Steer clear, I can't imagine a more poorly designed coffee maker.

The product review states "When the aroma of freshly brewed coffee... wafts into your bedroom in the morning, you won't need your alarm clock." The truth? 1) The coffee is brewed into a thermal carafe, so there is NO satisfying coffee aroma and 2) you won't need an alarm clock because the grinder sounds and feels like a jet rocket - VAAAAAH-ROOOOOM!

The machine is also very high maintenance. There are too many parts to clean and it's cumbersome to disassemble, reassemble, disassemble, reassemble, etc. Furthermore, these parts are messy - grounds scatter all about and frequently end up in the carafe itself.

There is also no option to circumvent the hideous grinder by starting with your own grounds.

The only nice thing I have to say about this product is the fact we got it as a gift (Thanks, Mom!) that said, I can't wait to replace it!