Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker – Hotter, Bolder, Smarter
Craft your perfect cup every morning with the Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 drip coffee maker. Featuring brew strength control, 1–4 cup setting, and a sleek 14-cup glass carafe, this programmable machine combines style, capacity, and functionality. Made with a stainless-steel body and intuitive controls, it’s the ultimate choice for homes and offices alike.
- Hotter Coffee Technology: Expertly engineered to deliver hotter coffee without compromising flavor or aroma.
- Brew Strength Control: Choose between regular or bold for customized flavor intensity in every brew.
- Fully Automatic Convenience: 24-hour programmability, self-cleaning, and auto shut-off (0–4 hrs).
- 14-Cup Carafe: Elegant glass carafe with stainless steel handle – perfect for large households or gatherings.
- Ease of Use: Water window for accurate filling; Brew Pause™ lets you grab a cup before brewing is complete.
Technical Specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Cuisinart |
| Model | DCC-3200P1 |
| Color | Stainless Steel |
| Dimensions | 12 x 12 x 12 in (30.5 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm) |
| Carafe Capacity | 14 Cups (approx. 2.1 L) |
| Coffee Maker Type | Drip Coffee Machine |
| Special Features | Programmable, Brew Strength Control, Auto Shut-Off, Water Filter |
| Additional Features | Brew Pause™, LCD Display, Gold-Tone Filter, Charcoal Water Filter |
DoorMats Verdict: A best-in-class drip coffee solution for both bold-flavor fans and early risers, complete with intuitive programmability and elegant design.
Our old coffee pot, a Coffee Ninja, cost us about $170. It never made coffee that tasted as good as this one does! We're very happy!!! Even my husband, who is a coffee snob, has zero complaints about the quality of coffee this maker produces.
The charcoal water filter installed with no issue.
However, today when filling water...the lid would not fully close.
I could see the plastic holder for the charcoal pod was floating and preventing the lid from closing.
If I held it in place with one hand and closed the lid ever so gently, the lid stayed closed.
There is no snug fit, click or lock in place once the pod holder is in place.
When I fill the coffee maker (on the opposite side) the pod floats once the maker is full.
I hope to adjust the review, but am having to contact Cuisinart Support to attempt at a resolution.
EDIT:
a call to Cuisinart support was quickly taken and after providing SN and Model Number the person understood the issue and is sending me a new charcoal filter pod holder (the whole plastic "stick")
Pictures show the area.
Attaching a couple of ounces of brass or stainless steel (lead fishing weights would be a bad idea, but you get the idea) = would fix the float issue
I'd REALLY like to see o-rings or a water tight seal as every coffee maker I had has "died" when a stray coffee ground or two gets in the very small opening seen in the first pic.
I always use filtered water (Berkey) so it is not a calcium or "scale" build-up issue causing them to "die".
I will provide edit #2 when the new part arrives and I try it out.
EDIT #2:
Conair is the parent company for Cuisinart and sent me a new part in about a week.
It did fit much better and had no issue staying in place.
I've had several dozen carafes of coffee since then and am happy with my purchase.
Med temp (default for hotplate) is plenty hot for me.
Hotplate surface is holding up and not flaking.
I never take the lid off the carafe and just do a rinse and swish to clean (yes, I'm lazy).
For the money, I am hard-pressed to find anything better.
Better than reasonable, really good.
This coffee maker offers the same ease of use, pleasing aesthetic, and reliable operation I expect with a Cuisinart coffee maker. The temperature control works well - I am someone would likes super hot coffee, and the highest temp setting meets my preference, whereas my previous maker was not able to get the coffee to my liking. There is noticeable difference between the 3 temperature settings.
My experience with coffee flavor has been positive, coffee is brewed and has good flavor - I have no issues here, but I do feel like it is not quite as good as my old Cuisinart made. As each device is different, there are countless factors that will effect flavor and as with most brewing methods it takes some fine tuning to dial in the coffee to your liking.
A few comments on operation and my process using this device:
- When the brew is almost complete and the water reservoir is almost empty, the device does make some noises as the pump is trying to suck in the last of the water. This doesn't bother me but I could see how this would bother some people.
- The blue of the LCD screen is a little bit harsh, especially in the middle of the night if you happen to have this nearby where you sleep or if you wander into the kitchen in the dark. Again, not a bit issue, the color could be better/softer but some may see this serve as a small nightlight.
- I always wipe the access moisture from the inside of the lid using a paper towel and leave it open to dry after brewing. to prevent any build up of minerals or coffee within the device - plus this keeps it clean and looking brand new.
- Using the same paper towel, I occasionally wipe the hot plate and carafe compartment out with the wetted paper towel to clean up any spilled coffee/grounds. This is all I have done as far as cleaning for the entire time I've owned the machine (with the exception of using a little stainless steel cleaner on the appropriate parts.
