Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker 10-Cup Glass Carafe, Hot or Iced, SCA

UPDATE: DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS. THREE days receiving this and putting it in the auto broom mode I woke up to an empty carafe. Thought maybe it lost Wi-Fi signal so I tried to do a manual brew. When I would press the button it would ask how many cups I would say three cups and hit brew again and it would pump out less than one cup of coffee/water. I tried this three times. Each time resulting in the same thing. I called Amazon support and they basically had no answer other than cleaning the output of the water. I could hear the pumpkick on for maybe 15 seconds or 10 seconds and then would cut out then it might pump for another 5 seconds after that and then cut out. So for the price point of this machine I was very upset. This is a G.E. company so they should have much better quality than this. But come on ! 3 days of use of only one time of three cups per day? Absolutely ridiculous that it failed so quickly. The unit has a clean design. The water reservoir is too small. The mesh coffee grounds basket is a pain to remove the used grounds and get clean. Instructions say items are NOT dishwasher safe. The face has 3 buttons to do various programming. The problem being, they aren't back lit. So when it's on the counter and you are looking down at the machine, it's nearly impossible to read the words. The auto brew works well. It's a way to program the machine to turn on at your chosen time, amount of cups and strength of brew. This is where they failed. You download the app which is somewhat easy to use but there are no clear instructions either with the app or with the machine. Without the app, you push the brew button and it comes on. You push it again and begins to brew. My question the first time using the app was, do I need to push the button once so that the blue light around the brew button is lit so it can communicate with the app? (by the way, pairing with the app and devices was a breeze) Does it automatically power up? When using the Autobrew in the app it says, brewer is Off. So it makes you think, how is it going to brew in the morning even though I have the app programmed? Since I was unsure I called customer support. 45 minutes of a call to not get an answer of which was the correct way to run it. First the first rep was just a general rep. Nice but this was beyond her knowledge. She said, I will transfer you to out Smart Electronics team. They didn't know. They transfered me to a third guy. He didn't know. All 3 said they were aware and have complained that their own owner's manual was terrible yet the company has not made any changes. I also asked, how do I turn off the autobrew programming on the unit if I set the app to a different time so it doesn't accidentally run twice? No answer. This is actually a GE company so you would think they would do better with customer support knowledge and with owner's manual content. I ended up running the first Autobrew directly off of the machine. It worked great. I accidentally found out, DON'T leave the glass carafe on the hot plate after you pour your coffee. It stays hot enough while cooling down that it burns the liquid coffee to the bottom of the carafe. Apparently this isn't true with the outrageously more expensive insulated carafe that will only keep the coffee warm an additional 2 hours. So to setup the next day, to eliminate the AutoBrew programming in the actual unit, I unplugged it to clear it of programming. Then I set it up with enough water (there is no way to empty the reservoir if you needed to) added my coffee grounds and made sure the glass carafe was placed under the outlet correctly. The instructions say if it's not, the coffee will overflow the grounds basket. I then entered the app, made sure my programming was correct. At the top it says brewer off. At the bottom of the next page for autobrew, you do all the progamming and at the bottom it's misleading. It has a button that says, Start Brewing. Which to me meant it would brew immediately. Nope, that allows the autobrew program to run. Well that's stupid designing. The last thing I'll say is, there is supposedly an ideal temp to brew coffee beans at. So if you want a piping hot cup of coffee, this won't do it. Maximum temperature allowed is 205 F which is warm but not piping hot. At that temp...it doesn't take long for a standard cup of coffee to cool right off to luke warm. For this price point and if you choose the Thermal Carafe being nearly an extra $50 bucks for the upgrade....it's a miss for me...I would think twice if I was in the market again.

I have now owned this for two years. When I bought it there were plenty of negative reviews. For me this machine has been perfect. The coffee genuinely tastes great compared to my former drip machines. It's easy to use, it's sleek and doesn't stick out on the counter. It also drips 10 cups faster than any previous version I have owned. We brew every day and it has had no issues, no peeling of any trim etc. I would love to be able to have the option to keep the coffee hot for 4 hours. I assume 2 hours is the limit to keep it from tasting burned, but I'd like to be able to keep it warm longer. Perhaps that would be accomplished in the carafe version. Thought I'd review this now after so much use. Good machine.

