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Cuisinart DCC-3000
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- Cuisinart DCC-3000
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Top positive review
Owned 2 years. Fresh tasting for hours, filter, etc...
September 12, 2018
I've had this for 2 years now. (BTW, a "cup" is a STANDARD 8oz., for those of you confused as to why you don't get 12 MUGS of coffee out of this (cue the eye roll)).
Pros:
Most impressive to me is the fact that this would stay on, keeping the coffee hot AND fresh tasting, for 4 hours. Always with a glass carafe, I would find the coffee undrinkable (flavor-wise) well before the normal 2 hour shut off. It would taste burned or too thick (due to evaporation?). This is kept at an excellent temp and doesn't go bad, perhaps due to the fact the the coffee is in an enclosed, lidded environment. Not sure.
The built-in water filter allows me to fill the water tank straight from the cold water tap. Way faster than getting filtered refrigerator water. Also, that filter is $$, while the water filter for this is pretty cheap ($8 for a dozen, or thereabouts).
As with just about every coffee maker on the market, in order to get the strength you want, you tweak the amount of water to the amount and type of coffee you are using. I like a strong french roast: fill the water to 10 cups and the basket up to the brim. Is it as good as my french press or my stovetop espresso maker? Heck no! BUT, I do have a pretty darn tasty cup of coffee ready and waiting right when I roll out of bed (love those programmable timers).
Cons:
Least impressive is the gauge, or coffee quantity indicator. It reads full after taking out around three 12 oz mugs. Conversely, when it reads half full, there is ony one mug left. Pretty minor inconvenience, once you know how it keeps score.
Another bummer is that my insulated beverage container is too tall to fit under the dispenser.
The coffee tank is easy to clean, just watch it when you dump it into the sink. It doesn't have any type of spout and the liquid will come out sideways (you'll find out what i mean). Just keep it below the sink line when you pour it out.
Overall though, after 2 years, it has cranked out pot after pot of tasty coffee.
Pros:
Most impressive to me is the fact that this would stay on, keeping the coffee hot AND fresh tasting, for 4 hours. Always with a glass carafe, I would find the coffee undrinkable (flavor-wise) well before the normal 2 hour shut off. It would taste burned or too thick (due to evaporation?). This is kept at an excellent temp and doesn't go bad, perhaps due to the fact the the coffee is in an enclosed, lidded environment. Not sure.
The built-in water filter allows me to fill the water tank straight from the cold water tap. Way faster than getting filtered refrigerator water. Also, that filter is $$, while the water filter for this is pretty cheap ($8 for a dozen, or thereabouts).
As with just about every coffee maker on the market, in order to get the strength you want, you tweak the amount of water to the amount and type of coffee you are using. I like a strong french roast: fill the water to 10 cups and the basket up to the brim. Is it as good as my french press or my stovetop espresso maker? Heck no! BUT, I do have a pretty darn tasty cup of coffee ready and waiting right when I roll out of bed (love those programmable timers).
Cons:
Least impressive is the gauge, or coffee quantity indicator. It reads full after taking out around three 12 oz mugs. Conversely, when it reads half full, there is ony one mug left. Pretty minor inconvenience, once you know how it keeps score.
Another bummer is that my insulated beverage container is too tall to fit under the dispenser.
The coffee tank is easy to clean, just watch it when you dump it into the sink. It doesn't have any type of spout and the liquid will come out sideways (you'll find out what i mean). Just keep it below the sink line when you pour it out.
Overall though, after 2 years, it has cranked out pot after pot of tasty coffee.
186 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Good maker, but hard to clean
January 21, 2016
Had I posted this review 5 months ago when I purchased it, it would have easily been 5 stars. Today I see I never reviewed it, so I shall now. This unit is terribly hard to keep clean and I am in ongoing e-mail conversations with Cuisinart about this fact. The black plastic, interior unit (the "coffee holder") has so many nooks and crannies, you can never get it satisfactorily clean.
Based on the manual I was running the half water/half vinegar self clean cycle once a month since August. In between self clean cycles, I would also wipe the interior with "warm, soapy water" (again, the manual) every so often to clean it.
