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

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 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.

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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!

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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

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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.

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Jura 64553 Clearyl Water Care Water-Filter Cartridge

The only deal on this cartridge I've found is to wait until it's on the 'buy 3 get the 4th free' deal with Amazon. In all the years I've been using these, I've never had a calcium or scale build-up in my coffee maker, which is the point I guess.

This water filter is used in my Capresso Z6 super automatic. It is the same one I used to buy for twice the price at William Sonoma or directly from Capresso.

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I have a Jura-Capresso E-8 coffee maker and this is the water filter that it calls for. We have never had any problems with the filters and they are pretty simple to change. We always keep one on hand so we can change it when the machine displays the message "replace filter". The only other place that we have found these is Williams-Sonoma.

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This is the only filter that fits in my Jura Capresso Impressa E8. That makes it perfect.

No build up that I have noticed.

Amazon has the lowest price I've seen and I did not know they sometimes were available in the 4 for 3 deals.

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Product description showed this was "Claris" filter as searched. This does NOT fit Impressa C5. Returning to Amazon but still can't find the correct Jura filter. Take a look a the top head of the filter to see that it matches the one that came with your machine. I'm sure this works for some but not C5

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Hario Coffee Hand Grinder Skerton

We've been using this hand grinder for about six months and love it more and more all the time. At first we found it somewhat annoying because it seemed to take forever to grind the morning coffee, but now we find that it's a great reminder to sloooow down a little. It's almost like a morning meditation. There aren't any real instructions that come with it, so it took me a frustrating few minutes to figure out how to set the grind size. I thought it might be nice to share what I learned to save others the annoyance, so I got out my video camera this morning. This is a product overview and instructions on setting the grind size. I hope you find it helpful and if you have any questions or comments just leave them below I usually respond within a day.

This is a fabulous grinder, hands down. Ceramic conical burrs literally last a lifetime, very easy to clean and adjust to very fine or bigger grind. Be aware though, the design of this grinder allows for too much play in the shaft for bigger grinds and becomes inconsistant. Google skerton hand grinder mod for a cheap effective modification that vastly increases stability of the upper burr. You cannot buy a better grinder for espresso. ZERO grind retention, very low static, and the glass catch bin fits a portafilter perfectly for mess free dosing.

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At first, i was met with disappointment. I didn't realize it was going to take a minutes to grind coffee for my french press. But in reality, it takes a long to grind as it does for your water to boil (it is just something you get used to), and this grinder is of excellent quality. For coffee connoisseur wanting a conical burr grinder for under 50 bucks, this is your answer. Its electrical equivalent averages $200 in cost, making this a great money saver. Grinds fine enough for espresso and turkish grind (though turkish takes a long time to grind) and coarse enough for a french press.

A quality grinder makes a difference. Prior to this, i was using a mr. coffee blade grinder, which doesn't crush the beans just cuts them. The coffee oils were released, and I wasn't getting the full flavor of the coffee.

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I was looking for a coffee grinder to grind coffee for a chemex drip. I have a Mazzer Super Jolly at home for espresso, and it was a pain to dial it back in everytime I wanted espresso. I didn't want to spend a whole lot on a grinder, so I picked this up.

I am glad I did because it grinds the coffee and I have no complaints with it. Yeah, you get a little workout, but nowadays, a lot of us do. :) It probably takes about 200 cranks to get ~50 grams of coarse ground coffee. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not bad.

I'm glad I bought this and would recommend it. The seller shipped it and it got to me quickly. The only thing I can think of to make this product better would be include english instructions. I could figure it out from the pictures and playing with it a little, but I can see how people may get confused.

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This is a nice, cost-effective coffee grinder for anyone who doesn't mind expending some elbow grease before getting that first sip of freshly-ground, freshly-brewed coffee. I basically agree with all the favorable things folks have said in other reviews for this and the similar Kyocera model. What I personally like is the very evenly ground coffee (for drip), plus the fact that the grinder is very easy to clean, with almost no place for stale coffee grounds to accumulate.

One thing I would suggest for anyone buying one of these: visit your local hardware store and get a split-ring lock washer (preferably stainless steel) to put under the top cap that screws down on top of the crank handle. The top cap seems to loosen easily and repeatedly during the grinding process, which probably puts needless wear and tear on the grinder handle and shaft, as well as the plastic bearing that holds the shaft. Adding a lock washer has solved this issue for me.

