Despite all of the features that you may see, automatic-drip coffee makers are relatively simple devices, all of which function in a similar manner and brew coffee. Water is first added to a reservoir, where it is heated and then dispersed over a pre-filled basket / filter of grounds. As the heated water travels through the grounds, it extracts flavor before it drips into your mug, coffee pot or carafe.

A somewhat new option with automatic drip coffee makers is the “coffee-on-demand” style machines. They brew coffee directly into an internal holding tank where the coffee is kept hot and ready for dispensing one cup at a time.

More than any other style, automatic-drip coffee makers offer many features:

• water reservoir
• filter holder
• screen filters
• built-in warming plate
• carafe
• carafe stand
• dripless carafes
• indicator lights
• cord storage
• automatic shutoff
• swing-out or lift-out filter baskets
• brew-pause feature
• digital control panels
• clocks with timers
• automatic shut-off
• water filtration systems
• flavor systems
• built-in grinding

The most popular feature on automatic-drip coffee makers is a digital clock/timer to allow you to preset a brew time – like in the morning. You can add water and ground coffee the night before and wake up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee. What a nice way to wake up!

Full-size automatic drip coffee makers can brew up to 14 cups but other, smaller machines make from a single up to four cups at a time. They work best when set to brew a full pot of coffee. A full pot is 8-14 cups of coffee and takes from 5-12 minutes for a complete brewing cycle.

Some popular brands of automatic drip coffee makers are:

• DeLonghi Drip Coffee Makers
• Saeco Coffee Makers
• Mr. Coffee Coffee Makers
• Hamilton Beach Coffee Makers
• Krups Drip Coffee Makers
• Bunn Coffee Makers
• Sunbeam Drip Coffee Makers

Online stores as well as local department stores are good places to look for the best automatic drip coffee maker.

• 14 Cup 68oz carafe capacity
• 24-hour timer
• Permanent gold-tone filter
• Advanced water filtration
• Flavor enhancing aroma button

This DeLonghi drip coffee maker is designed to keep even the finest of coffee grounds out of your cup of coffee. It has the pause and serve function so you can grab that first cup of coffee right away. It is one of the only 14-cup drip coffee makers on the market and has a non-stick warming plate.

The DC412T has a unique brewing method where water is released into the filter basket in 30-second intervals. This time-released brewing process saturates grounds a little at a time to extract the best flavor and aroma from the coffee. This feature extract the most powerful flavors when brewing a small amount of coffee. The water filtration feature also really helps your coffee taste the best that it can.

It’ll also tell you when it needs to be cleaned (run a mixture of vinegar and water through and then just water).

Some known problems are that the clock seems to run fast, so the timing is not accurate and the unit seems to last less than a year without problems although many owners have reported this drip coffee maker lasting a long time.

More information / buy the DeLonghi DC412T Drip Coffee Maker >>