I thought this was satisfactory until 4 days ago. Our morning coffees had "floaties". I dumped the coffee and began to inspect the interior while over the sink. I began to see all the areas I really could not reach. What I could reach, I found massive coffee residue build up. I began to tackle the interior with warm, soapy water and scrubbing the best I could, using rags, dish brushes, and even an old toothbrush. This was producing massive black flaking. I then let white vinegar soak in the reservoir.
Rinsing, I found more and more black flaking flowing into the sink with every dump of water through the black reservoir. Now it never stops. I have created a monster. Every towel I use to wipe and dry to view my progress, comes away black as soot. My wife is now 'grossed out' and will not drink from the DCC-3000 any longer.
I never dreamed this DCC-3000 would be so difficult to keep clean, even following a good cleaning regime previously. Why does the 'self clean' cycle not really clean the unit? Why am I having to roll up the sleeves and really scrub? And with an old toothbrush? It's only been 5 months of ownership. It shouldn't be this difficult.
Edit, January 27, 2016: Since writing this, Cuisinart has suggested that using only vinegar and water while utilizing the unit's self-clean cycle may not be enough to keep the DCC-3000 clean. I am now being told that to truly clean the interior to utilize a product like CleanCaff for the coffee residue. I wish when I had asked how best to keep clean 5 months ago, this advice had been given back then. Instead for now, Cuisinart is going to replace this unit with another DCC-3000 for my troubles, even though nothing is technically wrong with the unit. I thought that was a nice act. They even waved their $10 processing fee.
Based on the manual I was running the half water/half vinegar self clean cycle once a month since August. In between self clean cycles, I would also wipe the interior with "warm, soapy water" (again, the manual) every so often to clean it.
I thought this was satisfactory until 4 days ago. Our morning coffees had "floaties". I dumped the coffee and began to inspect the interior while over the sink. I began to see all the areas I really could not reach. What I could reach, I found massive coffee residue build up. I began to tackle the interior with warm, soapy water and scrubbing the best I could, using rags, dish brushes, and even an old toothbrush. This was producing massive black flaking. I then let white vinegar soak in the reservoir.
Rinsing, I found more and more black flaking flowing into the sink with every dump of water through the black reservoir. Now it never stops. I have created a monster. Every towel I use to wipe and dry to view my progress, comes away black as soot. My wife is now 'grossed out' and will not drink from the DCC-3000 any longer.
I never dreamed this DCC-3000 would be so difficult to keep clean, even following a good cleaning regime previously. Why does the 'self clean' cycle not really clean the unit? Why am I having to roll up the sleeves and really scrub? And with an old toothbrush? It's only been 5 months of ownership. It shouldn't be this difficult.
Edit, January 27, 2016: Since writing this, Cuisinart has suggested that using only vinegar and water while utilizing the unit's self-clean cycle may not be enough to keep the DCC-3000 clean. I am now being told that to truly clean the interior to utilize a product like CleanCaff for the coffee residue. I wish when I had asked how best to keep clean 5 months ago, this advice had been given back then. Instead for now, Cuisinart is going to replace this unit with another DCC-3000 for my troubles, even though nothing is technically wrong with the unit. I thought that was a nice act. They even waved their $10 processing fee.
153 people found this helpful
Showing 1-10 of 3,253 reviews
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September 12, 2018
I've had this for 2 years now. (BTW, a "cup" is a STANDARD 8oz., for those of you confused as to why you don't get 12 MUGS of coffee out of this (cue the eye roll)).
Pros:
Most impressive to me is the fact that this would stay on, keeping the coffee hot AND fresh tasting, for 4 hours. Always with a glass carafe, I would find the coffee undrinkable (flavor-wise) well before the normal 2 hour shut off. It would taste burned or too thick (due to evaporation?). This is kept at an excellent temp and doesn't go bad, perhaps due to the fact the the coffee is in an enclosed, lidded environment. Not sure.
The built-in water filter allows me to fill the water tank straight from the cold water tap. Way faster than getting filtered refrigerator water. Also, that filter is $$, while the water filter for this is pretty cheap ($8 for a dozen, or thereabouts).
As with just about every coffee maker on the market, in order to get the strength you want, you tweak the amount of water to the amount and type of coffee you are using. I like a strong french roast: fill the water to 10 cups and the basket up to the brim. Is it as good as my french press or my stovetop espresso maker? Heck no! BUT, I do have a pretty darn tasty cup of coffee ready and waiting right when I roll out of bed (love those programmable timers).