I can't tell you what size to buy, unfortunately. I just found one that fit, and didn't make note of the size. It cost all of 20¢, including sales tax.

Keurig Cafe One-Touch Milk Frother

I am the world's biggest Keurig milk frother fan, so why am I giving it only 3 stars? Because this expensive and addicting accessory only works reliably for about three months. It froths milk for those first few months like nobody's business, perfectly heating your milk with a snowy mountain of froth on the top and then it stops working. I know this through extensive personal experience, because I have (hangs head in shame) actually paid for three of these puppies that's how obsessed I am with them. I returned the first one after a surprisingly contentious phone conversation with a Keurig representative who all but accused me of breaking the item. "You can only use skim milk with it", she admonished me, even though the advertising blurbs for the item say nothing about that. I have dutifully complied with the rules for frothers #2 and #3, but yesterday, when the third one gave up the ghost, predictably, at the 3-month-mark, I decided that my dysfunctional relationship with the Keurig frother has to end. Time to start buying half-and-half again.

The first unit was purchased last Saturday, and Saturday afternoon, I made delicous and abundant froth for my coffee. The next morning, my husband made it, and it only half frothed. Monday, the unit did not work at all; replaced it. Monday afternoon, new unit must not have heated long enough. No work. Replaced it, thinking third time's a charm--Fool that I was. These units are definitely lemons--not charming. The third one shut off this afternoon after around 35 seconds. I think that is the problem, they are shutting off prematurely. What are the chances that my local Bed, Bath & Beyond got stuck with a shipment of lemons with electrical cords and cheap, plastic frothers?

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Found this item cheaper at a local "Bed, Bath and Beyond" store ($79).

This product works as advertised. It has three parts:

1. The base (which plugs into the wall and provides the electricity)

2. The decanter which contains the electrics that heats the milk. There is a socket under the decanter the plugs into and sits loosely the base.

3. The removeable lid that has a stirrer attached to it.

3. The stirrer, which is a tiny wire whisk that you can remove when you only want to heat the milk.

Its very easy to operate... You put the correct amount of milk into the decanter(There are two fill lines, one for froth, and one for hot milk), place the decanter onto the base and press a button. The wire whisk spins around as the unit heats the milk and you get a nice single serving of froth. Remove the whisk and you can simply heat up the milk. The unit shuts itself off automatically when it is finished properly frothing or heating your milk. There's no guesswork at all.

Not only does this product prevent you from cooling off your coffee with cold milk, it makes your coffee look and taste better too. Funny how simply placing a layer of froth on the top of your coffee makes it look ten times more appealing. We tried it using Mocha, Donut Shop, and Butter Toffee flavors. It worked great in each one of those.

After you're done, it's very easy to clean up. Just rinse the decanter out with water (and dish-soap if you want) and rinse off the whisk and stirrer.

Is it worth $80? We think so because, like the Keurig, there's no guess work. Just pour in the milk and press a button.

Its great for getting creative with your coffee! For instance, we created a layered mocha: Pour the froth on the bottom of the cup, add Chocolate Syrup and then the coffee on top of that.

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I READ REVIEWS OF HAVING ONE OR MORE OF THESE SUDDENLY STOP WORKING IN A MONTH OR TWO. I SPENT THE $80 AND LOVED ITTHAT IS UNTIL IT SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING AFTER 1 MONTH. I WAS THE ONLY PERSON USING AND FOLLOWED ALL DIRECTIONS, KEPT CLEAN, ETC. $80 FOR SUCH A SHORT TIME IS A WASTE. WORSE IS THAT MINE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I HAVE READ SOOO MANY REVIEWS OF THIS SAME THING HAPPENING. SOMETHING IS DEFECTIVE WITH THIS PRODUCT. F.Y.I KEURIG'S CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TERRIBLE. THEY DON'T STAND BY THEIR OWN PRODUCTSHAME.

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My family LOVED this at first! We made hot chocolate, lattes, delicious toppings.... and then it broke. We blamed it on ourselves and bought another one. Then, the next one broke. Again, we mourned the loss of all the yummy drinks... Nowwe are without. :(

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