Black and Decker Brew 'n Go Coffeemaker

The Black and Decker Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug, is a compact, $20.59 no-frills, single serve coffee maker which brews excellent coffee directly into an included thermal travel mug.

Made of gleaming black plastic, the unit is not as smart looking as some of the coffee makers around, but it brews 15.5 ounces (roughly the same as a Starbucks Grande), more than most. Being an automatic drip coffee maker, it uses regular coffee grounds, not the pre-packaged pods which cost between 25 and 50 cents each and harm the environment.

The semi-circular based measures approximately 7 inches wide and 6 inches deep, and stands about 10 inches tall. The built-in water reservoir accepts up to two cups of water which delivers a very full mug of coffee. If you take cream and sugar, allow room by using less water. When you activate the unit it runs until the reservoir is empty so avoid overfilling it.

The small footprint makes it perfect for confined spaces like dorms and kitchenettes. Ideal for singles, students, busy office workers, commuters and people who only want to brew one cup at a time, it also makes an excellent gift. Being light and portable, you can take it with you when away on business and enjoy good quality coffee in your hotel room with it easily fitting on the vanity sink.

The Black and Decker Brew 'n Go single cup coffee maker with travel mug comprises a space saving base with flip-up lid, a removable filter basket with a reusable permanent mesh filter, and a 15 ounce insulated travel mug with a brew-through lid.

When you open the reservoir cover after brewing, use the lift tab on the front of the reservoir cover and be careful of the hot steam.

The mug, lid, filter basket and mesh filter are all dishwasher safe.

The built in permanent filter eliminates the need for disposable paper filters and saves you money.

Equally useful is to leave out coffee grounds and dispense hot water for tea, hot cocoa, instant soup or instant oats. It brews in seconds, faster than a kettle or microwave, ideal when you are in a hurry.

The sturdy mug tapers to a 2-1/2 inch diameter bottom which fits most vehicle cup holders. It has a non-skid base and a slip-free rubberized handle grip in case the cup is too hot to touch. It keeps coffee warm for about an hour, is hardy and rinses out easily.

Easy to use, the Black and Decker Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug has no programmable options. There is also no hot plate, so you won't accidentally burn yourself.

Wake up, throw in your coffee, pour water into the reservoir and close the cover. Remove the travel mug lid and add sugar, cream or milk to the mug before brewing, replace the lid which helps keep the liquid hot. Place your mug in the slot immediately under the filter basket opening and hit the 'On' switch.

After just four minutes of brewing, your hot steaming cup of coffee is ready, no leftovers and no mess. For even hotter coffee, warm the mug up before brewing by running hot water into it.

The Black and Decker Brew 'n Go is a single cup drip coffee maker which doesn't have a stop-drip feature so after brewing, coffee continues to drip for another minute or two. Either leave the mug in place or put a folded napkin on the base to soak up any drips.

From beginning to end allow 5 minutes. Being gravity fed, it is a bit slower than pressurized, pod-based coffee-makers, but take that into account when you switch it on, and go fetch the newspaper, go to the bathroom or start reading your emails. Once the brew cycle is done, the unit shuts itself off automatically so you wouldn't leave it on all day by mistake.

If you want coffee when you wake up, buy a wall timer which costs about $5. Before you go to bed, set the timer to whatever time in the morning you want your coffee, prepare the machine like you normally do and press the activate button. The next morning when the timer kicks in, the machine begins brewing your coffee.

The downside of setting it up the night before, means the cream sits in your mug all night because you add sugar and cream before brewing. But the upside when you brew the coffee right through the lid, is that you end up with a sealed cup of coffee good to go. Simply shake to stir and drink.

The Black and Decker Brew 'n Go brews excellent coffee once you have figured out how much coffee works best for you. 1-1/2 regular sized scoops of Folger's Classic Roast gives you full bodied coffee every time.

Or try using Starbucks ground coffee.

By changing the amount of coffee you use, you can also brew a great cup of espresso.

The included travel mug looks aluminum but the inside is actually black plastic. This means with time if you stir instead of shake, the plastic gets scratch marks. At first, if you find the coffee smells like rubber/plastic, wash with dishwashing liquid. If it persists, or if the cover falls off the interior plastic mug, and you want the 'to go' function, get yourself an all aluminum travel mug.

But most people find the cup works well. The lid fits snugly so doesn't leak, it keeps the coffee hot for about an hour, it is easy to drink from with the lid on and without dribbling. You can even use it as a coffee mug and use the lid to carry it!

A timer would be nice, as would a longer cord, but remember it costs $20.59.

You can actually use any cup as long as it fits. Some people feel the coffee tastes better with a normal china mug but that is not practical for when you are on the run.

If you follow the instructions for the Black and Decker Brew 'n Go by using almost a full mug of water and 2.5 tablespoons of grounds, you might get grounds in your coffee. But if you use 2/3 or 3/4 a mug of water and about 1 scoop or 1 tablespoon of fine grounds, it works well.

Using fine ground coffee means you get a stronger taste with fewer grounds. The problem with grinding too fine is some will land up on the inside of the machine. If that happens, just rinse the unit.

Using a no. 1 size Mellita filter in the basket makes cleaning even easier because there is no coffee bean oil accumulation, but it's a little small for two scoops of coffee and grinds could spill over the filter into the coffee. It also negates the advantage of having a re-usable filter.

Some people complain about an overflow problem. The reason is the hole in the bottom of the filter holder is too small; the water enters the filter faster than it drips into the cup. If you increase the diameter of the hole to about 3/16" by drilling it, it will no longer happen.

If you don't want to go that far, filling the reservoir 1/2 inch short of the hard to read fill line helps, as does making 3/4 cups. Far better to sacrifice a few ounces of potential coffee than to clean up an overflow mess. As a precaution you could even place a small tray under the coffee maker.

The grounds absorb some liquid so there will be slightly less water in your cup than what you added to the reservoir.

Be sure to line up the exit spout with the hole, otherwise your coffee will mess onto your counter.

Black and Decker Brew 'n Go is easily cleaned by rinsing the entire unit with water - you don't get easier than that. The filter comes out easily; just tap out the coffee into the trash and rinse. Then rinse the mug.

Available for shipping to select countries outside the US. And it comes with a one year warranty against defects.