Cons:
Least impressive is the gauge, or coffee quantity indicator. It reads full after taking out around three 12 oz mugs. Conversely, when it reads half full, there is ony one mug left. Pretty minor inconvenience, once you know how it keeps score.
Another bummer is that my insulated beverage container is too tall to fit under the dispenser.
The coffee tank is easy to clean, just watch it when you dump it into the sink. It doesn't have any type of spout and the liquid will come out sideways (you'll find out what i mean). Just keep it below the sink line when you pour it out.
Overall though, after 2 years, it has cranked out pot after pot of tasty coffee.
Pros:
Most impressive to me is the fact that this would stay on, keeping the coffee hot AND fresh tasting, for 4 hours. Always with a glass carafe, I would find the coffee undrinkable (flavor-wise) well before the normal 2 hour shut off. It would taste burned or too thick (due to evaporation?). This is kept at an excellent temp and doesn't go bad, perhaps due to the fact the the coffee is in an enclosed, lidded environment. Not sure.
The built-in water filter allows me to fill the water tank straight from the cold water tap. Way faster than getting filtered refrigerator water. Also, that filter is $$, while the water filter for this is pretty cheap ($8 for a dozen, or thereabouts).
As with just about every coffee maker on the market, in order to get the strength you want, you tweak the amount of water to the amount and type of coffee you are using. I like a strong french roast: fill the water to 10 cups and the basket up to the brim. Is it as good as my french press or my stovetop espresso maker? Heck no! BUT, I do have a pretty darn tasty cup of coffee ready and waiting right when I roll out of bed (love those programmable timers).
Cons:
Least impressive is the gauge, or coffee quantity indicator. It reads full after taking out around three 12 oz mugs. Conversely, when it reads half full, there is ony one mug left. Pretty minor inconvenience, once you know how it keeps score.
Another bummer is that my insulated beverage container is too tall to fit under the dispenser.
The coffee tank is easy to clean, just watch it when you dump it into the sink. It doesn't have any type of spout and the liquid will come out sideways (you'll find out what i mean). Just keep it below the sink line when you pour it out.
Overall though, after 2 years, it has cranked out pot after pot of tasty coffee.
June 8, 2018
Like all people I look at the stars and reviews before purchasing a product online. I was surprise that some people gave this coffee maker a 4 or less star because of it's cord. I was also surprise that some people even returned it because of the length of the coffee maker cord. If some people gave a little effort they would realize the rest of the cord's length is tucked into the machine. I have attached a video for those who still struggle.
September 3, 2018
We have a one-cup-at-a-time coffeemaker with which I have a couple of criticisms (not hot enough coming out, and woe be unto she who puts too fine a grind in the reusable pod — the water will go down to a trickle), so I wanted to try a different kind. This machine is bigger than I expected, for some reason, and I don’t drink a ton of coffee so I wondered if I should even keep it. I’m very glad I did. It makes a fine cup of coffee and keeps it nice and hot for as long as you need it. I can get up, have my coffee, and hubby can sleep in and still have hot coffee when HE gets up, with no additional effort from either of us. I also love that I can program it. We get up quite early for farm chores and work, and setting it up the night before is great. One less morning chore!
We use the metal basket and there have been zero issues with coffee grinds escaping into the cup. Take the extra 30 seconds to soapy-sponge out the “ribs” at the bottom of the filter holder and the coffee residue will not build up.
It brews quietly, and beeps quietly too.
I can’t think of one negative thing about this machine so far. We’re using it every day and it works beautifully.
We use the metal basket and there have been zero issues with coffee grinds escaping into the cup. Take the extra 30 seconds to soapy-sponge out the “ribs” at the bottom of the filter holder and the coffee residue will not build up.
It brews quietly, and beeps quietly too.
I can’t think of one negative thing about this machine so far. We’re using it every day and it works beautifully.
January 21, 2016
Had I posted this review 5 months ago when I purchased it, it would have easily been 5 stars. Today I see I never reviewed it, so I shall now. This unit is terribly hard to keep clean and I am in ongoing e-mail conversations with Cuisinart about this fact. The black plastic, interior unit (the "coffee holder") has so many nooks and crannies, you can never get it satisfactorily clean.
