Skip to content BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Digital Coffee Maker Review: Is It Worth It?
The BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1 is a full-pot drip coffee maker aimed squarely at households that want a programmable machine without spending much money. It brews up to 12 cups, has a digital clock and timer, a Sneak-A-Cup pause feature, and a washable basket filter included in the box. The pitch is simple: reliable daily coffee, minimal fuss, low price.
This is a RESEARCH-BASED REVIEW. We have not personally tested the CM1160B-1. What follows is an evidence-driven assessment of what the machine offers, where it makes compromises, and whether those compromises are acceptable for the buyer it is designed for.
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Quick Answer
The BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1 does its core job — brewing a full pot of drip coffee on a schedule — at a price that is hard to argue with. Its programmable timer, auto shutoff, and included reusable filter are genuinely useful for everyday households. The trade-offs are real: brew temperature is unlikely to match specialty-coffee standards, the glass carafe and warming plate will degrade coffee quality if you leave the pot sitting, and the water reservoir markings can be difficult to read. If you want a dependable, no-frills morning coffee machine and you are not chasing extraction quality, this is a reasonable buy. If brew quality matters to you, the price difference to a better machine is worth considering.
Best For
- Households that brew a full pot daily and drink it quickly
- Buyers who want programmable wake-up brewing without paying a premium
- Offices or guest spaces where coffee volume matters more than nuance
- Anyone replacing a broken basic drip maker and not looking to upgrade
Avoid If
- You care about brew temperature precision or extraction quality
- You typically brew one or two cups and leave the rest sitting on the warmer
- You want a thermal carafe to keep coffee hot without a heating plate
- You are looking for a machine that will last many years under heavy use — budget drip makers in this class carry durability uncertainty
What You Actually Get
The CM1160B-1 ships with a glass carafe, a permanent washable basket filter, and a power cord. The front panel has a digital clock display, buttons for programming the brew time, and controls for brew strength (Regular or Bold). The water reservoir sits at the back and has a window with cup markings on the side.
The included washable basket filter is worth noting. It means you can skip paper filters entirely if you choose, which reduces ongoing cost and waste. You can still use paper filters if you prefer — the basket accommodates both. This is a practical inclusion at this price point, not a given on every budget machine.
The Bold brew setting slows the brewing cycle slightly to increase contact time between water and grounds. Whether that produces a meaningfully stronger cup depends on your grind and coffee-to-water ratio, but it is a real mechanical difference, not just a label.
The nonstick warming plate keeps the carafe hot after brewing. This is standard on glass-carafe drip makers, but it is worth being direct about what it means: coffee sitting on a warming plate continues to cook. Flavor degrades noticeably after 20 to 30 minutes. If your household drinks the pot quickly, this is a non-issue. If you brew a full pot and sip it over two hours, the last cups will taste noticeably worse than the first.
Brewing Performance: Realistic Expectations
Budget drip coffee makers in this price range typically brew at water temperatures below the Specialty Coffee Association’s recommended range of 195–205°F (90–96°C). BLACK+DECKER does not publish a brew temperature for the CM1160B-1, and we have not measured one. This is a known limitation of the category, not a defect unique to this model.
What that means practically: the coffee will taste like drip coffee. It will be hot, it will be caffeinated, and it will be consistent. It will not extract the same complexity from a quality single-origin bean that a machine brewing at the correct temperature would. If you are buying pre-ground grocery-store coffee and drinking it with milk, you are unlikely to notice or care. If you are grinding fresh beans and paying attention to flavor, the temperature gap will matter to you.
The two-strength setting (Regular and Bold) gives you some control over brew intensity without requiring you to adjust your grind or dose. It is a useful option for households where preferences vary.
Programmability and Daily Use
The 24-hour programmable timer is the feature most buyers cite as a reason to choose this machine over a simpler model. You set the clock, program a brew time, add water and grounds the night before, and wake up to a finished pot. This works as described and is the machine’s most practical differentiator at its price.
The digital display shows the time and brew status. Controls are button-based rather than a dial or touchscreen. Setup requires reading the manual to program the clock correctly — it is not intuitive on first use, but it is not complicated once you have done it once.
One friction point worth flagging: the water reservoir markings. The side window shows cup measurements, but the markings on budget machines in this class are often difficult to read accurately, particularly in low morning light. Whether BLACK+DECKER has updated the reservoir window on recent production runs of the CM1160B-1 is not something we can confirm. This is a common complaint category for budget drip makers generally and worth checking against current buyer feedback before purchasing.
Sneak-A-Cup, Auto Shutoff, and Other Practical Details
The Sneak-A-Cup feature pauses brewing when you pull the carafe out mid-cycle. This prevents dripping onto the warming plate while you pour a cup before the full pot is done. It works by a simple valve mechanism in the filter basket. It is not a sophisticated system — hold the carafe out too long and some dripping can occur — but it functions well enough for its intended purpose.
Auto shutoff turns the warming plate off after two hours. This is a safety and energy feature, not a quality one. Two hours is long enough that coffee quality will already have declined significantly on the warming plate before shutoff kicks in. The value here is peace of mind if you leave the house without turning the machine off manually.
