Fresh Brew Plus Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker EC-YSC100

Pros:1. Consistent brew temperature with the water coming out at 200 deg F2. Timer and auto off3. Vacuum insulated carafe!!!Cons:1. Makes a bunch of noise2. Basket type filter means potential risk of filter sides collapsing during brewing sending grinds into the brewSummary:After our older model Zojirushi coffee maker died after 6 yrs of loyal daily service of producing a great pot of coffee, we were in the market for a replacement. My wife and I drink coffee daily and we figured we would treat ourselves to a really great coffee maker, so we splurged and initially bought the ridiculously priced Technivorm Moccamaster. While it did brew an excellent pot of coffee, it really didn't feel solidly built or that it could ultimately justify the price. Parts were kind of loose fit, there were a lot of parts to take apart and clean, and I always felt like the filter basket contraption was always on the verge of falling over and spilling the dry (or wet) grounds everywhere. Given all that I was really looking for in a new coffee maker was something that could reliably produce water at 200 degrees and pour it over evenly over coffee grounds, we decided to give the updated Zojirushi coffee maker a chance.We are very happy with this updated Zojirushi. For a third of the price of the Technivorm, this does exactly the same thing with a few pluses. Having a timer is a great convenience. The Zojirushi also comes with a vacuum insulated carafe, while the more expensive Technivorm just has an insulated carafe. Every component of the Zojirushi fits and clicks together with a solid, satisfying snap. On the Technivorm, I felt that most of the pieces, especially the pieces of the filter basket, were just loosely sitting on top of each other and always at risk of just falling apart.So most importantly, the taste of the coffee brewed from the Zojirushi is not infeior to that brewed from the Technivorm. Granted I'm not a coffee connoisseur and can't distinguish between great and excellent coffee, but I can definitely taste the difference between average and great coffee. And the two machines brewed great tasting coffee. Neither one had the mouthfeel of a French press coffee, but both tasted similar to a good pour-over. So given that the Zojirushi brewed a pot of coffee similar in taste to one by a machine costing 3 times as much, we returned the Technivorm and kept the Zojirushi.We're also quite happy with the carafe in the Zojirushi comparison to the Technivorm, and that of the prior Zojirushi model. For one, it's now vacuum insulated and keeps the coffee hot for hours. Secondly, the cap doesn't have to be removed, or adjusted, or require a secondary cap to keep the heat from escaping once the brew process is over. The new carafe also has a push button valve to release the coffee, and this valve truly works. The coffee simply won't come out of the carafe unless you hit the button. One annoyance we had with the Technivorm carafe was that it needed one cap for brewing, and then when it was done brewing, you had to change the cap to another one. Just more things to wash after every brew cycle.Of course, there are a few things about the Zojirushi that's a bit annoying, but nothing that is a deal breaker. The most annoying one is the noise. It make all sorts of slurping, gurgling and burbling noises during the entire brewing cycle. It constantly sounds like it's having a hard time sucking up the water out of the reservoir, or as if there's a leak in the pumping mechanism somewhere, but the water level methodically and consistently decreases as it brews so I don't think there's anything wrong. It's just noisy. Also, I'm not a huge fan of basket type of filters because they seem to be more at risk of the filter collapsing during the brewing process sending grinds into the brew itself. So far, this hasn't happened in the few days that we've used this machine. This is just a personal nitpicking thing.Overall, we're very happy with this coffee maker, and prefer it hands down over the much more expensive Technivorm. And with the money we saved, we'll upgrade our burr grinder, which will probably have a much more profound impact on coffee flavor.

Zojirushi EC-YSC100XB Wonderful coffee maker! This replaced a Cuisinart that held down the morning fort for years. It worked well but the inside began crud buildup in the water tank that was not cleanable. I researched many coffee makers and based on past experience with Zojirushi products and in the interest of hygiene I bought this one. I could not be happier. Several reasons:1. The detachable water tank is so easy to fill and keep clean. It fits under our measured fill refrigerator water dispenser and set the water dispenser option for 50 OZ and viola..it's full.2. The coffee basket not only swings out but is entirely removable, meaning not only can the basket itself be cleaned but the holder too as necessary.3. No more water pouring out the back when opened like the Cuisinart where we always had a towel at the rear to catch the excess steam-caused water cascading off the raised lid when emptying grounds or filling the reservoir.4. The carafe, the carafe! It is wonderfully made and sturdy. The pouring mechanism is ingenious and allows coffee to be dispensed in a stream. No spills but there is the occasional drip. Very unlike a glass carafe. The carafe keeps the coffee hot for about 8 hours. We have the timer set for 04:30 am and today, while cleaning the carafe at 1:00 PM the coffee was still pleasantly warm. Not hot but hey, that's over 8 hours.5. Fast brewing. Less than 10 minutes for 10 cups of super hot coffee.6. Energy saving. No hot plate running for 4 hours after the coffee is done sucking up electricity. No hot plate at all!7. Safety in that there is no hot plate. Coffee makers have a penchant for the hot plate going bad due to liquids seeping into the lower circuitry. I had a pot years ago that started to smoke due to such liquid intrusion and I also have investigated fires from coffee makers so having no hot plate is doubly positive for me.8. The coffee. No more burned taste and always a great very hot cup hour after hour. We never had the plastic taste others stated. I simply washed the carafe, washed the water reservoir, filled it and ran a pot of plain water and that was it.Are there any cons? Well, maybe. In my opinion:1. The manual states to unplug the appliance after use. That to me is asinine as it draws zero current when not in use. I believe that is the manufacturers way of playing CYA in the event someone does have an issue and left it plugged in.2. You need to press cancel after the brewing cycle stops or the clock just shows 4 "0" s. After pressing cancel you get the time of day. No biggie but that could have been automated better.3. When the maker is on timed brew it shows the start time for brewing and not the current time. Only a drawback if you depend on your coffee maker for the time of day. We have numerous appliances that show current time so it does not matter to me.Summary:A top notch coffee maker with great performance and fast operation.