BLACK+DECKER CM1160B Review: The $35 Coffee Maker That Just Works
The BLACK+DECKER CM1160B is a 12-cup programmable drip coffee maker that has quietly become one of the most-reviewed kitchen appliances on Amazon — over 49,000 ratings from everyday home cooks who wanted something dependable without a premium price tag. At around $35, it sits firmly in budget territory, yet it packs in features (24-hour auto brew, Sneak-A-Cup pause, washable basket filter, 2-hour keep-warm plate) that most coffee drinkers actually need. If your goal is waking up to a hot pot of coffee every morning without fuss, this machine earns its place on the counter.
Product Overview
The CM1160B is a traditional basket-style drip coffee maker with a digital clock, programmable timer, and a 12-cup Duralife glass carafe. It comes in two color variants: all-black (CM1160B) and a black-and-stainless accent version (CM1160B-1). Both are the same machine internally.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 12 cups (60.9 fl oz / 1.8 L) |
| Wattage | 975 W |
| Dimensions | 11.0 × 12.3 × 8.3 in |
| Weight | 4.5 lbs |
| Carafe | 12-cup Duralife glass with angled handle |
| Filter | Washable basket (compatible with standard basket paper filters) |
| Programmable | Yes — 24-hour auto brew via QuickTouch controls |
| Keep-warm | Hot plate; 2-hour auto shutoff |
| Sneak-A-Cup | Yes — pauses flow mid-brew to pour a cup |
| Water window | Front-facing level indicator |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Price | ~$34.99 |
The water reservoir is non-removable and fills from the top, so you need a few inches of clearance above the machine. The rubberized QuickTouch buttons are spill-resistant — a sensible choice given that coffee-wet fingers are the norm around this machine.
Performance & Real-World Use
The CM1160B brews a full 12-cup pot in about 7–8 minutes, which works out to roughly one cup per minute. Coffee comes out genuinely hot, and the spray head does a better job distributing water evenly over grounds than some comparably priced machines — which matters for flavor consistency. Brew temperature at the basket runs slightly below the SCAA-recommended 197–205°F range that specialty coffee advocates care about, but at this price point and use case, most home cooks will find the results perfectly satisfying for everyday drinking.
The 24-hour programmable timer is where this machine earns most of its goodwill. Load it the night before, set a time, and breakfast coffee is ready when you walk into the kitchen. The QuickTouch Programming system is genuinely intuitive — setting the brew time takes under a minute, even on first use.
The Sneak-A-Cup feature lets you interrupt the brewing cycle to pour a cup mid-pot. It works, but with a caveat: pausing the brew before grounds have fully extracted means the first cup or two will be somewhat weaker than the rest of the pot. If you're particular about even strength, wait until the brew finishes. If you just need coffee now, the Sneak-A-Cup does its job.
The keep-warm hot plate holds temperature reasonably well for the first hour. After roughly 90 minutes, coffee starts to taste noticeably cooked rather than fresh. The machine shuts off automatically at the 2-hour mark, which is a useful safety feature — but the shutoff timer cannot be extended or disabled. If you want coffee warm beyond two hours, you need to brew a new pot.
- Near-zero learning curve — : The QuickTouch timer setup is one of the easiest programmable controls of any budget coffee maker
- Reliable auto-brew — : 24-hour programmability consistently delivers a fresh pot at the set time
- Front-facing water window — : Lets you check the water level without moving the machine
- Washable basket filter — : Cuts ongoing supply costs — no need to buy paper filters (though it accepts them if preferred)
- Sneak-A-Cup — : Useful for households where the first person up wants coffee before the pot finishes
- Auto shutoff — : 2-hour hot-plate shutoff prevents overheating and energy waste
- Spill-resistant controls — : Rubberized buttons hold up well in real kitchen conditions
- 2-year warranty — : Better coverage than many competing budget models
- 49,000+ Amazon reviews at 4.4 stars — : One of the best-validated track records in the budget coffee maker segment
- All-plastic construction — : The machine feels less substantial than it looks in product photos; the carafe and housing are noticeably plasticky compared to mid-range brands
- Brew temperature falls short of specialty standards — : Doesn't reliably hit the 197–205°F sweet spot; coffee experts will notice, though casual drinkers generally won't
- Sneak-A-Cup weakens early cups — : Pausing the brew before full extraction dilutes the first pour — not ideal if you want consistent strength
- Non-removable reservoir — : You fill from the top, which requires counter clearance and makes precise measurement slightly less convenient than a side-fill design
- Hot plate scorches with time — : Coffee left on the plate past the first hour starts to taste burnt; a thermal carafe would prevent this entirely
- Auto shutoff is fixed at 2 hours — : You can't extend or disable the timer, which frustrates anyone who wants to keep coffee warm longer
- No coffee scoop included — : A $35 machine probably shouldn't nickel-and-dime accessories, but BLACK+DECKER doesn't include one
- Long-term durability concerns — : A meaningful minority of user reviews (consistent across Amazon and Best Buy) report pump or heating element failures in year two or three; this is a replace-not-repair category at this price
The BLACK+DECKER CM1160B does exactly what it claims to do: it brews 12 cups of hot coffee reliably, programs easily for auto-brew, and does it all for $35. It is not a great coffee maker in any technical sense — the brew temperature is suboptimal, the plastic construction shows its price, and the hot plate will ruin your coffee if you walk away for too long. But for the home cook who just wants a dependable morning pot without spending $100 or managing a complicated machine, this one delivers. **3.5/5** — docked for build quality and temperature shortcomings that more careful competitors address, but the value-for-reliability trade-off is genuinely hard to beat at this price.
Sources
- BLACK+DECKER CM1160B Amazon listing
- Black and Decker 12 Cup Review 2026 — Coffeeness.de
- The Black+Decker CM1160B: A True 'Mover and Shaker' — Good Coffee Place
- Customer Reviews: Black+Decker CM1160B — Best Buy
- REVIEW Black + Decker CM1160B Coffee Maker BEST SELLING — Just A Dad Approved (YouTube)
- 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker CM1160B — BLACK+DECKER Official