REASONS TO BUY
Simplistic interface
Easy to clean
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor brew quality
No automatic shut off
Short carafe handle
Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 12-Cup Switch Review
A decent budget option if you like the simplicity of a single-button brewer
This is a great budget option if you don't need any programmable functions and aren't very particular about your coffee.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
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Our Verdict
The Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 12-Cup Switch is an affordable brewer with inconsistent brew times and temperatures but has just one button for you to worry about. This brewer could be something of a safety hazard without an automatic shut-off feature, as the hot plate will continue to burn throughout the day if you forget to toggle the off switch. If you're looking for a budget option to make your morning coffee, we recommend skipping this product and heading over to some of our best drip coffee maker picks to get the best caffeine fix that will also please your wallet.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on January 10, 2024, to include additional test results and comparisons from our most recent round of testing.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 12-Cup Switch is an inexpensive, budget-friendly drip coffee maker. However, it lacks any programmable features, makes subpar coffee, and is one of the most inconsistent machines we've tested. More than anything else, the low cost of the Simple Brew is an eye-catcher, but we've tested several other models in the same price range that we find to offer better performance.
Performance Comparison
The brewing times and temperatures varied wildly with this machine, and we wish it would have been a little more impressive with its water distribution.
Credit: Laura Casner
Brew Quality
To determine scores for brew quality, our team of coffee experts analyzes brew temperature, water distribution, and brew features. The Simple Brew falls just short of industry standards for proper brew temperatures at an average of 194.8°F. After brewing, we analyzed the grounds and discovered a deep oval shape significantly lighter than the rest of the grounds. This suggests an uneven water distribution from the spray head and poor extraction quality. The actual taste of the coffee brewed is totally fine, though lacking in body and complexity.
Proper water temperature and distribution are essential to brewing a good cup of coffee, and this brewer doesn't quite deliver.
Credit: Laura Casner
User Friendliness
Without programmable features, this coffee maker is as straightforward as it gets. However, the Simple Brew is not necessarily user-friendly due to the fact that you have to remember to turn it off, among other things.
The Simple Brew has a very simple, one-button interface. It is not programmable in any way, and there is no timer to schedule automatic brewing for your mornings. It is also noteworthy that this coffee maker does not have an automatic shut-off. You have to remember to turn the machine off after brewing to avoid potential hazards.
There is only one switch on this machine, and it does not shut off automatically.
Credit: Laura Casner
The lid of the brewer flips all the way open to access the water tank, which is at the back of the machine. Water level marks are on the side of the brewer near the back of the machine and are difficult to see without turning the entire brewer around. We also didn't like that we had to move the showerhead out of the way to put the grounds in, but it does automatically flip back in place when you close the lid.
The water tank is at the very back of the machine, and we had to turn it to access it properly.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Cleaning
The Simple Brew components are dishwasher-safe, and the unit comes with a reusable plastic and metal filter. Paper filters will make disposing of spent grounds much quicker and easier, though. The glass carafe is fairly easy to hand clean, and the descaling process is fairly straightforward but took 70 minutes to complete, which was a bit long compared to others.
We like that this machine is easy to clean, with its small number of components that are all dishwasher safe.
Credit: Laura Casner
Consistency
We brewed five back-to-back pots of coffee to measure the consistency of every model. We found that while the average brewing temperature of the Simple Brew was low but acceptable for a low-budget coffee maker, the consistency of brewing temperature of consecutive brews was all over the place and just awful, ranging from 176.9°F to 207.3°F. The average brew time was also a mess, averaging a painfully long 8 minutes and 51 seconds and also ranging wildly across brews.
Should You Buy the Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 12-Cup Switch?
The Mr. Coffee Simple Brew 12-Cup is a budget-friendly option if you don't care about programmable functions and want a more streamlined process. Overall, we do not recommend this model unless you're pinching pennies, as we tested other similarly-priced machines that offer a better experience and a better performance.
What Other Drip Coffee Makers Should You Consider?
If you are really looking for a bargain, the Black+Decker 12-Cup Programmable offers a few more features and better-tasting coffee for a similar price. However, if can afford just a little more, we highly recommend the Ninja 12-Cup. It will give you the same kind of simplistic experience, just enough features to be versatile, and a far better-tasting pot of coffee.
—Liz Nelson and Kendra Ridenour
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