The Cuisinart DCC-100 Coffee Bar Classic makes a good brew; it has the water-bypass brewing feature. It has 1-4 & 5-10 cup brewing modes & is properly calibrated for 5oz/cup brewing. It does not, however, have an automated blooming feature.
I have been very pleased with my KitchenAid drip coffee maker the past two years. Just prior I tried Cuisinart, OXO, and Braun and was not happy with the coffee flavor and other features like size/configuration. The KA brew is very tasty imo and since it is programmable, I come downstairs every morning to the smell of a fresh pot. It has stainless trim and a sleek glass carafe so it looks nice on the counter as well.
I'm not terribly qualified for this question but I've been drinking coffee for a long time.
A good quality coffee maker helps but also, maybe just important is the quality of bean and how fresh the grind is.
If you can spare some time, buy a burr grinder and whole bean coffee and grind your own. It'll cut down a little on the bite and acidity. Make it a more smoother brew.
And with that you can experiment with different brew processes. A courser grind for cold brew or French Press. A more finer grind for moka pot (my favorite because it sort of produces a quasi espresso on your stove top), or medium one for your drip.
But be warned: if you decide to go down this road, you'll likely never come back lol. I couldn't believe how many different coffee makers exist.
My current drip is a Cusineart drip. It's fine. It's better than my crappy Mr Coffee drip because it has like a shower head style thing that drips the hot water over the grounds. It's got a bunch of features I don't use but maybe useful for some like a timer/ schedule.
Google gold cup standard. There is definitely a difference between say a Mr coffee, Cuisinart and a Moccamaster. I bought a Moccamaster 7 years ago. I wish I did it a long time ago. It produces fantastic coffee even with cheap beans.
RayGun001
