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Given my really tiny coffee-pot budget, I wanted to find the best product I could manage for my (too few) dollars, and I’m confident I found it with the Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker. The machine itself is very basic, lacking some of the luxury frills and functions of fancier pots, but the functions it performs, it executes well, and I prefer to have a machine that’s solid on the basics than one that imitates the fancier features but does so with questionable quality.
Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker product features:
Some of the “frills” which the Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker doesn’t include are the pre-programmed auto start function to set coffee brewing at a specific time, the automatic shut-off for the warming plate, the pause and pour feature (which would allow you to remove the carafe momentarily to pour a cup of coffee while the machine is still brewing).
The functions this machine does offer, it delivers with panache. It’s simple on/off button style (no complicated programming) sets coffee brewing at the touch of a button, and it brews quickly. A pot that doesn’t take long to brew is the next-best thing to a pot that’s already ready when you wake. The quick brew time makes the lacking “pause and pour” less of an issue, since it’s only a few minutes’ wait for the Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker to finish its business, and then you can pour without trouble anyway. Preparation of the coffee is made simple with the machine’s design. The lid flips up to provide easy access to the water reservoir and filter basket, so I can easily pour from the carafe directly into the reservoir to prep the machine. The filter basket itself lifts out, making it easy to dump out the used grounds, pop in a new paper filter, and fill with coffee in preparation for the next brewing cycle.
Perhaps my favorite component of the Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker (and a perfect example of what I meant about performing basic functions well) is the design of the carafe that comes with the unit. The glass carafe is nearly impossible to break (I’m clumsy enough to know; it has survived a couple knocks already that would have spelled the end for a lesser decanter). It features the Black & Decker “perfect pour” design, which guarantees pouring without dripping and dribbling all over the counter, the cup, the table, or your clothes.
I appreciate this bit, as it’s a feature sometimes not given enough attention in design of even higher end items—and shopping on a budget as I was, I was fully prepared to be keeping a dedicated dish towel by the coffee pot to take care of its “piddling” on the countertop, either while I poured or while it brewed. Particularly when I use the thumb tab to lift the carafes top while I pour (ensuring that the edges of the top don’t interfere with the coffee flow and cause spills) I have hardly ever needed a wipe-up. (And when I do, it’s my own fault rather than the carafes.)
The five-cup capacity of the Black & Decker DCM600W coffee maker perfect for one to two coffee drinkers, and in a situation where you would like more coffee, it’s quick and easy to brew another pot. The machine is good for small quantities and small spaces; and the one “frill” feature it does offer—the retractable electrical cord and built-in cord storage—is also designed for a small-space set-up. For my purposes, I couldn’t have found a better basic machine for the money. Worth every one of those (few) dollars I had!
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