This quickly brews 2 to 4 cups. A cup of coffee is 5 ounces so take that into consideration if you're filling larger mugs. The cover itself takes a little bit of wiggling and force to pull it off. The screw that holds the knob on the cover is welded to it. I hope that having to wiggle the cover will not harm the weld eventually. It's great to be able to take the percolator to the table when company is over.