Cuisinart DCC-1100BK DCC-1100 Manual - Page 4

CONTENTS Important Safeguards 2 Unpacking Instructions 3 The Quest for the Perfect Cup of Coffee 4 Features and Benefits 5 Control Panel 6 Programming Your Coffeemaker 7 Making Coffee 7 Cleaning and Maintenance 9 Warranty 10 INTRODUCTION You'll love the way your new Cuisinart Classic™ 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker looks on your counter, as it's brewing 12 cups of fabulous coffee. The Cuisinart Classic™ 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker is a statement about how serious you are about your coffee - and your kitchen. Enjoy the full programmability, extreme ease of use, and great tasting coffee. THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE It is generally agreed that there are four basic elements critical to the perfect cup: Element 1: Water Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the quality of the water is as important as the quality of the coffee. A good rule of thumb is that if your water doesn't taste good from the tap, it won't taste any better in your coffee. That's why Cuisinart has added a water filter to the Cuisinart Classic™ 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker. The charcoal water filter removes chlorine, calcium, bad tastes and odors, for the purest cup of coffee every time. Element 2: Coffee While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the flavor should be from the coffee. To achieve the same great quality cup of coffee you receive at a coffee bar, you need to use the same quality beans. If you choose to grind your own beans, buy the beans fresh and whole, only about a two-week supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades very quickly. If it is not practical to buy small supplies, we recommend you separate larger amounts of beans into one- to two-week portions immediately after purchasing, and freeze them in airtight containers. The best way to maximize freshness is to minimize exposure to air, light and moisture. So, once removed from the freezer, beans should be maintained in a sealed container at room temperature, since damaging condensation occurs every time the beans are removed from the freezer or refrigerator. Note that some coffee experts advise against freezing dark-roast beans because this can cause the oils to coagulate, while other experts disagree. We suggest you experiment and decide for yourself. Element 3: Grind The grind is critical for proper flavor extraction. If the grind is too fine, overextraction and bitterness will result. Too fine a grind may also clog your filter. If grind is too coarse, the water will pass through too quickly and the desired flavors will not be extracted. We recommend a medium-fine grind. Element 4: Proportion The cups on the Cuisinart® coffeemaker are 5 ounces. Add the amount of ground coffee that corresponds to the number of cups being brewed. Many coffee bars and the Specialty Coffee Association of America recommend adding 2 rounded tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water. Some coffee manufacturers recommend using 1 tablespoon per cup. We recommend using 1 tablespoon of ground coffee per cup, but use more or less to suit your taste. NOTE: The maximum capacity for ground coffee is 15 tablespoons for this 12-cup coffeemaker. Exceeding this amount may cause overflow if the coffee is too finely ground. 4