Use your CCB points to buy a Nespresso machine, syrups, coffee beans, coffee pods and more!

Note: Nespresso coffee capsules can only be ordered at nespresso.com or dial 1-800-562-1465.

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We were intrigued and apprehensive when first testing the Cuisinart Grind & Brew. We applaud Cuisinart for having the courage to combine a grinding mechanism with a coffee brewer to simplify the recommended practice of grinding fresh coffee beans just before brewing. We were concerned though, about the troublesome nature of all burr style grinders and their tendency to jam for various reasons. A jammed coffee grinder is okay if the grinder can be easily disassembled to clear the problem bean or foreign object or at the very least turned upside down and ‘burped’ to knock out the offending item. To fix a built in grinder can be next to impossible but Cuisinart has an ingenious built in grinding mechanism that with the twist of a knob can be opened and easily tended too.

The bean hopper holds exactly one bag of cultured coffee beans (8oz) and has a fantastic air tight lid that not only protects the beans from moisture but prevents any coffee bean particles from polluting your kitchen counter. Most coffee grinders can leave quite the mess after each grind!

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew machine offers three brew strength settings: mild, medium and strong. Altering the brew strength setting only changes the amount of coffee ground, not the fineness of the grind. In our opinion, the factory set grind setting is a ‘coarse setting’. Despite the coarseness, we found the strength of the coffee flavour descent on the ‘Strong’ brew setting. Those who like very strong coffee may want to stay clear of this machine and continue grinding their beans in a separate grinder where the grind setting can be adjusted to their liking. Of course, one can by pass grinding beans and use previously ground coffee of any sort in the Cuisinart Grind & Brew by simply clicking the ‘Grind Off’ button before brewing.

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew comes with all the latest bells and whistles including a metal thermal carafe with brew through lid, 2 to 12 cup brew batch settings, pause and pour feature, gold metal brew basket, carbon filter cartridge to eliminate chlorine taste and is programmable so one can wake up to the aroma of a freshly ground and brewed pot of coffee!

As much as we like metal thermal carafes we must warn our readers that the first pot of the day may not be the warmest. Cold metal can pull down the temperature of coffee. A tip to get around this is to set the machine to brew a small pot of water only first thing in the morning and then your first pot of coffee will be very hot! The Cuisinart Grind & Brew has a non-detachable water tank meaning one must place this machine near a sink with a water hose or be prepared to fill the machine with water from a pitcher. Finally, adding a grinder to the top of a thermal coffee brewer makes the Cuisinart Grind & Brew a fairly tall machine requiring 16 ½ inches of height clearance.

Overall, we are very pleased with Cuisinarts improved Grind & Brew 12 cup thermal coffee maker and highly recommend this machine for those coffee connoisseurs looking for a little convenience when grinding and brewing their favourite pot of joe!

In discussing his coffees, Wolfgang Puck states, “This estate grown coffee is my personal recipe, crafted with distinctive and exotic coffee beans and roasted in small batches to my exact standards.”

Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck opened his first restaurant, Spago, on

Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in 1982. Building on Spago’s phenomenal success, he has become one of the most influential chefs in

North America. Wolfgang Puck’s name has become synonymous with culinary passion and the very best in eating and dining well. For more than 25 years, Chef Puck has catered to

Hollywood’s elite in his restaurants and at the industry’s most prestigious events. Wolfgang applies his dedication to quality and authenticity to his distinctive coffee and strives to offer coffee lovers the most delicious and innovative tastes and the highest quality products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEPf5hXWkB4
With the introduction of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker, you can finally purchase a single serve coffee maker that uses ground coffee and coffee pods all in the same filter basket. This is also the first coffee pod brewer to feature a charcoal water filter inside the water reservoir. We’ve written quite a few articles to round out our review since the launch of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker including:

• Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker first news
• Unboxing, the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
• First Impressions of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
• Using Ground Coffee in the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker

This review will feature highlights from the earlier articles we’ve published and our final pros and cons of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker.

Features of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker

Here are the features of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker:

• Brew basket can accommodate coffee pods as well as ground coffee
• 60-oz. water reservoir holds enough for ten 6-ounce cups of coffee
• Low pressure pump and boiler system
• Patented tamping and sealing method for better tasting coffee
• Cup size selector – 4 to 12 ounces
• Can select regular or bold coffee flavor
• Removable drip tray can accommodate coffee cup from 4 ounces to Cuisinart’s travel mug (170mm)
• 2 minute pre-heat time
• Charcoal water filter removes impurities
• Auto shut-off (2 hours from last use)
• Water level indicator on front
• Scoop included
• Easy to clean

The water filter and instructional DVD video.

At launch this was the only single serve coffee maker to come with charcoal filter, and the ability to use ground coffee in the machine using a filter basket that comes with the machine. Now however if you would prefer to use K Cups over coffee pods, the Breville BKC600XL Single Cup Gourmet brewer has debuted, and features a charcoal filter, and a resuesable My Cup coffee filter that allows you to use your own ground coffee.

Our overall impressions of the machine from a design point of view is the machine is very narrow and looks taller than other single serve coffee machines. The water reservoir is slightly hard to grab given the square shape, and the stainless steel look of the machine makes the machine appear substantial and solid.

The buttons on the front are very pleasing to push. Each lights up with a luminescent border, and the settings couldn’t be easier.

Making A Cup of Coffee with the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker

To make a cup of coffee you simply put in a coffee pod or ground coffee, pick regular or bold, select pod or ground coffee, and then push the cup size and brew.

The settings light up and we love the blue LED lights.

Note: See our First Impressions of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker and also Using Ground Coffee with the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker to get more background n this feature.

We found that warm up times and brew times were however some of the longest and most involved we’ve ever seen in a single serve coffee machine. On average the machine took about 2 minutes to heat up, and average brew times depending on cup volume were over a minute to almost two minutes in length. Is the coffee produced worth the wait? Indeed it is. This is some of the best coffee we’ve had produced from either coffee pods or ground coffee using the same filter basket.

Brew and clean cycles are easy to access.

And that takes us to one of the key features of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker – the coffee tamping piston in the brew filter basket chamber. At the end of each brew cycle this piston comes down and tamps out the rest of the coffee goodness from the coffee pod or ground coffee you’re using. This makes for a great cup of coffee and also much less mess. You don’t have a wet soppy coffee pod, and you don’t have wet soppy grounds – both are more or less dry, and easy to remove from the filter basket.

The piston pushes down into the filter basket during

the brew cycle.

Brewing a cup of coffee with the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker however is loud and a bit noisy. The machine does a pulse cycle that vibrates the machine quite a bit, but this pulsing is also why the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker makes such an amazing cup of coffee. We do wish however that the drip tray was a little bigger, as the vibration moves your mug until there is coffee in it quite a bit. You can also remove the drip tray altogether to alleviate the cup vibrating, and this also allows for the use of tall travel mugs.