Saeco 8 Cup Coffee Maker

Renaissance TDCM-CC | Stainless Steel Carbon Fiber Carafe

Saeco 8 Cup Coffee Maker This programmable eight-cup Renaissance Drip Coffeemaker from Saeco uses a thermal stainless steel and carbon fiber carafe to keep coffee hot rather than a warming plate. Although that is energy efficient, and the unit shuts off after brewing, it can affect both temperature and flavor of your morning brew.

When containers impart unwanted taste to coffee, that can be minimized by rinsing the inside of the pot rather than thoroughly scrubbing with a detergent solution. The thin layer of coffee oil that remains on the interior walls limits any plastic or metallic taste that storage in most thermos bottles will contribute.

Since the carafe isn't preheated for an automatic brew cycle, part of the coffee's heat goes into warming the pot itself, lowering the temperature of your drink. If you're up in time to start the cycle yourself, you can get around that by warming the pot with boiling water first.

The Saeco Renaissance uses a brew basket rather than a paper filter, and if you grind your own coffee, you'll need to run a few test batches in order to find the proper grind for this machine. If the grind is too fine, the filter basket can clog, causing the basket to overflow onto the counter rather than dripping into the pot. The Saeco is easy to program and makes excellent coffee, with only a few quirks to consider.

Also see the Cuisinart Cup-O-Matic.