****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I bought this and put five drip cycles through it, and here is my impression, after reading all the reviews and using it. This mini single cup coffer maker does exactly what one should expect for a basic, single serving, drip coffee maker. How long it will last remains to be seen, but it does exactly what it says it will do, which is make a single (about 10 ounce) cup of coffee. It’s very similar in operation to those found in many hotel rooms.After reading the reviews both good and bad, I hope my findings bring some clarity to those wondering if this product will fit their needs.Yes it's lightweight, and yes it's small, as it should be for this type of coffee maker. It's really best for those that want to make a cup or two of coffee a day, or less often, move it out of the way when finished, and be minimalist in size and weight. It does that well. Use it, stow it, take it out when needed. It is very lightweight, especially when not holding water and coffee grounds.It will accommodate most ordinary coffee mugs. In the photos I uploaded, they show a pretty standard sized and typical coffee mug that holds about 12 ounces. It fit just fine, and is 3 1/8” in diameter and 3 3/4” tall. The diameter of your mug should likely be 3 1/4” in diameter or less, or it may not fit well. I have another mug that is 4 7/16” tall and it just brushes the dripper when placed in position. Doable, but any taller and it may be a problem with the fit.If you have an oddly shaped mug, or one that is exceptionally tall, it likely won't fit under the dripper, or on the cup platform. It’s a 10.5 ounce coffee maker. Trying to put a 16 ounce or tall thermal cup in place is not what it was designed for. It's a $15 coffee maker (at time of writing) to make a pretty standard size mug of coffee. It's not the "transformer" model that can adapt to every wish and whim. The placement area for the mug is just that, and seems designed for ordinary coffee mugs. The mug platform does not heat, and will not keep the mug or coffee warm. It’s solely for resting the mug while the coffee drips, and assumes you will drink it promptly while it’s hot.Yes, the dripping coffee will splash with typical sized coffee mugs. The less tall your mug, the more likely it will splash the surface upon which it sits as the coffee drips. It's the way it works for a $15, but useful, single mug, drip coffee maker. This device doesn’t include a coffee pot or splash guard. If that's what you need, don't buy this. However, if you want a cost effective way to make a single cup of coffee, this one works as intended for a good price. Using a bit taller mug than I did, but not over 4 7/16” tall, may help minimize or eliminate the splashes if that is a concern. It isn’t for me, so I didn’t test the splash issue with a taller mug.How fast it brews a cup of coffee is totally dependent on the grind of the coffee and how much you use. Coarse, medium, and espresso grinds in varying amounts will let hot water pass through at different rates. The heating of the water is constant, but how fast it drips is dependent on the coffee grind used and how much. I used two level tablespoons of my store bought medium grind coffee, and it drips out in about 3.5 minutes when filled to the max waterline on the reservoir. If you grind your own coffee, and use less or more coffee grinds, your drip time will be different. All the control on drip rate is in your hands.In my tests on this unit, I found that the heating element does in fact turn itself off after all the water is boiled off. Some reviews said it doesn't turn off. My testing is explained below. The heating element does turn off on my unit when all the water is boiled off, but the power switch indicator light stays lit. It seems the indicator light is simply to let you know the power switch is on, and the unit is plugged in. I assume this will be the same on other units of the same model.After brewing a cup, and all the last burps and gurgling of evaporating water have passed, I heard a click. I figured that was some kind of relay that sensed that the water was gone. To establish this, I put a "Kill A Watt" metering device on the power cord to measure the amps used and ran some plain water though a drip cycle. The three photos uploaded show the meter at zero amps when the unit is plugged in but the switch is off. It shows 3.01 amps drawn when heating the water. After all the water has boiled off, and the click was heard, the amps dropped to zero again, though the switch indicator light remains on. The light seems to be a status light of the switch, not the status of the heating element. At least that's how my unit works.Note that like all drip coffee makers, even after all the water has boiled off, there will be the occasional drip that will land on the cup holder after you removed your mug. In the tests I did, the accumulated drips on the mug area ranged between the size of a nickle and quarter. Dab it up if desired, or let it evaporate.I don’t know the longevity of this device, but I will update if it dies what I consider an early death for a $15 device. For now, I am pleased that this works as described at an affordable price.
