Just to start, I’m extremely cynical and I don’t subscribe to the idea that just because it’s expensive makes it the best. I must admit, this is the best cup of coffee I have ever made. I just received this coffee maker (via Zappos,) as Amazon isn’t shipping direct yet. I’ve been drinking my coffee virtually the same way for 25 years, so my test this morning contained the same coffee, measurements, and ingredients I have always used. I went through the steps as directed by Viking, and the end result was a hotter, deeper, zero-bitter cup of amazing coffee.

*Side Note: Even though this coffee maker comes with a filter, always use filtered water. We have HIGH mineral content water, so this is something we have always used anyway. Viking states, that not doing so with this kind of water, will void the warranty. The coffee maker will tell you when it’s time to “de-calcify” (this may or may not occur when using filtered water).

There WILL be a bit of a time-consuming (roughly 30-40 minutes) initial process you WILL need to invest in – so don’t intend on having that first cup if you are pressed for time. There is an initial “priming” (using roughly 2 cups of water), then a “first 10-cup brew” of just water only (for cleaning purposes). After that, you’re ready for clock set-up, auto programming, and finally time to brew! I used the reusable filter that comes with it instead of the usual non-bleached disposable filters, and I have nothing negative to say about it.

As far as our usual process, we use our favorite whole-bean coffee and grind it in a burr grinder at the finest setting.

Is it worth $300.00? If the flavor, temperature, and dependability of the machine all hold up, it will be a resounding yes. I will update this review over time to let you know for sure.

SIX-WEEK UPDATE: Still impressed, no regrets! Overflowed once (my fault) – I filled the water tank over the fill line when I selected the 12-cup serving. If I had one criticism, it would be how slowly it pours when opened to the “o” mark. I’m assuming Viking made it an intentional feature in order to keep the remaining coffee hot – which it does. Obviously, one can take the lid completely off to remedy that.

**FLASHING “dcl”: So it finally said it was time to decalcify. Easy process, but allow yourself ~20 minutes to do this. The only thing that wasn’t covered in my instruction book was how to get the “dcl” to quit flashing after the process was done. It’s not automatically detected – YOU NEED TO PRESS THE “ON” BUTTON, THEN HOLD DOWN THE “BREW” BUTTON (NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY) FOR A FEW SECONDS TO CLEAR IT. Hopefully newer packaged instructions will show this. Still no regrets! **Don’t forget to replace the filter in the reservoir.**

You’d expect a bit more for $300 – carafe leaks everywhere when you pour the coffee. Who the heck tested this product at Viking??? Do not buy – looks pretty But doesn’t pour correctly!!!!

That was my original review. After speaking to Viking I learned that I had to keep it on the open (o) position and not between the locked and open, while pouring, as their directions state. Works GREAT – no more leaks and it’s such a great looking coffee machine! They just need to correct their directions.

We started looking for a reliable, high-quality coffee maker after our Krups XP2070 failed us (will not power on) after two years, and our Krups KM7000 grind-n-brew after 13 months (leaked, shipped in for repair, then jammed). We were willing to spend a little more money for a higher quality, reliable coffee maker this time around.

There seems to be a gap in the market between the lower-end (Cuisinart, Krups, etc) and the high end (>$700), then we stumbled on this Viking 12 cup coffee maker. We know of the Viking brand, but had never owned a Viking product so we weren’t sure if their quality matched their price.

We took the plunge and ordered and received our Viking coffee maker about two weeks ago, so this is an initial impressions review. When it quits working we’ll update this review with our post-mortem thoughts (which we hope won’t be for a long time).

Initial impressions are very good. It looks nice and feels high quality – the fit and finish matches our expectations for the Viking brand. The front and carafe are stainless steel, and the sides are a high-quality metallic looking plastic. Initial priming was quick and easy. We like the side loading water canister and coffee filter since our old coffee makers were filled from the top and we had to pull them out from under our kitchen cabinet everyday to fill them. It’s not loud, but you will hear a couple of water pump sounds during its brew cycle. The carafe doesn’t spill, which surprised us because all of the Krups glass carafes we’ve owned, invariably spilled (almost by design..grr) – it’s amazing how nice a non-spilling carafe is! :) The carafe is insulated and keeps coffee steaming hot for hours — it’s still drinkable warm in mid-afternoon.

The water is hot and the brew is good. Yum. It took about 4 days to dial in the correct coffee strength (tip: use the # of cups to control the amount of coffee you make, not the amount of water you add to the water canister. )

The only improvement we can think of is a chime at the end of the brew cycle to let us know the coffee is ready.

