KitchenAid 12 Cup Drip Coffee Maker with Spiral Showerhead
KitchenAid brings its kitchen expertise to the coffee brewing experience with the KitchenAid 12 Cup Drip Coffee Maker with Spiral Showerhead. This 12-cup drip coffee maker isn’t just about quantity—it’s built for quality, ensuring each cup is brewed to perfection with even extraction and a rich aroma. Its standout spiral showerhead mimics manual pour-over techniques, while the removable water tank, gold-tone filter, and programmable settings simplify your morning routine. Ideal for homes and small offices alike, this machine looks sharp in matte charcoal and is backed by KitchenAid’s reputation for durable appliances.
Product Highlights & Features
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29-Hole Spiral Showerhead: Delivers even saturation for optimal extraction and flavor.
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Programmable Warming Plate: Keeps your coffee hot for up to 2 hours without burning it.
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Removable Water Tank: Clear, easy to fill, and clean with a large opening to reduce spills.
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Brew Strength Selector: Choose between regular or bold for your preferred taste profile.
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Dual-Side Brew Buttons: Start brewing from either the front or side, depending on your kitchen setup.
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Drip-Free Pour Spout: Designed for clean, mess-free serving with no spills or drips.
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Pause & Pour Feature: Pour a cup mid-brew without making a mess.
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Reusable Gold-Tone Filter: Eco-friendly and easy to rinse, with measuring marks for accuracy.
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Cleaning Alert: Reminder light activates after 100 cycles, ensuring better maintenance.
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Modern Matte Charcoal Finish: Complements contemporary kitchen décor with KitchenAid’s signature aesthetic.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | KitchenAid |
| Model | KCM1208DG |
| Coffee Maker Type | Drip Coffee Machine |
| Capacity | 12 Cups |
| Brew Strength Options | Regular, Bold |
| Water Tank Type | Removable, Clear with Dosage Chart |
| Filter Type | Gold-Tone Reusable + Charcoal Filter |
| Showerhead Design | 29-hole Spiral Showerhead |
| Display/Controls | Button-based interface |
| Programmable | Yes (24-hour brew timer) |
| Carafe Type | Glass with no-drip spout |
| Material | Glass and durable plastic |
| Color | Matte Charcoal |
| Dimensions (DxWxH) | 13.4″ x 14.34″ x 7.17″ |
| Weight | 11 lbs |
| Wattage | 780 watts |
| Voltage | 120V |
| Warranty | 1-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty |
Final Verdict
The KitchenAid KCM1208DG 12-Cup Coffee Maker checks every box for coffee drinkers who value taste, convenience, and aesthetics. Its thoughtful design—especially the spiral showerhead and programmable features—ensures consistently satisfying coffee with minimal fuss. The removable tank, reusable filter, and intuitive controls make it ideal for daily use, while the stylish matte finish enhances its countertop appeal.
If you’re looking for a dependable, great-tasting brew in a machine that’s as functional as it is attractive, this KitchenAid model stands out as a solid choice.
PhoenixLife –
Simply the best 3 years and counting!
3 years and counting, this machine works perfectly. Doesn’t overflow, spill, mix grounds into coffee or otherwise. Just keeps on brewing with zero issues. I didn’t realize how good it was until I tried using some other brands that other people have in their homes such as Hamilton Beach, Mr Coffee, etc.; they all have their fair share of issues but not KitchenAid. If you want a simple, old school style machine that is simple and just brews coffee, this is the machine for you!
3 people found this helpful
Heather LHeather L –
Well made and beautiful
Love this coffee maker! I’ve always had a Keurig coffee maker. I’ve never tried anything else until my coffee machine went out. All of my appliances (big and small) are kitchen aid. The coffee maker was the only one that was a different brand until now. It’s perfect with everything I have and I love the auto settings so I can get up to coffee. I have 4 kids and this makes it one less step (I get it ready when I have time for the next day as opposed to doing it in the morning).
dhm –
There was space to make the buttons bigger.
I am boiling the plastic smell out right now so let me speak from experience. ???? Well, a friend was moving into an apartment and we were getting stuff at a brick and mortar store and there was this on clearance. The store had discontinued this line. Then my coffee-maker was this one:KitchenAid KCM1202OB 12-Cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker – Onyx Black: Kitchen & Dininghttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQWLGOG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1I gave a review entitled “A pretty good cup of coffee” which was an understatement. So I got my friend the above because I trusted the brand.But a couple days ago the electronics went weird. For 2 days the on button would turn on but would not start heating. Yesterday it restarted working but I knew it would fail again. Time for the new model.A variety of design nuisances have been fixed. The old model had a rippled translucent surface on the water tank that made it hard to see if there was water. That delayed the enjoyment of more than one morning. This one has a clear tank so a glance will do.Some handles were designed as a loose part. They weren’t picking up anything heavy but fooling with them and putting them back on was an daily nuisance. That little handle has a pivot now — and the water tank has a handle!I once bought a Mr. Coffee (after the name was bought out by Sunbeam) and took it back to the store the same day. Instead of dripping hot water evenly on the coffee, it dumped lukewarm water in the middle. I think the last Kitchenaid was perfect but the new one brags about an even better system — a spiral set of holes. I don’t know if it can be better but I like the attitude of their engineers — always seeking improvement.Now let me get to the title. I was at the friend’s apartment and he had to get his glasses to read the buttons even after 6 months. I, too, could not read them. MAKE THE BUTTONS BIGGER, KITCHENAID.BTW, in my experience the pot has to run thru 5 pots of hot water before the plastic smell and flavor are gone. Then it’s time for good coffee.