The removable filter basket lifts out for filling and rinsing. This is standard but worth confirming: it makes daily cleaning straightforward without needing to tilt or disassemble the machine.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The glass carafe and removable filter basket are the parts you will clean daily. Both are straightforward to rinse. The carafe is hand-wash; check the current product documentation for dishwasher guidance, as this varies by production run.
The machine should be descaled periodically depending on your water hardness. BLACK+DECKER recommends a vinegar-and-water descaling cycle, which is standard for this category. The frequency depends on your local water supply — harder water requires more frequent descaling. There is no descaling indicator on this model, so you will need to track it yourself or descale on a set schedule.
The warming plate surface can accumulate residue over time. A damp cloth handles routine cleaning; avoid abrasives on the nonstick surface.
Countertop Footprint and Build
The CM1160B-1 is a standard-footprint 12-cup drip maker. It will fit under most kitchen cabinets, but measure your clearance before buying — tall cabinetry and the need to open the top lid for filling can be a friction point in tighter kitchens. We have not confirmed the exact dimensions — take them off the manufacturer’s current specification sheet before you measure your clearance.
Build quality is consistent with the price. The housing is plastic. The carafe is glass. At this price point, you are not getting metal construction or premium materials. The machine is designed to be functional and affordable, not durable in the sense that a higher-end machine might be. Longevity expectations should be set accordingly.
Price and Value
The CM1160B-1 sits at the lower end of the 12-cup drip coffee maker market. At its price, the programmable timer, included reusable filter, Bold brew setting, Sneak-A-Cup pause, and auto shutoff represent a reasonable feature set. You are not paying for brewing precision or premium materials — you are paying for convenience features on a functional drip machine.
The honest value question is whether the step up to a mid-range machine — one with better brew temperature control, a thermal carafe, or a more durable build — is worth the additional cost for your household. If you drink coffee primarily for caffeine and convenience, the CM1160B-1 is hard to fault at its price. If you have started to care about what your coffee actually tastes like, the price gap to a better machine is smaller than it might seem when you factor in daily use over a year or two.
Realistic Alternatives
| Machine | Key Difference | Who It Suits Better |
|---|---|---|
| BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1 | Budget programmable drip, glass carafe, warming plate | Volume-focused households, convenience priority |
| Mid-range programmable drip (e.g., Cuisinart DCC series) | Typically better brew temperature, more durable build, often thermal carafe options | Buyers who want better coffee quality and longer machine life |
| Single-serve pod machine | Per-cup convenience, no wasted coffee, higher per-cup cost | Households where people drink different amounts at different times |
Note: Competitor specifications and pricing are not verified in this review. Treat the above as category guidance, not a direct spec comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Digital Coffee Maker worth it?
For households that want programmable drip brewing at a low price and drink coffee primarily for convenience rather than flavor precision, yes. If brew quality is a priority, the step up to a mid-range machine is worth considering.
Does the BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1 make good coffee?
It makes consistent drip coffee. Brew temperature is likely below specialty-coffee standards — BLACK+DECKER publishes no figure — which limits extraction quality. For everyday household use with standard grocery-store coffee, most users will find it acceptable.
How programmable is the BLACK+DECKER 12-cup coffee maker?
It has a 24-hour programmable timer. You set the clock and a target brew time, and the machine starts automatically. There is no app control or multi-schedule programming — it is a single daily timer.
Does the BLACK+DECKER coffee maker have auto shutoff?
Yes. The warming plate shuts off automatically after two hours. This is a safety and energy feature; coffee quality on the warming plate will have already declined before shutoff activates.
Can you pause brewing on the BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1?
Yes. The Sneak-A-Cup feature pauses the brew flow when you remove the carafe mid-cycle, allowing you to pour a cup before the pot finishes. Some minor dripping can occur if the carafe is held out for an extended period.
Does it use paper filters or a reusable filter?
The machine ships with a washable permanent basket filter. You can use it as-is or use standard basket-style paper filters instead — the basket accommodates both.
Is the BLACK+DECKER 12-cup coffee maker easy to clean?
The removable filter basket and glass carafe make daily cleaning straightforward. Periodic descaling with a vinegar-and-water cycle is recommended. There is no descaling indicator, so you will need to track the schedule yourself.
Who should buy the BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1?
Households that want a programmable full-pot drip maker at a low price, drink coffee quickly after brewing, and are not focused on extraction quality. It is a practical choice for high-volume, convenience-first households.
Final Verdict
The BLACK+DECKER CM1160B-1 is a straightforward machine that does what it promises: it brews a full pot of drip coffee on a schedule, pauses for mid-brew pours, shuts off automatically, and includes a reusable filter. None of that is exciting, but all of it is useful. The compromises — warming-plate coffee degradation, likely sub-optimal brew temperature, plastic build, and reservoir readability — are real, and they are the same compromises you accept with any machine in this price range.
The question is not whether this is a perfect coffee maker. It is not. The question is whether it is the right tool for your household’s actual coffee habits. For a high-volume, convenience-first household that drinks the pot quickly and is not chasing flavor complexity, it earns its place on the counter. For anyone who has started to care about what their coffee tastes like, the investment in a better machine will pay off in daily satisfaction.
The Product Shortlist may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This does not affect our verdict.
