Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker Review

PROS: Carafe side is programmable, Easy to clean, Two Way Coffee Maker

CONS: Single Cup Side isn’t Programmable, Occupies More Space

View on Amazon

Everyone loves a great cup of coffee in the morning, and all you need is Hamilton Beach FlexBrew. It is a 2-way coffee maker, and you can either brew a single cup or a carafe of 12 cups for the whole family. As coffee activates your body and mind, Hamilton FlexBrew will definitely give your day a positive start. Although Hamilton Beach is not a specific coffee brand and is famous for kitchen appliances like electric knives and toasters. Still, its coffee makers are not inferior and do a superb job. Hence, Hamilton Beach 49976 is one of the versatile automatic coffee makers you can find on the market. Without spending more time on the introduction, let’s go towards the details.

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Review & Features

You May Like: Oxo 9-Cup Coffee Maker

Design

Hamilton Beach 2 Way FlexBrew comes with a stylish design. It has two sides; you can brew a single cup on the right side and multiple cups on the left side. Happily, each side has its own water reservoir and a window which lets you know how much water is available in the reservoir. With the carafe side, you can brew 12 cups, and each cup is 5.5 ounces like a most standard coffee machine. On the other hand, with the single-serve side you can brew 8 ounces with K-Cup or 14 ounces with your own ground coffee. In addition, the overall dimension of the FlexBrew coffee maker is 13.9 inches in height, 10.24 inches in width, and 10.63 inches in depth.

There is a removable compartment on the single-serve side that you can use to store a K-Cup or the single brew basket. The cover on the top of this compartment is removable. Below the cover is a drip tray that is also removable. If you lead this in place, you can use a 5 inches tall cup. On the off chance that you remove this, you will have a maximum height of up to 8 inches.

An LCD monitor on the carafe side contains six buttons and a small screen that displays your command. The lower two buttons let you choose whether you are brewing a carafe or a single-serve. The middle two buttons are for programming the carafe side and the time setting. You should know that only the carafe side is programmable and not the single-serve side. The top two buttons are for initiating the brewing process and selecting the strength of coffee. If you want a strong coffee, press the brew strength button; bold will display on the screen, and you will get a strong cup of coffee. However, you should know that brewing strong coffee takes more time.

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew coffee maker does not come with a permanent filter. Instead, you have to use filter paper. It is good because you don’t need to clean it all the time like a permanent filter; simply discard the paper after brewing. The filter paper is 8-12 cups in size, just put it in the brew basket, and you are ready to brew. In addition, the carafe is glass, has a capacity of 12 cups, and the lid flips up, which is very convenient. Plus, the handle is excellent, and overall the carafe feels sturdy.

Also Read: Best Milk Frother

Features & How to Use

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49976 comes with unique features, and the best part is the two-way brewing. It’s automatic, and you can set up to 24 hours of brew time in advance. It comes with auto-shutoff features, so if you forget to switch it off, it will shut off after 2 hours, thus saving electricity and preventing something unexpected. You should keep in mind that before using the machine, make sure that you wash all the removable parts with warm soapy water and dry them. Then you have to run one cycle of cold water through both reservoirs, and you have to do that one at a time because both sides cannot run at the same time.

Brew a Single Cup

Here is the step-by-step guide for brewing a single cup on Hamilton Beach Flex Brew.

• Put water into the single-serve water reservoir, with a maximum capacity of 14 ounces.
• Lift the lid latch and make sure that the black funnel is there. Now put the brew basket containing the required amount of ground coffee or K-Cup into the funnel and close the lid.
• Now press the single-serve button; single will display on the screen. Then choose the strength of your coffee; whether you want regular or bold, the choice is all yours.
• Press the brew button, and within 2 to 3 minutes, you will get a perfect cup of coffee.

You May Like: Best Commercial Coffee Maker

The same procedure is applied for brewing coffee with K-Cup. Instead of using the brew basket, you have to use the grey cup holder and put it in the holder; you don’t need to remove the foil because the needle will pierce it at the top and bottom. It takes less time, and the coffee is even hotter by a few degrees. Furthermore, if you want a strong coffee, it takes up to 6 or 7 minutes.

Brewing Multiple Cups

For brewing multiple cups on the carafe side, you have to follow the following steps.

• Open the lid and put the required amount of water in the carafe reservoir. Take a filter paper, cover the brew basket, and add the required amount of ground coffee on the filter paper. Put the basket in and close the lid.
• Put the carafe on the plate and press the carafe button. Carafe will display on the screen, again the choice is yours whether you want strong or regular coffee, but strong coffee will take more time.
• Press the brew button, and the brewing will start. You can remove the carafe any time, and the coffee flow will stop, but you have to put it back after 20 seconds to prevent overflow.
• Within 6-8 minutes, you will have multiple cups of coffee.

After brewing, the unit will automatically go into keep warm mode, which will keep the coffee warm for 2 hours.

Cleaning

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew is very easy to clean, not unlike other coffee makers who are challenging to clean for many users. Convenient cleaning is that there is no permanent filter, so the filter paper is discarded after every use. Also, the pod-piercing assembly is removable, and thus you can easily clean it after brewing is over. Anyway, we recommend cleaning it immediately after use because this will help you prevent clogging.

You May Like: Best Pod Coffee Maker

Programming

Although you can’t program the single-serve side, the carafe side is fully programmable. All you need to do is just press the program button having a carafe symbol on it. In front of that is the time setting button through which you can set a time up to 24 hours.

Brew Temperature

The ideal brew temperature for a coffee maker is 175-185 degrees Fahrenheit. You will be pleased to know that the brew temperature of FlexBrew by Hamilton is 195 degrees Fahrenheit to 201 degrees. When you brew a carafe and pour the coffee into a cup, it will be 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it’s not boiling hot but still acceptable. On the bright side, you can drink it directly and don’t have to wait for cooling. On the other hand, the temperature of the single cup is 162 degrees, almost similar to the carafe temperature. However, when you brew with a K-Cup, you will get the hottest coffee at 166 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brew Time

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 2-way coffee maker takes very little time brewing both single and multiple cups of coffee. Brewing a single cup both with ground coffee and K-Cup takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Not only this but brewing multiple cups takes only 6 to 8 minutes, which is fantastic too.

Performance

The performance of a coffee maker depends upon brew temperature, time, and whether it can brew a single cup or multiple cups. As Hamilton FlexBrew’s brew time is significantly less, the temperature is high, and 2-way coffee maker, so performance is outstanding. More, the carafe side is programmable, so your coffee will be ready for you in case you don’t have time for brewing coffee in the morning.

Bottom Line

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49976 is the best multipurpose and versatile coffee maker available on the market. Both sides are straightforward to use and will give you a whole new experience of coffee. On top of that, cleaning is very convenient. Although it occupies a bit more space, the overall weight of 6.37 pounds is light, so you can quickly shift it from one place to another. Thus, if you want the best 2-way coffee maker without burning a big hole in your pocket, Hamilton Beach should be at the top of your list.

More from Hamilton Beach