Customer Reviews

Cuisinart TTG-500 Two-to-Go Coffeemaker

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I bought this for the purpose that the machine was designed for, drinking coffee on the go. It's not the traditional coffeemaker that's used for sipping coffee while lounging around reading the newspaper on a Saturday morning. But, it's very convenient, since there is no carafe to wash or worry about. It's also a quick brewing maker. The coffee tastes very good, but don't expect to let it sit there since there's no hot plate. I suggest brewing it right before you leave and put the thermos top on right away. The machine is the bare minimum in bells and whistles (one button, the on or brew button). The two thermos' are very nice and keep the beverage fresh and warm for usually 2-3 hours. The only complaint that I have about the whole product is the thermos tops though. They are very tricky to drink out of without dribbling... a bad thing if you're driving in traffic, and one that could have embarrasing consequences on your pants or shirt if you're going straight to work. If you can master that though this would be a well recommended purchase.

My husband and I found this at a store at a very reduced price, and decided to pick it up. We have a traditional coffeemaker already but my husband finds that he usually does not drink the entire pot of coffee, so he winds up with a lot of wasted coffee. Pluse we figured that at the price we were getting it for, it was worth the price for the two stainless commuter mugs alone.
I am very impressed by how well this works. The coffee comes out tasting very good, and it's very fast. Due to the ease of making coffee with this machine I even find myself drinking coffee a lot more often than I used to- I used to NEVER drink coffee.
However, I do have a couple of minor suggestions to Cuisinart for future editions of this coffeemaker: it would be really helpful if the base had some kind of warming feature. Since these mugs have stainless steel surfaces they cannot be microwaved, so if you can't drink the coffee immediately it would be nice if there was a warming element on the base. I've also noticed that although there's a dual spout to brew the coffee into both mugs simultaneously the brewing isn't exactly even, so it would be helpful if that could be improved in the future. Also, the product brochure does not recommend putting these mugs in the dishwasher; since one of the selling points of this coffeemaker is convenience for people on the go, it would be nice if the mugs could be machine-washed rather than hand-washed. But another perk of this coffeemaker is the fact that any commuter mug can be used, so if you have one of those plastic travel mugs from Starbucks, those are microwave and dishwasher safe, so you can opt to use those to brew the coffee instead.
I don't know if I would ever pay the list price for this machine; to me it's not worth it. But given the price that Amazon seems to offer it at on a regular basis, it is well worth that price for convenience and for the reduction of wasted coffee.
Another plus is that this coffeemaker is really low-profile; we don't have much counter space left with all our kitchen gadgets and this takes up a lot less space than traditional coffeemakers.

All in all, this coffeemaker is recommended for:

* Those who only drink one or two cups of coffee a day
* People who are on the run a lot and don't have time to fuss with an entire pot of coffee
* People with small kitchens who can't have a traditional coffeemaker cluttering up their counter space
* College students, for a whole variety of good reasons

This coffeemaker is NOT recommended for:

* People who drink a whole pot of coffee. If you do so, just get a traditional coffeemaker unless you want to brew one cup at a time... of course even for those who do drink a whole pot of coffee there's something to be said for having a fresh cup every time! So, then, maybe it's recommended even in this case!

Many things about the design are good, especially its simplicity. There is one area, however, where a little more complexity may have paid off. Even before I brewed the first batch, I was curious about how the unit would evenly distribute the coffee between the mugs. The answer is: Not well.

The mechanism for separating the two streams of coffee is a sloping divider that peaks below where the coffee drips from the filter funnel. Half of the coffee is supposed to find its way down one side and half should go down the other. Does that happen? Not in the 6 batches I've brewed since receiving this as a gift.

I have always found that one cup is almost twice as full as the other. Watch out if you are planning to brew two full cups, one will overflow if you are not carefull. I'm thinking of putting a few matchbooks under one side to see if that evens out the distribution. Talk about your jury-rigs.

Ok, I will concede that it make a good, hot cup of coffee that stays hot for a good while. It is still disappointing to find that the dual mug feature really doesn't work.

