The Cuisinart 12-cup coffee maker with thermos pot is GREAT and an outstanding value. We purchased it direct from Cuisinart. If you are into the details, please read on. \n\nA bit of background: while we REALLY like a good cup of coffee and know a thing or two about coffee (we own & operate a coffee farm in Kona, HI), but we are not professional cuppers. We are also willing to spend a couple of extra minutes to make an enjoyable cup of coffee. Our preferred brewing methods are French press and filtered drip, each of which provides a distinctive flavor profile. \n\nThe Cuisinart 12-cup coffee maker is excellent with a few small quirks and annoyances. The “good list” includes: Coffee brewing temperature is consistently 195-200F (measured by Reference Thermapen). The “shower head” brewer design works well to distribute the hot water over the coffee grounds. “Bold Brew” feature is OK but we use a manual process to capture the bloom (that most would probably find overly tedious). We also like the conical filter design that uses standard #4 coffee filters. We do not use the reusable screen preferring the French Press to get that style of brew. The thermos coffee pot works reasonably well to keep coffee pleasantly hot for 1-2+ hours. We have noticed that 1 hour after brew, the exterior of the thermos is slightly warm indicating the vacuum insulation is not ideal. If you absolutely need piping hot coffee, nuke it briefly in a microwave. Not perfect, but far better than using a hot plate. \n\nThe little quirks and annoyances (that may be bigger issues for some): The interior design of the thermos makes it challenging to completely empty the pot, even with the lid removed. This is a minor inconvenience but we'd suggest rinsing the pot well after washing – unless you enjoy the flavor of detergent ;-). Also, use care in rinsing the lid as water (and detergent) is easily trapped in baffles and chambers designed to help maintain heat in the carafe. After many attempts, we have been unable to remove or replace the pot under the filter funnel without a few drops of coffee dribbling down the side of the pot. We have found the only sure solution is to remove the filter funnel. Lastly, the plastic handle on our coffee pot is rather poorly constructed comprised of plastic pieces that feel flimsy and present rough edges. A single-piece handle would have been a much better idea. Thus far, however, it has not failed. \n\nBottom line, we would highly recommend this coffee maker with the caveats presented above.