NOTE: This item is currently unavailable. You might want to check out the Mr. Coffee Programmable Coffee Maker on Amazon. You can also check out the alternatives we’ve recommended at the end of this review.
Over the years, Mr. Coffee has built a reputation for designing and building reliable coffee makers. While many people are compelled to buy the latest and greatest coffee makers, fans of Mr. Coffee makers covet their ten year old machines and look to more recent models of the Mr. Coffee brand for their replacement.
At first glance, the JWX27-NPA coffee maker seems to meet all of the requirements needed to replace an old, family machine. This review covers every aspect of this coffee maker, going into detail about its features and flaws. It’s a 12 cup, automatic drip coffee machine with a built-in reservoir and automatic shut off. You can program it 24 hours in advance.
Features of the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA
Coffee makers can be categorized and compared using various features. Let’s take a closer look at these features and how they work on this coffee maker.
The Basics
First, let’s take a look at the basic features of the JWX27-NPA coffee maker.
Type of Coffee Maker: Automatic Drip
The Mr. Coffee JWX coffee maker uses 900 watts to heat the water. It’s a 120 volt machine.
The beans are saturated using Mr. Coffee’s familiar shower head which is used to evenly disperse water across the entire layer of coffee grounds. This shower head design is ideal for an automatic drip coffee maker and a signature of the Mr. Coffee line of brewers.
It takes ten to fifteen minutes to complete the brew cycles. Variances depend on the brew strength and amount of coffee/water being brewed.
The final brew temperature has been measured at 175 °, which is nearly a 20 degree drop from the low end of the ideal brewing temperature range of 198 to 205 degrees. This is also the low end of the ideal holding temperature range. While we didn’t measure the actual water temperature, our experience tells us that it’s brewing at the lower end of the spectrum.
Type of Coffee Used: Ground coffee beans
A medium grind is recommended for this Mr. Coffee maker. Since the presumed brewing temperature is low, a medium ground coffee is a better choice over a coarsely ground coffee bean. It will take less time to saturate the beans and extract flavor.
Type of Filter Used: Paper or reusable goldtone mesh (not included)
Filters are the 10 to 12 cup round paper filters. They fit into a removable filter basket.
There is a water filtration disk that fits on top of this basket. It’s designed to remove chlorine from your tap water. Soaking this filter prior to using will help to prevent any black sediment (loose charcoal) from getting into the coffee. This filter should be replaced every month or after every thirty brew cycles.
While some people think it’s better to just use distilled water, the lack of minerals that’s achieved through the distillation process leaves the coffee tasting flat.
Reservoir: Yes
The reservoir holds 60 ounces of water. It’s built into the base and has a clear section for checking the water level.
It’s highly recommended to never overfill this reservoir! Mr. Coffee, in all its wisdom, put a hole in the top of the reservoir so that you cannot overfill this machine. Where does that extra water go? On your counter, of course.
Carafe: Glass
The glass carafe holds 60 ounces of coffee and is top rack dishwasher safe. Replacing the carafe is fairly straightforward. You can buy a replacement directly from Mr. Coffee.
Number of Cups Can Brew at Once: 2-12 cups at 5 ounces each.
As with most 12 cup coffee makers, it’s nearly impossible to get a decent single serve cup of coffee using these automatic drip models that ship without a small batch feature.
Five ounces is the SCA industry standard measurement for a “cup” of coffee.
Warming Plate: Yes
The coffee machine has a warming plate that will stay on up to two hours after the brew cycle has finished.
It’s important to wipe off any moisture from the warming plate to avoid damaging the plate.
Auto-Pause: Yes
The Grab-a-Cup feature is a standard mechanical stopper that is opened by the carafe lid.
It tends to drip more than most mechanical elements. Be sure and replace the carafe within 30 seconds or the water that’s backing up in the filter will probably overflow.
Automatic Shut-off: Yes
This Mr. Coffee machine automatically shuts off after two hours. You can manually shut it off prior to this without any problems.
Do not attempt to turn on machine again after two hour shutoff. This will create a “dry run” brew cycle. This can damage the internal components.
Click Here to Learn More About the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA on Amazon
Single-Serve: No
While Mr. Coffee doesn’t explicitly say not to brew smaller batches of coffee, it’s nearly impossible to get a full-flavored cup without brewing at least three cups of coffee.
Brew Strength Options: Two options: Regular and Strong
A medium roast is enhanced by pressing the Strong button. It’s definitely recommended to use this option whenever you’re brewing less than a full pot of coffee. It will increase the brew time by a couple of minutes as the water heats to a higher temperature.