3 people found this helpful
G.M. –
KitchenAid KCM1208OB Drip Coffee Maker, 12 Cup
Year Year Review:Still like everything about this pot, highly recommend…Two Month review, what we’ve learned. This is an above average coffee maker. We have owned everything from Mr. Coffee to Cuisinart.Removable water reservoir – Nice lift handle to remove and replace. Lid is an exact fit, tilt it up just a bit and it will sit right in place. Easy to clean.Basket – Use the lift ring to put the basket back in place, it will line up perfect and drop in place, it does not like the get close and release method.Pot – No plastic taste others reported, but we did run the clean cycle before first use, read the manual for cleaning instructions, cleaning proportion was a surprise vs. other brewers.Daily Cleaning – No issues for us, let the pot cool down, one drop of dawn, sprayer used to mix up dawn/water then a wash rag around and around, pot is as clean as the day purchased.Cleaning – an icon will lite up after 100 brews to clean the appliance, use the manual. We really like this feature. In the past we did our best to remember to clean the brewer once a month…most of the time we remembered. :-)Alarm – When the bottom is pressed to set the alarm to brew based on the alarm time, it will display the alarm clock time for about ten seconds, this allows you to review the am/pm (who hasn’t gotten that wrong after resetting time after a power outage). The alarm is in edit mode so making adjustments is easy pease.Pot – Oversized spout is GREAT helps prevent the drool/drips on the counter when the pot is full.Burner – It is oversized but not greatly just enough to allow for expansion and contraction, brewer this is replacing was an exact fit after six months of use, the pot no longer sits flat on the burner, pot will not stay warm.Reheat – if you drink coffee most or all of the day, the two-hour keep warm timer with auto shut off that most brewers have can be a pain. This brewer shows a count down, nice, very nice feature. Important note!! This brewer is engineered to monitor for no water in the heating “pipes” and it will auto shut off to prevent damage to the heater/burner etc. At first this was a pain, a real turn off, thought about returning the product. Then I got to thinking, what was the problem with previous brewers, they start leaking or the warmer burns out….Hmm…To avoid the auto shut off mentioned above…before turning the warmer back on because you still have half a pot to drink, add about a finger of water (1/2” ??) to the water reservoir. This is not enough to change the taste of the current pot but its enough to fill the “pipes” and the timer will set for another two hours.Beep – Yes it beeps when it is ready and when the warming timer runs out and it turns off. Nope don’t think there is a way to disable it. If there is absolutely no noise in the house and doors/windows are closed, I can hear it in the next room, but not two rooms away where my home office is. In fact, it is quieter than others we have owned. I like hearing the beep ten minutes before its time to get, I wake with a smile on my face knowing the coffee is ready.
74 people found this helpful
Mary Graham –
Highly recommend!!!
I only had this coffee maker for a couple days but so far I love it. It’s quiet coffee brews quickly and the coffee tastes great. I love that the water reservoir can be filled in the sink so much cleaner no spills keeps the counter clean.
Greg J –
Great (probably the best) drip coffee maker with one small fault
I’m a drip coffee pot fan. I’ve had 1000 dollar espresso machines, Keurig’s with pods and everything else. But I like drip makers, and this is the best one I’ve ever had and best looking by far…. I usually get the cheaper Cuisinart drip makers and those are pretty good. I don’t think any drip coffee maker lasts over 18 months, so I have had a lot of drip coffee makers. I also don’t like thermos carafes. I want glass. This KitchenAid is outstanding. I love the wide nozzle head that drips the coffee on a much wider zone of grinds, the removable water tank with measurements printed on it and the filter with cup measuring notches. (Drip makers without removeable tanks are hard to keep clean and can get scum inside.)There is one glaring problem that other reviewers mentioned but I did not understand until it happened to me on the first (and every) batch. After making the coffee and it is time to open the lid and remove the filter with used grinds, you flip up the hinged lid and about 3 teaspoons of clean water drips out onto the edge of the filter housing and down both sides of the coffee maker. So before I open the lid, I have a dish rag in my hand to wipe that water before it runs down the outside of the container. Not a big deal but I was amazed that this could get by KitchenAid QC. But I give it 5 stars because all drip coffee makers have faults, and this one makes the best pot of coffee I have ever had – I bet because of the big wide drip nozzle that drips coffee across the whole filter. But that nozzle housing holds residual water after the coffee making is done, and when you open that lid the water spills out where it should not.