Based on the manual I was running the half water/half vinegar self clean cycle once a month since August. In between self clean cycles, I would also wipe the interior with "warm, soapy water" (again, the manual) every so often to clean it.
I thought this was satisfactory until 4 days ago. Our morning coffees had "floaties". I dumped the coffee and began to inspect the interior while over the sink. I began to see all the areas I really could not reach. What I could reach, I found massive coffee residue build up. I began to tackle the interior with warm, soapy water and scrubbing the best I could, using rags, dish brushes, and even an old toothbrush. This was producing massive black flaking. I then let white vinegar soak in the reservoir.
Rinsing, I found more and more black flaking flowing into the sink with every dump of water through the black reservoir. Now it never stops. I have created a monster. Every towel I use to wipe and dry to view my progress, comes away black as soot. My wife is now 'grossed out' and will not drink from the DCC-3000 any longer.
I never dreamed this DCC-3000 would be so difficult to keep clean, even following a good cleaning regime previously. Why does the 'self clean' cycle not really clean the unit? Why am I having to roll up the sleeves and really scrub? And with an old toothbrush? It's only been 5 months of ownership. It shouldn't be this difficult.
Edit, January 27, 2016: Since writing this, Cuisinart has suggested that using only vinegar and water while utilizing the unit's self-clean cycle may not be enough to keep the DCC-3000 clean. I am now being told that to truly clean the interior to utilize a product like CleanCaff for the coffee residue. I wish when I had asked how best to keep clean 5 months ago, this advice had been given back then. Instead for now, Cuisinart is going to replace this unit with another DCC-3000 for my troubles, even though nothing is technically wrong with the unit. I thought that was a nice act. They even waved their $10 processing fee.
Based on the manual I was running the half water/half vinegar self clean cycle once a month since August. In between self clean cycles, I would also wipe the interior with "warm, soapy water" (again, the manual) every so often to clean it.
I thought this was satisfactory until 4 days ago. Our morning coffees had "floaties". I dumped the coffee and began to inspect the interior while over the sink. I began to see all the areas I really could not reach. What I could reach, I found massive coffee residue build up. I began to tackle the interior with warm, soapy water and scrubbing the best I could, using rags, dish brushes, and even an old toothbrush. This was producing massive black flaking. I then let white vinegar soak in the reservoir.
Rinsing, I found more and more black flaking flowing into the sink with every dump of water through the black reservoir. Now it never stops. I have created a monster. Every towel I use to wipe and dry to view my progress, comes away black as soot. My wife is now 'grossed out' and will not drink from the DCC-3000 any longer.
I never dreamed this DCC-3000 would be so difficult to keep clean, even following a good cleaning regime previously. Why does the 'self clean' cycle not really clean the unit? Why am I having to roll up the sleeves and really scrub? And with an old toothbrush? It's only been 5 months of ownership. It shouldn't be this difficult.
Edit, January 27, 2016: Since writing this, Cuisinart has suggested that using only vinegar and water while utilizing the unit's self-clean cycle may not be enough to keep the DCC-3000 clean. I am now being told that to truly clean the interior to utilize a product like CleanCaff for the coffee residue. I wish when I had asked how best to keep clean 5 months ago, this advice had been given back then. Instead for now, Cuisinart is going to replace this unit with another DCC-3000 for my troubles, even though nothing is technically wrong with the unit. I thought that was a nice act. They even waved their $10 processing fee.
June 10, 2017
Great, easy to use and clean solution for "coffee on demand". Basically brews coffee into a heated "tank" and then you dispense coffee by pressing a lever down. It has a nifty gauge that shows you how much coffee is left. Only one complaint: it only makes 12 cups. This is not really a legit complaint however, because few coffee makers do. We just drink a LOT of coffee in this house so we usually make a second pot. Coffee brews consistently strong and tasty, it includes a reusable mesh filter (we still put a filter in it to reduce coffee sediment), and the tank is easily removed and cleaned. We got this after getting tired of the price of Keurig cups and haven't looked back.
