Cuisinart’s variety of coffee makers has made it one of the best leading brands in the industry. If you’re ever looking for a reliable and an affordable choice of a coffee maker or a kitchen appliance, Cuisinart would make your best bet.
The Cuisinart SS-15 is a versatile coffee maker that’s been around for a while, and it has proven to be a great machine with a near-perfect review score. So in this post, I will talk about this model and how it compares to its sister model, the SS-20.
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
The SS-15 is a two-way coffee maker that can make both single-serve cups – using K-Cups, or a full coffee pot using ground coffee. It’s a popular pick among people who are looking for a machine that does both full pots and single-servings of coffee.
The single-serve side has three serving options: 6 oz, 8 oz and 10 oz. It is compatible with K-Cup pods from any brand and of any kind. This means you can use it to brew coffee, tea, hot chocolate or any beverage that is available in the form of a K-Cup pod.
On the coffee pot side, you have a 12-cup carafe (glass) to brew a classic pot. You have a selector to Bold brew to make your coffee stronger, and you have the option to select from three carafe temperatures (Lo – Medium – High), that would mean the temperature of the warming plate. Only the pot side has automatic auto on with a 24hrs digital clock.
The machine has two separate water reservoirs for each sides.
Included with your machine a reusable K-Cup filter pot that allows you to use your own coffee grounds for single cup brewing. It also includes a charcoal water filter.
- Note: 1)Too coarse a grind, too little coffee, or insufficiently tamping the grounds before brewing can all lead to inadequate pressure for a proper brew. 2)It is important to note that the amount of espresso extracted will vary depending on the grind size and amount and reprogramming may be needed when the size and amount are adjusted
- SUPERIOR FUNCTIONALITY: Our single-serve brewer has a 40oz removable water reservoir that complements its charcoal water filter and removable drip tray for travel mugs–enjoy energy save mode when you've finished your brewing cycle
- CARAFE BREWER: Serve up to 10 cups of coffee at once with our thermal carafe coffee maker featuring a stainless-steel handle and body with fully automatic features–24-hour brew start, self-clean, adjustable auto-off, and ready alert system
- MUST-HAVE FEATURES: Our 10-cup coffee brewer allows you to control your brew strength so you can boast light to strong coffee flavor as well as adjust your carafe water temperature that runs through its charcoal water filter
- SIMPLIFY YOUR MORNING: Fill your tank with ease featuring our easy-view water window and pour a cup before your brew cycle ends with our Brew Pause feature
The SS-20 doesn’t look much different than the SS-15 model. It has both brewing sides, the single-serve side with three brew sizes: 6, 8 and 10 oz. The carafe serving size is 10 cups, and it’s thermal on this model. Like the SS-15, it has two separate reservoirs for each side.
Since it comes with a thermal carafe, the SS-20 does not have a warming plate. It has the BOLD option and it has a digital clock with auto on/off option.
What Is The Difference Between Cuisinart SS-15 vs. SS-20?
The difference between the these two models is not huge. Two things you’ll want to keep in mind:
Do you want a glass carafe or a thermal carafe? And the capacity of each carafe.
The glass carafe of the SS-15 has a 12-cup capacity while the thermal carafe has 10-cup capacity.
The K-Cup side is identical on both models, so there’s no difference there.
Cuisinart SS-15 and SS-20 Problems
Overall, these coffee makers perform as they should without any problems. But you’ll want to look out when using the single serve side when using smaller cups. Unfortunately, the drip tray is not high enough to raise shorter cups, when can cause a lot of splashing when the coffee pours down. When using a travel mug, the drip tray can be removed to accommodate it and the splashing isn’t a problem when using such a cup, or a larger mug.
More Cuisinart SS-15 Comparisons
Cuisinart SS-15 vs Keurig K-Duo
- BREW A CUP AND A CARAFE: Use both ground coffee and K-Cup pods.Compatible with keurig gold tone mesh filter accessory: A reusable coffee filter you can use to brew your perfect carafe (sold separately).ENERGY EFFICIENT: Auto off feature for both your brewer and your heating plate, Turns your brewer off 5 minutes after the last single cup brew, Turns your heating plate off 2 hours after the last carafe brew..Display Screen : No. Digital Clock : No.
- STRONG BREW: Brew a stronger, more intense single cup.
- MULTIPLE BREW SIZES: Brew a 6, 8, 10, or 12-cup carafe and a 6, 8, 10, or 12 oz. cup.
- LARGE 60 oz. WATER RESERVOIR: The 60 oz. water reservoir is shared between the single serve and carafe brewing, saving you time and simplifying your morning routine. Removable reservoir makes refilling easy.
- 12-CUP GLASS CARAFE: Included with your brewer along with a heating plate to keep coffee hot.
K-Duo is Keurig’s two-way coffee maker that makes both single-serve coffee as well as a full pot of coffee. It was made a competitor to the Cuisinart SS-15, although Cuisinart’s machine came years before Keurig’s.
Which makes a better choice, though? Keurig’s K-Duo or Cuisinart’s SS-15?
Although on the carafe side, both Cuisinart and Keurig offer the same 12-cup capacity, Keurig’s K-Duo has an additional serving size on its single-serve brewing side, it brews up to 12 oz of coffee.
Unlike the Cuisinart that uses separate reservoirs for each side of the machine, the K-Duo has one large 60 oz reservoir shared between the two sides. This is great if you do not want to fill the water tank at every use of the machine, especially the single-serve side.
While both the Cuisinart and Keurig machines compatible with refillable K-Cup pods, K-Duo does not include one like the Cuisinart SS-15.
