Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew 10-Cup Thermal Coffee Maker Review 

Hi Guys, today I’m reviewing the Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew 10-Cup Thermal Coffee Maker. LINK to Mr. Coffee 10-Cup: amzn.to/1OJasGm
LINK to Permanent Filter: amzn.to/1OcR5UN . The purpose of the thermal carafe is to keep coffee hot for hours without the plate warming the pot.
When a glass decanter sits on the warming plate for hours, the flavor of the coffee can be affected. The thermal carafe helps save some energy because there is no electricity used to keep the plate warm.
The unit measures 14.25 inches tall, 9 inches wide and 11 inches deep. It is a tall machine. It weighs 10.5 pounds. The design is beautiful, it has a clean, sleek modern look with the black and stainless steel. This unit comes with a removable water reservoir that holds 10 cups, each cup is measured at 5 ounces. There are cup markings on the reservoir. Make sure it is seated correctly. The filter basket is removable and you can use paper filters or buy a permanent filter separately. There is a water filter that’s included and goes into the top part of the basket. Align the red indicator with the month you’re using the disk for the first time. So you know when to change the disk, it’s recommended to use the disk with a permanent filter and to change the disk every 30 brewing cycles or about a month. I use filtered water so I won’t be using the included filter. The double-walled stainless steel insulated thermal carafe holds 10 cups. Press this button to pour out coffee. Remove the lid by turning it to the right. A user manual is also included with this unit. The buttons are simple and easy to use. You can set the clock by using the hour and minute buttons. Reduce the brightness of the display The delay brew button allows you to set a time when you want coffee to brew. There is cord storage in the back.
Before using this Mr. Coffee for the first time, wash the carafe, lid, water reservoir and brew basket with warm soapy water. Run a brew cycle with water only, fill the reservoir up to the 10 cups, don’t use a filter or any coffee in the brew basket. Press brew, when the cycle is finished, there will be three beeps. Discard the water, rinse the decanter, lid and filter basket. Now you can brew a cup of coffee.
I’ll brew 6 cups of coffee, I’ve filled the reservoir with 6 cups of filtered water. There is plenty of space to pour the water. Slide the brew basket out. I’m using 6 heapings tbsp of medium grind coffeel. This is a 10-12 cup size paper filter. Level out the coffee. Slide the basket back to close. Put the carafe on the base and push in all the way. Press brew and the light will flash during the entire brewing process. The fresh brew timer turns on when brewing starts. The display will show the time in 15 second intervals. There is a pause n’ serve feature - at any time while brewing, you can pull out the decanter to pour coffee and put it back to continue brewing. You’ll hear three beeps when the cycle is finished. The 6 cups of coffee took 4 minutes to brew.
The coffee is 170 degrees. I need sugar and half and half in my coffee. The coffee is medium strength. I’ve used the same medium roast coffee grounds and the same amount of grounds in another coffee maker and it tasted similar. The coffee maker will automatically turn off after 2 hours or you can shut if off by pressing the brew button until all lights are off. I will measure the coffee in a few hours.
1 hr later 160 degrees, 2 hrs later 150, 3 hrs. 140.
The coffee stayed hot after several hours, it is not as hot as the first cup I poured which was 170 degrees but it is still hot enough so you don’t have to reheat your coffee. The coffee doesn’t taste burnt. It tastes very close to the first cup which is a good thing.
To clean, make sure the machine is cool and unplugged. the filter basket, carafe and lid should be washed in hot soapy water. The clean function indicator will light up after 90 brew cycles. Run a clean cycle with water and vinegar, it lasts 45 minutes and the indicator light will turn off after the cycle is finished. There are detailed instructions in the manual. The decanter should be cleaned occasionally because there may be white stains from hard water. Fill it with equal parts water and vinegar and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse out with water.
It is a quiet machine. Overall, the Mr. Coffee is a good value for the price. It kept the coffee drinkably hot over several hours and the coffee tasted good. I hope you found this review helpful. Please subscribe to see reviews of products you use every day. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time :)
For this review, a sample unit was provided by Mr. Coffee.