Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug
by Black & Decker
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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 |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug
Customer Review: If I had only known about this thing sooner
Summary: 5 Stars
First, I must start off by saying that I absolutely love this thing. It produces a hot cup of coffee in just a couple of minutes. I drink one cup of coffee a day at work so this is the first thing I use when I get to the office in the morning. After I'm done making my coffee, I unplug it and store it in my overhead bin and nobody even knows it's there (I don't know if it's against policy to have something like this where I work, so rather than raise suspicions, out of sight-out of mind).
Onto my experiences with the brew n' go.
5/5: The end result: THE COFFEE!
This thing makes a great cup of coffee. So far I've used a medium grind on the coffee beans and I can't think of anything bad to say about the flavor. I get a great cup of coffee every time!
4/5 Stars: The Built In Filter
First, I don't even use the built in filter any more. The main reason I wanted this coffee maker is because I wanted a quick cup of coffee with the least amount of cleanup as possible. Using the built in filter worked great the first couple of times, but there's no sink near my desk. So I would have to carry a dirty plastic filter halfway across my building to clean it out. If you intend to use the provided filter, it does work great. However, you will notice a bit of oil from the coffee beans floating on top of your coffee after it's brewed. If this isn't your thing, you may want to consider what I do.
As I said, I don't use the built in filter. I've purchased very small filters from Publix that are a little too big (around) but pushing them in there has worked fine for me so far. This works out great. There are two advantages for me: 1. After the coffee is done brewing, I can just pull that filter out and throw it in the garbage, and then I can wipe out the coffee maker with a paper towel. Quick and easy. 2. You won't see near as much of that oil floating on top of your coffee in your cup if you use a paper filter.
5/5 Stars: Cleanup
What can I say here other than the fact that this thing is a breeze to clean. Whether you use the built in filter or buy small filters from your gorcery store, you'll find that this thing is about as painless as can be when it comes to cleanup.
Final Thoughts:
I hope by this point you can tell that I love this thing. There are a couple of things I would like to point out.
- It's not the quietest coffee maker I've ever heard, but it doesn't stay on all that long either
- I've heard that if you try to put too much coffee into the filter, it may overflow and you'll have a big mess on your hands - so people who like super strong coffee, this may not be your thing (unless you can find the perfectly strong coffee grind that two tablespoons will work)
I absolutely love this thing. I get a good cup of coffee every morning that takes minimal time to make, and the cleanup is a breeze.
Customer Review: Buy this machine!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't imagine what in the world these people are doing to these machines who say it only works a few times! I have always found B&D personal coffee machines extraordinarily dependable. Buy it! We have 2 in our kitchen that each receive daily use. One is mine and is over 4 years old, and the other is my wife's for her flavored coffee, and is over two years old. About a month back, I purchased my 3rd one for use at my desk at work, to replace my previous B&D coffee maker that was almost 12 years old and still worked except that the body developed a leak. I am a VERY heavy coffee drinker at work, and the new one has already brewed over 100 cups, at 5-6 cups a day. These are very dependable machines and the best deal you're going to find.
In reading some of the customer criticisms, beware of "user error". If the cup overflows, isn't it obvious that the person put too much water in the reservoir? Hardly the machine's fault. You'll need to experiment a bit because coffee cups come in all shapes and sizes. If you fill the reservoir, that might even be too much for the cup that comes with the unit.
Tip to Ms. Rice: If you are seeing grounds in the coffee and/or the filter is overflowing before the water drains through, it means that your coffee is ground too-fine; for example, if you are using espresso-ground coffee. Try a courser grind and I'm sure the mess will go away. Even with a courser grind, if you use the permanent filter that comes with the unit, you WILL see fine residue at the bottom of the cup, just like if you had used a French Press. I don't particularly like that, so I always use a #1 Melitta filter instead. BTW, Amazon has the best price on them as well!
A few people mentioned the unit not using all the water in the reservoir before shutting off, but none of them mentioned whether this was the first cup or a subsequent cup. I have also seen this on occasion, when I make a second cup immediately after making the first. Maybe there is a shut-off feature in the product to shut it down if it gets too hot? No major issue though, I just press the On button a second time to complete the cycle.