Most people don't realize that the heating plates under your carafes make your coffee bitter. The thermos-style carafes, including this unique design, result is much better tasting coffee, and keep it hot for hours if you put the top on.

This particular unit is very cool. I honestly am not a very tidy person, my sink is full of stuff to clean, but with this I only have to wash out two cups and run normal water through the unit to clean. I really can't understand why there are not more of these available, they skip an annoying step in the daily coffee making process, and it keeps the bitter away!

We have 4 coffee drinkers who rise and set at different times. This little coffee maker fits the bill for a good hot unspoiled cup of coffee at any time (I'm not dumping stale pots down the drain much any more). You don't have to toss the regular coffee maker, it is still good on weekends, but when you want a cup at 12 midnight, and if someone else happens to want a brew as well, the decision is brainless. It uses readily available cone filters and makes a great tasting "big" cup.

We have had this unit for over a year and it's great. We became addicted to a certain coffee at our bagel joint. After a morning of surveillance we saw the girl restock the coffee & we got the brand of coffee. I ordered two cases. Now coffee is [less] each day, without the trip.
The unit is flawless if you are awake enough to know what your doing. Perfect, hot coffee everytime. I set it all up at night without the cream & sugar so I can blindly hit the switch in the morning, then jump into the shower. You need to stir the sugar anyway! We use two rounded tablespoons per cup.
I'm buying one for the office now. It makes a single cup just as well as two cups. The deal they have includes another insulated cup. These cups cost [a lot]. I'll give the extras to my inlaws for a present.
The pluses are obvious. The downside is; 1. No timer & 2. paper filters. But they do make cleaning easier, no rinsing.

Hey, this Cuisinart appeared to be just the ticket for two people who needed coffee at the same time, and on the go. But as someone else noted, the ON/OFF switch went south and would stop brewing. Only after repeatedly hitting the switch approximately 5 times could I get some coffee brewed. I could live with the cup on the right filling up sooner than the left; I ended up transferring the excess coffee from one to the other. At least I got 90 days of use out of it, twice as much as another reviewer.

Really cool coffee maker! My husband and I don't have time to drink coffee at home in the morning, and I have tried brewing regular coffee and pouring it into travel mugs, but it takes so much time! This coffee maker is an ideal solution....
I found that the two mugs were filled almost identically, unlike another reviewer noted. Maybe that was a defective unit? The coffee is very tasty, and it did brew very quickly. I like the fact that the stainless steel mugs are plastic inside. Although it may not keep it warm quite as long, mugs that are stainless inside tend to develop an off flavor after a while. I don't think that this will happen with these mugs.
The only reason I have given this machine 4 stars instead of 5 is that it should have a timer. A real time saver would have taken that into consideration. I think I may buy an exterior timer, the kind you can use with lights, and fix this problem myself.
This coffee maker will save us money, because my husband and I both tend to buy coffee at work if we don't get it at home. He gets his from the awful vending machine! Thsi will definately be a tastier option. If you are busy in the morning but enjoy your coffee, buy this coffee maker. You can even put the water and the grounds in the machine the night before, so all you have to do is push the on button before you take your shower. Very cool. Very happy.

I think the one thing that is lacking from this product is an automatic timer. Designed for some one on the go, it would be nice to have the coffee already brewed so that after getting ready in the morning it's there waiting to be grabbed before heading out the door, rather than having to wait for it.

Love this coffeemaker. It brews quickly and makes one or two wonderful cups (cups at 14 ounces each.....) I have actually unplugged my "big" and expensive coffeemaker. Have used this twice to three times a day and so far no problems. I am very picky about the taste of my coffee, want a flavorable coffeehouse brew and this little Two To Go unit delivers consistently. I like this so much I just ordered another unit for my son-in-law for his birthday!

Hopefully this little coffeemaker stands the test of time and holds up because I really like it! The cups hold the java at a warm temp for longer than I expected and have been very useful.