The Best In Its CategoryJune 18, 2006 Sean P. Smith(USA) 22 out of 22 found this review helpful
I spent a lot of time online looking for a 4 to 5 cup coffeemaker to suit my needs. There are the usual suspects: Mr. Coffee, Braun, etc, that seem to get universally bad to mediocre reviews from people, especially people who know anything about coffee. I decided to skip all of those and look for something that would make a really good cup of coffee. My choices became limited to two coffeemakers: one made by a company called Bodum (which looks like some kind of laboratory beaker) and the Zojirushi Zutto. The Bodum model supposedly performed well and made excellent coffee under ideal conditions, but many people who reviewed it said that it was prone to mishaps such as overboiling. So I went with the Zojirushi. I was not disappointed. The Zutto is extremely well-designed and functional. The coffee filter is in the lid of the pot (not attached to the maker, like most autodrip models), and there is a removable charcoal water filter to remove chlorine, etc. It's very easy to clean, attractive and perfect for a small space. After running water through it a few times to remove the burned-plastic taste you would get from any new coffeemaker, I brewed up a pot of Green Mountain. The coffee was excellent, the best I've ever had from an automatic drip maker. After the pot was left on the burner for 10 minutes, the coffee still tasted good, with only a very slight hint of a burned taste. I'm assuming this means that the heating element is set to the correct temperature for keeping the coffee warm. There were no problems with pouring; you just have to place your thumb over part of the lid when you pour. The Zojirushi Zutto is a well thought-out and sturdy product, far better than anything comparable from any American company.
Zojirushi EC-DAC50 Zutto 5-Cup Drip CoffeemakerNovember 20, 2006 Jay(San Antonio, TX) 15 out of 15 found this review helpful
This coffeemaker was a bit more expensive than others available, but the engineering on this thing is just unbelievable. My wife and I have been using it for about three months now, and we still marvel at how well it works, and the quality of the coffee it makes. Some of the things we really like include the fact that we can take the removable resevoir to the sink to fill it rather than try to pour water into the machine with the possibility of spilling it; the conical container for the grounds is in the coffee pot, so it is very easy to empty the grounds, and coffee doesn't drip onto the heating plate after removing the pot; it uses a #2 paper filter, and I've found that a similarly sized Swiss Gold foil filter also works for those who don't want the paper filter to soak up the coffee bean oils (but you'll need to be a little more careful to hold the top on the pot when pouring the coffee if you don't remove the filter first; And I could go on with the good things. I don't believe it has an automatic shutoff on the hotplate, or at least we haven't found one, but we don't use it anyway. All in all, I think that using this is like driving a Lexus instead of a ten year old junker. It's a neat piece of equipment, and it makes great coffee.
excellent coffee maker!March 15, 2007 Cheshire Kat(St. Thomas, VI United States) 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
After a long search for the perfect smaller-size coffee maker, I took a "chance" on this Zojirushi 5-cupper. I never knew Zojirushi made coffee pots or anything else besides rice makers, but my familiarity with that quality product gave me a little brand confidence. I am VERY pleased with my decision. First off, the color is great because being grey, it does not show the coffee stains in the filter area, if it even stains (I have seen none yet). HUGE plus is the removable water tank because now you can clean it real good. The tank can also be filled while out of the machine which make is easier to see, if necessary. An unusual feature is that the filter is in the pot, not the machine. However, I now love this feature because, once again you can really clean it good! Also note this is a cone filter (#2) and that means good strong coffee. love it love it love it
Great coffee and easy to useOctober 30, 2006 Andrea Bednarek(Virginia Beach VA) 7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a very nice coffeemaker for anyone wanting a 4-5 cup maker. It is easy to use, no clocks to set, nothing to program, just add water, filter and coffee and press one botton. The coffee tastes great, better than my old vacuum style maker. It is easy to clean and looks good, uses #2 filters or cut down #4's.
Very tidy coffeemakerSeptember 13, 2007 Todd Mansfield(Cincinnati, OH United States) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've had my Zojirushi for about two years now. The experience continues to be a pleasure.
For good coffee, clean surfaces matter a lot. Nothing hurts coffee flavor more than stale oils. Mildewey reservoir surfaces don't help either. For ease of keeping these surfaces clean, this little Zojirushi wins hands down. Nothing else comes even close.
(1) The "splash guard" (just above where hot water hits the ground coffee) is easy to remove and clean with running water. With other coffeemakers, one would need to hold the whole appliance upside-down under the tap. :O (2) The water reservior and cover are both easily removed for inspection, cleaning and complete drying. (3) The carafe's inner surfaces are easy to see, reach, clean and rinse. (Same as all coffeemakers with Pyrex-type carafes.)
This machine's other notable feature is the water filter (which can remove undesired flavors from the water just after heating.) I tried my Zojirushi with and without the filter and didn't notice much difference. But the tap water in my town is actually very good, so this doesn't amount to much of a test. I can imagine it helping with, for example, the water where I used to live.
Other aspects of this coffeemaker are good but not unique. The water temperature in mine is about right. (It extracts the right stuff from the ground coffee.) The hot plate is good for warming the carafe during coffeemaking but should then should be turned off to avoid thermal mishandling of the coffee. (Nothing particular to the Zojirushi here, just a good practice.)
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