Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have to say that some of the reviews of this product make me despair of the whole review process. They seem to fall into "no coffee maker should cost this much," or "it's not made of platinum." In either case, my advice is this: don't buy it! For those interested in a review of the thing itself, so you can decide if it's worth the (high) price here it is. My wife and I like coffee. It's one of the day's regular pleasures and we drink coffee every day. So we think our regular use justifies some extravagance. We buy good coffee. For years we used a small plastic Krupps grinder and a Krupps then Cusineart coffee maker. And it was fine. But then I took a flier on a burr grinder--way more expensive than the Krupps grinder (c. $100 vs $25 or so). And it was a revelation!! So then, with some Christmas money in hand we did research and were persuaded by a Cooks' Illustrated review and bought the Technivorm. Wow! My idea of coffee is entirely changed. I get all that stuff about "notes of chocolate," and all that. It is just terrific coffee. What excellent wine is to table wine (and we drink a lot of table wine; so this is not about snobbism). The whole Technivorm schtick is simple: a good pump, and keep the coffee at c. 200F until it comes out the nozzle over the coffee. Who would think it would make such a difference? But it does. The machine itself is perfectly durable, but it's not fancy and is largely plastic, not metal. Whatever. The thermos keeps the coffee hot (if, as the instructions suggest, you rinse it first with hot water) for at least 5 hours. After that you should make a new pot anyway. It is fast, and it is quiet. It makes 10.5 cups, which is a little less than we'd like when company comes (12 is good). The question is, and it's a real question--is this indulgence the way you want to spend your money? And of course, its durability is unproven--we've only had it for a month. But it makes wonderful coffee. If that's really important to you, and you've got the money, then this machine won't disappoint you. ===== A couple of years later: The TV is still going strong, still making wonderful coffee. It has slowed a bit despite occasional white-vinegar treatments. Most notable: the carafe has colored on the inside and has a sort of brown glaze on the bottom. It seems not to affect the taste, but looks a bit grotty. Otherwise, still well worth the money! ======= 13 (!!) years on and still going strong. DO be sure and use both the descaler and the cleaner recommended by the company. I didn't descale thoroughly enough and that might mean the boiler (no pump, as someone kindly pointed out) is less efficient. Another TVMM may be in our future. But that's on me. The cleaner removes a shocking amount of gunk! Still wonderful coffee, quickly brewed and utterly reliable. Some reviews still strike me as foolish but whatever. Most are enthusiastic as positive as is mine—still, after more than a decade!