I typically don't write too many reviews but felt this product could use some additional perspectives, especially given its rich price tag and being relatively new to the market. Right off the bat, this is the best looking drip machine out there. Obviously there are more important things than looks but it's hard not to appreciate the slick design and relatively small footprint. The matte black finish is understated and the gold accents add a bit of high-end flare. The white model also looked great. You'll get compliments on this, it's seriously nice. Okay-on to the more important stuff. Function! The buttons on the machine have a nice feel and the knob rotates in a satisfying/tactile way. I'm not sure if this is useful for many people but the system will allow you to fill the reservoir and brew just a few cups at a time so in theory you could fill it in the beginning of the work week and brew two cups a day without having to add water. It's neat but you obviously still have to remove/add coffee each day so you're still having to interact with the machine. It's definitely a pro but just not a huge one. Speaking further about the water reservoir, it's not removable which is pretty inconvenient since you always have to transport the water to it. This is especially problematic if your machine is under a low cabinet or something. It's not a deal breaker but frankly all coffee machines should have removable water reservoirs, especially at this price point. On the plus side, the reservoir has a wide mouth which makes pouring into it pretty easy. The machine does let you control some things such as the brew strength and the temperature. There is a "Gold" option which brews your coffee according to SCA recommended settings and the good news is that it tastes great and eliminates the need for further tinkering. However, if you're someone who likes to tinker, you'll find that you're unable to control things such as bloom time and it feels like you should be able to, particularly in the non-Gold brewing modes. The machine does let you control temperature from 185-205, which is nice, but haven't really noticed a real world difference and I don't feel like any of my cups were actually that hot. It's possible that if you're just brewing a few cups the system doesn't have enough time to reach the target temperature for enough of the brew, may need further testing. This temperature issue is exacerbated by the insulated carafe which does just an okay job at keeping your coffee warm. This is an area that you can't help but feel should be better on such an expensive machine. This purchase replaced a significantly less expensive Mr. Coffee machine with a thermal carafe which was definitely better at maintaining the temperature. The carafe otherwise is sleek and relatively light which makes it easy to pour. It might be too easy to pour as all you have to do is tilt the carafe and your coffee flows freely, there's no button to press like in most carafes which I suspect could be contributing to heat loss as there isn't a seal. This design also makes it slightly more susceptible to spills and accidents. I'd like to address the brew basket. The included mesh filter seems to raise the coffee too high in the basket which leads to the brew bubbling up to the top and actually making contact with the top of the brew basket and the holes where the water comes from. This feels like a pretty significant flaw as it results in the user needing to clean the top of the brew basket each time. I've gotten around this by removing the filter and using paper cone filters that sit deeper in the basket. I imagine that higher volume of coffee, fresher coffee, and lighter roasts may exacerbate this problem due to the extra rise from blooming. Something to definitely pay attention to and consider. This machine does come with 'smart' capabilities and a companion app for control. It was initially tricky to set up due to missing options in the app, but I eventually got it setup on my wifi and haven't had to set it up again even though I've unplugged the machine a few times. Each time you fire up the app, the app takes about 10-15 seconds to actually make the connection to the device (not an exaggeration, I timed it) but apart from that it works how you would expect. You can set your schedule, which brew strength you want, how many cups you want brewed, and tell it to make coffee right away if you want. Of course, to get any of this to work, it assumes you've done your prep; filling the water, grinding your coffee, putting it in the basket, etc. I'd say the main benefit is being able to easily create a schedule using the app UI instead of tinkering with the machine. You could in theory ask it to brew at 6am during the week and have a separate schedule to brew at 9am on the weekends which would be difficult to do without the app. This seems to work just fine and the interface itself is easy to navigate, just wish it had more options for brew control and connected faster. You can also connect the machine to Alexa but it feels more like a novelty than actually useful. All in all, it's a great machine but has a number of questionable design decisions that may be hard to overlook for some buyers, especially given the price point. I suspect the temperatures issue might be the biggest issue for most people which is a real shame because the coffee it produces is so good. With that said, I hope they continue with this line and address these shortcomings in future models (and release a companion burr coffee grinder!)