Hamilton Beach 2-Way 12 Cup Programmable Drip Coffee Maker & Single Serve Machine, Glass Carafe, Auto Pause and Pour, Black (49980R)

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee maker- single cup or full pot
This the best coffee pot I’ve ever owned, seriously. I appreciate good coffee and regularly buy beans from a local roastery. I am not a barista nor do I claim to be a coffee expert. I enjoy good coffee and a drip coffee maker is good enough for my daily habit.

This maker can be used to brew single cups on one side or a full pot on the other side. Typically, I am the only coffee drinker in my house. Sometimes we have guests. This coffee maker allows me to serve both situations easily.

To use the single serve side, I fill the cup that I’m planning to use with the correct amount of tap water and add it to the single serve side of the maker. This is accessed from the top under a small lid that flips up. This side is designed to only hold enough water for a single serve amount of water. I don’t use manufactured pods as I prefer fresh grounds but this maker apparently can handle pods too. I grind my beans or use pre-ground coffee and add that to the slide out tray on the single serve side just above the cup location. There is a metallic mesh screen that holds the grounds on the single serve side and I find that I waste less coffee than when I try to make only 1 or 2 cups in a large pot. The single serve side has a nested set of plastic circles that sits under a tall mug when not needed. These little circular risers can be un-nested and stacked to allow a shorter cup to be closer to the dripping coffee (see photos). This allows the maker to accommodate a variety of sizes of cups. The single serve side takes about 2 minutes to brew. I think the coffee tastes great and I can control the strength of the brew based upon how many grounds I add.

The full carafe side is much like any basic drip-coffee maker. There’s a small reservoir that holds enough water to brew a full pot of coffee. There’s a flip lid and a basket for coffee grounds. You can use paper filters or buy a separate metallic, re-usable mesh filter that fits inside this basket. I like these baskets as it’s less wasteful than using paper filters daily and I don’t have to remember to constantly purchase filters. I’ve used the same mesh filter for over 7 years now. It doesn’t filter as finely as paper filters do and the last sip of coffee contains a small amount of grit / sediment but this seems normal to me now. If someone doesn’t like this idea than I would warn them not to drink the last sip. It’s pretty easy to avoid.

The coffee maker has a very obvious and easy to use manual switch that selects whether you are brewing a full pot or a single serve. Only one side can be used at a time. You simply move the switch to the left or right as the illustrations show to select which side you wish to utilize.

I frequently use the timer feature. Prior to work I have one 16 oz metal travel mug filled, warm and waiting for me when I wake up in the morning.

The display is bright when you touch a button and dims to normal again after about 30 seconds so it doesn’t light up the kitchen at night like a beacon. There is a single bright green LED light that indicates that the timer is set and ready to go. Personally, I like this feature as it is an obvious acknowledgment that the timer is ready to go at the time that I programmed in. Some might find this too bright but it’s hard to imagine it being a nuisance to most people.

Other reviewers have indicated the their carafe broke instantly upon the first use. I’ve used my carafe several times without issues. I also noticed that a new pot is around $10 so if it does break down the road, I can probably replace it easily. Some said that it tastes like plastic, I haven’t experienced this. Some said that it leaks after 3 months – I’ll try to update this review later but so far so good – no leaks. Others say it takes too long to brew. I think it takes about as long to make coffee as every other coffeepot that I have owned and if you set it up the night before, you won’t have to wait for it. It can be ready for you whenever you tell it to be ready. I even read that some people were annoyed that they had to slide the coffee pot out from under a counter in order to add water to the top of the coffee maker. I once added felt pads to the bottom of a coffee maker to make this process easier. Without a dedicated water line and a commercial coffee apparatus, I’m not sure how the manufacturer would avoid this overly burdensome task. You have to add water somehow; that’s how coffee works.

I have not had any negative issues at all with this coffee maker and I’ve been using it daily for over 1 month. It’s easy to use, it’s easy to program and I like that I can make a full pot or single cup depending on my needs. I definitely recommend this unit.