April 25, 2017
This coffee maker is fantastic. It brews the coffee perfectly and it keeps it hot. I have not had any issues with it leaking. As for the cord being short, all you have to do is pull it; you may have to pull hard, but it will uncoil. For my larger mugs and travel cups, you just remove the catch plate and the cup will fit. Sometimes you have to move the maker a little closer to the edge of the counter for the very tall cups, but when coffee's involved it's really not an inconvenience. I have zero complaints.
March 22, 2016
If you enjoy cleaning up coffee off your counters and floors this is the coffee maker for you. I have had this machine for about a year now and about a month ago the handle that is pressed to release the coffee began sticking in the open position. It drips out slowly but quickly fills up the catch tray and then begins its march across your counter and onto the floor so that when you get up in the morning you get to clean up the coffee rather than have a cup. Despite cleaning the inside to make sure coffee grounds were not causing it to stick it still does it, but not all the time so you never know if you will enjoy a cup of coffee or have a messto clean up. So, after 4 or 5 clean up adventures over the last month I now brew one cup at a time with a large enough coffee cup in the tray to catch the coffee that is coming out without pressing the handle.
November 9, 2017
The thing makes a good cup of coffee, but it has a serious flaw. You can't easily clean the reservoir. There is an area in the reservoir which is pretty much inaccessible. And over time coffee cakes in that area regardless of how many times you rinse. Eventually over time you will notice flakes coming out as you rinse the reservoir and then eventually you may get serious and do some trial and error efforts to get rid of the caked on coffee. I used salt actually, although I am sure there must be a vinegar home recipe or some such where soaking over night may get the job done. I know that salt will actually penetrate and dissolve the creosote build up on a chimney cap so I thought hmmm. Had a big box of Kosher salt and used half of it to dislodge an unbelievable about of old coffee residue. And yes, I performed vinegar and water cleanings of this machine at regular intervals and no, it did not prevent the build up nor clean the baked on results. Ugh. I am thinking I may just go back to having a regular pot.
June 18, 2018
This was a complete waste of money. My first problem, that we had was day one, is the grounds. If you like your coffee to actually taste like coffee, the grounds will over flow into it and you will end up with a mouthful of grounds when you get to the bottom of your cup. My second problem, that developed after a couple of months, is that the dispenser lever seems to stick in the dispensing position when the coffee brews. If you walk away when you start it, you might come back to coffee all over your kitchen. Now, less than 5 months into owning this pot, the coffee gage has stopped working. We now have to open the lid and lift the inside assembly to check how much coffee is left to decide if we should make more or not.
I could probably contact them and fight to get a replacement, but I have had problems with Cuisinart coffee pots in the past. 11 years ago, we had this pot and it leaked water all over the counter, was replaced, and the replacement did the same thing. Reviews were so good on this that I assumed they had fixed the issue. I didn't have the same problem, but I had three new ones. I will never buy a Cuisinart anything again. All KitchenAid for me going forward for small appliances that I know will last.
I could probably contact them and fight to get a replacement, but I have had problems with Cuisinart coffee pots in the past. 11 years ago, we had this pot and it leaked water all over the counter, was replaced, and the replacement did the same thing. Reviews were so good on this that I assumed they had fixed the issue. I didn't have the same problem, but I had three new ones. I will never buy a Cuisinart anything again. All KitchenAid for me going forward for small appliances that I know will last.
UPDATE (8/24/2018): Here's the Fix for Clearing the "Clean" Light When It Won't Turn Off After Cleaning.
June 10, 2018EDIT (8/24/18): If the "Clean" light comes on every time you run a brew cycle -- even after prior repeated cleanings -- you can probably fix this issue by unplugging the unit for at least one (1) hour, preferably longer. Doing this apparently resets the machine back to its factory settings. As I documented below (yes, I know this review is WAY too long), I had cleaned my DCC-3000 repeatedly and the "Clean" light kept coming on no matter what. There are a lot of complaints about this related to this model and its predecessors. I do not know if there is a dedicated sensor that detects calcium/mineral buildup that triggers the "Clean" light. If there is one, it might be defective if the above procedure to clear the "Clean" light's status does not work for you. I am leaving my rating at Four Stars for now; still, it is a great machine if you can tolerate its quirks.
