Hamilton Beach 49980A Coffee Maker Review 2023 – Pros & Cons

Ivy Smith February 2, 2023 in Kitchen & Food, Coffee Maker - 10 Minutes

Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker Just $44.99 Shipped on Amazon (Regularly $75) - Brew a Pot or a Single Cup

Read Time:9 Minute, 32 Second

Each of us believes that our preferred method of drinking coffee is the best. Everyone else finds it to be either too strong or too weak.

What if, however, everyone could get the coffee they wanted? Also, I don’t advise you to go out and buy a variety pack of K-Cups.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive coffee maker that still produces a high-quality brew, the Hamilton Beach coffee maker is simple to use and straightforward to clean.

With the Hamilton Beach 49980A Two-Way Brewer, you can use your preferred ground coffee to brew either an entire carafe or just a single serving. Can everyone have their coffee however they want if that’s what they say they’ll do? Read on to find out!

Table of Contents

Pros & Cons of Hamilton Beach 49980A Coffee Maker

Pros:

Can brew a full pot or a single serving
Can be programmed to brew on a timer
Can opt for regular or bold strength
Great value for money

Cons:

No insulated carafe
No reusable filter basket for the batch brewing side

Hamilton Beach 49980A Features

First, let’s discuss the Hamilton Beach 49980A and its features.

The Hamilton Beach 49980A is manufactured by an American business whose name is a combination of two other names: L.H. Montgomery and Chester Beach. Coffee makers are one of its premium products; the company makes small home appliances.

Hamilton Beach produces a variety of appliances, including coffee makers, which are among the industry’s top-rated products. The company pays attention to the finer details to deliver products equipped with useful features and Hamilton Beach 49980A is the perfect example.

Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker Design

The Hamilton Beach 2-Way Coffee Maker does not have a particularly attractive appearance. It exudes the same trendy utilitarian vibe that permeates the entire Hamilton Beach product line. Sure, it is not as chic and colorful as Smeg machines (you can read our Smeg coffee maker review here), but the brushed stainless steel and black plastic make for a look that matches a variety of decors. We also value the interface’s pleasingly simple design, which only has a few buttons and a lovely, bright digital display.

This Hamilton Beach is not as compact in size as other single serve coffee makers or conventional 12-cup drip coffee makers. The space savings is noticeable when compared to having one of each.

Features of Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker

What makes this brewer special is that it can either brew a 12-cup coffee pot or a single cup (up to 14-oz) of coffee. The 12-cup glass carafe can accommodate a fairly sizable 60 ounces or 1.7 liters of coffee because Hamilton Beach uses a 5-oz “cup” measurement.

Despite a travel mug appearing on pretty much all of this machine’s marketing images, it is sold without one. The former included mug had a plastic interior and was quite flimsy, so this isn’t much of a loss. Just be aware that you’ll need to bring your own cup!

The dual-brew feature comes in handy if you live with someone who prefers decaf or a specific blend while the rest of the family (or one particularly thirsty person) drinks regular. If you’re the type of person who gets the mid-afternoon caffeine craving, this feature is also fantastic for you. Rather than brew a whole pot, this coffee machine lets you brew a single cup whenever you please.

The single serving side has a nifty little base that allows you to position coffee mugs closer to the spout as well as accommodating taller cups and travel mugs.

The Hamilton Beach Two-Way brewer is a typical programmable drip coffee maker aside from its dual-brew capability. There are only two strength options available: regular and bold.

The 12-cup glass carafe is uninsulated but rests atop a hot-plate that can keep your coffee warm for up to 2 hours. Since hot plates sometimes cause the coffee to taste burnt or scorched, we prefer to see an insulated carafe.

Using Senseo coffee pods with the single serve coffee maker on this Hamilton Beach brewer is a cool feature. Senseo coffee pods are offered at most large grocery stores, though they are not as widely distributed as K-cups. Additionally, Senseo pods can be composted.

Is Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker Easy to Use?

Although there are some subtleties to how the Hamilton Beach 49980A operates, it is generally simple to use.

Despite the dual-brew feature, you can only brew on one side at a time. Not only that, but the carafe’s hot plate will turn off if you switch to a single serve brew after brewing a pot of coffee. Be sure to plan accordingly!

Also Read: Can You Heat Up Cold Brew Coffee – Will It Change the Flavor?

