Mr. Coffee BVMC-KG1-WM-001 Coffee Brewer Review

Introduction

Design Overview

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The {{product.name}} is a device that's made for ease of use. There's very little you need to do in order to get the {{product.model}} to start making coffee: insert water, insert coffee grounds, and hit a button. The device also has a fairly sleek design, but we doubt anyone is going to be overly impressed with shiny plastic. Overall, it's a well-built device for its price range, with an aesthetic that will fit in well in just about every kitchen.

Sides

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The {{product.name}} doesn't have an external water reservoir on its sides.

Top

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You can see the lid for the internal water reservoir on top of the device.

Brewing Chamber

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The {{product.model}} feature's Keurig's patented brewing chamber design. The small recess will fit one K-cup. Just watch out when you're filling the machine: there's a needle at the bottom to pierce through the K-cup.

Dispensing Area

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Controls

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The control panel only has one real control on it: the power button. There aren't any other controls, like a choice of different mug sizes or the ability to fine-tune the strength of the brew.

Reservoir

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The {{product.name}}'s reservoir is only big enough for the single cup it can brew: about 7.6 ounces (225ml). This means you'll need to refill the reservoir with each cup and you have to wait for it to heat up each time.

In the Box

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In the box you'll find a sleeve of six K-cups of various flavors. While it isn't strange to find K-cups in your compatible coffee brewer's box, some coffee brewers don't come with any pods included.

Brewing

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While pod coffee systems are fairly quick and convenient, most won't be able to provide a strong cup of coffee. We measured the {{product.name}}'s total dissolved solids at 0.70, which is a bit weak, but not totally out of left field for a Keurig machine. Interestingly enough, this is a stronger cup of coffee than the higher-end Keurig B60 Special Edition brewer.

If you don't need to brew back-to-back cups of coffee and you view caffeinated beverages in a strictly pragmatic way, the {{product.model}} will likely meet your needs. We don't predict, however, this machine will put the local barista out of business. More on how we test the brewing process.

Total Dissolved Solids

Time to Brew

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It took 2 minutes and 2 seconds for the {{product.name}} to brew a cup of coffee. While the warm-up time was fairly quick, it took the machine quite a long time to actually dispense the full cup of coffee.

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Quantity

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The {{product.model}} only has one recommended fill line, which pours just shy of a standard 8 fl. oz. cup of coffee. The main downside of pod coffee brewers is you don't have a lot of room for customizing your coffee size. Some K-cup machines have multiple settings to accommodate a few different sizes of cup or mug, but that isn't the case with the {{product.model}}

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Brewing Process

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Typically K-cup brewers require you to perform each step in order or else the machine will get confused. The {{product.name}} isn't quite so strict, and will brew coffee as long as the water and grounds are in place.

Step 1

The first step is to turn the machine on. The Brew button should light up orange.

Step 2

Once its on, you'll have to fill the water reservoir up to the indicated line and make sure to close the lid. Unlike other Keurigs, this one has a single-cup reservoir: you'll have to refill it after dispensing each cup.

Step 3

Once you've got the water in, you should put your K-cup into the brewing chamber. Note that you can't open this up properly if the reservoir hatch is open.

Step 4

Once you close the brewing chamber, the machine will start to prepare your coffee. The lights on the control panel will start to fade in and out to indicate if it's heating or brewing the coffee. You'll want to make sure your cup is in place under the dispensing nozzle as soon as you close the brewing chamber, since you have about a minute before the machine starts dispensing coffee.

Cleaning & Maintenance

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The {{product.model}} is a pretty easy to clean device, but there are some hard areas. The drip tray is removable, easy to hand wash, and dishwasher safe. The water reservoir, however, isn't removable, and Mr. Coffee recommends you descale the device every three months.

Comparison Overview

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The {{product.name}} is a relatively inexpensive way to get a quick cup of coffee at home. The {{product.name}} focuses more on making multiple cups of coffee, faster, with more size options available. If you need the additional bandwidth, such as in an office, the {{product.name}} is definitely the better pick. If you don't mind having to refill the water tank every cup, or waiting a bit for the brew to boil, the {{product.name}} will suit your needs at a lower price.

Comparison Overview

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The {{product.name}} is a lot less expensive than the {{product.name}}, but it underperforms across the board. While the {{product.model}} is slower than some Keurig machines, the {{product.name}} takes almost twice as long to brew a significantly weaker cup. If you're looking for a bargain, the {{product.name}} will provide the baseline pod coffee experience. If you want a strong cup, you should check out the {{product.model}}.

Conclusion

The {{product.model}} is best seen as a brewer for someone who might want a cup of coffee in the morning before work. If you need multiple cups brewed back-to-back, this brewer will seem very slow. If you're looking for a strong cup of coffee, you'll have to look elsewhere. If you want an entry-level pod brewer because of the reduced hassle, cleanup, and overall wait compared to a traditional drip coffee maker, the {{product.model}} might be a good pick at $89.