There is very little possitive to say about the coffee maker. Great form, lousy function.
Positive Product Points
Fun to watch.
Negative Product Points
Lid hinge broke at 2 months. Next to impossible to clean, well. Hollow coffee taste. Potential fire hazzard.
Detailed Commentary
What can I say? I've wanted one of these coffee makers for years. They look great and some reputable coffee shops are selling them. I live by my Bodum tea pot and French press (for camping.
My Brahn finally died after eight years (R.I.P.). The first Santos I saw, I bought. I had read the Coffee Geek reviews and was optimistic about the brewing quality.
My favorite coffee (Allegro Whole Foods Organic) came out tasting like a hollow image of what I was used to. No mater the grind or how much coffee was used, it just wasn't a good cup of coffee. Also, there is a grind "slurry" at the bottom of every cup. The same results were obtained from other coffee blends. There has not been a robust, quality cup of coffee from this maker.
Two months after it was purchased, the lid hinge broke. Every care was taken not to bend or torque the hinge.
The pot is impossible to thoroughly clean.
I have tried the tilting trick and waiting for the water to heat before adding the coffee holder.
At five months, the heating element will re-set and start boiling the coffee. The element will not stop heating until the off button is pushed. Auto start has never been used.
