Reviews You Can Rely On

Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable Review

A great option for coffee drinkers looking to brew larger batches of coffee
gearlab tested logo
cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review
Credit: Cuisinart
Price:  $100 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   Cuisinart
By Liz Nelson ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Apr 29, 2022
61
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 15
  • Brew Quality - 35% 5.2
  • User Friendliness - 30% 6.3
  • Ease of Cleaning - 20% 7.4
  • Consistency - 15% 6.0

Our Verdict

The Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable is great for everyday coffee drinkers or anyone looking to brew larger batch sizes. Still, if you have a smaller group, the programmable features allow for small brew batches too. This brewer has a timeless look with brushed stainless steel that will look nice in any kitchen. In most respects, it is a quality piece of coffee equipment, but we do have some concerns. The spray head creates an uneven extraction making a less than balanced final cup, and the user interface isn't the easiest to learn. Still, this is an adequate choice for fans of the Cuisinart brand with larger households.
REASONS TO BUY
Large brew capacity range
Good water distribution
Coffee filter included
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky
Confusing interface

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Best Buy Award Best Buy Award   
Price $100 List
$99.93 at Amazon
$75 List
$69.99 at Amazon
$40 List
$32.99 at Amazon
Check Price at Amazon$40 List
$34.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
61
64
58
56
51
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Pros Large brew capacity range, good water distribution, coffee filter includedEasy cleaning, simple design, can use podsInexpensive, automatic brew featureSimple brew process, 12-cup capacitySimplistic interface, easy to clean
Cons Bulky, confusing interfaceSmall water tank opening, fill to brew volumeHard to fill, bulkyInconsistent water temperature, poor water distributionPoor brew quality, no automatic shut off, short carafe handle
Bottom Line A great option for coffee drinkers looking to brew larger batches of coffeeThe combination of features and affordability make this a great budget optionThe most affordable and straightforward coffee maker that consistently brews decent coffeeThis middling appliance is easy to use and has great brewing featuresA decent budget option if you like the simplicity of a single-button brewer
Rating Categories Cuisinart 14-Cup Pr... Hamilton Beach 2-Way Black+Decker 12-Cup... Braun BrewSense Mr. Simple Brew 12-...
Brew Quality (35%)
5.2
6.0
5.6
4.1
4.4
User Friendliness (30%)
6.3
6.1
5.1
6.1
3.9
Ease of Cleaning (20%)
7.4
7.5
6.0
7.5
6.8
Consistency (15%)
6.0
6.5
7.1
5.5
7.1
Specs Cuisinart 14-Cup Pr... Hamilton Beach 2-Way Black+Decker 12-Cup... Braun BrewSense Mr. Simple Brew 12-...
Cup Capacity 14 12 12 12 12
Single Serve Yes Yes No Yes No
Automatic Brewing Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Brew Temp 177 °F 166 °F 162 °F 170 °F 160 °F
Preinfusion No No No No No
Filter Shape Cone Flat Flat Cone Flat
Energy Usage 1050 watts 950 watts 975 watts 1000 watts 975 watts
Measured Dimensions (H x W x D) 14" x 8" x 9" 13.9" x 12.2" x 11.1" 8.2" x 12.2" x 11" 14.25" x 8" x 8" 12.3" x 9.3" x 13.8"
Measured Weight 9.5 lbs 5.0 lbs 4.8 lbs 7.0 lbs 2.8 lbs

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable is a dependable machine that makes a good-tasting cup of coffee. With its larger batch size brewing capabilities, this brewer is perfect for anyone with a household full of coffee drinkers.

Performance Comparison


cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review - the cuisinart 12-cup is a great brewer with the largest brew size...
The Cuisinart 12-Cup is a great brewer with the largest brew size capabilities in this review.
Credit: Laura Casner

Brew Quality


The Cuisinart 14-Cup essentially brews a basic cup of coffee — nothing really stood out. It gets close to but does not reach the industry standard for water temperature, an important metric for extracting the most flavor from your coffee. Water distribution is also an important piece of brewing great coffee. Unfortunately, this brewer ranked below average in water distribution. After brewing, the grounds have a deeper than normal dip in the center of the brew bed, suggesting water channeling through the center.

Keep in mind that water quality is also crucial to brewing a quality cup. With this in mind, Cuisinart provides a charcoal filter in the water tank of this brewer, an added feature we really appreciate.

cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review - the cuisinart 14-cup comes with a filter on the inside the water tank.
The Cuisinart 14-Cup comes with a filter on the inside the water tank.
Credit: Laura Casner

User Friendliness


In our user friendliness testing, the Cuisinart fell into the large group of average performers. The 14-Cup Programmable interface is difficult to navigate without reading the instruction booklet first. There is a lot to remember with this brewer. In the beginning, you will likely need to reference the booklet often.

The 14-Cup Programmable comes with many customizable features, including an adjustable warming plate, adjustable automatic shut-off, and a 1-4 cup smaller brew size option. This brewer also has an adjustable tone that indicates when the coffee finishes brewing. Other features include a bold brew setting and a separate button for the cleaning cycle.

cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review - with many buttons on the interface, at first the 14-cup programmable...
With many buttons on the interface, at first the 14-Cup Programmable can be confusing to use.
Credit: Laura Casner

Ease of Cleaning


The Cuisinart was fairly easy to clean in some aspects but not so much in others. It lost points for its reusable mesh filter. While we love that a reusable filter reduces waste, this undeniably adds more effort to the cleaning process.

The outside of the brewer requires some more rigorous cleaning. Dark plastic brewers are better at hiding fingerprints than the metallic material on the 14-Cup. The carafe is easy to clean, and both it and the reusable filter are dishwashers safe for periodic deep cleaning. With left-handed folks in mind, measurement markings are printed on both sides of the carafe. The descaling process took a full hour but was fairly easy to do.

cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review - the brushed stainless steel finish hides fingerprints and smudges.
The brushed stainless steel finish hides fingerprints and smudges.
Credit: Laura Casner

Consistency


In order to ensure consistency, we brewed exactly five pots of coffee to measure the water temperature stability, brew time, and flavor preservation of this coffee maker. The 14-Cup Programmable averaged a temperature fluctuation of slightly over two degrees. This coffee maker performs quite well in brew time consistency as it has only a one-second difference between pots.

cuisinart 14-cup programmable coffee maker review - we brewed five back-to-back pots of coffee to test for consistency...
We brewed five back-to-back pots of coffee to test for consistency of the machine's brewing parameters.
Credit: Laura Casner

Value


The Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable certainly isn't a cheap machine. It will produce an adequate cup of coffee — but nothing that wowed us. We recommend looking at other top-ranked coffee makers that perform similarly at a better price point.

Conclusion


The Cuisinart 14-Cup is a sleek machine that makes a good-tasting cup of coffee. This programmable coffee maker provides convenient and customizable settings to appease the average coffee consumer. With the largest water tank in our review, the 14-Cup brewer is a favorable option for anyone looking to brew for a household of coffee drinkers.

Liz Nelson
 

Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.

GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.

Learn More