EDIT (8/19/18): For now, I am taking off one (1) star (from a 5-star rating) because the "Clean" indicator is now coming one every 7-10 days! I brewed my first batch of coffee on May 23, changed the water filter on July 23 (every 60 days as recommended) and the "Clean" light didn't come on for the first time until July 31. No problem, I figured...it's probably time for its first cleaning. Performed the vinegar flush on July 31, only to have the "Clean" light come on again on Aug. 10. That's strange, I thought. So I cleaned it again, this time using 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. Seven days later on Aug. 17, the "Clean" light came on AGAIN. This morning (Aug. 19), I cleaned it again with pure vinegar (12 cups; oh, what a stink!) and am now running a third flush with clean water. It may be time to use pure lemon juice, as the vinegar I have been using is, admittedly, old and its acidity has probably diminished with time. I'll provide another update soon, but this is a discouraging development because I truly LOVE this type of coffee dispenser.
ORIGINAL REVIEW (6/10/18):Simply put, this is a great coffeemaker.
When I first saw it, it reminded me of my red plastic Kool-Aid drink dispenser I had when I was a kid. Nostalgia aside, the DCC-3000 is a great value for those wanting to, ahem, dispense with the traditional coffee carafe. Initial setup is quick and easy. Just remember to pull the power cord completely out from its internal storage compartment on the back of the unit. You can also push the cord back into its storage cavity to reduce excess length.
When the water reservoir is filled to the 6-cup mark, my unit completes a full brewing cycle in five (5) minutes. It’ll make a little noise – some hissing and an occasional pop or two – but that tells you it’s working as it should. During a recent brief power outage (about 2 minutes), the clock retained all of its settings. And the beautiful blue LED backlight will cast just enough light so you can prepare your coffee on the counter without turning on the kitchen light. The white LED dispensing light is just outright cool and helps prevent you from overfilling your cup. If you use a ceramic mug, be advised that the bottom of the cup may scratch the plated drip pan grate. Just place a folded paper towel atop the grate to prevent this. (Replacement parts ARE available from Cuisinart and other sources but can be pricey.)
Cleaning is fairly straightforward. I clean my coffee reservoir and filter basket with warm soapy water after each use to remove any residual coffee oils. This is my personal preference; for most users, cleaning it once weekly in this manner is usually sufficient. The cavity for the coffee reservoir will capture residual condensation that remains from a brewing cycle. Just roll up a paper towel (length-wise) and wick it away from the interior.
I have used the “1-4 cup” setting just once for a 4-cup brewing cycle and it produced flavorful coffee with the comparable strength and temperature of a 6-cup cycle. On my unit, I have found that each demarcation on the Coffee Gauge represents about 2 cups. I have yet to use the included gold-tone filter, opting instead for paper filters.
The only improvements I would make to future iterations of the DCC-3000 are (1) a slight redesign of the coffee reservoir/filter basket lid to prevent condensation from dripping down the back of the unit and (2) a backlight for the Coffee Gauge.
This machine, combined with Amazon pricing and a three-year Cuisinart warranty, represents an excellent value for those wanting to go carafe-less.
UPDATE (6/19/2018): I have owned the Cuisinart DCC-3000 for 30 days now and have completed 13 brewing sessions (6 cups each). Around the 8th or 9th session, I noticed my coffee had become somewhat weak for an unknown reason(s). This morning, I filled the water reservoir to the **5.5** cup mark (1/2 cup less than usual), used my normal 6 level scoops of medium ground coffee and set the "1-4 Cups" feature. The result was noticeably stronger coffee. I know that other reviewers here have said that activating the "1-4 Cups" feature does not enhance the strength if you are brewing more than 4 cups. Regardless, I will keep experimenting until I can brew coffee consistently at my preferred strength. As stated earlier, I wash the coffee reservoir and filter basket in warm soapy water after each use. For some users, this might seem like overkill. However, I have not experienced any problems with dripping from the dispenser. At most, only 2 drops fall into the drip pan once I have filled my cup, which is acceptable. **Keeping the spring-loaded port at the bottom of the coffee reservoir ++clean and unobstructed++ is key to keeping coffee from dripping from the dispenser.** I have yet to use the gold-toned filter, opting instead for junior-size paper filters designed for 4-6 cups. All in all, I'm still very satisfied with my purchase.
