BREW PERFORMANCE: Met recommended guidelines of 195°F or more, maintained for five or six minutes. CONVENIENCE: Fairly convenient to use, based on how easy it was to understand the controls, fill the reservoir, insert the filter, gauge the amount of remaining coffee, and clean the machine. CARAFE HANDLING: The carafe was somewhat cumbersome to use, based on how comfortable we found its handle, whether it dripped while pouring, its overall balance when full, and how hard it was to empty.

• FIRST-CUP SPEED: Delivered the first cup especially quickly when first turned on, important if you often make just one.
• REPEAT SPEED: Delivered subsequent cups quickly after the first, important if you're brewing for multiple people.
• TEMPERATURE CONSISTENCY: Did Not maintain temperatures very consistently from cup to cup, important if you're serving a crowd.
• SIZE CONSISTENCY: Dispensed cup after cup with almost the same amount of coffee.
• BREWING RANGE: Allowed slight flexibilty in adjusting brew strength by letting you change settings, vary water volume, or add additional pods.

The Cuisinart Coffee Center Thermal SS-20 is part of the Coffee Makers test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Dual Coffee Makers models like the Coffee Center Thermal SS-20 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Brew performance: For drip brewing, the ability to reach 195° to 205° F for five or six minutes, the industry standard for optimal brewing and an indication of the coffee's concentration.

Convenience: For drip and single-serve brewing, reflects ease of filling the reservoir, placing the filter, gauging the amount of coffee remaining, and cleaning up. It also reflects how clear we judged the controls.

Carafe handling: For drip brewing, covers handle comfort, tendency to drip while pouring, balance of a full carafe, and how easy it was to empty the last liquid. Models with no score here brew into single-serve cups or are self-serve models. The latter hold the coffee in a tank; you fill your cup by pressing it against the dispenser lever.