Excellent brewing temperature (right at 197) and saturation time adjustment - extracts the flavor very well from most beans. Warming plate will not "cook" the coffee. Modern quality look.
Negative Product Points
Carafe sometimes sticks to the brewing basket when pulling it out. Paper filters do not sit in the brewing basket very well.
Detailed Commentary
The machine has its faults, put produces a superior cup. The convenient coffee strength dial allows you to adjust the brew time to your desired saturation point (setting of 3 gives an 8 minute 10 cup brew). I was also highly impressed with the consistent 197 degree brew temperature measured from the basket.
Some may find it odd that the warming plate does not keep the coffee very hot for long (even at the hottest setting). However, it seems to be calibrated not to cook/burn the coffee. The warming plate works fine to keep your coffee hot for about a half hour. If you want to keep it longer, use a thermos, which seals the flavor better anyway.
Some nice points include an easy top-fill water reservoir and a flip-down foot on the brewing basket that lets you rest it evenly on a countertop when filling with coffee grounds.
There are some annoying faults. Most notably, paper filters do not sit neatly in the brewing basket (the machine uses #4 cone filters). It makes me wonder that their product testers were using. The carafe also sticks to the basket when pulling it out, unless you angle it just right. Finally, it's a bit wobbly when unfilled because the base's feet are not pulled to the outermost corners.
Despite these faults, the Villaware Die Cast Coffee Maker does a fine job getting the most from a variety of coffee beans. I've used it with freshly ground, pre-ground, single origin and blends. It lists for about $90 and would be borderline but/not buy at that price. However, it is currently on sale on the Villaware outlet website at $44 and is a great value.
Buying Experience
Villaware.com has fine customer support and free shipping for orders over $150. The products, including the coffee maker, arrived within 10 days.
