Black & Decker DCM18 Brew 'N Go Coffeemaker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Black & Decker DCM18 Brew 'N Go Coffeemaker
Customer Review: Okay
Summary: 2 Stars
It certainly functions. It has a permanent mesh filter that you just wash, which is nice. It puts coffee directly into a cup, which is probably what you are guying this for. I had one for a while and it did okay. Eventually it broke after twice-daily use for a year or more. I still use the mug today.
I did have some problems with it. First, it would turn itself on without me pressing the button, sometimes while pouring in the water before I even have the cup under and coffee put in. It wasn't a major problem, you had time to get things together, but it was rather annoying. Then later in the day when empty, it would turn on and hiss, steam, and crackle as it handles a few drops still at the bottom. I thought this was a problem, so I exchanged mine, but the new one did the same thing. Check how sturdy yours is (feet placement) which varies from unit to unit. I exhcnaged that one which too wably (and still hissed, crackled, steamed), but the wably issue was very minor. The new one still turned itself on and hissed/steamed/cracked.
The other problem I had with it is that some coffee grounds always found their way into the coffee. The basket would fill up intenrally and spill over(inside) and would bypass the filter. I really didn't fill it up that much either.
It brewed too fast and ended up weak in flavor (I even like weaker coffee, but this wasn't as good. The mesh sides let far too much water through before it really soaked up the grounds. You can compensate by using more grounds, but that costs more and it will overflow more internally and more grounds show up in the coffee.
Finally, my problem with this system is that without a burner and an open cup, I'd forget about the coffee I started for 45 minutes and it would be luke warm. I switched to a 4-cup coffee pot when mine finally broke. Note that the water where I used this was very hard and had lots of deposit, which probably contributed to its ultimate demise.
Customer Review: Should've researched it first...
Summary: 1 Stars
I saw this product at a store, and instead of researching and buying it through Amazon I bought it there. Unfortunately, now I'm regretting it. The product does what it says, the permanent filter is a great feature because I don't have to spend money to buy them, it's small and sleek so it looks great in my office, and the mug is quite convenient and sturdy. Plus the removable pieces are dishwasher safe. I didn't have any of the other problems described here; the auto shut off works perfectly and the filter sort of threw me off at first, but after a minute or two I figured it out and had no more problems with it.So what did I dislike? I followed the instructions, and the first time I made coffee it came out wonderful. But every time after that, the coffee grounds would spill into the water reservoir during brewing. This is very inconvenient because, short of dumping the whole thing into water (which of course would damage it beyond repair), it is really hard to clean. I had to pour water into it and flush it out several times, and I still didn't get all of it out. I don't know why this happens, because I used 3 teaspoons of coffee every time, like they recommend. I'm guessing the "shower-like" feature that pours the water into the filter is too strong and forces the coffee out of the filter.
It's too soon to know how this is going to affect its performance, but I'm thinking eventually the coffee grounds will go into the water pipe that goes from the reservoir to the filter and probably clog it, or worse, create some sort of fungus buildup. So unfortunately, before any of that happens, I'm going to have to return it. Great idea, though, but still needs some tweaking before it's actually acceptable.
Customer Review: Four out of five stars
Summary: 4 Stars
This product is excellent for brewing a single cup of coffee. At my job, we are not allowed to have coffee makers that have a heating element, unless, like this one, they automatically turn off after brewing. This fills the bill perfectly.
Okay, so my bosses are happy. So how do I like it?
The good: The unit doesn't need paper filters, and you fill it with the cup you're going to drink from. Unlike the pod coffee makers, you can control how strong you want the coffee.
The bad: It can be tricky to fill. The cup (like any coffee cup) really isn't made for pouring, and the reservoir is not exactly easy to aim for with a cup of water. Have some paper towels handy.
Additionally, as many have noted, the unit occasionally splatters coffee grounds all over the reservoir and the filter chamber, necessitating a thorough cleaning. This doesn't happen every cup, but is almost guaranteed if you put way too much coffee grounds in.
The resultant cleaning is very simple if you invest in a one-dollar bottle brush, and while I'll certainly second the manufacturer's warnings about immersing the unit, the reservoir and filter chamber can be well rinsed in the sink. I let the unit totally dry overnight, and I'm ready to go the next morning. This happens about once a month for me, and I use it everyday.
Also, I misplaced the original cup after the first week, but this unit works well with any coffee cup. the flow from the maker to the cup is a nice gentle stream, so there's no splashing or percolating.
Well worth the bucks, even with the occasional hiccup.
Customer Review: I drink more coffee now
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to drink no-name instant coffee at home, and generic brewed coffee at work from the community pot.
Got a bag o' ground coffee (S*******s Gold Coast) at Christmas, and I needed to get a coffee maker for it. Not sure I wanted to invest a lot in this new fangled technology, so I opted for this inexpensive coffee-maker. I actually wanted the stainless cup, but it was not in stock at the time, so I went with the available plastic version.
I guessed at the correct amount of coffee grounds, and luckily made what I call a perfect cup of coffee. And that Gold Coast is the best variety (strong) I've tried so far. The Sumatra blend from the big "A" supermarket chain is very similar for a few bucks less, however.
The pot makes almost 16 ounces, so I pour about half into a ceramic cup, add some half-and-half, and drink from that. Perhaps that is why I don't notice any plastic taste some others have commented on. I also use a filter, which will reduce the amount of grounds in your cup (though pouring it into the other cup helps as well).
It only takes a few minutes to brew, makes loud burbley-steamy sighing sounds when it nears completion, and turns itself off.
I find I drink more coffee at home after getting this machine. I'll get another when this one dies.
(As of 12/28/06...I finally noticed I threw out the plastic filter somewhere along the line a few months back :-) I could order a new one I guess, but the paper filters work fine. Oh, and I'm grinding (actually "milling") my own as of this XMas...)
Customer Review: Orininal one was Great - This is Junk
Summary: 1 Stars
I am the only coffee drinker in my family and had a Brew N' Go for over 6 years when the mesh filter began to separate from the plastic. Unfortunately, Black and Decker changed the design and I was unable to find a replacement filter from them or anybody. I looked for a replacement single cup coffee maker in several retailers and finally found one on Amazon at a very reasonable price.
However, newer is not better. The new model filter only has screen on the 2 sides and is mostly plastic, where as the original was mostly a fine screen with plastic reinforcement.
From the very first cup it was a disappointment, as coffee grounds overflowed into my cup and throughout the coffee maker. This new design filter does not let the water pass through quick enough when you use a fine or moderate grinds of coffee. With larger grinds the coffee comes out weak, or if you try to make it stronger by adding more grinds you can have the same overflow problem! For months I would put coarse coffee in the bottom and the better fine ground coffee on top and crossed my fingers.
Then the other day I was in CVS and saw a single cup coffee maker for 15 bucks. It has a mostly screen filter like the original B&D and works great! The next day I was in Big Lots and found another one that appears to use a #2 filter (so replacements can be easy in the future) and it works great for 10 bucks!!
The Black and Decker is going in the trash!! Save yourself the hassle and get something else and make sure it has a lot of screen area in the filter.