For years I struggled to make a good cup of coffee at home. I worked all day in a restaurant directly behind the coffee machine, so a good cup of coffee was always at my disposal. However at home, it was a completely different story. I had previously gone through 2 machines as well as a french press (dont get me wrong, it makes a great cup of coffee, i just dont have the time!) So when I changed jobs and I no longer had that perfect cup behind me, well it was time to do some research. After carefully reviewing Braun, Hamilton Beach and this Cuisinart machine, I decided to go with the Cuisinart (besides, can nearly 400 good reviewers be wrong?) The answer is no, they were not wrong. The auto brew and 1-4 cup select, gave me just want I wanted, a perfectly brewed HOT cup of coffee. The instruction manual left a lot to be desired (no real set up instructions) but this machine shines where it clearly should.