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic, but works great!
Wish there was a water filter, and a way to see how much water was in the single serve side. There is a water level indicator for the carafe side, which is great! Program feature is very easy to use, you don’t need the manual to figure any of it out. Overall though, this coffee machine is perfect and works like a charm. It’s a great value for the price. I bought a reusable coffee filter for the carafe side that works great with this machine. Fit just fine 🙂

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, but still Awesome!
So, like you all ,I’ve been a coffeeholic for many years. Like you ,I’ve struggled to have a decent maker in my kitchen. I recently finished up with my Cuisinart mod#CHW-12. Had it for 5yrs. It got to point of no longer producing a well tasting cup. We did the Vinigar cleaning etc. So, i spent MANY hours searching online for a decent Maker. Problem was the abundance of poor reviews encompassing many manufacturers! It’s now 2018 and we have trouble creating a Kit Coffee Brewer thats decent! I did a switch and desired a maker that will produce a single cup as wife n i both have coffee at different times and mostly need the one 16oz cup. In searching for the 12cup Carafe / or single cup Maker ,my choices became limited. Read the reviews and pulled the trigger on this. It’s only been 1wk now but i can honestly state that it is the BEST maker I’ve ever used! I ran a full 12cup Carafe first off, thn dumped. Then did same for the single cup side. ( full 14oz). Then ran 12cups clean water through for both. Then did the Coffee that I’ll drink. No issues. Had to play round wth the exact amount of grounds for the single side so to get the outcome i desired. Has clock, easy to pre prog., and, the single side will turn off when done. The Carafe side will stay on (hot plate) for 2hrs after brewing complete. You can simply press On/Off button to turn off anytime. For those who have an over-spilling issue with the grounds within the gold filter basket?, you are using TOO MANY grounds! The single side comes with a gold reusable filter which also encompasses two – Level markers. One is min and the other is Max. If you fill above the Max level, WELL, overflow of grounds will prob. occur. On the Amazon site you’ll see the Reusable filter for the Carafe side in " frequently ordered with". I also ordered that as i don’t like paper filters. It performs well. Water level for Carafe is helpful. It’s towards the right rear, on the side. It’s accurate. Brew time for 12 cups was good. I’ve learned to warm up my Mug when using single side as it is not as hot as Carafe as no hot plate for the Mug. I use single side to run water for tea as well. What would make this model perfect? If it sounded out a tone when brewing is complete. It also has No charcoal filter as with my Cuisinart. No biggie as i always have used filtered water to begin with. Coffee is better when there’s no Chlorine in the H2O! Filling either the Carafe or single side is easy and Max level markers are visible enough to get it right. Carafe pours very well and i like that the Carafe lid stays attached as u simply press thumb to open but it’s not required to pour. Single side grounds chamber pulls out easily. Single side has a bottom (under mug/cup) that reverses to then become a elevator to bring cup higher if you’d like. I brewed a cup at lowest level without any spill or splatter. It drips slow enough that i don’t believe i need to elevate my mug. This model also looks fantastic, Beautiful! Has a "Bold" brew mode for both Carafe n Sing. The brewing is slower, so u gt a richer brew. Light on clock only on when unit is ON. Has seperate green light that indicates you are using "Program" mode. I don’t use "Pods" but if i did the manual states that "Senseo" Pods will work. Note that unit will only brew one side at a time. It cannot brew both sides at once. Very pleased so far. If any issues I’ll update here. P.s. if Manufacturer reads this, you may want to consider modifying so to have an end of brew audible tone! Jst a thought. Update!; 1/5/18. Jst did 2 Lg mugs for me ( nine- 8oz cups), using Carafe of course. Wife then needed to do her single 14oz using of course the Single serv side. When throwing the slide switch over to Single, it turns off the Carafe side. So, yeah, hot plate under Carafe is still hot, but, it’s now off. So, in future, wife does her single, first, then i do Carafe. UPDATE ; 1/22/18- 3wks now and NO ISSUES! When removing coffee filled Carafe, absolutely no spilling onto hot plate. The spring loaded valve above, performing well. Reviewers having the Hot plate discoloration or burning may be turning unit on with a Hot plate thats dirty. I make sure plate is clean /dry before and after ea. use. I make sure bottom of Carafe is clean/ dry as well. Wife using single serve ea. day and says " best cup of Coffee ever"! Update; 4/17/21. NO issues, all still good. UPDATE!!! – 10/10/21- So, finally I’m now considering buying a new one of these as this one is intermittently not pumping enough water up and into Coffee basket. About 12× now in past 6mon’s I’ve had to pour out Carafe into another cup, place Carafe back, then pour my Coffee,(that looks like Tea), into the grinds basket and do a Double Drip, sometimes twice to get color I wish. I got roughly 3.5 years out of this Maker. I guess that’s good considering Everything’s made in Cheapo China. If/when I buy a new one, I’ll post back. Have a good Coffee! UPDATE: 11/14/21. So, I purchased this exact model once again on 10/12/21. After 1 month, I can honestly state that it’s a great difference between original and new. New machine brews perfectly as did the original one up until the 3yr mark. No issues to report with this New Maker( Same model as first one). Pictures here are of 2nd maker,(2021).

