This coffee maker does an excellent job of making great coffee. I wanted something simpler than the previous pod system that I had been using for years. In my opinion, pods are convenient, but don't provide the same coffee flavor. I like that this unit doesn't have a heating pad for the carafe, but instead uses a vacuum sealed carafe that keeps coffee warm for a couple of hours. We usually use up all of the coffee that we make within that time.This machine makes a full 12 cups of coffee and the flow of water seems to be pretty fast, but I've never timed it. The machine isn't quiet, but doesn't make too much noise either. The noise is tolerable for me, but if you need peace and quiet, this might disturb your zen.Overall, this is a nice coffee maker that is well-designed, simple to use, and consistently good.