The Mr. Coffee 12-cup Programmable Coffee Maker JWX27 is an affordable unit that goes the extra mile. This unit is equipped with a lot of the "extras" you'd find only on higher-priced machines.

The JWX27 comes with a compact housing (13x9.5x7 inches), a 12-cup glass carafe, a removable filter basket, a built-in rear water reservoir with external water-level indicator and flip-up top lid. The control panel is set in brushed chrome to contrast with the primarily black housing. A series of pushbutton controls are clearly identified with their designated function. Brightly colored indicator lights glow to show the function selected.

The brew time for this model was approximately 13 minutes for a full carafe. The coffee temperature was 178 degrees Fahrenheit just after brewing, and it actually climbed a couple degrees to 180 degrees after 30 minutes on the warming plate and to 182 degrees after 1 hour on the warming plate.

This unit uses cupcake-style paper filters and the recommended amount of coffee to use is slightly less than 1 tablespoon per cup. A showerhead pump spreads the heated water over the grounds for thorough saturation. You can also adjust the flavor using the Brew Strength Selector button, which slows the brewing time to deliver a stronger cup of coffee.

Desirable features on the JWX27 include a programmable clock/timer, which lets you preset the brewing time (up to 24 hours ahead); Pause 'n Serve, which lets you halt the dripping (up to 30 seconds) to pour a cup of coffee before the brew cycle has finished; two-hour automatic shutoff; and a water filtration disk that improves the coffee flavor by removing 97 percent of the chorine in your drinking water. The unit also has audible beeps that signal the completion of brewing. The tones on the model tested were so faint, however, that we barely heard them.

An additional feature worth mentioning is the Fresh Brew Timer, a count-up tool that shows you exactly how long it's been since the coffee started brewing. The timer keeps counting until the unit is turned off.

The Mr. Coffee JWX27 also features a self-cleaning cycle, which brews using a special cleaning solution to decalcify the machine. The recommended interval for cleaning is every 80 cycles (soft water supply) or 40 cycles (hard water supply). The water filtration disk will last about 1 month (or 30 brew cycles).


Pros: Programmable clock/timer, auto shutoff (after 2 hours), brew-strength selector, cleaning cycle, Fresh Brew timer, water filtration
Cons: Audible tones extremely faint

Warranty
1 year