BLACK+DECKER CM618 Single Serve Espresso Maker, Black

No gimmicks, no clock to set, just quick and good coffee in 2min 45 seconds
Overthinkers and over researchers: This review is for you.I spent weeks researching single serve coffee makers about 15 months ago. Why? Because that’s what I do. If you’re on the fence, PLEASE read this and just order it. It’s worth it, spend the research time thinking about something else.Background: I’m no coffee snob. Too lazy and apathetic for a French press; I usually throw some Folgers in a goodwill or hand-me-down coffee maker and move on with my life. If you truly care about all the intricacies that coffee enthusiasts are passionate about, this probably isn’t the machine for you.I moved into an apartment with not a ton of counter space, and as a single (yet very eligible) bachelor, I wanted something easy and cheap that got the job done. I started mainly looked at coffee makers that were k cup compatible, but ultimately decided against it as the cost per cup is much higher with the k cups, and they take up more storage space in my cupboards. Plus, I like being able to control how much coffee grounds I use. I went with this one for a few reasons:1) Small footprint2) Brews more than most pod coffeemakers (16oz vs usually 12oz)3) Came with a mug4) Got one used here on Amazon on sale for $18I’ve been using it almost daily for about 15 months now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Just throw water in it, put some grounds in (I use a leftover protein powder scoop that is the perfect size), and hit the switch. I have tried the Italian coffee brand coffee pads that are great if you prefer, and are cheaper than K cups. I timed brewing it with a full ~16oz mug for this review. Just under 2 minutes and 45 seconds until it shut itself off and I had a cup of piping hot coffee. I think it’ll drip a few seconds afterwards, idk. I don’t pay enough attention.Tip: to clean the grounds from the filter easily, I take both the filter and the plastic holder underneath it out together, dump the grounds down the garbage disposal, and cover the drain hole with my finger while filling and dumping out water to rinse out the ground remnants. Every so often, I throw the entire coffee maker in the dishwasher to clean it.I was concerned that none of my mugs would fit. Turns out all of them did except one bulky plastic mug. If it’s under ~7 inches tall, it’ll fit just fine. I have a sunwill 20oz mug from here that fits perfectly, and an Ozark trail mug from Walmart that fits great as well. One or two of my mugs have very wide bases that sit a little tilted because of the size of the bottom of the coffee maker, but it does not spill or hold any less liquid as a result and is still stable. I’ll throw in a pic with all the mugs I have that are compatible for reference.I recently thought about replacing this and revisiting the thought of buying a machine compatible with k-cups. After researching this (again), I have decided once again to stick with the B&D. It’s small, isn’t full of stupid features I won’t use, and is not noteworthy in any way — just dump grounds/water in, wait a few minutes, and move on with your day without even thinking about it. How it should be. I wish I could write more about it, but I’m out of stuff to say. It’s easy, it works great, and that’s it.Buy it. It’s a great value and does what it needs to do without any extra fuss. Take the extra money you saved and buy yourself a case of beer. You deserve it.

General impression good
For a K-cup coffee maker the cup is nice and hot. The unit is basic, no clock to reset when power is interrupted and on/off easy to use. Construction wise it is tight and lightweight. The top is hinged to the water container and feels a little weak. I actually feel the hinge is not needed and a molded in grip to remove the water container for refilling is needed. The loading of the k-cup is unique, feel like I am loading a artillery piece but so far working fine. Have only had an issue where all the cup size buttons were flashing and I could not select a size. Not sure if meant to be a low water indicator but at the time it was not low on water.

La cafetera venia con lo que se ve en las imagenes, todo super bien empacado, muy bien cuidado, cada pieza envuelta en plastico y carton. La cafetera es pequena, sirve para preparar exactamente la medida del vaso que viene incluido. El cafe, al menos a mi que no soy un experto catador de cafe, me parecio que no se quemo.Pros:- Practicidad, la cafetera es muy pequena (29x29x15cm), cabe en cualquier lado, ademas el vaso que incluye tiene una tapa y queda perfecto en el portavasos del auto- El cafe se prepara super rapido, en menos de 5 min el vaso ya esta listo- Tiene un filtro permanente lavable y de buena calidad, se ve durable- Al ser tan pequena es facil de limpiar- Tiene apagado automatico, al terminar su ciclo deja de funcionar.- La puedes usar para preparar Te, ya sea meter las bolsitas directo en el filtro o, lo que yo hice, abrir las bolsitas, sacar las hojas de te y vaciarlas en el filtro, el resultado es excelenteContras:- La longitud del cable de corriente, es de apenas 60 cm, corto a mi parecer- El vaso es de puro plastico, no me da mucha confianza ya que las primeras veces, con el agua tan caliente, emite un olor extrano, me imagino que con el uso ira desapareciendo, igualmente yo solo lo uso para prepararlo, despues lo paso a mi otro vaso metalico. El vaso que incluye mide 17cm de alto y 8.5 cm de diametro, cualquier vaso con esas medidas queda perfecto para preparar directamente.- El boton de encendido solo tiene 1 estado, una vez que llenas el tanque de agua, pones el cafe, presionas el boton (Que no parece boton) y no se detendra hasta que termine su ciclo, es decir, no la puedes detener a media preparacion a menos que la desconectes, este boton me parece algo extrano, a primera vista pareciera que esta defectuoso pero funciona.

Fácil de usar y de limpiar; el café se prepara muy rápido. El que el porta canastilla se pueda retirar para lavarlo resulta muy cómodo. El cable lo suficientemente largo para conectarlo, sin que estorbe. El vaso que trae no me parece realmente un termo, y la tapa tiene la desventaja de que la salida no se puede cerrar, entonces hay el riesgo de derrame al usarlo. Yo no pienso usarlo, entonces no me afecta. Pongo directamente una taza; como está diseñada para el vaso que trae, que es de base angosta, si la taza es de base más ancha no ajusta totalmente, pero a fin de cuentas se puede usar.