Standard drip coffee makers create a lot of waste. You might have time to enjoy a full pot on the weekend, but during the work week, half your coffee often ends up down the drain. That’s wasted water, coffee, electricity, time, and money!
A dual coffee maker like the Hamilton Beach 49980A offers a solution, letting you brew a single cup on busy mornings and a full carafe when you have more time.
It sounds good in theory, but does it work in real life? I bought, tested, and reviewed this coffee maker to see for myself.
| What I Liked: | What I Didn’t Like: |
|---|---|
| Can brew a single-serve cup or a full carafe | No thermal carafe option |
| Can be programmed to brew on a timer | Reusable metal filter not included |
| Can opt for regular or bold strength | Hot plate shuts off when you brew a single serving |
| Great value for money |
A Detailed Review Of The Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer
The Hamilton Beach 49980A brewer gives you the flexibility to brew a full carafe or a single cup. I’m usually wary of multipurpose brewers, worried that they’ll compromise quality for versatility. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the performance and construction of this machine. For the full details, keep reading this review.
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Why Choose A Two-Way Brewer?
The standout feature of this coffee maker is its dual functionality. It’s essentially a drip coffee maker and a single-serve brewer combined into one. They share a heating element but have separate water tanks and brew baskets.
This setup proves useful in many situations. Perhaps you have a household where one person prefers decaf or a specific blend, while others want a pot of regular coffee. Or maybe you brew a full carafe most mornings but only need a single cup in the afternoon.
The flexibility of this machine minimizes waste by letting you brew only what you need, and it ensures everyone gets the coffee they prefer.
While many drip coffee makers offer “low volume” settings for brewing smaller amounts, I’ve found that only the most expensive models do this without sacrificing coffee quality.
Special Features of Note
The Hamilton Beach 2 Way brewer is your standard programmable coffee maker, equipped with all the usual features.
The timer allows you to schedule your coffee up to 24 hours ahead, so your morning brew is ready when you wake up. The automatic Pause & Pour feature lets you grab a cup before the brewing cycle is complete.
You can choose between Regular or Bold brew strength. The Bold setting extends the extraction time for a richer flavor, and in my tests, it usually produced the better cup.
This coffee maker comes with a 12-cup glass carafe and a built-in hot plate that automatically shuts off after two hours. The single-serve side includes a removable stand to accommodate various mug sizes, including travel mugs.
How To Use The Hamilton Beach 49980A Coffee Maker
The Hamilton Beach programmable coffee maker is generally user-friendly, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Firstly, it doesn’t work with K-Cups or other coffee pods. I see this as a positive. You can use your favorite ground coffee, which means better flavor, more control over the amount of coffee used, and less environmental impact.
If you prefer the convenience of pods, consider the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49976.
The single-serve brew basket has a permanent metal mesh filter that also serves as a measuring scoop. Curiously, the carafe side doesn’t include one, requiring flat-bottom paper filters instead. This means the two sides brew slightly different styles of coffee, even with the same beans and brewing ratio.
Metal filters allow more of the coffee’s natural oils and flavors to pass through, resulting in a richer, more full-bodied taste. It’s common for even budget coffee makers to include a metal filter, so its absence here is surprising. However, you can easily and affordably buy one separately.
It’s important to note that you can’t brew a single serving and a carafe simultaneously. This wasn’t an issue for me, but more annoyingly, the hot plate switches off automatically when you start brewing a single serving. So if you plan to use both methods, brew the single cup first.
How To Brew
To brew with this machine, first fill the tank with the desired amount of water. The single-serving reservoir has helpful Max and Min lines, but I found it easier to use my mug to measure the exact amount.
Make sure the selector switch is set to the side you want to brew on, choose Regular or Bold coffee strength, and press the power button to start.
If you want to schedule a brew time, hold the program button and use the hour and minute buttons to set the time. A green LED will light up to confirm the program is set.
I found that the single-serve brewing time was slightly longer than a typical Keurig, taking about 5 minutes for a 12-ounce cup, including heat-up and brewing. The drip machine was more standard, taking around 10 to 12 minutes for 12 cups.
What is the ratio for the Hamilton Beach coffee maker?
The Specialty Coffee Association suggests a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:18. While that works well for pour-over methods with specialty coffee, I tend to adjust it for a drip coffee maker like this one.
For a full carafe, I typically use 115 grams of standard medium-grind coffee, which is roughly 1¼ cups. For a 14-ounce single serving, I use 24 grams, or about 5 tablespoons.
Interestingly, Hamilton Beach recommends using 25% less coffee when brewing decaf or flavored coffee. You can certainly experiment with this, but I personally don’t agree.
