GE – Classic Drip 12-Cup Coffee Maker – Stainless Steel

We’ve had more than our share of coffee makers over the years but have not had a GE branded one, so it was time to give this one a tryout.
Unboxing, First Impressions:
The coffee maker came well packaged and protected, along with the manual that’s about all in the box. This unit is on the large size for a coffee maker but looks really nice with the mostly SS body with grey plastic accents.
Setting up and use:
This comes with a permanent filter which is much appreciated and will be the only filter we use in this machine. It does have a main basket that this filter sits in so you can take it out and use paper filters if you wish.
Setup is very straight forward, plug in, set the clock according to the manual, and you are ready to go. You can also program it for a future brew if you so wish.
I usually only make 4 cups in the AM so I went ahead added 4 cups of water and the appropriate amount of grounds to the basket. I decided to program it so it would be ready when we got up and it didn’t disappoint, the brew process was finished right on time and we had coffee ready to go when we came out to the kitchen. I did use the strong setting for this so that it would be equivalent to what we normally have and it did a nice job of replicating that “maybe a little weaker than our usual machine but close enough”. The bottom is heated so it will keep your coffee nice and hot for awhile too.
Thoughts:
This is a really decent basic programmable coffee maker and does the job it’s intended to. The SS body is nice looking and compliments our other appliances. The SS body even wraps around the back of the unit so it’s fully covered other than the plastic parts and back panel. I do like the plastic back panel; it’s easy to clean and doesn’t show off as much if it were also SS.
I do wish they would have put the water level window on both sides of the unit though. The window sits on the right side and where we have it sitting it’s hard to see the level, that wouldn’t be an issue if it were on both sides.
Cleanup is easy enough; the top of the maker is affixed and cannot be removed so you can’t get down into the reservoir to clean it easily. The unit is also very tall and doesn’t fit well under our cabinets; it has to be pulled forward so that the top can be opened to fill with water, “can see that in the pic”. The carafe also has a lip toward the front and makes emptying it completely a little harder, you have to tilt it vertically to get everything out.
My only other complaint is that the clock doesn’t have any type of battery backup so if it loses power or you unplug for even a few seconds you’ll have to reset the clock.
In all though this new GE coffee maker looks nice, works well and does what it’s supposed to do, and if you are looking for a basic programmable one this one should suit you just fine.

EASY, ATTRACTIVE, DRIP COFFEE MAKER
REVIEW: GE – CLASSIC DRIP 12-CUP COFFEE MAKER – STAINLESS STEEL
Best Buy Tech Insider Network
REVIEW:
Previously we’ve used POD based single cup coffee makers, but we always felt horrible with all the waste they generate, so we wanted to try a drip coffee maker, since we are both at home a lot more now, we could use a “pot” of coffee in the morning vs 5-6 induvial pods.
The GE CLASSIC DRIP with Stainless Steel finish is attractive enough to fit in with our other counter top appliances without drawing attention. It is well built and modern looking, but very simple to use.
We are still fine tuning the amount of grounds and how fine or course to grind them to best fit our taste, but after ½ dozen pots, we are pretty close (and very shaky ha-ha). If you are already experienced with drip coffee, I’m sure you will love this on the first use. So far, we find 1 standard scoop of fine grounds (about 2 tbsp) per coffee cup (as indicated on the side of the maker) to be about right for us when using the wire mesh filter. We are at about a “B” for our taste. Again, we are complete beginners with drip coffee.
I suspect the temp is a little low for the perfect cup of coffee, but what I’ve read is that this is usually the case with drip makers and not a show stopper. When I took a reading directly from the “stream” it was about 180 degrees instead of recommended 195 degrees. This is not a big deal, and can be compensated for with different amounts and grinds of beans until you get the desired taste. Also, since I am not testing in the brewing chamber itself, I could be off in my measurements. By the time it finished brewing (4 cups) and poured it in a cup it was down to 166 degrees.
BEST FEATURES
– Chrome Appearance
– Easy to Operate
– Easy to Clean
TIPS
– Overfill with water by 10-20% to allow for water left in the grounds
– Use the cup indicator on the side of the unit, it seems more accurate than the pot
– Be careful with placement of the coffee maker as a lot of steam and heat escapes the top of the unit. If it were under and close to a cupboard bottom, I could see the steam causing damage over time.
We have tried less expensive models (from other mfg) and really regretted them. We have also tried much more expensive units at a friend’s house, but did not want to spend that much on a drip maker.
Overall, this seems like a solid drip coffee maker. We look forward to more experiments to get a perfect drink. There are no bells and whistles here, other than a timer. This makes it simple to operate, but also limits the ability to fine tune temp or brew time. For the price / quality, I think this is a good buy.

