so far it has made a big difference in the smoothness of the coffee we are making compared to our older coffee maker of similar drip function. One time, I made the mistake of grinding the beans too fine. ( I liked to grind to a fine grind using my old machine )This caused the water to back up in the filter/grounds basket. I found coffee had overflowed out of the basket onto the countertop. I was warned however, that this would happen, and it did. No worries, just have to make sure the ground is more course than I am used to. Really a great cup of coffee though.