Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Finally - after many, many Goldilocks moments of trial and error - I've found the perfect instant coffeemaker! I prefer cold-dripped coffee above all else, but because of the hassle of making it, I don't always have it on hand. Depending on my schedule and energy, I can go from a day or two to months before I have time the time or inclination to make - and wait for - another batch. So it's important to have a Plan B coffee option on hand in the interim. I have tried many, many options for making an instant cup or pot of coffee, and none of them have been ideal. I have been looking for something that is instant, simple, and small enough to leave out on my counter all the time without taking up too much space. After a long search, I'm finally having my Goldilocks moment, having found one that meets ALL of my criteria. Just to be clear, this is an absolutely NO-FRILLS coffeemaker. It only holds enough water for a single cup. No delay option. No button to control the brew strength (just add more coffee grounds). No warmer. And that's fine by me. I love that it not only fits under my rather short cabinets, but I can still pour the water in without having to drag the coffeemaker out across the counter. You can use any cup with it, as long as the cup fits under the drip hole. You do need to be aware of how much water the cup will hold, and be careful not to overfill the reservoir. If you use the thermal cup that comes with it, or the same cup(s) over and over again, at first, you just need to pour the water from the cup into the reservoir, to ensure that it will not overflow the cup. As others have said, you do need to allow for some water remaining in the coffee grounds. After a few brews in the same cup, you will soon learn to eyeball the water level and won't need to measure it before pouring, which will make it go quicker. The recommended amount of coffee grounds of 2-1/2 tablespoons is about right. I use that for my first cup in the morning, and for subsequent cups, I'm happy with 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons per cup. Overall, I'm finding that, cup for cup, I'm using about the same amount of total coffee grounds per bag of coffee with this coffeemaker as I am to make an equivalent amount of cups in a larger 12-cup coffeemaker. And more important, I'm actually saving money, because I'm not throwing away 1-2 cups a day that I don't drink because it tastes old (even after putting it in a thermal carafe). So as far as total coffee grounds consumed, at least for me, it doesn't cost more to use it. Brewing time takes a little less than 3 minutes per cup. I usually put a dessert ramekin on the base after removing my cup to catch any lingering drips. It comes with a permanent filter basket, but I like to add a paper filter on top of that, just to ensure that no grounds escape. I find without the filter, although I don't notice any grounds in my coffee cup, the grounds do tend to work their way up around the filter basket and on the upper rim of the water reservoir, and I don't like that. So a paper filter helps. So far I've been happy with the Schnucks (my local grocery story brand) 7 In Fluted Basket 1-4 Cup Coffee Filters ($1.99/200) and the Melitta 8-12 Cup Brown Basket Coffee Filters ($2.48/200 at Walmart). I do find that the 8-12 cup filters provide more coverage, and absolutely no grounds escape to the top, whereas with the 1-4 cup filters, a few grounds still do escape, but are easily wiped off. There is no need to use the ridiculously over-priced single-cup filters that are made for single-cup brewers. The 1-4 cup and 8-12 filters work just fine! Every other day or so, I bring the coffeemaker to the sink, turn it upside down, and rinse off the coffee grounds that accumulate on the top of the filter by holding it directly under the sink sprayer. I love how easy it is to clean. The coffee is "warm enough" when it is brewed, although for my own personal taste, I would like it just a tad bit hotter, especially since I add a lot of cream. But I have gotten used to the temp, so I wouldn't take any points away for that. Also, I have found that the thermal cup does not keep the coffee quite as warm as other thermal containers I have. But I didn't buy it for the cup, and even if it didn't come with the cup, I still think it is worth the price. I am very, very happy with this purchase and would buy it again as well as recommend it to others!