.

Update - not a fault with this product, but wish K-cup unit needles didn't plug so often. We've had to be much more diligent in removing the k cup holder and rinsing it out or else the 3 serving size lights will blink to let us know the unit is plugged. A paper clip threaded through both the top and k cup holder needles and then a couple cycles to rinse out the clogged grounds has fixed the issue, but it is a pain. We haven't found anything in the manual or Cuisinart website regarding this, but the internet abounds with help.

7 people found this helpful

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shoppereze

Water reservoir

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

This coffee maker makes a nice cup of coffee that is hot. However, the filling of the water reservoir is very difficult. You don't want to miss, or you have water coming out all over the hot plate and counter. I have tried using a measuring cup, a measuring container that came with a Mr.Coffee, and the coffee pot that comes with the maker. None work great, and you end up having water go down thru to the plate and then the counter. If it was opened all the way across the back it might have been easier. The single serve side works fine and it is nice having the water container in the back, which makes about 4-5 cups without refilling. It's hot and quick.
Overall, I can only give it a 3 star because of the filling issues on the carafe side.
When it comes time for another brewer I will definitely look into a different brand that fills easier.
2nd review:
The issue with the filling was solved by using a funnel to add water to the coffee maker. It's better than having water all over the counter and down into the carafe. The design is poor, but most coffee makers are this way it seems. I also starting using # 6 filters, rather than the # 4 and found that the grounds stay grounded so to speak without going over the side of the filter. I prepare coffee the night before to take advantage of the coffee being ready when I wake up, so using the larger filter is helpful as the smaller one tended to get a little damp on the edges and fold over, hence the grounds not being grounded.
Still couldn't give it a five, because who wants to keep a funnel on hand all the time.

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CoffeeSnob

Good but a few complaints. ..

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2018

Size: 12 CupColor: SilverVerified Purchase

I've had this for a few months now. First one had a problem with the single cup so I had to exchange it. Makes a good pot of coffee, brews fairly quickly, doesn't make a mess of the grounds like others do. There are a few little things that i do not like about it which is why I only gave it 4 stars.
It is a little tricky to pour the water into the back. I have gotten used to it so it isn't a deal breaker for me. The single cup isn't the best I've had. First, it is nice that it is tall enough you can use a tall travel cup but when using a regular mug it seems to splatter a little. Second, it does make a little bit of a mess in and around where the pods go. Third, the amount of water that is brewed seems inconsistent - one time it will be filed to the rim and the next only 3/4. There are 3 different options for the size cup which is nice feature but it seems to have a mind of its own. Probably my biggest complaint is about the lights and sounds. The lights are a very bright blue. Our bedroom is right off the kitchen and it really bothers me during the night. I had to move the placement of the coffee maker. The other annoying thing is it makes 5 loud beeps when it is done brewing. In a quiet house it is very loud and send like overkill. It also beeps 2-3 times when it it shutting off. Still a good option for a combo.

3 people found this helpful

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PR7t

Sleek design, versitle, easy to use, delicious coffee

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2019

Size: SS-15BKSColor: BlackVerified Purchase

This is an awesome and versatile device and I highly recommend it!! After my second Keurig died after only approximately 2 years of usage, I looked for something different. I actually brew half a pot of coffee most days, but I also utilize a single serve frequently. This coffee maker does both beautifully!!! Two CONS I shall share, and why I could not rate it overall 5 stars are as follows:

1) As others have stated, the single serve brewing tray is not adjustable and the coffee splatters everywhere, and guess what? Coffee is HOT when it splatters on you, and it also makes a mess. I would love to see Cuisinart make a taller, or adjustable base for the single serve brewer for this model as it is many years old with countless customers complaining about this. This does not deter me from using this nor would it deter me from recommending this device. I simply use an upside down glass bowl that fits to hold my mug higher on the tray, or I just physically hold my mug under the brewer.

2) This second con also deals with the single-serve brewer. I have had no issues brewing k-cups in this brewer as others have stated they have. It works beautifully every time and has a nice slow brew (slower than my old Keurig) that extracts great flavor from the k-cup. The included single-serve filter is what I have an issue with. I have used a few different grinds with their filter, but every brew is full of sludge. The coffee is horrible, bitter, and thick with this filter. I love french press coffee, so I'm used to a little "sludge," but this is on a different scale and affects the flavor, texture, and, well, really everything about the coffee. I have thrown away every cup brewed with this filter.

I rated it 4 stars overall, and I truly would recommend this to anyone!!!

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Lynn

It's a real space saver

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

Size: SS-15BKSColor: BlackVerified Purchase

We wanted to replace a Keurig unit that I let my daughter have because she drinks maybe 1 cup of coffee a day but wanted to be able to brew coffee for an occasional guest. We had heard about other combination coffee brewer + pod units but the pod water capacity was just too small to be practical. We came across this unit with a 40 oz. water capacity for pod brewing and since we have been Cuisinart coffee brewer owners for well over 15 years so this seemed ideal... plus we wanted to save counter space.

The pod function is great and works just as well as our Keurig did. We would have liked a slightly larger water capacity but overall it suits our needs and functions exactly as we have come to expect from Cuisinart coffee machines.

There only one fairly minor, flaw (I would have give 4.5 stars if possible). The design of the lid of the coffee brewer (not pod) side is different than on brew only Cuisinart machines. The condensation from brewing a pot of coffee collects on the lid and when the lid is opened again the condensation runs down the outside back of the unit. It's not a huge amount of water but not just few drops either and is enough to require clean up, which is easily accomplished with a single 1/2 sheet paper towel. It's inconvenient but we have come to routinely get a paper towel before we open the lid.

I did see this issue mentioned on a review before I purchased the machine so it wasn't a surprise and I considered it to be minor.

Overall I would definitely recommend this machine to anyone that wants to have both a coffee brewer and a pod brewer without having to use up additional counter space.

An added bonus is we don't throw away a lot of left over brewed coffee which frequently happened if we brewed an additional pot -- even a partial one -- and ended up not finishing it. Now once the full pot is empty and someone wants another cup we just use the pod side.

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