Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.39 You Save: $2.60 (13%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $17.31 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug
Customer Review: Great for singles on the go!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just moved into my first apartment that I share with my non-coffee drinking roommate. I was looking for a small, simple and easy method to make coffee in the mornings. I must say this little gizmo has saved me time and money. I buy and grind my own flavored beans and I'm just as satisfied as if I went to the coffee shop and spent $3 for a gourmet blend. So far I have been thrilled with this little unit, with only one minor complaint.
I grind my own beans and from start to finish I have a perfect cup of coffee in under two minutes. This is great because especially on those mornings when I NEED my cup of coffee I don't usually have a lot of time. Even if I left the coffee sit on the counter for a few minutes it's still piping hot when I'm ready to drink. The automatic shutoff is nice for peace of mind. The size is right, doesn't take up a lot of space in my small kitchen and it's a attractive little unit that I don't mind having out on my counter all the time. On the rare occasion when I do have company I can very quickly make a second cup without any delay.
The size of the cup is perfect. I try to only drink coffee a few days a week and this provides the perfect my needs. I've also noticed I seem to be making better coffee. With my previous 4-cup coffee maker I was never quite getting the proportion of water to grinds right but since this coffee maker make one serving once you know how much coffee to use you've got it made. The built in filter saves me time, mess and money. I don't have to go looking through the cabinets and pulling out coffee filters each morning. Clean up is super easy, just give the filter a quick rinse under the sink and you're good to go.
My only complaint would be the travel mug that comes with the coffee maker isn't my favorite. Though I've never had any problems with it the handle seems a little flimsy. Also, it's an awkward size so doesn't fit the tall standard size coffee tumblers you find at Starbucks, etc. However, you can easily replace the mug and brew directly into any standard or oversized mug. While it is one extra step I usually brew into a large mug and then pour that into one of my tall Starbucks coffee tumblers. The volume of the coffee is the same, it's minor annoyance but easily fixable.
All in all I'd give this product 4.5 stars for the mug annoyance but I have been quite happy with my product and would purchase another one if the need ever came to replace this one. Makes a great gift for any single coffee lover you know.
Customer Review: I started out really liking this coffee maker...but
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this coffee maker for my mother. At first, it had a "new plastic smell" but we no longer smell the plastic.
When we tried the coffee maker out, I had it sitting on a table that wasn't quite level and the water did not finish emptying out of the back of the coffee maker. Now that I have leveled up the table, the coffee maker works fine. (See updates below, as I had to return this coffee maker for a refund)
My mother really likes this coffee pot and we decided after reading reviews to just use the cone filters. I couldn't find the small cone filters, so I got the #4 filters and trimmed an inch off of the top and those work really good. The coffee maker makes a good hot cup of coffee. I haven't had any problems with the grounds getting into the coffee or any running over of coffee out of the maker or anything.
We cleaned the coffee maker with vinegar and water before using it. We hooked up a surge protector as an extension cord and we flip the switch on the surge protector after we have made a cup of coffee.
When putting the filter cup back into the maker, you have to make sure that you have the cup into the maker correctly. There is a tab that fits into the slot, but you have to make sure that the cup is also sitting level(not a big deal). I really like this little coffee maker, it is really nice!
UPDATE: The little coffee maker would not work correctly, so I am returning it to amazon for a refund. After I leveled the table, the coffee maker worked for a short time, but it started to not finish brewing again. I may purchase another one from a local store to see if I can get one that works right (If I have enough guts to do so). I hope I have luck in the new purchase. This little coffee maker would be wonderful if I could get one that works. I will add another update to give the details IF I get a new one.
UPDATE #2: I was given a refund from amazon.com for the coffee maker. Thank goodness I bought this from amazon so that I had 30 days to get a refund. I purchased another one of these little coffee makers at a local department store that has a 30-day refund policy. So far, the coffee maker is working just fine! I am thrilled with the purchase I have made. I would hope that if anyone decides to purchase one of these coffee makers, that they will make sure that they can get a full refund for a defective product from the company that they purchase the coffee maker from. Good Luck!
Customer Review: My husband seems to like it
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this coffeemaker for my husband because I felt bad for him having to heat up the tea kettle for that last cup of instant to take on the road in the morning. It is pretty flimsy, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot for the $20 or so that I spent. He seems happy enough with the quality of the coffee that it brews. I found it appealing because it has the permanent filter...this isn't the sort of thing that you would want to fool with paper filters on, the whole point of the thing is convenience. Also, the price was right.
The mug itself is a bit odd...it is an awkward almost cone-shaped design with a big, awkward rubber handle..it looks pretty silly and feels like it could snap apart. And good luck buying replacement mugs...even though you could potentially use other to-go containers, the problem would be finding one that would fit under the spout...the space only fits a mug that is about 5 to 5.5 inches high, so I couldn't purchase a nice backup mug from LL Bean as I had planned. I could get him the cardboard throw away cups, but that sort of defeats the purpose of brewing your own coffee at home to save money.
