Choosing the right single-serve coffee maker is quite difficult, especially considering how many options you have to decide from. Some would say that the Keurig machines are a no-brainer since they are the ones who invented coffee pods in the first place. However, between their limitations and pod compatibility issues, a lot of users tend to find alternative options.Among the many options that you have, the Cuisinart SS700 stands out quite a lot due to its popularity. However, the question that you must ask yourself after seeing so many people talk about it is simple: is it worth all that money? We will help you get the answer to that question by reviewing all the key aspects of the product. Keep reading to find out more.
Table of Contents
Aesthetics
For any home user, the coffee maker you buy is going to become one of the main attractions of your kitchen. Therefore, having an ugly looking machine is simply not an option. Fortunately, most manufacturers are aware of that and try to make good looking machines. The SS700 is also a good-looking machine, at least considering the price bracket it falls in. the body is plastic, although it looks like it is made of stainless steel, thanks to the good paint job. That also automatically matches the real stainless-steel parts which include the drip tray and the K-cup holder on top.
The right side of the machine has a large 80 oz water container which is enough to make several cups of coffee before you need a refill. Of course, not having to refill the machine frequently can cause some people to forget when it is time to refill. However, the machine provides a flashing blue light to indicate a low water level. There is a display on the front as well which also gives you a notification, along with many other functions of course. The overall design is certainly clean and easy to blend in every environment.
The size of the machine is also not large, and it can easily fit under most standard cabinets with an 18-inch clearance. The machine itself is 12 inches high and covers a relatively reasonable surface area.
Machine Maintenance
The whole point of buying a machine that uses coffee pods instead of regular coffee is to avoid wasting time on maintenance. Therefore, easy cleaning is a key aspect to consider. The SS700 does pass that test quite easily with its versatile usage makes it mandatory for it to carry some unique features as well. This machine not only does coffee, but it can also brew tea. Therefore, to make sure the flavors do not combine for the two, the machine has an internal rinsing feature that you can activate with the press of a button. This way you can have two entirely different beverages ready to go in no time.
As for the machine itself, all you need to do is run the key components under tap water or wash with mild soap. The water container and lid cannot be washed using a dishwasher so do keep that in mind. Overall, the maintenance of this machine is certainly quite easy, even for a beginner.
Display and Features
Any machine that uses a display to show information and interact with the user has to be user friendly. The menus and commands need to be easy to understand and intuitive to make sure you do not get stuck or run it wrong. The display on the Cuisinart SS700 is pretty much an average display with sufficient information for any user. The display has five different sizes to choose form at the bottom, starting from 4 oz, going all the way up to 12 oz. we do wish that there was an option for bigger cups as well but for most people, this range should be more than enough.
The display has a blue backlight as well so you can see it clearly in the dark. It also provides a clock but due to a lack of a backup battery, it resets every time there is a power outage in your area. There are no detailed menus to go through so the user-friendly aspect is certainly there.
The machine also supports all third-party pods that you want to use. There is no DMR restriction that Keurig machines have now. As long as the cup is the same shape as your machine’s holder, you can use it. This is especially useful for people who do not want to use Keurig coffee and have other favorites. As for coffee strength, you can either use pods that already say “extra strong” or other similar strengths to make sure your large-sized cups do not feel light or dilute. Alternatively, if you can refill a pod or use one that can be refilled, you can adjust the coffee quantity yourself for better results.
The package
The Cuisinart SS700 comes with a comprehensive package that includes quite a few things. The first thing you get is a reusable coffee filter that has the capacity of two coffee scoops which you also get in the package. This is especially convenient if you are going to be refilling K-cups as per your preference or for using coffee that is not available in K-cups.
The package also contains a charcoal filter which is not mandatory to install on the machine. The purpose of this is to address the chlorine taste that you may or may not have in your tap water. If you do not want to use the filter, the best alternative is to use RO filter water instead which does not use chlorine for filtration.
To get you started with the single-serve coffee brewing experience, the package also included 12 K-cups. Each of these has a different blend and flavor which can help you a lot with deciding which one suits you best. Of course, if you already have a favorite, you can get started with that right away as well.
Overall, the SS700 by Cuisinart is a great machine for its price and anyone looking for a single-serve coffee machine would be happy to buy it.
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