I once owned a Hamilton Beach coffeemaker 50 years ago when I first married my wife. I remember how the coffee brewing smelled just like it tastes, wonderful! Over the years, as a coffee enthusiast, I've tried many different brew methods, electric percolator, pourover single cup, Italian Mika brewer, and they all price exceptional tasting cup of coffee. The negative aspect with some of these is cleanup and maintenance. I wanted to get back to a 12 cup brewer because of my need for my coffee and simplified brewing method. This coffeemaker fills that need. It has simplified buttons easy for a senior to operate. Even though it is mostly plastic, like most items we use today, it is adequately durable with proper care. The 12 cup size meets my requirements, and it functions as advertised. Water flow has two speeds, normal, and measured /timed. Meaning, the choice for regular brew or bold. I tried a regular pot with 1 cup of ground coffee. It came out slightly weak tasting. Next, I tried the bold setting, same measures. It came out strong and a bit bitter tasting. So, following a suggestion from the owners sheet and reviews, I next tried a pot with 3/4 cup of coffee. Voila! A perfect pot of coffee! Now, my personal suggestions for making that pot last all day without getting blacker and Muddy tasting. (1) Immediately after brewing is finished, turn the unit off. As you pour a cup during the course of your day, put it in the microwave and reheat it. My wife FM always did this, and would even drink a cup of this coffee the next morning, using it all before making a fresh batch. I thought she was nuts, but, it does taste pretty good, and, it saves a LOT on rapidly rising coffee prices! (2) Once brewing is completely finished and dripping is done, remove the carafe, open the lid and gently stir the coffee for 5 seconds to mix it. Really? We'll, while brewing, stronger coffee settles in the bottom of the pot while toward the the water coming out is almost clear. It's stratified. So stir before serving, you'll enjoy your coffee all day long with these tips. Give a thumbs up if these worked for you. ?