Cuisinart SS-700 takes a quick approach to a convenient cup of coffee. There are a lot of features here to let you set your heart to this machine. The biggest perhaps is the fact that this is a single-serve coffee maker that is compatible with Keurig K cups.
This detailed Cuisinart SS700 review goes through all the features, strengths, and weaknesses of this remarkable coffee maker.
Product Highlights And Considerations Of The Cuisinart SS700
Pros
- Single-serve coffee maker
- Made for use with Keurig K cups
- Includes a reusable filter (Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter)
- Includes a hot water dispenser
- Five cup sizes available ranging from 4 oz to 12 oz
- Customizable temperature (187-192 Fahrenheit)
- Water reservoir at 80 oz
- All points of contact with water are BPA-free
Cons
- Discontinued model
- Weighs a hefty 16 pounds
- Can take up to one minute to brew a single cup
- Long startup time
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Features That Make The SS700 Shine
Compatible With Keurig K Cups
One of the defining features of the Cuisinart SS-700 is its compatibility with K cups. This machine is built off technology licensed from Keurig. As such, it tries to bring the best of Keurig and Cuisinart to the table.
While the focus of this coffee maker is on brewing K cups, Cuisinart hasn’t forgotten the possibility of brewing your own coffee. Though that strategy is limited to adding a Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter to the package.
If you’re new to this system, it can take a couple of tries to learn how to use reusable K cups. Give it a shot – the rewards are worth the effort.
Interestingly, Cuisinart has included a small compartment inside the machine to hold the reusable K cup. It’s a bit of a rare feature, but with a coffee maker this large, there is room for some extravagance!
Construction Quality And Aesthetics
Cuisinart SS700 Single Serve Brewing System has a minimalist design with solid build quality. It is bigger and bulkier than your average single-serve coffee machine. It also gives the impression of being sturdy and dependable. The metal exteriors certainly do look reassuring!
Another factor that shows off this machine’s build is the overall weight. It comes in at 16 pounds, which is pretty heavy for a coffee machine. Though given the overall dimensions and features, the weight is more of a reassuring factor for build quality.
The coffee maker gives the impression of being completely metallic. Although it uses metal liberally, there is also generous use of plastic components.
For user safety, Cuisinart has made sure that any plastic that water and coffee come in contact with, is BPA-free.
Ergonomics Of LCD Display And Controls
Exteriors of the machine keep an overall clean, minimalist look. Towards the right side of this machine, you’ll find a good-sized LCD display, flanked by buttons.
I like the larger display size and find it ergonomic and useful. The information is visible, crisp, and clear. You can see the time, settings, etc. from a fair distance and intervene if necessary.
Buttons available on the machine are:
- Menu
- Up and Down
- Brew
- Rinse
- Hot Water
The buttons are placed cleanly below the display. Three buttons, the Menu, increase, and decrease, find their place right below the display. Located slightly lower, but larger in size is the “Brew” button to get the machine in action.
The other two buttons are “rinse” for an auto-clean cycle and “hot water” to engage the hot-water dispenser.
Setting And Managing The Cup Size
You can set up and customize the brew size available with your machine. Cuisinart SS700 offers five brew sizes, ranging from 4 oz to 12 oz. There is a 2 oz step with each cup size, so the available drink volume or cup sizes are:
- 4 oz
- 6 oz
- 8 oz
- 10 oz
- 12 oz
Each of these sizes can also be used with specific requirements. For example, the 4oz setting works best for cold brew. In this case, the coffee maker will concentrate the coffee before pouring it into the cup.
For all other options, you can use the machine as a classic single-serve. Do keep in mind, whatever option you choose, the amount of coffee remains constant.
So, those who want a stronger brew may need to get creative to avoid getting a watery coffee instead. If you want to fill up a 12 oz mug with strong coffee, consider going for two 6 oz cycles.
Managing The Water Reservoir And Water Filter
Cuisinart SS-700 comes with a rather generous 80 oz water reservoir. The removable reservoir makes refilling as well as cleaning easier. The large size reservoir is pretty useful and ensures that you won’t have to refill it every so often.
