Customer Reviews

Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug

5 star:		(724)
4 star:		(289)
3 star:		(110)
2 star:		(105)
1 star:		(167)

 

 

I bought this coffeemaker for home about 2 months ago and I love it! It is extremely convenient to be able to quickly brew coffee for just one person. The best features of this unit are:

1. It has a built in, "permanent" filter which is a HUGE plus. No more running out of filters, EVER.

2. It is fast. In just a couple minutes I can go from sleep to sipping coffee.

3. It brews the coffee right into the travel mug. The unit I bought included an extra mug which is also a great convenience.

4. It is inexpensive!

The only downside I can see is that I would have made the travel mugs a bit larger, but that is not a serious problem. I would buy this coffeemaker again without hesitation.

I read the reviews before ordering this personal coffee maker, and since some people had 'overflow problems' and some talked about coffee not being quite hot enough, I almost didn't get it.

Glad I went ahead. First, I put a small tray under the coffee maker in case of an overflow...I also always use a No. 1 size Mellita Filter in the basket, which makes it easier to clean and may help with the overflow problem, since I have never had that happen.

I use Folger's Classic Roast and use one and a half scoops with a regular size coffee scooper..I fill the cup within about 1/2" of the top and pour it in...put the cup in place, click the switch and ......perfectly hot, full bodied coffee every time with no problems at all so far...have used it about 20 times.

It makes a great large cup of coffee and the mug has a very comfortable feel to it. This coffee maker comes in handy when you don't want to mess with a full pot and it is very fast. I couldn't be more pleased - well worth the price!

This nifty little coffeemaker is difficult to find in stores, so I was glad to see it at Amazon. It saved my marriage because my spouse doesn't drink coffee (hates the stuff) and there's no pot to clean. Even though it comes with a huge mug, the coffee tastes best when you use it with a normal china mug or cup, and with beans that are ground fine. I'm on my second one -- it lasts about four to five years in daily use. Not bad for the money. I won't drink coffee that's been sitting for more than five minutes, so the Brew 'n Go is perfect. If you're the only Joe drinker in the house, it's an absolute must!

I have had this machine for five years now so I thought someone might like to here a long term review. Mine does not have a stainless cup, but my cup is tapered like this one.

Pros:

1) Brews 1 cup (I'm the only one who drinks it).

2) Quick, about 2 minutes to brew and 5 to finish dripping.

3) Easy to clean. I have rinsed the entire unit several times.

4) No trash. Comes with a permanent filter.

5) Filter cleans easily. Just tap out the coffee in the trash and rinse.

5) Can be used with a timer. See below for explanation.

6) Takes up very little space.

7) Can be used with other cups. As long as you don't overflow the reservoir and your cup will fit under it, the cup will work.

Cons:

1) It is gravity fed through the filter so 5 minutes may be too long for some.

2) Be sure to line up the exit spout with hole. Once you get it you will see, but if you don't you will have coffee all over your counter.

3) If you grind you coffee to fine, you will get coffee grinds on the inside of the machine. No big deal as you can rinse the unit off easily.

Timer:

Once you activate the unit it will run until the reservoir is empty. The only way to stop it is to unplug it. However, if you plug it back in it will pick up where it left of. If you activate it with it unplugged, it will start as soon as it is plugged in. Therefore, if you want coffee when you wake up, all you need is a wall timer (about $5 from many sources). Set the timer to activate in the morning when you want your coffee. Prepare the machine like normal, depressing the activation button. When the timer turns on in the morning the machine will begin brewing your coffee.

I recently read all of the customer reviews on this product and found myself laughing. Doesn't anyone know how to brew a cup of coffee? This product is excellent and I haven't had one single problem with my Brew 'n Go.

I've heard that it overflows; that they can't pour the water into the unit; that the coffee tastes like rubber; that the maker turns on magically--or won't turn on at all; that coffee grounds get everywhere, etc. I think the problem must be with the users themselves.

The first time I used this, I read the instructions beforehand, plugged it in, put my 2 tablespoons of coffee into the filter-- which is great I might add--filled my cup up with water, poured it in, added sugar and creamer to my cup, put the lid on, put it under the brewer, hit the switch, then had a steaming cup of wonderful coffee in seconds. I got to throw out my electronic mug warmer, too, since the coffee stays hotter longer.

This product is great for people on the go, for people who only drink a cup of coffee a day, and for people who don't like to spend an eternity cleaning up!

