Customer Reviews

Café Valencia 2 Traveler Cup Coffee Maker

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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Unpackaged the maker and craving a cup of coffee, I cleaned the cups and the filters, installed the carbon filter*, and filled reservoir for 2 x 12 oz cups (full capacity) to run the machine twice as recommended for all new coffee makers. First clear run worked fine, and I was feeling satisfied with my purchase. I decided to skip a second 'clear' run and go ahead with the grinds. Set up machine, flipped the switch on top, and at the base... Nothing. Unplugged and let sit for 30 minutes. Tried again... not a perk could be heard. The indicator light was on but the machine ceased to brew. I never even got a taste. I could have had a bit of bad luck and received a defective machine (was sold as new, not refurb BTW).

Even if I could find a way to get a replacement I wouldn't go for this one again, DOA aside, the unit is flimsy, there are no safety measures to keep yourself from being scolded if the water percs while the lid is ajar. From what I could tell there was no auto shutoff of the heating element - little scary. Finally, the pieces - all - of them don't really sit well with each other, the mugs are clunky and difficult to position without fidgeting with it, the lid on the reservoir/filter compartment has no latch or mechanism to secure it closed. Many of the plastic parts are slightly warped and don't quite fit nicely.

Overall I would say skip this machine, it is a Chinese, OEM branded, $[...] coffee maker with a brand name meant to sound sophisticated, elegant, quality, etc. Not so. The manufacturer is unheard of and there is no particular place to purchase replacement parts or request repair.

*Water quality, which the manufacturer plays up a bit much, touting its 'filtration system' is merely another marketing gimmick to help this poorly made unit sell. The filtration as it is, a small carbon pellet that is standard with many if not most machines today - it wont make your water or coffee taste any better.

UPDATE: Many months after purchasing this product and making every attempt to contact the Maker/MFG./Distributor I have yet to receive a reply. I urge you to go to their website and find their 800 number and email if you are considering this product. As far as I can tell, no one actually works for or cares about this company/brand as you will not get an answer, return call from voicemail, or a reply to email inquiry. Luckily, I was credited by the seller for the full purchase price. The seller did not want the item back! Ought to tell you something about this item. So, I have it all boxed up ready to be...?

Firs off, in the interests of fairness, I bought this coffee maker on WOOT from about half what Amazon currently is selling it for. That means that it's been a better value to me overall than if might be if I'd paid full price.

I love this coffee maker. It's easy to use, brews a good cup (or two!) of coffee, and doesn't take up much counter space. Since my wife and I are both caffeine addicts, we brew a fair amount of coffee, but rarely need the capacity of our full 12 cup brewer. This allows she or I to brew a cup for ourselves with a minimum of fuss.

The filters used are the reusable metal-mesh variety. They work very well. I've been using this brewer for over 6-months and have never found any coffee grounds in my coffee.

The stainless steel mugs are better quality than what you'd normally get from an inexpensive stainless mug. The lids seal tightly and are functional. The base of the mug is NOT slip resistant (rubberized) which would have been nice of them to include. It's understandable why they didn't however, since the mugs need to be slid into the coffee brewer and they sit in place fairly firmly--a rubberized bottom might have made that a hassle.

My only real complaint with the brewer is the control dial to choose the left, right, or both mugs. The instructions state to 'turn until you near a click' when either selecting the L or R mug. However, the dial only clicks when turned to the right side, and never does on the left. However, it does brew just fine to either L or R mug.

Another minor complaint is that the lid of the brewer doesn't fasten closed, even when you've selected one or both of the mugs. This isn't a problem from a brewing standpoint, but after using many coffee makers over the years, it's been my experience that brewers that don't lock the lid shut (and have a plastic lid) will warp over time as the plastic is heated and reheated several hundred times.

The coffee this brewer makes is of course dependent on your beans and water quality, but if given fresh ground beans and pure water it will brew an EXCELLENT cup of coffee, just as good as my Cuisinart DCC-1200. It might not be as good as the ridiculously priced single cup CLOVER that Starbucks sells, but if you want a fantastic cup of joe from a relatively inexpensive brewer, this Cafe Valencia model isn't bad.

Overall I'm very pleased with this brewer (especially since I got mine for much cheaper than the retail price) and woudl recommend it to someone who wants a 1-2 cup coffee brewer.

************************UPDATE 11-21-2009****************************

The plastic liners of the stainless steel mugs have gotten loose inside their housings (one actually can be pulled right out). I'm guessing the constant heating\cooling cycle plays havoc with most adhesives. I was able to easily fix this issue using some Gorilla Glue, which is not affected by temperature. However, be advised that this issue may come up for you. Thankfully, it's easily remedied with a little glue.

Pro:
Reusable filters
1 or 2 cups
Each side has own filter
Quick

Con:
Will only use included mugs for output
Water filter hard to replace
Hard to clean
Expensive

The low down is this - it worked for what I needed, a single cup of coffee in the morning before work.
I kept the left side for coffee, the right side for tea - for that purpose it worked great.
However, the only reason I'm doing this review is because I was searching for a replacement, as it just broke on me.
I've only had it for a few months - I'd say go with something a bit more hefty unless this is exactly what you're looking for.

Find another machine if you're smart. This one is not a good deal. The switches don't work properly, the pretty metal trim popped loose on the second use, cups get hot on the outside and the coffee goes cold quickly. And, when you open up the top to put water in it, the condensation from the previous uses runs down the back of the machine and puddles on your counter. It has no automatic shut off, which makes it a potential fire hazard.

Coffeemaker worked great until it was 6 weeks old...then the on/off switch shorted out and the thing is now junk!
DON"T BUY THIS!

In my eyes, MANY instances of poor product quality (see other reviews) and lifetime and lack of customer support = NEGATIVE STARS.

I got this item from Woot almost a year ago as an impulse buy and like an idiot I didn't unpack it until recently. I moved a few weeks ago and this has now become my only coffee maker. The night before, I did the recommended cleaning of brewing clean water twice and it was fine. In the morning, I poured the water in, spooned the coffee into the basket, plugged it in and turned on the power. 15 minutes later, I came out of the bathroom and NOTHING. All I see is the little red indicator light mocking me!!! It was a very BAD morning. I figured it was my own error, but I have since spent time trying to figure it out and also left it on for as long as 1/2 an hour and still NADA, NOTHING at all. Like the other reviewers, the machine simply stopped working.

I called the manufacturer - Weatherworks - and all I get is a message "Due to network difficulties, your call cannot be connected at this time, please try again later." It's the same message every single time I've called. I've emailed them and its been two weeks and not even an automated "Thanks for contacting us..." email. Ridiculous.

It's no wonder they got an F from the Better Business Bureau:
[...]

I was very happy with this coffee maker for about a week. It can make one or two cups each using a different type of coffee. It made great coffee, but since stopped working within the first week I really can't recommend it. I sent unit back for a refund.

Out of the package the plastic base on one of the cups was broken. It says to run with water only 2 times to clean the unit. It worked the first time, but the second time did nothing. I emptied it out and unplugged it overnight and tried again in the morning. The light came on, but nothing happened. It says that it does have automatic shutoff, but 8 hours later I came home to find all the water still in the resevoir and the light still on.

I got this on woot.com and all the reviews there are similar. Some people said that theirs worked for a month or two. One person reported shipping it to the manufacturer only to have it returned marked the recipient moved with no forwarding info.