I own a coffee exporting company in Colombia, which means I have a lab with all the machines and equipment to analyze and brew coffee. I’m also a certified barista, cupper and roaster. But, despite all this, I wanted for my home an automatic machine with auto brew to make my mornings easy. However, a good cup of coffee and customizable settings are a MUST for me, being these the reasons why I bought this machine and paid the extra price. I couldn’t be more disappointed, there is no way to get the right extraction from this machine. Even using the bold mode and the max temperature of 205 F, there is a pre-extraction with water at low temperature and then it seems the machine does the extraction with hotter water (but clearly not at 205 F). The result? Warm coffee, under extracted, flavorless and cold 5 minutes later. Before writing this review, I even went to my office, roasted a coffee dark (being this a sin in the specialty coffee world) used an espresso grinder and went back home to try a new extraction. The result? Slightly better extraction but with the obvious burnt notes of a dark roasted coffee. Why do I need to do all this to get a mediocre cup of coffee from a $200 dollars machine? I can’t comprehend how a company can offer this machine in the market at this price and with such poor performance. Don’t waste your money, a $30 dollars brewer can do a better job than this.

I'm thoroughly impressed with the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker! Here's why it's become my go-to for brewing a superior cup of coffee: 1. Consistent Flavor: The Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker excels at extracting rich, flavorful coffee every time. Whether I'm using store-bought grounds or grinding my own beans, the result is consistently delicious. 2. Precise Brewing: This coffee maker allows for precise control over brewing variables such as temperature and brewing time. It ensures that every cup is brewed to perfection, unlocking the full potential of my favorite coffee beans. 3. Customizable Settings: I appreciate the customizable settings that cater to my specific preferences. Whether I prefer a bold, strong brew or a smoother, milder cup, I can easily adjust the strength and intensity to suit my taste. 4. Sleek Aesthetics: Not only does it brew exceptional coffee, but it also looks great on my countertop. The sleek design and modern aesthetics add a touch of elegance to my kitchen. Overall, the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker has exceeded my expectations in terms of performance, convenience, and aesthetics. It consistently delivers a superior cup of coffee that satisfies my taste buds every time. I highly recommend it to any coffee enthusiast looking to elevate their brewing experience.

UPDATE: So, I’ve had this now for about 2 years. Here is my honest review. I REALLY like the coffee maker. Not love though. lol. The carafe on the other hand SUCKS. The materials used to make this “pretty” are so subpar it’s ridiculous. I hand washed all parts and the handle STILL started chipping in under 6 months. It’s so bad now that I have to be careful how I pick it up because things (pieces of metal?) are starting to stick out. AND… to top that off, things are even chipping in-between where the coffee comes out and where the pot/lid goes. Noticed that when wiping everything down one day. ARE YOU LISTENING GE? I’d much rather have a coffee maker that I can put the carafe, lid and filter holder in the dishwasher than a carafe that I had to wash by hand and still looks like crap now. I mean… it looks BAD. The coffee maker itself is good! I love the fact that I can fill up the water and only brew what I need. Really like the gold setting! Love that it has wifi so we can use that on the weekends before getting out of bed. The controls are easy to use and it’s easy to program. JUST FIX THE DANG COFFEE POT! I bought this as a Christmas gift for myself and… I did good! 😉. I tell her I love her every morning and she rewards me with a perfect cup of coffee. I even get a “notification” text from her if I forget to put water in! There are only 2 things I wish were better: 1) I wish there were a “pause” feature on the schedule for days that I’m off work and don’t need to get up quite so early. As it stands now, I set a reminder with Siri to turn that day back on before going to bed. 2) I REALLY REALLY REALLY wish the coffee pot, lid and filter basket were dishwasher safe. Seriously GE, who does dishes by hand anymore? All in all… a very pretty and fantastic coffee maker ❤️