They’ve also included a charcoal water filter to be used with the reservoir. Before you use the filter, let it spend some time fully immersed in cold tap water. After that time, it will easily fit into its holder at the base of the water reservoir. The goal of this filter is to remove impurities from the water, including dissolved chlorine.
A filter is also useful for areas that get a hard water supply. It won’t quite soften the water, but it will have some positive effect.
The average lifetime of this filter is about three months, after which you will have to purchase a new one. Using filtered water can lead to better-tasting coffee, it also gives you more time before cleaning/descaling the machine is necessary.
Cleaning Your Coffee Machine
It is a good idea to regularly clean your coffee machine. For conventional daily use, you can pretty much use the rinse function on your machine. Simply hit the “rinse” button and the machine will flush its internal systems with clean water.
You can use this function as often as you see necessary. Since this is a single-serve Keurig system, there’s a good chance you’ll use different flavors or varied K cups. It’s a good idea to run a rinse cycle when changing brew types.
Cuisinart recommends descaling and cleaning your machine every two months. Cleaning your coffee maker is easy enough and can be done with items easily available at home. The best method is to use white vinegar, though you can use commercial cleaning solutions if you’re so inclined.
Remember to remove the water filter before you start the descaling process.
Programming The Cuisinart SS-700
This is a fully-programmable coffee maker. You can set up the machine to come alive at a specific time every day and brew a cup of coffee for you. The settings and large display make it possible to choose your preferred time.
Conversely, you can use these options to switch off the machine at a preset time, so it won’t draw power when it isn’t likely to be in use.
Convenience Of Brewing Coffee With Cuisinart SS700 Single Serve Brewing System
Just as Cuisinart has licensed Keurig’s technology, it has also taken notes on convenient operation and usage.
Of course, Cuisinart is no stranger to these ideas itself. However, blending together the qualities of both brands creates a formidable unit. You know, something like the SS-700.
The process is pretty simple. You put the K cup in the holder, choose brew size, and hit the brew button. That’s about all it takes to brew a cup of delicious coffee. The machine carefully maintains the right temperature and also makes it possible for users to customize their desired temperature.
Should you choose to use your own coffee grounds, they’ve included the Keurig My K-cup reusable pod with the machine.The machine will work with K cup alternatives as long as they satisfy the necessary compatibility requirements.
Temperature Settings And Time To Brew
Brewing coffee at the right temperature is the key to getting the best tasting cup of java. The SCA recommends a temperature of 195F for brewing coffee. This machine will not hit that temperature. However, it stays close enough in the range and allows brewing at 187-192 F.
By default, the machine stays at the upper temperature limit. It’s pretty close to the SCA recommended temperature, but still misses the mark by a hair.
Though to be clear, this doesn’t become an indictment of taste and flavor offered by this coffee machine. The temperature setting is good and works well for this coffee maker.
As a single-brew machine, it focuses on delivering the beverage as fast as possible. If the machine has been switched on for a while and is warmed up, your coffee will be ready in less than 50 seconds. However, if you just switched it on, prepare to wait for several minutes before coffee can pour.
Looking At The Cuisinart SS-10P1 Premium Single-Serve Coffeemaker
Interesting and impressive as the Cuisinart SS-700 is, it is now an old model. Though some stores sell the popular SS-700, it has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The successor to this model is the Cuisinart SS-10P1. In functions, it is very similar to the SS-700.
However, there are some differences between both models. Most of these are cosmetic changes like the appearance and position of buttons. Also, the water reservoir used in this coffee maker measures 72 oz.
The negative factor here, and perhaps the reason people would still buy the SS-700 is that the new model has undergone under the budget knife. There’s a lot of plastics in this machine and the build quality is generally lower.
Although the newer technology has its benefits. This one brews coffee delicious coffee quickly and tends to be fairly efficient.
Get the Cuisinart SS-10P1 on Amazon
Final World On The Cuisinart SS-700
As this Cuisinart SS700 review discusses, it is a formidable coffee machine. It is an excellent single-serve machine, adept at brewing Keurig K cups. There’s also the option of employing reusable K cups if you want to use your choice of coffee.
Overall, this is a feature-rich and dependable machine that is useful and dependable. This machine has now been discontinued, though many stores continue to sell it, given its popularity.