5.0 out of 5 stars Great easy to pour coffee maker
Absolutely love this coffee maker. It brews an excellent cup of coffee on the single serve size. And the large pot side is really easy and user friendly. I have not spilled one drop of coffee while pouring from the pot. 💕 ❤️ also I love the strong brew option.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this!
Love this coffee maker. My husband and the rest of our house like different flavors. We make the big pot for everyone and then he makes his in the single. We haven’t used the amount charger yet as we all want it full!
Sleek looking, easy to use, dependable so far.
Down side it’s a bit of a counter hog but worth it.
I would love to see on that could run both items at the same time. But I guess you can’t have it all.

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST COFFEE MAKER EVER!
I love this coffee maker! The price is incredible, considering it’s many features! I thought it might look too big, but it doesn’t. The overall look is very pleasing. The features I like are: The coffee tastes delicious on regular brew! Nice and strong. I could even use less grounds than my previous coffee maker. It brews pretty fast, but not so fast that the coffee is weak. About 13 minutes for a full pot. The pot’s handle is easy to hold and it slips in and out of the warming area with ease. Absolutely no dripping while pouring a very full pot! Drips would be a deal breaker for me. The single cup is fantastic! It easily make a 16 ounce cup of strong coffee in a about 4-5 minutes. It actually blooms the grounds for a couple minutes then flows quicker to finish a perfect cup of coffee! Rinsing the single cup filter is very easy too. The water holding tank on the back is easy to fill and the cup amount is easy to read. I like to air my basket and water tank areas out, so condensation and stuff doesn’t build up and potentially leave a film of hard water or mold. There’s are two lids on top of the coffee maker. One for the basket and a smaller lid for the water tank. The lid that covers the water tank lays all the way backwards, towards the front of the coffee maker, flat agaisnt the top of the basket lid. It doesn’t hang open towards the back, sticking up and in the way when I pour in the water. Nice! I can prop the basket area open a bit with a trimmed down wooden skewer, while the water tank lid lays open, flat on top of the basket lid. The whole pot still looks nice while airing out under my cabinet. Very nice! I don’t have to pull the coffee maker out from under the cabinets and have a big lid wide open just to air it out. The programming features are very intuitive and easy to set…not overly intricate and confusing like some coffee makers. I like how the clock numbers are big enough to actually read and the time screen doesn’t light up unless the pot is on or the warming plate is still warming. If the clock is lit up, the pot is brewing or warming the brewed coffee. No brainer from across the room! The only thing that bugs me is the programmed to go off later light. It’s a blazingly bright neon green! It’s actually hard to look at. I covered the green light with two little circles of blue painters tape and it still shines through, but it’s much more tolerable now. Overall it’s a fabulous coffee maker for an amazing price! I think I’ll buy another one for backup and our camper.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with this purchase!
We had a Keurig duo that honestly was just a piece of crap. When we poured coffee from the pot it leaked. I contacted them and they sent me a new pot, which did the same thing. We haven’t actually used the pot yet because we use the one cup part of the coffee maker, which we love. I love this system so much better, and it takes up less space on our countertop, which Is a plus. If I encounter any problems with it in the future, I will update this review.