Lastly, some people have mentioned temperature variation of the coffee. I drink my coffee black, and have never noticed any temperature variation from the machine. I have made thousands of cups of coffee over the years with multiple units of this type, and the coffee is consistently hot.
While it is certainly possible to get a "lemon" with any product, the odds are pretty low with this machine. Over many years, I have found the quality of these B&D coffee makers to be very high, and an incredible value for the money. Happy brewing!
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: awesome purpose with low cost
Summary: 5 Stars
first of all.. amazon always has perfect shipping, it's quick and the box is in a perfect size. (not too small but not too big to carry)
i've used the machine for a couple of weeks. the machine is super easy to use, only requires a button, so no complicated directions or anything. since i'm always in a hurry to school, it is really nice to have a permanent filter instead of paper filters that need to be replaced all the time. the filter is easy to wash, just need to rinse it under water and it's all good. also, it acts as a water boiler so i can also have tea too if i want to. and the machine is really efficient, i get coffee/hot water within 2 minutes, save me time to boil water in a pot for double the amount of time.
as much as i like the coffeemaker, there are some down sides to it.. the cup that comes with it has a plastic inner linings, but makes the coffee to go cold in around an hour. since i drink it on the way to school, it's good for me. but if someone prefers to have it over a long period of time then s/he might need another mug to pour the coffee into. also, the metal outer surface gets really really hot after a few minutes (since the heat is not well preserved at the first place). i'm glad the cup has a rubber handle or else i'll burn my hand.. but holding the handle for too long hurts my wrist a little, esp with a whole cup of coffee as a weight. also, the lid has nothing to seal the hole you drink from, so if you have a full cup of coffee and walk too fast, it'll spill all over the place.
overall, it's an awesome product, with an attractive low price. having a personal coffeemaker makes it convenient to get one exact cup of coffee in just 2 minutes. it's a great purchase with amazon too. i'd recommend anyone to get it.
so if bullet form works better for anyone:
pros:
- low cost
- quick boiling
- convenient with cup offered with the machine
- easy to use
- permanent filter saves money and effort
- easy to wash
cons:
- bad heat preservation (the cup)
- the lid of the cup doesn't have anything to seal the hole you drink from
Customer Review: You Gotta Have IT!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
For 17 dollars, come on!!! That's like one plain shirt in Old Navy.
Here let me help you out if this coffee maker and you are compatible:
1. Do you drink alot of coffee? If yes then dont get this. Get the six-cup coffee maker. This is for people who drinks 1-2-3 cups a DAY. If you drink more than that it might frustrate you to constantly fill the compartment every now and then. But if you're patient enough to wait for less than a minute, then get it.
2. No need for those filters. Saves the environment and money.
3. Do you want a quickie clean-up? If yes, the get this. Just rinse with water and you're fine.
Hey guys, I read tons of reviews before buying this. I liked it because its light, portable, cleans easily, cheap and environmentally friendly (not to mention economically).
There are some negative in Amazon because they follwed the guidelines in the paper. Here's my precaustions to have a perfect cup:
1. Make sure you dont fill it all with water. Try making 3/4 cups, just to be in the safe side.
2. Use Starbucks ground coffee---it'll make you feel glad you're saving $4.
3. You can use another mug or coffee cup to suit your taste. I got a smiley face mug from the 99c store. Some reviews mentioned that the travel mug smells like rubber when they bought it. duh! that's because its new. All you have to do is wash it with dishwashing liquid. If that's too difficult, then dont buy the coffee maker.
All in all, Im satisfied with my purchase. This is my first coffee maker (I personally bought) and it sure is very cute and useful. Its super cheap--but the most important aspect of it---IT WORKS.
Dont expect like those heavy-weight and dramatic coffee makers. This belongs to a whole new genre. Definitely not your poshy restaurant/hotel coffee maker. Its just a simple plastic toy-like coffee maker that works.
I think I better go. Im at work and making this review?! What's wrong with me---I just like my Brew N Go