The GE Classic Drip 12 Cup Coffee maker is a simple, sleek looking drip brewer. This is a more premium brewer with a stainless steel finish that sets it apart from more basic drip brewers. I’m personally not a coffee drinker, but I make it often enough for my GF and others that come through my house.
The brewer comes with a 12 cup carafe, permanent filter basket, warming plate, and buttons for brewing strength options (regular and bold). The brewer is pretty tall and has a single top cover that is hinged in the back. Inside is the filter basket and funnel. Both of these items have built in basket handles that making removal/replacement a little easier. The funnel slots in a certain way and aligns with a shape of the machine at the bottom. The carafe is not like others I am used to. Its not a swing open top carafe, but rather a lid that twists into place. This has its positives and negatives. On the plus side the lid won’t flip around as you try to pour, which is nice. The downside is the frame that the top twists into creates a lip that you have to pour over. I had to angle the carafe past vertical (at least 30° over center) to get everything out of it.
Setting up the brewer was fairly easy. Started off by cleaning everything out with soap and water (including the reservoir). I made sure to get all the soap out before I refilled the reservoir with hot water and brewed a pot of heated water. After this was done the brewer was ready to use. Setting the clock is pretty basic – just hit the HR and MIN buttons until you get the proper time. There are 3 other buttons on the machine – Auto Brew, Bold, and Brew/Cancel. Auto Brew is the delay setting for future brewing – this isn’t a feature I really need, but I tried it out and it works just fine. The Bold key brews a stronger cup of coffee – brew time is a bit long since the flow of water is slower allowing more time in steep in the grounds.
For brewing the coffee I used beans that I grind fresh before making a pot. I use a medium grind setting – the manual indicates using a finer setting, but medium is what I have used in the past with other brewers. The manual states that I should use a ratio of 2 tablespoons for each cup of coffee – I thought this was a bit overkill and wasted coffee grounds. I instead did a 1-to-1 after trying out the recommended 2-to-1. Flavor was a bit stronger with more grounds, but not by enough to justify doubling the grounds. We decided to stick to 1-to-1 for this reason (cheaper, less waste). All these grounds get tossed into the permanent filter – no need to purchase or use and paper filters. When brewing is complete the filter lifts out of the top by its included handle so you can dump it out. If you haven’t used a permanent filter before try to minimize any grounds you wash down your sink. Coffee grounds are not kind to garbage disposals.
As far as brewing the coffee I started with hot water. My GF prefers the Bold setting, but I had her try both brew strengths. In both cases a 6 cup cycle only took a few minutes. I didn’t time it exactly, but I’d say it was about 3 minutes for regular and 4 for bold. Taste difference was noticeable – the standard brew was lighter tasting than the bold, but still had enough coffee flavor for her. She likes the bold more though because she mixes in creamer and whipped cream, while still wanting that strong coffee taste. The warming plate heats up rather quickly, and keeps the coffee at a nice hot temp. The plate will stay on for 2 hours keeping the coffee warm – pressing the Brew/Cancel button turns off the warming plate.
There are a couple areas that need improvement though. The reservoir is difficult to pour into since there isn’t a large opening. Couple this with the lip issue on the carafe, pouring into the reservoir with the carafe isn’t easy nor is it ergonomic. Also the cup number measurement is on the backside of the carafe if you hold it with your right hand while filling. Most people are right-handed, so this just felt awkward – why not put the numbers on both sides? The manual is also a bit of hot garbage – spelling errors, grammar mistakes, confusing language used. Page 5 is identical to page 6 causing me to do a doubletake while reading it. This manual obviously didn’t start in English, which is fine, but it needs to be proofread by a native speaker before printing. The last issue I had was the overall height of the machine. It stands at 14.75” tall which isn’t too bad, but with the top lid open it balloons to 21.75” tall. There’s no way it fits under my cabinets, and with the carafe pour issue you need even more headroom to pour water in (28” or so).
Overall the brewer performs really well. It looks nice and sleek sitting on the countertop, and certainly has a premium look to it. The coffee it produces tastes great, and the permanent filter is a nice bonus. However, it certainly is in need of more refinement than I would expect at this price range. Nothing that is a dealbreaker, but some headscratchers for sure.

This GE classic drip coffee maker has a classic design, made of stainless steel and comes with a glass carafe. It also includes a metal reusable coffee filter. You can always use paper cone filters with this machine but the included reusable filter is very easy to use and clean and the coffee tastes fantastic when filtered with it. The coffee machine is so easy to set up, I literally had it out of the box and brewing coffee within 5 minutes. The water tank is under the same lid as the coffee and is measured from Min to 12 cups. Fill it to your desired amount, pour your ground coffee into the filter, close the lid and press the brew button. Easy Peazy. No confusing settings or buttons to press. There is an Auto Brew button it is also very easy to setup and is great for when you need your coffee machine to start brewing coffee for you while you are getting ready for your day. When you press the Auto Brew button, you simply select the time you want it to start brewing. Leave water and coffee in the machine and it will automatically start brewing at the selected time. This coffee machine might seem a little pricey for its “simplicity” but it is designed and crafted with durable materials and seems like it will last me a very long time and be worth every penny. If all you need is a coffee maker to make classic drip coffee with no hassle then I think you will be very pleased with this coffee maker. No confusing settings or buttons to fiddle with, get great tasting coffee brewed within minutes.