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The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a no-frills, ultrabasic and user friendly coffee maker ideally suited for the home. If you’re on the market for a simple yet effective unit, this could be the perfect one for you.
Within the lineup of BrewStation Coffee Makers that Hamilton Beach offers, this unit is in the medium range. It has a larger capacity than the 10-cup coffee maker, yet significantly less than the 40-cup unit. You also get a standard 12-month warranty with the unit which protects you from any factory defects that you might encounter.
We’ve compiled a quick guide that will walk you through all of the pros and cons of this coffee maker to help you make a better decision.
(read till the end to see who this coffee maker is NOT best suited for)
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Overview:
The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup
PROS:
Straightforward unit with easy controls No messy carafe Both affordable and durable
CONS:
Quite tall so can be difficult to fit in some tight spaces
Features
The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee Maker is a simple and straightforward, single cup coffee maker with some really great features. This unit focuses on simplicity and ease of use and provides the drinker exactly what they need to make a great cup.
Combined, these features make this unit a great all-round machine that makes it easy and effortless to brew your coffee.
- One Cup Dispensing: Just press your cup onto a switch at the front of the unit and pour yourself a cup of coffee easily. No need for messy carafes!
- Uses Ground Coffee: Unlike many other automatic coffee makers which use coffee pods, the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee uses ground coffee. This gives you the option to choose from your favorite coffee brands.
- 12-Cup Capacity: The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee brews up to 12 cups of coffee but just dispenses one cup of coffee at a time.
- Multiple Brew Options: The coffee maker offers several different brew options, depending on your preference. You can choose a regular brew, bolder brew for a stronger flavor, or even iced coffee!
- Smaller Brews: If you’re trying to economize on the amount of coffee you’re consuming, or just know that you won’t be able to drink the whole 12 cups, you can brew as little as one cup.
- Continuous Heating: The internal heater on this unit will keep your coffee hot and fresh for up to 4 hours.
- Auto-switch off: To save on energy consumption (and a big electricity bill), this unit will automatically switch off based on your settings – between 1 and 4 hours.
- Programmable: You can program the coffee maker to start brewing at a certain time. Perfect for anyone who wants their coffee hot and ready first thing in the morning.
- Removable Internal Tank: Being able to remove the internal tank on the unit makes cleaning and refilling easy and effortless.
- Simple Controls: The simple interface and LED light at the top of the unit make it very easy to program and control the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee.
Appearance and Build
The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee is relatively small and compact although it is a little bit taller than many other similar units – so checking that it would fit in your kitchen is important before buying. Its dimensions are 15.16 High x 8.19 Wide x 11.03 Deep, while it weighs 5.72lbs.
The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee has a very simple and unassuming design. It features a combination of both steel and plastic on its exterior. The front of the unit has a stainless steel finish while sides of the unit are black plastic. The bottom tray is also steel and removable which makes it easy for it clean.
The unit has a sturdy built and has several intelligent design features that make brewing your morning coffee intuitive and easy. Firstly, the six buttons at the top of the unit are easy to understand and very straightforward.
The coffee maker also has a see-through measuring indicator on either side which makes it easy to tell if you’re running low on water. If you’re also looking for a quick and easy way to tell the time, the LED at the front of the unit is just about bright enough and very practical.
Ease of Use
Of all of the coffee makers manufactured by Hamilton Beach, this may be one of the easiest. The design of the unit is intuitive, its functionality is stripped down to the bear essentials and it makes a great cup.
To make your cup of coffee, all you need to do is open the top of the unit, add your coffee grounds, and make sure the unit is filled with water. Once you’ve done that, just choose your brew strength, set how long you’d like the unit to keep the coffee warm and press start – that’s it!
When the coffee maker has finished brewing, all you need to do is press your cup or mug against the switch where the spout is. This will cause the coffee to start pouring. Simply release pressure from the button to stop pouring. You can repeat this process until the coffee in the unit is finished.
Maintenance and Cleaning
Since this is a simple and straightforward unit, cleaning is the quick and easy to do. To ensure your machine stays in top shape for years, just make sure that you wipe it down with a damp cloth every now and again to prevent dust and other particles from making their way into the unit.
Descaling is an important part of maintaining this unit and will need to be done every 6 – 8 months. To descale your unit, get a simple descaling solution and run it through your coffee maker. Proceed by rinsing the coffee maker several times with water to make sure the solution has been fully cleared. Remember to place mugs under the spout to prevent spillage when doing this.
Value
At a price point of around $50 dollars, you really get a bang from your buck with the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee Maker. At such a low price and able to offer some great features, its a no brainer for anyone looking for a no-frills and low-cost coffee maker.
The fact that the unit uses ground coffee instead of coffee pods, makes this unit a little less easy to use, but much cheaper in the long-run. You can buy the coffee of your choosing, whether its low-cost supermarket coffee or the highest end specialty coffee and use the same unit to brew it!
Users of the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup have also reported it to be an extremely durable unit, able to last many years of daily use. This makes the per coffee cost of the unit significantly cheaper.
Don’t Buy This Unit If
You’re looking for a high-grade coffee maker – If you’re looking for a coffee maker with all the bells and whistles (think high-end Nespresso or Keurig Units) then this is probably not the ideal coffee maker for you.
You’re looking for to make coffee for large groups – If you’re going to be making coffee for larger groups of people on a regular basis (office or events) then this coffee maker just won’t cut it. With a 12-cup capacity it takes only 6 people going for their second cup for the coffee maker to run dry.
You’d like a carafe that is portable – If you’d like to remove your carafe of coffee and take it outside with you or bring it to the dining table, then the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee Maker just won’t do the job. You have to physically walk over to the unit each time you want to fill up your cup and press it against the machine.
The Verdict
While the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup is a great single cup coffee maker, it does not have the beautiful design, high-capacity or wide functionality of some of the other single cup coffee makers on the market. However, it does all the of basics flawlessly and produces a great cup!
It’s simple interface and controls make it effortless to brew your cup of coffee within minutes as well as to program it so your coffee is ready before you even wake up. This is a huge plus for so many of its beloved users.
While it is a great coffee maker, it’s not very well suited for those looking for added functionality or those looking to skip on the effort involved with buying coffee grounds and filling it manually each time. But if you do choose to get the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup, you can be sure that it will serve you well for years to come!
Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12-Cup Coffee Maker
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