The bottom line is I regret not springing for the Cuisinart Two to go...I didn't realize at the time that you could purchase the gold tone filter separately for $8.00 and thought we would be relegated to paper filters..but that puts the price at almost $50, more than double the price of this black and decker. I am figuring this thing will break in a few months..at which point I will upgrade him to the Cuisinart. I am glad I gave this as a just because and not as an actual present because I think I would have been embarrassed by the poor quality.
One added bonus...I get to do a lot of good-natured ribbing about his "poor man's Keurig"....yes, even though I am the one who bought it, I still make fun of him for using it.
**Update 12/4/10** The travel mug is starting to collect water in between the stainless steel outer layer and plastic inner lining...as I mentioned before, most travel mugs (all that I have looked at) will not fit under the spout. So, my husband has started using the original mug just to collect the brewed coffee, and then he transfers it into a better mug to take on the go.
Customer Review: I like it !
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a lady janitor and true to the myth janitors take lot's of coffee breaks. I was hitting up the local Dunkin Donuts twice a day.At $2.16 a cup it was getting to be an expensive habit for a lady janitors purse.
I considered getting a Keruig brewer but the cost and the cost of pods was too high for my budget.I also wanted to brew Dunkin Donuts brand ground coffee.
What I like about the Brew 'n Go:
*The price is perfect!
*Small and light weight.It's quite small but I would not say this is "desktop size"
*Brews fast! Takes only about 3-5 minutes to brew a cup.
*Brews a generous amount of coffee.
*Coffee is very hot! Yes, the outer mug surface gets hot but unless your tender skinned it not too hot to hold.The mug keeps it warm for quite a long time.
*I love that it shuts off automatically.
What I don't like about the Brew 'n Go:
*It takes quite a few tries to peg down exactly how much grinds to use to get a perfect cup.Use too much and you end up with a bitter,messy cup of coffee mixed with grinds (That can happen even if use decide to use a paper filter) Use too few grinds and the coffee will be weak.So, keep in mind that there will be a learning curve to get to your "perfect cup"
*The mug is nice however it does hold the aroma of coffee after just a few uses.I wash it just after finishing my coffee and I still cannot get the cup to smell clean.This may be an issue for tea/coffee drinkers intending to go back and forth from coffee to tea. ****UPDATE**** I have since purchased a stainless steel lined mg to replace the mug that came with coffee maker. The included mug became unusable after a few months of use because it held a strong odor.
*The power cord is rather short.This may limit it's placement or require an extension cord.
Overall, I like it! The price is great.If you are on the fence about getting a Keruig personal brewer perhaps try this first as the price is much lower and the serving size is bigger! I use the #2 cone filters and they fit and work perfectly! The use of a paper filter is neater and faster than using the permanent filter.In closing I find it to be an excellent value.
Customer Review: Good single cup coffeemaker
Summary: 4 Stars
The Brew `N Go Coffeemaker makes one mug of coffee. It comes with a mug rest, travel mug with handle, mug lid, brew basket and permanent filter. Besides making coffee you can use the coffeemaker to brew hot water for other hot beverages such as tea, hot chocolate, instant oatmeal, soups, and more.
What I like about the Brew `N Go Coffeemaker:
The fact that it makes one cup of coffee. I'm the only one in the house who drinks coffee and this way, I'm not making a large pot that no one else drinks. It is very easy to use: using the travel mug you pour water into the water dispenser (when deciding how much water to use make sure to leave room for cream and sugar) that way you decide how much coffee to drink. After pouring the water, add milk, and whatever sweeteners you want to use into the mug, put the lid on the travel mug, and put it on the mug rest. Add the amount of coffee you want into the permanent filter, close the cover and turn the coffee pot on (another plus is the coffeemaker automatically shuts off when the brewing cycle is done). The coffee is ready in just a few minutes. The mug lid, brew basket, and permanent filter are very easy to clean. And since the travel mug is stainless steel there's no worry about it breaking while you're cleaning it. The coffee is quite tasty.
What I don't like about the Brew `N Go Coffeemaker:
It can be a bit messy. It is not always easy to judge how much water to put into the reservoir and my coffeemaker has dripped excess water a few times. Because the lid is on the travel mug during the brewing process it can get quite dirty (but it is very easy to clean). I like my coffee to be hot I it find the coffee isn't quite hot enough for my taste. The mug rest is not a warmer so I end up transferring the coffee to another cup that I can stick in the microwave to heat the coffee up. Also, when washing the travel mug water seems to get inside the lining and the mug leaks from the top were placed upside down after washing.
Bottom-line:
While there are a few things I don't like about the Brew `N Go Coffeemaker, there are a lot more things I do like about it and recommend it for anyone looking for a single cup coffee maker.