HiBREW Single Serve Black Compact Portable Coffee Maker - Travel Size Single Cup Brewing System for Office, Travel, Camping, Hotel & Dorm - Perfect for Hospitality, Business Trips & Outdoor Adventures

I bought this to downsize from a traditional 12-cup drip coffee machine. It's just my boyfriend and me and we "inherited" it from his family, but it was cumbersome to try to measure out just enough for the two of us while it was also taking up so much space on our small apartment counter top.Before I chose the Hibrew specifically, I was debating between single-cup machines like this and an electric moka pot, like the Delonghi Alicia. I like the Alicia for aesthetic reasons; it's electric but also still a bit old-school. I ended up shying away from it when considering the maintenance it needs when washing since the coffee mixes everywhere. Once I was set on "single cup/pod" land, I went with the Hibrew even though I considered a Nespresso for a reaaaalllly long time. I had a crush on Nespresso ever since discovering it at a hotel in Lucerne. But I went with the Hibrew based on 3 strong criteria:1. Stay under $1002. Reusable containers3. MUST BE QUIETSegway to...what I like about the Hibrew!1. For the price point of $100 or less, in the world of single-serve coffee makers, the reviews were pretty good! You could debate 4.5 stars with only 68 reviews doesn't hold up as much as 4 stars with 1,000+ reviews (like with the more popular brands) but I went with it anyway. So far, it has performed to my liking.2. Availability of product: the machine uses a standard K-cup container. So you can find that at almost any American grocery chain now, or online in bulks. I've tried to shy away from continuing the endless cycle of K-cups and also bought a stainless steel refillable one. This was an issue with Nespresso, since the only reusable pod I've seen for their machine still requires stickers for the lids. There's still a type out there that has an attached lid, but not rated well.3. Sound: The machine isn't dead silent, but it's still way more tolerable for this non-morning person than a Nespresso machine was. There is a low rumble when the water is heating up, and only a faint squeezing/dripping noise when the water gets pushed through the cup. The mechanical sounds are kind of soothing, in a steampunk ASMR way.4. Low profile: As you can see in the photo, it's a sleek silhouette, as thick as the hardbound Goblet of Fire? I don't care for a large water container in the back so that cut down on a lot of its footprint, so you DO have to refill each time you want coffee, which I don't mind. So much room for cooking activities now!For consideration:1. Material: The material is plastic, but durable enough that I don't expect to rip something off unexpectedly. This probably keeps it under $100.00. If you prefer some glass and/or metal, this is not the coffee machine you are looking for.2. Temperature: I think others have mentioned concern about it not getting hot enough. The Japanese have a word for people like me, "nekojita", or having cat's tongue. I'm a very temperature sensitive person, so it works for me. I was excited that I can drink it as soon as the last drip falls! I'm the person at the restaurant that orders tea and then spoons some of their ice water on top. Let me reiterate; the coffee is still hot, but not hot hot; I still have taste buds after the first sip. If you're one of those people with superpowers who wants volcanic coffee, you will probably have to pour boiled water into the machine first.Love the small size for my motor home. Hated they are different models for the same coffee pot!Just 3 words, “I LOVE IT”i liked this maker more at first, but there seems to be no way to clean the portions that surround the cartridge itself (once you remove the cartridge holder thing. i wrote to the seller asking for info, & perhaps a video - anything - & i got no answer!the maker itself works ok, but you often have to push down hard on the cups you’re putting in, or the top part won’t close. you also end up with a real mess on the top portion (underneath), but worst of all is the area all around where i showed in the photo. it even will start leaking out a little in the bottom of the front (label area).if you’ve found a way to clean the areas i mentioned, please let me know. a wet rag etc hardly reaches.note: i added yet another photo - this one shows how the stuff that collects in the areas you can’t reach starts coming out the front! i tried writing to the company at an address outside of amazon, & not surprisingly i didn’t hear back from there either.i’m annoyed that i’ve been trying for answers for a long time, have gotten none, & of course too late for return now.NOTE> have to run a lot of water through front part, & use a-tips.When I was about to purchase a single serve coffee maker, I must have read hundreds of reviews for different brands. What came across clearly to me was that I could not seem to find any brand with relatively consistent positive reviews-not even Keurig. The reviews for Keurig were no better than those that cost about 1/3-1/2 as much. So I pursued only those in the lower price ranges. HIBrew is the brand which had the most consistent positive reviews with the fewest reports of issues shortly after purchase (seems fairly common with these coffee makers and occurred with the first one that I bought, which was NOT HIBrew).So I purchased a HIBrew about 7 months ago, and I haven’t had a single problem with it, yet. I use it to make coffee about 5-6 times a day, so it’s definitely taxed and could easily have expired by now. But it works as well now as the first time I used it. This purchase was very cost efficient, and the product is low maintenance. I highly recommend this particular single serve coffee maker over the others. When this one has lived out its useful life, I will definitely replace it with another HIBrew.I purchased this for its size and appearance. Then I used it and the coffee was truly good and hot! I got this for my 97 year old mother to use and it is very easy to use. Simple way for her to be independent.This little thing worked flawlessly. My new travel companion. The hotels never seem to replenish their little coffee packets, and when they do, its with decaf or tea's. Taking my favorite "K" cups with me is now the way to go. You must have patience... It takes almost 2 minutes from pressing the ON button, to a full cup of coffee. And it does make a good strong cup of coffee. Hope you find this little maker worth it. I did...So I ordered this on Oct, 2018 and it has been a great little coffee maker. Then in July, 2020 it working right. Coffee grounds in my cup. But in all that time I never cleaned it. Once I did that with vinegar then detergent it is like new. I think that is the problem with negative reviews, people aren't cleaning them!!We are so HAPPY with this single-serve coffee maker! It actually makes HOT coffee, and with the reusable K-cup and filters we can adjust how much ground coffee we use, so it is just the right strength. Love the white color.I have only used it a few times but it makes very hot coffee and the size is great for travel