We bought this pot over a year ago and we love it. Apparently we are having the same issue as others, because our lid is broken. We seem to have a "better" break because we are able to pour a cup without removing the lid, but the lever does nothing to hold back the coffee as you don't even need to use the lever to get the coffee to pour out. (Therefore also lets the coffee in the pot cool off faster than it did before it sealed up properly.)