Krups Thermal Aroma Control
by Eric
(Chaska, MN, USA)
Krups 229-4G Aroma Control
10-Cup Coffeemaker with Thermal Carafe
I love coffee. And I know that the way it is brewed is important, so I wanted to buy one of the best coffee makers that I could afford. I had always seen Krups coffeemakers in fine department stores and found one that the Krups Thermal Aroma Control looked good, had the features I was looking for and came well recommended.
I dislike coffeemakers that “cook” the coffee on a hotplate after it is made, so the thermal carafe on the Krups was appealing to me.
I could not afford the department store prices for this model, so I found it online and ordered one.
When it arrived, I immediately removed it, washed everything and made my first pot. It was good! The carafe is very well constructed and is not flimsy – made of heavy stainless steel. I really liked that.
The machine is attractive too – you don’t mind leaving this one on our counter top because it is a pretty combination of polished stainless steel and gloss black plastic. A small LCD screen is located right above a 5 position rotary switch that controls the functions of the coffeemaker.
I continued using the coffeemaker for nearly a year without complaint.
Then, I started noticing that the rear of the coffeemaker was always very hot in the morning when I went to fill it. It also shot steam halfway across the room when I poured water into it. What was happening is that the mechanism that heats the water apparently never shuts off – it is supposed to, but has failed on my machine. This seems dangerous to me. So now I have to remember to unplug the machine after it brews every morning. This makes the clock useless. Because the water heating mechanism is always on, I cannot use the programmable feature to have hot coffee ready for me in the morning.
I went to Krups website to see if there was anything I could do, but alas, the warranty had expired and there was no recall. What a disappointment. I thought I was getting a top-of-the-line coffeemaker, and I would have done just as well to purchase a cheap model at a discount store.
So the machine still sits on my countertop, unplugged most of the time, three years later. I still like the stainless steel carafe. It is pretty, but the electronics are not what I would have expected for a Krups that costs $125.
