By 

G. Boggs “another critic” (Memphis, TN) –

  

My bride and I have owned probably a half-dozen or so coffeemakers during out 15-year marriage. We both love coffee in the morning, and we like to have it piping hot and ready when we rise. We’ve had some very good coffeemakers and owned a variety of brands and models. But all but two had one major Achilles’ heel – a glass carafe. However hard we might try, those glass carafes always got broken. And when they got broken, the unanimous refrain from stores and manufacturers was: “Sorry, we don’t offer that version anymore.” So, it was a new coffeemaker or nothing.

We also owned one of those fancy units with an insulated carafe. Well, at least for the unit we bought, that cuts two ways. Yes, the coffee inside is insulated from the frigid winds of our kitchen. It is also effectively insulated from a warmer (which the unit did not have or, obviously, need). Now I can tell you that, with the possible exception of the most secret research bowels of NASA, there is no insulated carafe in the universe that is as effective as a warmer unless one consumes one’s coffee very quickly.

Not only does this unit make great coffee, there is no carafe to break!! Or wash!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Hamilton Beach. We love it.

One caveat: when the user’s manual tells you to regularly descale the unit, do so. Else the machine will get sulky and simply refuse to brew your coffee. It’s probably unionized, who knows, but it does effectively sit down on the job. Now the manual has been fine tuned by an attorney and recommends descaling monthly. Given the levels of dissolved mineral in our water, we descale once every six months and all is fine.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (13)

After reading all of the bad news about the rampant tank leakage problems of the Hamilton Beach Brewstation the next grade down (models 47224, 47114, 47214, 47221, 47111, & the like) – I looked at one locally, & I agreed the housing & overall feel felt & looked on the junky side. So I went with this one, the Hamilton Beach Brewstation Plus, which seems a much more solidly built, sturdier model.

But there are some things I really needed to know about it first, & you may too.

When the Brewstation Plus arrived from Amazon, I tested the water tank. And yes, it steadily leaked water all over the counter top in great quantities. What a mess…right off the bat. So I studied the way it was made, & decided the water may be coming out around the metal heating plate screwed to the bottom of the tank – vs. the dispenser seal. And so I got out my Phillips head screwdriver, & I tightened down all of the screws in the bottom of the tank. Being careful not to strip out the holes. And this has taken care of this problem tonight. No more leaks so far. There wasn’t just one or two loose, none of the screws were put in very tight in my unit. This definitely could cause it to leak everywhere in all directions. If mine arrived this way, I wonder how many more were shipped out the same way. If yours leaks, you may want to try tightening down all the screws first in the bottom of the tank first, test it, & try again – before undergoing the hassle of shipping it back & waiting again for something else. At the same time, if you’re thinking you shouldn’t have to do this…you’re right.

The next thing you need to know is – what you see in this ad – is NOT the coffee machine you will get. This is major. I cannot stress this enough. One picture in this ad shows a 6 button coffee machine – & one picture shows a 4 button coffee machine. I bought this model based on the 6 button image, started drooling over all the features, didn’t catch the discrepancy between it & the 4 button image – & I ended up with a 4 button coffee machine in the mail.

The model I received has a green (not blue) clock with a programmable timer – but it DOES NOT have the “1-4 Cup” & “Flavor+” features you see in the 2nd mouse-over image in this ad. And after all of the trouble I went through to mail order the model I saw featured – that just sux. The model number 47665 on the box matches the ad – so I can only blame myself for not noticing that Amazon is showing you TWO DIFFERENT MODELS in the SAME AD – & for not researching & verifying it elsewhere. Though I shouldn’t have to do this either… Instead, I trusted what I saw, & got so excited over “Flavor+” (I like to brew up a serious pot of ‘mud’), & a scalable brew size, that I ordered away. Also, the LCD clock display will NOT be blue as seen above – it will be green.

In retrospect, I’d rather have paid $11 less & just got a Brewstation Plus locally featuring nothing but the On/Off button – sight seen – & enjoyed coffee all last week, vs. waiting on a mail order, & then being disappointed with the model I was actually sent. I bought this model because I really wanted the 1-4 Cup & Flavor+ features in picture #2, & don’t care much about programming my coffee. I’ll be calling Amazon to report this error.

Thirdly, to avoid the pervasive “plastic coffee” taste problem so many customers report – make sure you run a LOT of water through the machine first. The manual suggests running through at least 2 cycles – but you will need to run it through a LOT more water cycles than that, even if you wash the tank out well first, to get the oily film off the surface of the water that comes out. If you still see factory oil in your water, you’ll probably still taste plastic.

Lastly, the well-maligned Hamilton Beach reusable metal mesh coffee filter actually MAY work with the Brewstation Plus. People are saying that it fits too loose & will not work with the regular Brewstation (see models listed in first paragraph), but it may fit more snug in the Brewstation Plus models, due to differences in filter basket design. I bought a reusable mesh filter locally, & it measured way too high to use in this machine, so that I couldn’t close the lid down all the way. So I may try the Hamilton Beach filter instead…unless this machine completely malfunctions & goes off the deep end…we’ll see.

I hope this helps to keep someone from making the same mistake I did & ordering this item based on the 6 button picture. Or from shipping their Brewstation back too soon in place of a possible quick fix.

UPDATE:
I called Amazon to let them know about the picture error in the ad mentioned above – & instead of fixing the error – Amazon has now added TWO wrong pictures… Buyers need to know the Hamilton Beach BrewStation Model 47665 has ONLY 4 BUTTONS – NOT 6 BUTTONS, as pictured above…

Read more

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (8)

By 

K. Byrd (Central, SC United States) –

  

I have been using the Hamilton Beach 47665 BrewStation Plus 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffeemaker for about six months. I purchased it because a colleague was raving about how much she loved hers and my current coffee maker was on its last legs. I have to say that, in the beginning, it was a match made in heaven. I loved everything about it: there was no coffee pot, the coffee was piping hot, and it was just fun to use. Now I hate that water drips on my counter whenever I open the top, the first cup of coffee is tepid, and it takes forever to get the coffee because the flow is now reduced to a dribble (no matter how many times I clean it the recommended way). This morning, when I got no coffee at all, was the final straw –it was full and ready to go and just didn’t brew. I cleaned out the tank really well and was amazed and sickened by the amount of black “gunk” that came pouring out (remember that I have religiously cleaned it the recommended way). I did an internet search and realized, yet again, that it certainly pays to do homework before buying an appliance. This coffee maker has many, many, many enthusiastic reviews by new owners but just as many, if not more, reviews by long term owners that are quite negative. My advice: pass on this coffee maker and keep looking. And if anyone stumbles across a reasonably priced, good, dependable (over the long haul) coffee maker that makes hot coffee…I would love to hear about it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (6)