9 people found this helpful
Kevin: Lawn & Order Texas EditionKevin: Lawn & Order Texas Edition –
This thing is SO nice! Elegant Design Meets Exceptional Brewing Performance
First off, this thing is beautiful! The matte grey is a nice addition to our kitchen, perfectly complementing our grey air fryer. It’s sleek design and sturdy glass carafe not only look great but also function flawlessly, pouring smoothly without any drips. BTW, did you happen to notice how the fold-down handle on the water container matches the metal band on the coffeemaker providing a seamless continuation of industrial design? I did 🙂 Nice!The coffee comes out hot and fresh every time. I particularly appreciate the digital display that shows the remaining time on the warming function, ensuring my coffee stays at the perfect temperature without any guesswork.A standout feature is the dual brew buttons, one on the front and another on the side. This thoughtful design allows for flexible placement under cabinets, making it convenient to operate the machine from different angles. Kudos to KitchenAid for this smart engineering!
3 people found this helpful
Waldo –
Excellent coffee maker with a few annoying quirks
Pros:- Hot brewing temperature. Seems to be right at the 200 deg. F sweet spot.- Removable water tank- Decent pour spout (much better than previous KitchenAid models)- Auto brew timer- 12 cup carafe- Spiral spray head. Gets good coverage on grounds. I find I can add quite alot of grounds without them being sprayed outside of the filter.- The lid is well designed so that, when you lift it up, moisture on the spray heads is diverted down into the filter basket. Some coffee makers just let it drip everywhere.Cons:- Warmer shuts off after 2 hours, and you can’t turn it back on (unless you know the secret workaround – which is to put about 1 cup of water in the tank and start the brew cycle again. You have to trick it into thinking it brewed another pot). Seems like KitchenAid went out of their way to make this annoying by not allowing you to simply turn the coffee maker back on. That’s lame KitchenAid.- Cone filter has a little handle on it for pulling it out. It’s more annoying than helpful. You have to hold it out of the way when dumping the old filter. Otherwise, the filter drops right into it and slings old grounds everywhere.For me the pros far outweigh the cons, so I’m pretty happy. Though someone at KitchenAid needs to be slapped for not making it easier to turn the warmer back on.
12 people found this helpful
Tim V –
Watch for drips but otherwise great
I literally was about to write a long term (5 year) review on how great my last coffee maker was when it started leaking! It still worked great and brewed good coffee but there was a hose split way up in the top of the machine where it went into the lid/drip head and isn’t easy, if even possible, to fix. So I was on the hunt for a new pot and found this one. Had it for 4 months now so not a great deal of time to go on but figured I’d write a review on my current thoughts.First, I avoided buying it initially due to the fact that I look for consistent complaints on a product and the number of them when making a decision on a purchase and this one was the carafe cracking or shattering. Incidentally, after reading reviews on the last coffee maker I had, the leaking was a consistent complaint! Anyway…I had my selection down to about 3 different machines but my first pick didn’t have the color I wanted available and the other 2 had issues with either the readout getting condensation in it or not working at all after a short time or the machine itself quit working too soon. Kept coming back to the KitchenAid despite the carafe concerns and decided to take the chance as I’m always super careful with them anyway since I’m already concerned about breaking the glass. So far 4 months in and alls well in that area! I really like how the reservoir is separate and can be pulled out for filling/cleaning even though I just fill it from a jug. It’s easy to fill from a container and separates the coffee/filter from any chance of splash. I do wish it was a different color since we have a teal accent theme for the kitchen but the last coffee maker was black and stainless steel so not a huge deal. I do like the design-looks like their mixer which we also have- although it is bigger front to back than your average machine. The features are nice, especially the cleaning feature which I just recently used. It lets you know when it’s time to run a clean cycle and it does take a while-at least 20-30 minutes for a pot not just a regular brew cycle! It has a beep when you turn it on and 3 beeps when its done brewing that you can’t turn off unfortunately but it’s fairly muted so not that bad. My last one was thankfully able to be turned off because it was obnoxiously loud! It uses cone paper filters (#4 I believe?) or reusable mesh which is what I use. The basket is easily removable for cleaning as well. Now for my biggest complaint/warning-the design of the lid allows for a good amount of condensation retention and nowhere for it to go so it will leak down the side or sides when you open it, be ready! I always have a dishrag in hand to shove under the lid behind the brew basket when I open it and leave it there for a few minutes opening it halfway and fully open to catch the runoff, then wipe the inside of the lid down. Personally not a deal breaker but it is annoying and I’ve noticed others had the same complaint. So far I’m very happy with this coffee maker, has some pluses over my last one and a couple minuses but overall I think the only thing that would make the choice of this one over the last one tough is that the last one could brew 14 cups where most only brew 12, this one included.
42 people found this helpful
Ashley Pirlot –
Kitchenaid Coffee Maker
My husband and I just upgraded from a very old coffee maker and we are loving the Kitchenaid one so far. Brews quietly for early morning wake up, love the separate water compartment so we aren’t making a mess pouring into the machine, and it matches the rest of our appliances that we’re upgrading to Kitchenaid. Would recommend.