Hamilton Beach BrewStation Review: 12 Cup Coffee Maker

Automatic drip coffee makers are very popular and for good reason; there’s a lot to love about them. 

That said, we can all agree they’re not perfect. Their hot plates are notorious for taking the fresh brewed flavor from your coffee and turning it into burnt flavor and the carafes can be the source of spills and breaks.

The Hamilton Beach BrewStation was designed to solve both of those problems. 

This machine works just like an automatic drip coffee maker but, instead of brewing into a carafe it brews into an internal tank keeping your coffee fresh and hot but never scorching it, and with no carafe you can guarantee you won’t have spills or breaks.

Read our Hamilton Beach BrewStation review to find out if it lives up to it’s best selling reputation. 

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Hamilton Beach BrewStation 12 Cup Coffee Maker, No Carafe, Programmable

Hamilton Beach BrewStation

Brew up to 12 cups, programmable, one-hand dispensing and no carafe to break.

Hamilton Beach BrewStation Coffee Maker Review

Features

You can program the machine up to 24 hours in advance. No need to wait for your coffee to brew in the morning or leave the dinner table to turn the coffee maker on. 

Just program it ahead of time and you’ll be greeted with the aroma of fresh coffee whenever you want. 

Note, the programmed brew time is not recurring, you’ll need to program it each time you want it to brew.

Select from regular, bold or even an iced coffee setting. If you just need to brew a small amount of coffee use the 1-4 cups brew setting.

The keep hot function has the capability of, you guessed it, keeping your coffee hot for up to 4 hours. Set it to the amount of time you want your coffee to be kept hot and you’ll be able to keep going back not just for a hot cup but also a fresh cup.

The machine will automatically shut off once the keep hot time you set has run out. Never worry about remembering to turn the machine off. 

The built-in water heater ensures your coffee maintains a consistent temperature. This works far better than machines with hot plates because it avoids the burnt taste coffee can develop from one.

One touch dispensing is convenient and it’s also pretty fun to push your cup against the dispensing bar to watch it fill. 

Even if you’re half asleep you can be certain you won’t have any spills. 

Design

The design of the Hamilton Beach BrewStation is user-friendly with no learning curve. 

Brewing is as simple as adding water to the reservoir and then filling a paper or permanent filter with the amount of ground coffee you desire. 

Use the removable coffee tank to fill the water reservoir.

This machine doesn’t come with a permanent filter but one can be purchased separately. If you’re interested in saving money (in the long run) and a more eco-friendly option the permanent filter is the way to go.

We observed that the bold and 1-4 cups brew options take longer to complete a brew cycle. 

If you don’t select a brew option the coffee maker will automatically brew on the regular setting.

The BrewStation looks like an automatic drip machine with an illuminated display panel and easy to navigate buttons for customization. 

Noticeably missing is a carafe which is actually a big selling point for the machine. 

No pouring your coffee, simply place your cup against the dispensing bar and watch it fill. It doesn’t get much easier than that! 

Hamilton Beach stands behind the design of their coffee makers with a one year warranty.

Cleaning

Keeping this machine clean isn’t difficult. Before the first use wash the coffee tank, filter basket, and drip tray – all are top rack dishwasher safe. 

Be sure to keep the filter basket clean, best practice is to clean it after each use.

The Hamilton Beach BrewStation will notify you when it’s time for cleaning in two ways:

The built-in cycle timer will flash on the display after every 30 brewing cycles. It will stay illuminated for 2 cycles. 

The built-in residue sensor will appear on the display when it senses residue build up and remain illuminated until the machine has been cleaned. 

The BrewStation should be cleaned with vinegar at least once a month to avoid buildup from deposits in the water.

Price

The Hamilton Beach BrewStation gives you a lot of bang for your buck. 

From it’s design to it’s features and most importantly the consistently good cup of coffee it brews, its price point of around $50 is very affordable.

Hamilton Beach (48465) Coffee Maker with 12 Cup Capacity & Internal Storage Coffee Pot, Brewstation
$59.85
Buy Now
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03/12/2024 09:15 pm GMT

What We Like About The Hamilton Beach BrewStation

Programmable
Customizable brewing options
No carafe
Keeps coffee hot for up to 4 hours

What We Don’t Like About The Hamilton Beach BrewStation

The rubber feet pop out of the base when moving the device across the counter
You have to hold the machine when dispensing a cup of coffee to avoid it pushing back on the counter and the drip tray detaching

Who Should Buy A Hamilton Beach BrewStation?

This is the perfect coffee maker for anyone who has a past history with broken carafes or who might be a bit clumsy and has frequent spills. 

It’s also a great option for anyone who wants an easy to operate machine that exclusively works with ground coffee and has a generous amount of customization features at a reasonable price. 

It can keep coffee hot for up to 4 hours so if anyone in the house or office is running on different schedules it stands ready to dispense a fresh cup of coffee at different times too.

Who Should NOT Buy A Hamilton Beach BrewStation?

This is not the right machine for anyone who wants to use coffee pods – it’s only suitable for ground coffee. 

It also wouldn’t be a good fit for a household or office where everyone wants something different. With no carafe and single-cup dispensing you can’t brew for example a pot of regular and a pot of decaf coffee

Final Word

At first glance not having a carafe made us raise an eyebrow but, it’s actually a unique selling point and a big plus about the Hamilton Beach BrewStation. You literally never have to worry about spills or breaking a carafe and as an added bonus it’s one less thing to wash.

The internal water heater keeps your coffee hot and fresh. No pouring needed, just press your cup or travel mug against the bar to dispense your coffee. 

The BrewStation offers a ton of value – a generous amount of customization features, a very affordable price, and it brews a darn good cup of coffee. Happy brewing!