This system is almost everything I thought it would be and overall I am pretty happy with it so far. I've been enjoying trying new coffee drinks, and the cold brew it makes is as good as any that I've gotten at the coffee shops. The only thing I wish it had was a hot plate for the carafe....when brewing a full pot, you have to be sure that those who are drinking it will do so in a hurry, since there is no way to keep the pot warm after it's brewed. I'm glad I got the thermal carafe instead of the glass one, but I wish that I and anybody having coffee with me had time to be a bit more leisurely about drinking our cups of coffee.