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M. Violet (Corona, CA USA) –

  

Update: This note is being added about 6 months after my inital review. We too have experienced the problem with coffee overflowing on to the countertop. I very quickly learned that is after inserting the pot into the maker I pivot the pot so that the handle is as far left as possible, the spillage does not happen. This method has been successful for the past 200 pots made. It’s a weird quirk that shouldn’t be necessary, but I otherwise stand by my review.

The best coffeemaker we have ever owned is a long since discontinued Starbucks Barista with a thermal carafe. It was close to perfection for almost 10 years. Even after some trim pieces fell off, it continued to be a reliable performer. After several years of regular use, the plate on the bottom of the carafe top began to break, one piece at a time. The Barista continued to make great coffee, it just didn’t hold the temperature as well as it originally did.

Earlier this year we despaired that we would have to go back to buying makers that work for a few months and then die. My wife, after hours of searching spotted this familiar face in the crowd. We ordered in December and it arrived today. To say it was worth the wait is an understatement. We now know that we have years of fresh, hot, reliable coffee making ahead of us. The only difference between this model and the original Starbucks is the it now uses a cone filter instead of a flat bottom. No big deal at all.

Footnote: “Old Reliable” the Starbucks Barista worked right through this morning, its retirement day. It’s not headed for the trash however, there spare parts to be salved for our beautiful new baby.

When, (and if), this machine becomes available again, click ‘n’ buy. You won’t regret it!

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Thor Albro (Seattle, WA United States) –

  

I owned a Capresso for years but it is slowly falling apart. I bought this unit as it is the ONLY coffee machine now for sale with a removable water carafe and thermal pot. As far as I am concerned, that’s the only design that makes sense, and I can’t believe that everyone else wants to haul a bucket of water from the sink over to their coffee maker every day.

The Puck is taller than the Capresso and not necessarily very pretty or sleek. Coffee brewed much quicker than the Capresso and tastes pretty good. It makes a continuous low-level roar while brewing.

The pot pour button is poorly designed – you have to turn the pot almost upside down to work, and even then it just dribles out. You can’t swing the filter in if the pot is in place. And the water carafe seating does not leave me feeling very confident; I have a feeling it will bust before long. My final nit is that the bluish lcd display is way over-kill – enough with blue lights lighting up my house all night!

Update: After 2 months, this machine is not ready for prime time. The water carafe drips if filled more than 1/4 full, the thermos won’t go under the basket without violent jiggling, and I don’t expect it to last more than a few more months. As an earlier reviewer noted, the manufacturing is “out of spec” or something. My suggestion, wait a few months until they get the manufacturing plant in line.

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J. Greer (Alabama USA) –

  

I purchased this coffee maker for my nephew as a gift. It was on backorder, but I waited, because this was the specific coffeemaker that he wanted. I received the coffeemaker from Amazon on March 30, 2010 and gave it to him within a week of receiving it….Then the problems began.
From day one, the coffeemaker was spewing coffee all over the counter, instead of into the carafe. He didn’t want to involve me in the problems with the coffeemaker, so he called the Wolfgang Puck (WP) Customer Service…Big Mistake! Had he let me know, I could have shipped it back to Amazon, received my money and he could have purchased any other brand he wanted. However, it didn’t work that way.
After numerous attempts to “fix” the problem over the phone, the WP Company sent a pick-up order for the coffee maker and received it on May 3, 2010. Since that time, he has been repeatedly told he would have a new machine in “2 weeks”.
I became involved in July, when he was getting nowhere with the company. I requested a refund on July 19, and I was told it had to be approved by corporate headquarters. A week later, I was told the request was denied, because they still have the coffee pots… (Well, where are they?)!! I then asked for the name of a contact person at the corporate office and they refused to supply me with a name.

Through lots of trials, errors, and frustration, I found a number. I called it and believe it or not, I finally made contact with a customer relations manager. I talked with her and I finally agreed to wait another “2 weeks”. The time came and went and no coffee maker, so I called and she said the company had just received them and would be shipping his coffeemaker as the first shipment. And….as a thank-you, he would also receive a complimentary gift set of WP Kitchen knives. I waited until September 16 and ended up calling her again. The manager then checked and found out that the coffeemaker had NOT been shipped, because the coffeemakers were bent and damaged in the shipment.

I received an email later that afternoon, stating that she has requested a refund for me. It’s not here yet, but I have much hope that my money will be refunded.

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