REASONS TO BUY
Simple to use
Small footprint
Easy to clean
REASONS TO AVOID
Awful taste
No auto-off feature
Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off Review
A very simple and inexpensive drip brewer that makes poor-quality coffee
Credit: Black+Decker
By Lesley Robinson ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ December 24, 2024
Contributions From: Arthur McMahon
RELATED: The Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2025
Our Verdict
The Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off is a bottom-tier, budget-friendly coffee maker that makes “sharp and bitter” coffee. You can pick this up for less than the cost of a couple of pounds of quality coffee. The simple one-switch on/off operation is as easy to operate as a brewer gets, but the trade-off is that there are no customization or quality-of-life features to speak of. Also, it doesn't get hot enough when brewing to extract flavors properly, resulting in a “flat-tasting” cup of coffee. If you want your daily caffeine infusion while spending as little money as possible, this is an option, but you can find much better brewers, even around this same price point, in our comprehensive drip coffee maker review.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off is a simple one-switch brewer that is as basic and affordable as it gets. It's easy to clean and has a relatively small counter footprint. But, it brews poor-tasting coffee that is flat and bitter.
Easy to operate and clean, the Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off is suitable for someone who cares about the basics but isn't concerned with coffee flavor.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Taste
At the end of the day — or, rather, the beginning — a brewed coffee's taste is the most important factor in purchasing a drip coffee maker. But here, the Easy On/Off falls flat. This brewer just does not get hot enough to brew a proper pot of coffee.
Our brave testers each had to taste the coffee the Easy On/Off produced. They weren't happy with the results.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Our team of taste testers were all in agreement — the Black+Decker Easy On/Off produced “sharply acidic” coffee that left a poor aftertaste in our mouths. It tasted bitter and ashy with a rough and lingering aftertaste that we wanted to scrape off our tongues. The flavor tasted terrible, yet weak, and the mouthfeel was lighter than coffee should be. Overall, it was an unsatisfying experience for our testers.
Brew Quality
The bad taste is due to the poor brew quality of the machine. The average brew temperature was 169.9°F, which is well below the ideal industry-standard SCA-recommend range of 195°F-205°F. This means the water doesn't get hot enough to extract the flavors of the coffee — instead, all that's pulled from the grounds are the bitter and acidic elements, resulting in unbalanced and aggressively sharp coffee.
The Easy On/Off didn't brew hot enough during our testing for proper flavor extraction.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The temperatures weren't consistent, either. The carafe temperature was recorded as high as 172°F on the first of five brew cycles we ran and as low as 162°F in subsequent brew cycles. After brewing was complete, the hot plate did raise the temperature of the coffee in the pot to 180°F, but that didn't do anything to improve the flavor or depth of the coffee.
There's a slight dip in the center of the grounds, which shows that they weren't evenly soaked. That's another reason why the coffee was light and weak.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Brew Time
Those who idealize affordability and simplicity may also value speed. The Black+Decker Easy On/Off fell within the margins of an ideal brew time, with an average clocked time of 7 minutes 48 seconds. That's not bad. But it wasn't super consistent — the first pot I brewed took 8 minutes 30 seconds from the time I flipped the brew switch to when the last drop fell into the pot. The fourth pot was the fastest at 7 minutes 18 seconds.
The Easy On/Off wasn't slow to brew a 6-cup pot, but it wasn't fast, either.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Ease of Use
The shining characteristic of the Easy On/Off is that it is easy to use. A single switch operates the device — but you do have to remember to turn it off as there is no auto-off function, otherwise the hot plate will stay hot all day long. It does have a basic sneak-a-cup feature, which is a plus for someone who wants a fast morning cup of coffee.
Both the carafe and water tank had clear cup measurement markings.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
There aren't any additional features that stuck out to us. The filter basket is a little wobbly, which is due to the simple sneak-a-cup design. And since both grounds and water are filled under the same lid, it'd be easy to accidentally splash the grounds when prepping the brew. Also, the pot pours well into a cup, but the handle is a bit uncomfortable to hold.
The water tank is filled right next to the exposed filter, but the opening is adequately sized.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Though it's not the most refined piece of equipment, cleaning the carafe is a straightforward process. It has a nice wide opening for handwashing, but it's also dishwasher safe, along with the lid and filter basket. Descaling with a vinegar and water solution is the monthly recommended cleaning, and it takes about 40 minutes.
One of the only redeeming qualities of the Easy On/Off is its simplicity.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Should You Buy the Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off?
Albeit cheap and simple, the Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off doesn't brew a good enough cup of coffee for us to recommend. Its extremely affordable price and easy operation will appeal to certain coffee drinkers who prize such characteristics above taste and customization. So, if all you need is a modest drip brewer to make a plain cup of coffee before your workday begins, this brewer can do that. But if you care about flavor and quality even a little bit, look elsewhere.
We'd steer clear of the Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off if you want to enjoy your coffee.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
What Other Drip Coffee Makers Should You Consider?
If you're a fan of the Black+Decker brand, for a few bucks more, you could upgrade to the Black+Decker 12-Cup Thermal, which improves upon the Easy On/Off in just about every way. The B+D Thermal brews a pot that is miles more flavorful and enjoyable to drink than the Easy On/Off. It has handy programmable features like auto-brew, which make the morning a little easier — that's something we can all appreciate.
This simple machine simply cannot compete with the more advanced drip coffee makers on the market.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Black+Decker 12-Cup Easy On/Off versus top competing products:
—Lesley Robinson and Arthur McMahon
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