Cuisinart SS-10 Premium Single-Serve Coffee Maker Review

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Since you are here, you are probably interested in the Cuisinart SS-10 single-serve coffee maker. This is among a few other brewers that will top the list, especially if you are looking for something that’s not Keurig.

In this review, we’ll take you through all the reasons why you might love it. We’ve also analyzed a few potential shortcomings that we thought you should know beforehand.

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Cuisinart SS-10 might interest you if you:

• Love trying different K-cup pod varieties– the Cuisinart SS-10 works with all K-cup coffee pods from Green Mountain to Donut shop.
• Appreciate custom ground coffee– it also comes with a reusable ground filter so that you can use your favorite, freshly ground coffee varieties.
• Hold coffee parties regularly– this model comes with an impressively large and removable reservoir (72 ounces).
• Want a machine for your office– its unlimited Keurig coffee pods compatibility, ability to brew other drinks, and large water tank make it suitable for serving large groups with different needs.

No assembly necessary

The Cuisinart SS-10 is all about ease of use. It will come fully assembled and ready to use, assuming that you have filtered water in your kitchen.

What you’ll get;

• Cuisinart SS-10 coffee maker
• A bag of activated charcoal filters
• Activated charcoal filter holder
• Manual

If your tap water is not filtered, it might be necessary to install the included optional activated charcoal filter in the water reservoir.

This filter is meant to remove bad tastes, odors, and chlorine from your tap water. It’s effortless to install;

1. Soak the activated charcoal filter in a bowl of water for 15 minutes
2. Set it in the water filter holder
3. Place the holder in the water tank

Incredible Design and Good Quality Materials

This coffee maker’s main attention is its classic and beautiful design. It boasts a striking silver finish, an attractive blue LCD, and a transparent water reservoir.

Similar to most machines within this price range, the SS-10 is mostly made of plastic and a few steel components. It generally feels sturdy, and we expect it to hold up nicely with proper care. Its 3-year warranty speaks volumes about the level of quality used here.

Cuisinart is fast to specify that the plastics used are BPA-free- an assurance that your brews won’t be infused with harmful toxins. Importantly, we didn’t come across any complaints regarding a plastic-y taste or smell which tends to plague most coffee machines when new.

Read all Cuisinart SS-10 Reviews on Amazon

How big is it?

This brewer has a width of 11’’, a depth of 9.3’’ and height of 12.1’’. It’s quite bulky, especially for a single-serve coffee maker. We can’t complain so much, though, especially considering its 72-ounce water tank.

Its weight- 5 pounds- again is a sweet spot for a machine that is not too light to be easily pushed off the counter. It’s also not too heavy to lift around if you’ll be storing it away often.

No-brainer Controls

This machine’s control interface is a balance between simplicity and functionality, so to speak. Here, you’ll find a total of 6 rubber buttons and a large LCD that together let you cycle through the different brew options offered by this machine.

A super convenient feature that we can’t stop raving about is the wide range of cup sizes. The SS10 allows you to brew 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz brews. This is a bonus feature more so if the machine will be used by several people (in a family or office) with varying brew-strength needs.

The drip holder is removable too. This makes it possible to brew directly into a travel mug, which is super convenient for most people.

Another incredible feature that we liked here is the RINSE button. As the name suggests, this button rinses the pod chamber so that the previous brew’s flavor isn’t carried over to the next.

Allows Temperature Adjustment

If you are anything like most of us, you’ll also appreciate the freedom to adjust the temperature of your brews between Hot and Extra Hot. This is a highly valued feature among coffee lovers.

Worth mentioning, temperature adjustment does not come easily, especially at this machine’s price bracket. That’s to say that you are getting a terrific bang for your bucks here.

You can program the coffee maker too!

Another key selling feature of the Cuisinart SS-10 coffee maker is its auto ON/OFF control. The auto OFF feature is the most common among coffee machines in this model’s class. It will turn off the SS-10 after 30 minutes of idleness- a welcome feature for homeowners who are often in a hurry in the morning.

The auto ON function is not standard in this price bracket, though. So it’s quite impressive that Cuisinart managed to include it on this model. This feature allows you to set the maker to pre-boil the water at a given time, for instance, 6:30 AM.

Brew any K-cup pod

What’s your favorite K-cup pod, Green Mountain, Barista Prima Coffeehouse, or Death Wish? This machine’s versatile pod holder allows you to use any of the 400+ K-cup pods that are available from 75+ brands today.

Brew your custom-ground coffee

It’s inarguable that fresh grounds make far much better coffee than pre-packed pods. Home-ground coffee is also way cheaper than pods. For these reasons, the SS-10 comes with what Cuisinart calls the HomeBarista reusable filter cup. This allows you to use your custom-ground coffee for an exceptional shot each time.

What caught our attention as far as the reusable filter is concerned is its unique compartment to the left-hand side of the maker. This push-to-open chamber holds your filter conveniently, so it’s always within reach whenever you need it.

Enormous, Removable Reservoir

This model’s 72-ounce water tank makes perfect sense whether you are buying it for an office or a home of coffee drinkers. Such a huge tank allows for a good number of cups between refills. What’s even better is that the reservoir is removable. As such, you can easily remove it and take it to the sink for refilling, or add water directly into it using another container.

How does the Cuisinart SS-10 Work?

When you hit the brew button, a pump in the machine sucks in water through the Activated Charcoal filter. This filter is responsible for removing smells and odors from the water. The water is then passed through a heating chamber where it’s heated to your pre-set degrees.

The LCD then prompts you to choose the desired cup size for your brew. Additionally, you can press the hot water button if you want hot water for other purposes, including instant soup, oatmeal, hot chocolate, or tea.

Once you’ve brewed, say coffee or hot chocolate through the chamber, you can press rinse. This feature cleans the brewing chamber instantly without lots of effort from your side.

Easy Maintenance Requirements

Most of this coffee maker’s components are removable and, therefore, very easy to clean. These include the water reservoir, drip tray, and brewing chamber.

The major maintenance necessary for this maker is descaling. This is the removal of calcium deposits that build up in the machine’s waterways and which may hinder its performance.

Depending on your water supply’s mineral content, Cuisinart advises descaling every 3-6 months or as soon as the descale alert shows up on the LCD.

The piercing needle in the brewing chamber might also get clogged up with coffee grounds down the road. Should this arise, you’ll need to unclog the needle using a straightened paper clip.

Warranty – This machine comes with a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years. If you buy from other sellers, including Amazon, you could get an additional 1 year worth of warranty.

The Pros & Cons

Review Verdict

If you can remember to descale and replace its filters promptly, we believe the Cuisinart SS-10 is hard to beat in its price range. This machine features a large water reservoir, a programmable control interface, and temperature adjustment capability. Perhaps what you’ll like most is the freedom to use any k-cup coffee pod known to man, and the freedom to brew your home-ground coffee too.