It’s not feature packed, but after our previous experiences we were looking for less features in exchange for good product design, quality and reliability. Overall we are very happy with our new Viking coffee maker and at this point enthusiastically recommend it.

So it was either the Viking or the Technivorm. The Technivorm was a little to funky for me plus it had no features. I went with the Viking and couldn’t be happier. I’m not sure what other people are talking about with carafe ill fiting and noise and leaking carafe?

Yes – the carafe DOES fit tight under the basket, IT’S SUPPOSE TO. There is absolutely no steam from this thing when it’s brewing because not one bit of heat excapes during the brewing process.
Yes – you can’t pour it Very fast but then neither could my Capresso and I have yet to spill a drop of coffee.
Noise? I can faintly hear the pump during the brewing but I would hardly call it loud and gargling. Maybe they didn’t prime it correctly?

I had 2 capresso’s before this and the Viking by far makes the hottest pot of coffee I have ever had plus it keeps the coffee hot for hours.
The only thing I can say I dislike a little is the side entry water and basket. I have mine in a corner so I have to pivot the maker every time I fill the water and load the basket but, I knew that before I made the purchase so it would be wrong for me to say it sucks. Having the water and basket via the side is what makes it so clean looking.

I have never owned a Viking appliance before and I don’t own any of their stock. Most people don’t take the time to write reviews unless they are unhappy (my self-included). I would have never bought my Capresso if I would have went by user reviews. Seems a lot of people were brewing their coffee all over their counter tops. I had mine for 8 years making coffee ever morning and every night and never once brewed a pot of coffee all over the counter top. What I’m trying to say is most issue are human error and nothing else.

I, like many people, rely on these reviews to help guide my purchasing decisions. Sometimes, they just aren’t a lot of help when the reviews are all over the place. Like with coffee makers. Not just this one, seems people have had problems with every coffee maker out there. So which to choose?

Eventually we went with this one for the design, it held twelve cups, it has a side-fill reservoir and it has a thermal carafe (heat plates change the taste of coffee, period). I listened to the advice of one reviewer that reminded me that most people only write reviews when something goes wrong.

The coffeemaker works as expected. Yes, the tank needs to be fitted fully inside the coffeemaker for it to work. You need to just make sure you hear it click in. Its not rocket science.

Its certainly not that loud, not any louder than other coffeemakers I’ve had. Personally, I’ve never owned a coffeemaker that doesn’t make a ton of noise when its brewing. After reading some of these reviews, I was expecting it to shake the house. Its actually quieter than most others I’ve owned.

The coffee was hot, hotter than what you will get out of most other machines.

We did have an issue of the coffee overflowing the first time we used it. BUT, this was user error. I used WAY too much coffee (always wanting a strong pot). The grinds overflowed, which prevented the drip mechanism from functioning. My fault, not the machine.

I will agree with some of the other reviews in that I was surprised at how much plastic was used in the construction. My first thought in reading that was that most components of any coffeemaker are plastic. But this machine does have plastic in places where I would have expected metal.

Bottom line…its a coffeemaker. And it makes coffee. The coffee comes out hot. Might not be worth $300, but it looks nice and it works as expected.

I just received this yesterday from Amazon’s source Frontgate. I first must say it was shipped incredibly well, not a scratch on it. It was easy to program and set-up compared to my Delonghi which it is replacing. Read the directions first as it has to be primed (easy to do) and the handles to remove the water and coffee filter basket are pressure sensitive. Woke up this morning to excellent coffee waiting for me. The carafe did not leak when poured – I am picky about that – and I must say it is better than my old Krups and better than the Delonghi. It is also beautiful to look at! Buy it, you’ll love it!

We’ve had numerous coffee makers, price being no object, good coffee the goal. I was skeptical about ‘brewing once’, and the coffee keeping warm without a
heating plate. Two hours later I was still pouring hot coffee. The carafe lid has a marking on it to allow you to pour a small amount to ‘top off’ a cup with the lid on, but I
would rec’d taking the lid off, takes <5 seconds, pour an entire cup, replace the lid immediately, and yes, it still stays hot without a heated plate cooking the coffee
constantly. You can take the carafe to the pool, patio, anywhere and have hot coffee like at a resort & if you drop the carafe, it doesn’t break! Thinking out of the normal ‘box’, I
was skeptical, but take the plunge…..