EDIT (8/19/18): For now, I am taking off one (1) star (from a 5-star rating) because the "Clean" indicator is now coming one every 7-10 days! I brewed my first batch of coffee on May 23, changed the water filter on July 23 (every 60 days as recommended) and the "Clean" light didn't come on for the first time until July 31. No problem, I figured...it's probably time for its first cleaning. Performed the vinegar flush on July 31, only to have the "Clean" light come on again on Aug. 10. That's strange, I thought. So I cleaned it again, this time using 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. Seven days later on Aug. 17, the "Clean" light came on AGAIN. This morning (Aug. 19), I cleaned it again with pure vinegar (12 cups; oh, what a stink!) and am now running a third flush with clean water. It may be time to use pure lemon juice, as the vinegar I have been using is, admittedly, old and its acidity has probably diminished with time. I'll provide another update soon, but this is a discouraging development because I truly LOVE this type of coffee dispenser.
ORIGINAL REVIEW (6/10/18):Simply put, this is a great coffeemaker.
When I first saw it, it reminded me of my red plastic Kool-Aid drink dispenser I had when I was a kid. Nostalgia aside, the DCC-3000 is a great value for those wanting to, ahem, dispense with the traditional coffee carafe. Initial setup is quick and easy. Just remember to pull the power cord completely out from its internal storage compartment on the back of the unit. You can also push the cord back into its storage cavity to reduce excess length.
When the water reservoir is filled to the 6-cup mark, my unit completes a full brewing cycle in five (5) minutes. It’ll make a little noise – some hissing and an occasional pop or two – but that tells you it’s working as it should. During a recent brief power outage (about 2 minutes), the clock retained all of its settings. And the beautiful blue LED backlight will cast just enough light so you can prepare your coffee on the counter without turning on the kitchen light. The white LED dispensing light is just outright cool and helps prevent you from overfilling your cup. If you use a ceramic mug, be advised that the bottom of the cup may scratch the plated drip pan grate. Just place a folded paper towel atop the grate to prevent this. (Replacement parts ARE available from Cuisinart and other sources but can be pricey.)
Cleaning is fairly straightforward. I clean my coffee reservoir and filter basket with warm soapy water after each use to remove any residual coffee oils. This is my personal preference; for most users, cleaning it once weekly in this manner is usually sufficient. The cavity for the coffee reservoir will capture residual condensation that remains from a brewing cycle. Just roll up a paper towel (length-wise) and wick it away from the interior.
I have used the “1-4 cup” setting just once for a 4-cup brewing cycle and it produced flavorful coffee with the comparable strength and temperature of a 6-cup cycle. On my unit, I have found that each demarcation on the Coffee Gauge represents about 2 cups. I have yet to use the included gold-tone filter, opting instead for paper filters.
The only improvements I would make to future iterations of the DCC-3000 are (1) a slight redesign of the coffee reservoir/filter basket lid to prevent condensation from dripping down the back of the unit and (2) a backlight for the Coffee Gauge.
This machine, combined with Amazon pricing and a three-year Cuisinart warranty, represents an excellent value for those wanting to go carafe-less.
UPDATE (6/19/2018): I have owned the Cuisinart DCC-3000 for 30 days now and have completed 13 brewing sessions (6 cups each). Around the 8th or 9th session, I noticed my coffee had become somewhat weak for an unknown reason(s). This morning, I filled the water reservoir to the **5.5** cup mark (1/2 cup less than usual), used my normal 6 level scoops of medium ground coffee and set the "1-4 Cups" feature. The result was noticeably stronger coffee. I know that other reviewers here have said that activating the "1-4 Cups" feature does not enhance the strength if you are brewing more than 4 cups. Regardless, I will keep experimenting until I can brew coffee consistently at my preferred strength. As stated earlier, I wash the coffee reservoir and filter basket in warm soapy water after each use. For some users, this might seem like overkill. However, I have not experienced any problems with dripping from the dispenser. At most, only 2 drops fall into the drip pan once I have filled my cup, which is acceptable. **Keeping the spring-loaded port at the bottom of the coffee reservoir ++clean and unobstructed++ is key to keeping coffee from dripping from the dispenser.** I have yet to use the gold-toned filter, opting instead for junior-size paper filters designed for 4-6 cups. All in all, I'm still very satisfied with my purchase.
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