Which 12 cup coffee maker should you get?

The Cuisinart DCC-1200 is incredibly popular at the moment, in fact I think it is the number 1 selling drip coffee machine on Amazon at the moment, and it has over 1200 reviews with nearly a 1000 of those giving 4 or 5 stars, so this is a well loved machine!

It has everything you want in a coffee maker, you can set it to automatically start brewing in the morning as you wake up, it will pause the brewing process as soon as you lift the carafe out (most machines have a button you have to press) and it has a permanent mesh filter and a charcoal water filter.

But on top of that you get a durable stainless steel exterior and the ability to adjust the temperature on the warming plate to keep it warm for as long as you need without ruining the taste.

It is currently about 53% off, so you can get it for less than $70 which is fantastic value.

This is a machine that is designed to be given some abuse and used every day, so if you really love your coffee and you know you are going to need a machine which can deliver the goods again and again, this is probably the machine for you.

The Cuisinart DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew does exactly what the name says, grinds your coffee beans for you and then starts to brew straight away. Apparently after you have tasted coffee made with freshly ground beans then you won't ever want to go back to using pre-ground because none of the taste is lost so you get an intense cup of coffee that really tickles your tastebuds.

It costs slightly more than the DCC-1200 even with the current 58% discount at Amazon (at the time of writing) but it does save you having to buy a separate grinder. Don't expect the grinder to be amazing, it is built into the unit so it can't be as good as a dedicated unit, but if you just want the taste of freshly ground beans and are not fussy about having the perfect grind then it does what it is supposed to do.

The rest of it is pretty standard, it has a programmable start feature, it can make 1 - 12 cups, you can pause the brewing process to grab a cup, and it has a permanent filter and a charcoal water filter too.

Bear in mind it is going to require more cleaning than a normal machine as you have both the brewing area and the grinding area to clean, but that is no different to having a separate grinder which needs cleaning.

The reviews for it are mostly positive, a lot of people are complaining about the extra cleaning - but with more processes going on then that is inevitable! You just need to decide if freshly ground coffee is worth the extra hassle.

The Mr Coffee DRX23 is a cheaper machine for those people who are either not that fussy about their coffee, or they don't use it that much so it is hard to justify spending the extra cash on something which just won't get the use.

It does all the normal stuff, it has a warming plate (although that auto shuts off after an hour which won't be enough for most people, but you can turn it back on for another hour if you want), you can program it to start brewing for you at a certain time ready for when you wake up, and it has a permanent filter so you don't have to fiddle with paper ones and it will pause the brewing process so you can grab a cup if you want one.

So it does everything you need it to do which for the price is great, but the reviews are a bit mixed for it, they are mainly good though, but a number of people have complained that the taste of the coffee is a bit plasticy and that the clock tends to run out over time or not work properly, but then on the flip side lots of other people think it is the best thing since sliced bread!

So you get what you pay for, it is not the best coffee maker in the world, but if you want it for the office or you aren't going to use it much, then as this is around $35 then this could be what you are looking for.

A coffee press is a great way to make a lot of coffee. It can be a bit of a pain if you are only using it to make coffee for yourself though, in which case a coffee maker might be better, but if you need lots of cups then it is easy to use and clean and the best part is it looks good while you make the coffee.

You can't unplug a coffee machine and take it into where all your guests are or they might not be too impressed, and a standard coffee machine carafe is ok, but it does feel a bit like you are in a diner, instead you can pop the water and the coffee into this lovely looking Bodum Chambord coffee press (the Chambord range are the ones with the nice chrome accents to them) and then take it in to continue the conversation while it brews, then just press the plunger down and serve.

This is best if you need a 12 cup coffee maker for dinner parties etc, if you need lots of coffee for the family every day then this just isn't that practical, you can do it, but it won't keep it warm for you and you need to pour it out as soon as you can so it doesn't continue brewing, so it is not as good as a coffee machine for daily use.

In fact I just noticed that the Bodum in question is labeled wrong! It says it is a 12 cup one on Amazon, but in fact it is an 8 cup one! So instead you can get the LaCafetiere Classic Coffee Press which still looks good and will give you the full 12 cups you need instead.