
I love this coffee maker. It's easy to use, brews a good cup (or two!) of coffee, and doesn't take up much counter space. Since my wife and I are both caffeine addicts, we brew a fair amount of coffee, but rarely need the capacity of our full 12 cup brewer. This allows she or I to brew a cup for ourselves with a minimum of fuss.
The filters used are the reusable metal-mesh variety. They work very well. I've been using this brewer for over 6-months and have never found any coffee grounds in my coffee.
The stainless steel mugs are better quality than what you'd normally get from an inexpensive stainless mug. The lids seal tightly and are functional. The base of the mug is NOT slip resistant (rubberized) which would have been nice of them to include. It's understandable why they didn't however, since the mugs need to be slid into the coffee brewer and they sit in place fairly firmly--a rubberized bottom might have made that a hassle.
My only real complaint with the brewer is the control dial to choose the left, right, or both mugs. The instructions state to 'turn until you near a click' when either selecting the L or R mug. However, the dial only clicks when turned to the right side, and never does on the left. However, it does brew just fine to either L or R mug.
Another minor complaint is that the lid of the brewer doesn't fasten closed, even when you've selected one or both of the mugs. This isn't a problem from a brewing standpoint, but after using many coffee makers over the years, it's been my experience that brewers that don't lock the lid shut (and have a plastic lid) will warp over time as the plastic is heated and reheated several hundred times.
The coffee this brewer makes is of course dependent on your beans and water quality, but if given fresh ground beans and pure water it will brew an EXCELLENT cup of coffee, just as good as my Cuisinart DCC-1200. It might not be as good as the ridiculously priced single cup CLOVER that Starbucks sells, but if you want a fantastic cup of joe from a relatively inexpensive brewer, this Cafe Valencia model isn't bad.
Overall I'm very pleased with this brewer (especially since I got mine for much cheaper than the retail price) and woudl recommend it to someone who wants a 1-2 cup coffee brewer.
************************UPDATE 11-21-2009****************************
The plastic liners of the stainless steel mugs have gotten loose inside their housings (one actually can be pulled right out). I'm guessing the constant heating\cooling cycle plays havoc with most adhesives. I was able to easily fix this issue using some Gorilla Glue, which is not affected by temperature. However, be advised that this issue may come up for you. Thankfully, it's easily remedied with a little glue.
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Product Description:
Café Valencia - 2 TRAVELER CUP COFFEE MAKERIt brews directly into either one or two stainless steel travel mugs with non-slip grips. An additional knob will let you decide if you want two cups at once or just one (left or right, your choice). The coffee filters are detachable for convenient ease of wash. Once your coffee is ready, it will shut off automatically.The stainless steel thermal travel mugs will fit most vehicle cup holders and they are safe to the touch, so there is no need for handles. They are ergonomically designed for easy handling. Take on the morning ride with style. Grab the travel mug filled with fresh good tasting coffee and then hit the road with that great positive attitude.So, boost your day, boost your ride, boost your life and boost the flavor and aroma of your coffee with our 'Café Valencia 2 Traveler cup Coffee Maker'.Features:' Detachable coffee filters' Stainless steel coffee cups are safe to the touch with hot coffee, no handle necessarySpecifications:' Measure(L×W×H): 9.72×6.61×13.66(inches)' Related Voltage: 120V' Related Input: 700W' Related Frequency: 60Hz' Capacity: 860cc (2 Vacuum cup, each cup 430ml(14.5 oz))' Net Weight: 3.75 lbsSpecial Characteristics:You'll enjoy your ride even more knowing that your coffee was just brewed with the cleanest water possible. A very high percentage of your coffee is water (98%), and if the water is free of impurities, chlorine, chloramines and who knows what else, then your coffee is 'as good as it gets'. That is exactly what our activated carbon filtration system does. It eliminates, filtrates, gets rid of all of that bad stuff that can get in your coffee.
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