For $100, this coffee pot is well worth it for the average coffee drinker. There are some additional colors offered at differing price points, but just know that you are paying for the appearance and the functionality is that of the same $100 coffee pot. With minimal effort as far as maintenance / cleaning, this coffee maker has performed as expected for me for 18 months and there is no reason to think it won't continue to be a reliable morning companion for years to come.
I will write one more very important point which we realized right away but took time to test for a while before writing this review. Because our other machines did not have a bold mode button and did not allow water to be in the brew basket long enough....we always added more coffee to the basket desiring a stronger fuller flavored cup of coffee. Now we find it is never necessary to do that. We were going through a 12 oz. bag in about a week and now with this coffee maker the same bag, and with us drinking the same amount of coffee lasts over 2 weeks! Now that's real dollars in savings. We drink Fresh Cup Of Hope Organic Direct Trade coffee. It's not cheap coffee, but oh so delicious. So even though I PAID $76.00 for the machine, because of the savings this coffee machine actually COST me nothing! Get it? That is real savings and as my wife said......it's the best machine we ever owned and she can't wait to wake up each morning to a Fresh Hot Cup of Coffee.
Taste: Coffee in the 3200 is more flavorful. A new machine might be expected to be better, but I think they've gotten the flow and temperature of the brewing process better.
Temperature: The brewed coffee is much hotter. Both units have three temperature settings for the hot plate, but the settings on the 3200 are hotter.
Size and Capacity. The 3200 handles 14 cups compared to the 1200's 12 cups. Yet as you can see from the photos, they are the same height to fit on a counter. They seem to get the extra capacity by making the 3200 a little deeper from front to back. We've been surprised at how useful the extra capacity is.
Carafe: The new glass carafe is just like the old one, only larger. It pours nicely with or without the lid on it. The new lid works the same as the old one, popping off and on. (I read some complaints about the lid on an intervening model with a spring opening, but if so, they fixed that by going back to the 1200 style).
As far as I can tell, there isn't a version of the 3200 designed for a thermal carafe like there is for the 12-cup models. I prefer the glass carafe because it keeps the coffee hotter longer, and I can always pour the coffee into a thermal carafe if I want to.
Water Filling. The bigger size also increases the size of the water fill hole. The lid on the top of the 3200 unit raises to 90 degrees straight up, where the lid on the 1200 tilted further back and out of the way. Still the 3200 is easier to fill, and I suspect that the restriction on the tilt may help preserve the integrity of the hot water tube.
Sneak a Cup. Taking out the carafe to sneak a cup during brewing worked great on the 1200 with little dripping, and still does on the 3200.
Basket. The basket on the 3200 is very similar to the 1200, but a slightly different shape to accommodate more grounds for 14 cups. Actually, grounds just barely fit with a 4 cup paper filter in the new basket, and sometimes go above the filter in the basket. The basket actually seems more designed for the included gold filter.
Water filter. The 3200 uses the exact same carbon filters and filter holder as the 1200, but the holder seems to fit more snugly in its hole, which may help prevent clogging (see below)
Beep. The 3200 allows you to turn of the coffee-ready beep if you want.
Controls. Controls on the 3200 are a little easier. The 3200 uses all push buttons with no switches. Separate hour and minute settings make it a little easier to program and set the clock. There is a new "Bold" setting which does indeed seem to result in stronger coffee. There is still a setting for smaller, 1-4 cup pots, but I never use that. You can still set the hot plate to stay hot for up to 4 hours, which is important to me. There is a fairly bright blue glow from the LED display on the 3200.
Cleaning. There was a sensor button on the hot plate of the 1200 that's gone on the 3200, so the plate stays cleaner. The extra stainless steel looks good on the 3200 but probably shows smudges more and might benefit from special cleaner fluids.
Coffee Grounds Overflowing and Clogging. This was the biggest problem before, and I don't know if it's fixed, but it seems better. On the 1200, if you put too many coffee grounds in the filter it could overflow in the brewing process, and sometimes grounds would get into the water system and clog the tube. The 1200 was designed not to be repairable, but customers tried anyway with some difficulty. After one successful repair, we eventually had to replace the 1200. So far, we have not had any overflow issues with the 3200. The larger basket (with possibly a bigger drip opening), the deeper reservoir and longer case, and the more stable, non-tilting lid may help with this, but we will see how it works over time. I do notice that they made the bottom panel easier to remove, with regular screws instead of Torx, if it ever comes to that. My one tip for users is to always use the filter holder with a filter in it, even if your water is fine, because that should help prevent grounds from getting into the heating system.
In all, the 3200 is an excellent replacement for the 1200, and worth the extra money if you are choosing between the two models new.