There are enough reviews to tell you that this makes good coffee and I agree. I also agree that it looks good. But in terms of functionality, it leaves a lot to be desired. Setting it up was almost easy. It uses the same app as GE café appliances, and I had that installed. Things were fine until it told me to look at the label at the bottom, which was awkward since it was plugged in in an earlier step. And the three labels at the bottom have a lot to read through, but the ACTUAL label needed is on the back. The app does a lot. But not with the coffee maker. You can set a schedule, or set options for the current brew, but they become effective only if you start the brew immediately from the app. It lets you select strength, temperature and how many cups. But you can't set it to what you want next unless you start right away or schedule a time. It's a problem if someone assumes that the settings haven't changed. It claims to be Alexa compatible but it barely is. With the app installed, I can tell Alexa all sorts of things and have it tell me lots of things such as status, but only with other compatible Café appliances. I can ask if the oven is on or have it preheat the oven to 350⁰ set on convection roast, but for the coffee maker, the only commands are on and off. And they don't even do that. "On" will start brewing, which is fine. But "off" stops brewing and doesn't turn off the hot plate. You can do that manually or it will heat the glass carafe for the next two hours. There's no setting to adjust the interval. You can set up an Alexa routine, but it doesn't communicate with the device acting as a trigger so it can't tell you when the coffee is ready. You can't set the brew or temperature or number of cups, so if you want to have it set automatically when you make your morning coffee, you can't do it with Alexa. Incidentally the same app will let Alexa tell you that the food in your bottom oven is ready. You can have Alexa turn it on or off (but not the hot plate) and make an announcement when the coffee is ready, because you told it how many minutes to wait based on experience, but that's it unless you plug it into a smart outlet. Then when you want to turn it off, you can have Alexa turn the outlet off, and then turn it right back on so it will be ready for the next use. As far as the design, the machine is the right height to fit under a cabinet, but you can't slide out the water chamber or the filter chamber. Those are both accessed from the top. And you can't slide the machine because the feet aren't designed for it. And it's heavy, especially with water, and there's no easy way to lift it. So everyday use can be awkward and the advantages of electronic settings are lost if you use Alexa. It would be possible for them to fix most of the issues with a software update to the Alexa plug in, and get it up to par with other Café appliances. If they do that, I'll update my review.

When I bought this a wee but over a year ago for my birthday present to me, I thought I’d wait a year to see how it truly worked before writing a review. The packaging/boxing was beautiful. The coffee maker and carafe are truly the most attractive I’d seen. For the money, expensive to me, the features it provides are well worth it. We use the maker twice a day and always go for the “Gold” setting which truly does make the perfect cup of coffee. You have options for temperature, strength, cups, etc. I’ve been very pleased with the taste and ease of function. It does have a Bluetooth app to start your coffee from an app but honestly, you can just set the delay brew and do the same. You still have to add water and coffee either way. So I don’t really know why you’d need a Bluetooth app for it. I don’t own a dishwasher and always hand wash my dishes. It’s just two of us so no big deal. Having said that, I’m disappointed in the Rose Gold finish. It’s chipping away. I almost went with the silver Stainless Steel carafe and I wish I had but, it was my birthday present and I decided to go with something a bit more “luxe”, a bit different. Bad choice as you can see from the photos. The carafe is always hand washed and air dried. Maybe it was defective but, seems like it should’ve had a better sealant or something to retain the beautiful rose gold finish. I’m disappointed with the ascetics but not the taste. I just moved it somewhere out of sight. Sad. I’ll probably go with a different maker when this one goes out. I had read people said that it drips after brewing and you’ve taken the coffee filter out to clean and have to admit it does. Now I see what they meant. An empty machine will gather drips in the hot plate after use. We do open the water container and the coffee filter area after use and keep it open with chopsticks to avoid any mold gathering and so it can dry out properly. Other than that it’s been a good coffee maker. If the GE Cafe Series engineers could spend a bit less on the packaging and more investment into the paint on the handle and drip problem, they’d have a true winner!

While owning the coffeemaker for about two weeks we were thrilled with the coffee maker producing tasty HOT coffee. I purchased it because it claimed to be a "SCA Certified, Barista-Quality Brew" machine. And while a bit expensive for my budget, but not like some $400-500 machines, it did make very nice coffee, at least at first. However, that lasted about 3 or 4 days. Where on the first few days the coffee was hot enough you could burn your tongue. After that it seemed like a slow decline in temperatures of the finished product and all the while I kept raising the brew temperature. To test the coffee temperature, today I tried warming the glass carafe with hot tap water and then brewing the coffee. I set the brew temp up to 197 degrees. Immediately after brewing was finished and the happy tune went off, I measured the coffee using a candy thermometer. The coffee in the carafe was only 120 degrees. After allowing the carafe to sit on the warmer with 3 cups of coffee in it, for nearly 45 minutes, the coffee only rose to 145-150 degrees. That is just barely beyond the lukewarm, and coffee experts serve coffee at temperatures between 160 – 185 degrees. Maybe I got the proverbial lemon in the batch, but for this price, really? I would suggest great caution in getting this coffee maker, I am returning mine.

Me encantó, haces un buen café y puedes programarlo por medio de una app para tener listo tu café a la hr que quieras. Se ve muy bonita en mi barra de la cocina y super moderna, sí vale la pena!!