How do you clean a Hamilton Beach two-way coffee maker?
Dispose of the used coffee grounds (and paper filter, if used) in your compost bin. All removable parts are dishwasher-safe, and the rest can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.
It’s recommended to descale both sides of the coffee maker with a mixture of water and white vinegar about every six months. If you have hard water, you might need to descale more frequently, while filtered water may require less frequent descaling.
Does The 49980A Make Good Coffee?
The Hamilton Beach 2 Way brewer makes decent coffee, but it’s not outstanding. The quality is on par with other budget-friendly coffee makers, and darker roasts tend to extract better.
I was pleasantly surprised by the brew temperature, which reached 195 F, just at the lower end of the ideal range. However, the carafe side lacks a showerhead-style water distribution and a bloom phase, leading to uneven saturation of the grounds and a less than ideal extraction. The Bold setting, which slows down the water flow and increases brew time, definitely improves this. This isn’t a problem with the single-serve side due to its small basket.
The best way to get the most flavorful coffee from this machine is to use freshly roasted, high-quality beans and grind them right before brewing with a burr grinder.
If you’re used to pre-ground coffee, you’ll notice a significant improvement in taste with freshly ground beans.
Glass vs Thermal Carafe
Brewing good coffee is one thing, but keeping it tasting good is another challenge. I always opt for a thermal carafe over a hot plate for maintaining coffee’s warmth. It prevents any burnt flavors from developing as the coffee sits, and it’s more energy efficient. To enjoy the freshest flavor, I recommend finishing the carafe within 30 minutes or transferring any leftover coffee to an insulated travel mug or thermos.
Aesthetics And Design Features
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way Coffee Maker doesn’t win any beauty contests, but it has that practical, no-frills aesthetic that Hamilton Beach products are known for. It’s visually inoffensive, which is good since it’s quite large, as you’d expect from a dual brewer. It takes up a decent amount of counter space, measuring 10.6” deep by 12.2” wide by 13.7” tall.
The combination of brushed stainless steel and black plastic allows it to blend in with various decor styles. I appreciate the simple, straightforward interface with just a few buttons and a clear digital display. However, it certainly doesn’t have the same flashy appeal as a Smeg brewer or the Ratio Eight.
How many ounces is a Hamilton Beach carafe?
This brewer features a 12-cup carafe, which holds 60 ounces of coffee. Similar to other coffee equipment manufacturers, Hamilton Beach defines a “cup” as 5 ounces. The single-serve brewer can make up to 14 ounces of coffee.
Is It Worth The Price?
The Hamilton Beach 49980A Two-Way Coffee Brewer is priced well below $100, offering excellent value compared to purchasing two separate machines. Of course, this value only makes sense if you actually need both brewing options, so consider your coffee habits.
Although most advertising materials show this machine with a travel mug, mine arrived without one, and it seems they are no longer included. Older reviews suggest the included mug wasn’t great anyway, and most people already have a preferred cup, so this isn’t a major drawback in my opinion.
While the lack of a travel mug doesn’t bother me, I wish a metal filter was included for the carafe side. It’s a small but convenient addition, and it’s unusual for drip machines to be sold without one these days. Factor in the cost of buying a separate filter or stocking up on paper filters when budgeting for this machine.
Don’t Buy This Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker If…
- You never brew single servings of coffee: Plenty of excellent drip coffee makers cater to your needs. The Cuisinart DCC-3200 is comparable in price to the Hamilton Beach and offers all the standard programmable features, plus a variable-temperature hot plate! For a higher-end option, consider an SCA-certified brewer like the Technivorm Moccamaster or the Bonavita 1900TS.
- You only brew single servings of coffee: If you never need 12 cups of coffee at once, there are plenty of great single-serve coffee makers that save you money and counter space. Check out the Cuisinart SS-10 for ground coffee or the Keurig K-Elite for coffee pods.
- You want a thermal carafe: A thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours without the stale or burnt flavors that can develop on a hot plate. While dual brewers with thermal carafes are less common, consider the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Trio or the Keurig K-Duo Plus.
The Verdict
The Hamilton Beach 2-way programmable coffee maker presents a unique combination of features that could make it the ideal addition to your home or office. With the ability to brew both single cups and full carafes, it’s a versatile brewer that minimizes waste while catering to everyone’s coffee preferences.
Although I’d prefer an insulated carafe option, a glass carafe is standard at this price point. Overall, the Hamilton Beach 49980A is a solid drip coffee maker offering exceptional versatility at a great value.