After using a Braun KF400 coffee maker for a number of years, I decided to look for an alternative that was smaller, faster and easier to clean. I am the only coffee drinker in my household, so I rarely made a full pot with the Braun. At home, I would generally make coffee on the weekends (the coffee at work is fine) and would pour from the pot into an insulated mug. So the idea of brewing right into the insulated mug was appealing.

Enter the Black and Decker DCM18S. The mug holds 15.5 ounces of java, which was about what I was making in the Braun. I've owned the machine about 3 weeks now and have made coffee about 8 times. Personally, I find that 2 level coffee scoops work well for a full mug. I ordered from Amazon after failing to find the product in either Target, Linens `n Things or Bed Bath and Beyond.

I find the taste on par with the Braun, although I'd probably give the Braun a slight edge. The convenience of the DCM18S was worth the switch. Just simply fill the reservoir to the full line, put the coffee into the permanent filter, put some milk in the mug, cover the mug and press the ON switch. The coffee will flow off the lid, into the mug. You can also keep the lid off if you want to add sugar and stir. I don't use sugar, so putting the lid on while brewing helps keep the temperature high.

Clean up is easy. Just empty the filter of the grinds, rinse the filter, and clean out the mug. With the Braun, I had to clean the pot and the two piece cover, plus the mug. Also, the Braun's warming plate was hot, so I'd usually put a little water in the pot and return it to the plate while it cooled down. Otherwise, someone could get burned because they wouldn't know the plate was still hot. With the DCM18S, there is no hot plate, so there's no risk of getting burned by it.

I did try using a Melitta #1 paper filter instead of the permanent filter once. It was a little small for two scoops of coffee, so there is a chance that the grinds could spill over the filter and into the coffee. In my one test, I didn't get grinds in the coffee, but the permanent filter rinses out easily enough and you save the expense of paper filters.

A couple of minor gripes. While the handle on the mug is comfortable, the body of the mug is somewhat hot if you hold it in hand. The other gripe is that the fill line inside the reservoir is hard to read. I have a Brita water pitcher so I want to pour from the pitcher direct into the reservoir, and avoid pouring into the mug first.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Brew `N Go. My rating is closer to 4.5 stars, but because of the quibbles and the fact that the taste of the Braun gets a slight edge, I chose 4 stars instead of 5.

Update 8/13/2006: After using the DCM18S for about 9 months, I began having a problem where the grinds would wind up in the coffee. I use two coffee scoops, but this wasn't a problem earlier. I'm not sure whether this is caused by the water overflowing or caused by the pulsing steam at the end of the process. Either way, it has happened enough lately that I took out my old Braun and "retired" the Black and Decker.

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

I love the IDEA of this product as I'm the only one in the house that drinks coffee and only usually have one cup at a time. The unit is small and the mug attractive. However, I've used this three times now, and ALL three times, the grounds from the coffee spill over into the rest of the unit from the filter. I'm using the recommended amount and yet the filter seems to be too small or not working properly.

It also doesn't work as fast as I would think for a product called "Brew N Go". It seems like it is done, but then if you take the travel mug away, it keeps dripping ... all over your counter.. for a few minutes.

The hassle of cleaning up grounds from everywhere is starting to outweight the benefit of having fresh coffee at home.

5 weeks after I purchased this coffee maker it quit working. I contacted Black and Decker about it and they sent me to another company (Applica Consumer Products) that actually manufacture and produce the coffee maker for them. This company responded only after a long while and simply said, "We're sorry, we have not experienced any problems with this coffee maker so we are unable to refund your money." Another comment from Applica worth noting was: "Applica Consumer Products does not have a money back guarantee policy." What this means is, if you are unhappy for any reason with your Black and Decker/Applica Consumer Product, well too bad! You bought it and if you don't like or it quits working, you're SOL!

If you are in the market for a personal-type coffee maker, such as the Black and Decker Brew N Go, I would suggest you avoid this one like the plaque!

Wanted to note that this coffee maker will put grounds in your coffee if you use the amount of water and grounds that the package instructions tell you to. The package instructions say to use about 2.5 tablespoons of grounds and almost a full mug of water. When I did that I got grounds in my coffee. When I use about 2/3 or 3/4 a mug of water and 1 scoop (about 1 tablespoon) of grounds, I got a great tasting cup of coffee with no grounds. NOTE: I use fine ground coffee though - which means I get a stronger taste with less grounds.

This is the perfect little coffee maker to sit on my desk at work. The mug does a great job of keeping the coffee warm long after it is brewed.