Color: Red
This coffee maker is also available in black but isn’t available at the time of this review.
The red version is a warm color that blends well in kitchens with a wood décor.
Programmable: Yes
This Mr. Coffee maker has an LCD display. It can be programmed to brew up to 24 hours in advance.
This needs to be reset daily. You won’t have to reset the timer from scratch but you will have to be sure and push the delay brew button to engage the time.
Setting the clock and brew time are very straightforward. Unlike many coffee makers that expect you to hold down a button for an extended time to change functions, every button on the JWX-NPA performs one function.
Power Failure Recovery: No
Other Features of Note
There’s an audible beep at the end of the brew cycle. This cannot be turned off.
How Easy is the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA to Clean?
The coffee maker is pretty easy to clean. The carafe is top rack dishwasher safe.
Mr. Coffee recommends descaling the machine at least twice a year. There is a Clean Light indicator but reports are that the functionality is a little erratic – sometimes it seems to go on for no reason, right after a descaling has been performed while other times, it doesn’t want to go off.
How Much Counter Space Does it Use?
13.3 inches High x 7.28inches Wide x 9.69 inches Deep. The cord is 25 inches long.
The chance of water flowing out of the machine due to reservoir overflow means you should keep this coffee maker away from other appliances until you get the technique down.
There is no compartment to store the cord when the machine is not in use.
Click Here to find out more about the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA on Amazon.
What the Comments Say
The comments for this coffee maker and others in the JWX series are polarizing, to say the least.
Praises From Reviewers
If you’re a fan of the medium roasted blends you get at the donut shop, this is the right kind of coffee maker for you. It produces a great tasting cup of coffee.
The Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA has a simplistic design. If you have an older parent or loved one that has trouble setting up the newer coffee makers, this will come as a welcome relief from too many buttons taking them through too many steps.
Speaking of the elderly, the automatic shut-off is absolutely necessary to keep them safe. You don’t want burners accidentally being left on all day.
Drawbacks to Consider
There are a lot of concerns about water leaking out of the machine. The hole at the top of the reservoir is one reason water will spill out. Leaving the carafe off of the warming plate for too long will cause the water in the filter to overflow. In short, you really have to watch what you’re doing and you may still wind up with a mess.
There are also a lot of complaints that the JWX series models stop working after three to six months. Although many people seem to be happy with these coffee makers, many won’t go back and update reviews, so it’s impossible for an outsider to really get a grasp on how many of these coffee makers are actually defective.
Our Take
A simple and affordable coffee maker should be simple to use. We also think that affordable doesn’t have to mean “cheap”. We weren’t happy with how unreliable the heating element is and we are also unhappy that the machine isn’t BPA free.
We liked the simple programming but since it’s prone to making a mess when mistakes are made, we can’t recommend it for those that are looking for a coffee maker that’s easy to operate.
Some people won’t care that the lifespan of this machine is less than six months. They love the minimal amount of programming needed to set it up and they also love how good the coffee tastes. If that’s the case, keep the numbers on the power cord and note the date of purchase. Mr. Coffee will send a replacement under the one year warranty it offers.
Click Here to find out more about Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA Coffee Maker on Amazon.
Alternatives to the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA
While we commend Mr. Coffee for continually trying to produce affordable coffee makers, we can’t help but think there are alternatives to the JWX and CJX series models in the same price range that should be considered.
BLACK+DECKER DLX1050B 12-cup Programmable Coffee Maker. This coffee maker offers easy programming and auto-shut off.
Click here to read our review of the BLACK+DECKER DLX1050B 12-cup Programmable Coffee Maker.
BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker. A surprise hit with customers and reviewers alike. It’s a little pricier but still under $100.00.
Read our review of the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker here.
Resources
Manual for the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA
You can download the manual here.
Warranty
There’s a one year warranty on this coffee maker. Before you call, get the numbers that are printed on the power cord.
The phone number for Warranty Service is 800.672.6333.
The wait for a replacement can be 30 days or longer.
How to Program the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA
How to Clean the Mr. Coffee JWX27-NPA
Cleaning this coffee maker is pretty straightforward and is described in the video below.
The JWX27 doesn’t have a cleaning option, only a light to indicate when it should be descaled, so follow the instructions for the manual cleaning method at the beginning of the video.
Tips
- Mr. Coffee recommends using white vinegar to descale this machine.
- Be sure your coffee maker has cooled down.
- If you’re using a water filter in the filter basket, be sure and remove that before you start the cleaning process.
