Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Can Do It All

We purchased the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker so our reviewer could test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

When it comes to coffee makers, it’s all about finding one that works well for you, since it’s an appliance that you’re likely going to be using at least once a day. We recently tested the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker to see if it lived up to its reputation for making a strong—and hot—pot of coffee.

We put it through the paces brewing pot after pot for weeks on end to measure how hot the pot stayed, how strong the brew was, and whether it was easily programmable. So is it worth its slightly more expensive price tag? Read on to find out.

PerfecTemp Technology: Coffee that stays hot

There’s nothing worse than pouring a cup of coffee only to taste a lukewarm brew shortly after it’s poured into a mug. Not so with this coffee maker. Time after time, we brewed a pot of coffee and found that the coffee was just as hot each time. Plus, with a quick press of a button on the LCD display, you can adjust the carafe temperature to low, medium, and hot.

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Brew Strength: A choice of regular or bold

Different days require different brew strengths. Luckily, this coffee maker allows you to choose between regular and bold, depending on how you're feeling that morning. If you really need an extra jolt, you can press the "Bold" button to make sure you get an even stronger cup.

The coffee maker also has a "Brew Pause" feature that allows you to remove the carafe mid-brew to pour that first cup. However, because coffee brewed at the beginning of the cycle will be much stronger than at the end, Cuisinart warns you that sneaking that first cup will affect the overall strength of the final pot. If you want only one cup—or a few—there's another button that lets you indicate that (it's labeled "1-4"). The machine will alter the brew process to make sure your coffee is the proper strength.

We usually don't make more than four cups of coffee in the morning, so we found this feature really helpful. The strength was exactly what we expected.

Timer: Set it without a worry

With its fully programmable features, you can program the Cuisinart 14-Cup Glass Carafe Programmable Coffeemaker, which takes up very little room even in a tiny kitchen, with a 24-hour lead time making it seamless to wake up to the delicious aroma of brewed coffee. An additional feature: You can set the auto-off button so the coffeemaker turns off right away or up to four hours after the brew cycle is finished.

We set the coffee maker to brew automatically in the morning and used the "Ready Tone" feature, which causes the machine to beep five times, to let us know when we could pour our first cup. The alert was one of our favorite features of this machine. Plus, the instruction booklet lays out each step for setting the timer (and using all of the features), so we didn't have any difficulty there.

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Price: Worth the investment

Retailing at $100, the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker is definitely more expensive than a basic coffee maker, but it provides more to justify the price. Considering its sleek design, temperature control, and undeniably useful features, this coffee maker simply brings so much to the table. An investment in this product will transform your morning cup of coffee routine forever.

Competition: Price doesn't always reflect quality

Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup Carafe Coffee Brewer: Bonavita's budget-friendly Bonavita BV1900TS aims to brew your coffee at the perfect temperature. At a price tag of $135, this coffee maker is a bit more than the Cuisinart and still makes a great affordable option. However, the flavor of our coffee tasted far better when we brewed from the Cuisinart.