This makes the best tasting coffee of any coffeemaker I've ever owned. Smooth tasting and nice and hot right after brewing--you don't have to let it sit on the burner plate to get hot. I use the charcoal filters and I think that has a LOT to do with the great taste, but using them is optional. I have never cared for the gold tone filter that a lot of coffeemakers come with, so I just don't use it. I much prefer paper filters, and this takes the #4 cone filters. Easy to program, VERY nice, sleek design, and as another reviewer stated, the pot slides easily in and out--doesn't get hung up on the drip mechanism. It brews quietly, and it does not beep at all when starting or finishing. That never bothered me with my other coffeemakers, but I don't miss it either-lol. I know some people find the beeping to be annoying. The green LED light came on when it was time to clean, which in my case was five (5) weeks after I started using it, so I expect it to always be about the same. So when I clean it, that's when I change the charcoal filter--makes it easy to keep track of. A lot of people will be able to go longer than 5 weeks, but I have VERY hard water. I used vinegar, not a commercial cleaner, and it works great. This is replacing a Mr. Coffee that was really great--for the whole 4 1/2 years that it worked! Braun is a good name, a good brand, and I expect to get several years out of it! Buy it--you won't be sorry!