The carafe side calls for you to supply your own flat-bottom filters, while the single serve brew basket uses a permanent metal-mesh filter. Even if you use the same amounts of coffee beans, coffee grounds, and hot water on both the single serving side and the carafe side, the resulting cups of coffee will always be slightly different.

While Hamilton Beach does not sell metal mesh filters for the carafe side brew basket, you may be able to find a third party mesh filter basket that fits.

The built-in minimum and maximum fill lines in the water reservoir are one feature that makes the single serving side incredibly convenient to use. We’re sure there have been plenty of times when a measuring scoop was unavailable, and you had to guesstimate. You can always tell if you’re close by when there are fill lines. The metal-mesh filter also functions as a scoop, so no additional utensils are required!

In an odd recommendation, Hamilton Beach suggests using less ground coffee when making decaf or flavored coffee. Although the recommended amount of ground coffee when brewing decaf or flavored coffee is 25% less than the standard ratio of 1 tablespoon per cup.

It’s simple to brew: just add as much water to the tank as you want to use in the process, check that the selector switch corresponds to the batch size you want to brew, and press the power button.

Compared to a Keurig or other single serve coffee makers, the single serving side’s brewing time is longer.

The programmable start timer is easy to use, as well. While keeping the program button depressed, change the time by pressing the hour and minute buttons. To show that the program has been set, a green LED will light up.

Note: The coffee maker will brew in whatever mode it was left in. When setting your program the night before, make sure the single-serve/carafe setting corresponds to the batch size you want!

Cleaning is as simple as it gets thanks to the dishwasher safety of all removable parts. With a damp cloth, the remainder can be cleaned. (Also Read: How to Clean a Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker with Simple Steps)

Is Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker Worth It?

Great value can be found in the Hamilton Beach 49980A Two-Way Coffee Brewer. You will almost certainly spend more money and have more counter space taken up if you purchase a single-serve machine and a 12-cup coffee maker separately.

Despite being relatively simple, this coffee maker still comes with a lot of useful features like programmability, strength control, and Senseo pod compatibility, just to name a few.

There are some areas where saving money has led to a less-than-ideal coffee maker. First, and perhaps most obviously: Why, unlike some of the best single serve coffee makers on the market, does the batch brewing side not have a reusable mesh filter? The second issue, which is potentially more serious, is why a glass carafe with a hot-plate was provided rather than an insulated carafe. The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew coffee makers have an insulated thermal carafe, so they could have at least produced a model with one.

Even though the absence of these two features would have elevated this device to value perfection, the case for this drip coffee maker is still strong.

The Verdict

The Hamilton Beach 49980A has a special assortment of features that might make it the ideal coffee maker for your home or office. It can provide enough coffee for a crowd to drink up to a 12-cup carafe. However, this coffee brewer still has you covered if you only want to drink one serving and would rather use your own ground coffee instead of K-Cups.

You can program the timer on this coffee maker for added convenience, ensuring that your coffee will be ready when you awaken. We would have loved to see an insulated carafe variant of this model, but at this price, glass carafes are the norm. In the end, the Hamilton Beach 49980A is a good drip coffee maker that provides unique features at a great price.

FAQs

How Long Does It Take to Brew the Full 12-cup Carafe?

The full pot of coffee takes about 15-20 minutes to brew, whereas the single cup only needs about a minute. You can obtain the full 14 ounces. cup of coffee in about 60 seconds.

The 12-cup carafe can make enough coffee for everyone in the house or guests who are coming over. You can pre-program the machine to start brewing coffee five minutes before you want to consume it to save time. Both coffee pots and single-serve machines can use this feature.

Does the Machine Beep After the Brewing is Done?

No, which has good and bad aspects. Some people prefer that the machine does not beep because they find it annoying. Others would prefer a beep from the machine to signal when the coffee is ready to be poured.

Can I Prepare Other Drinks Other Than Coffee?

Although I have not used the appliance for anything other than coffee, there are people who have used it to make tea and hot chocolate drinks.

To make a hot drink, they heat water using the single-serve option and then mix in instant coffee, tea, or cocoa. Some people also prefer to use iced coffee, which is made by blending freshly brewed beverage with ice cubes.

Can I Use Coffee Pods for 49980A Machine?

The 12-cup coffee maker can use Maxwell House filter packs, and the single-serve side of the coffee maker does accept Senseo pods. The coffee maker does not support K-cups, but it works just as well with ground coffee.

What Are the Maintenance Needs of the 49980A Machine?

The 49980A requires low maintenance but you will still need to take good care of the device to ensure that it lasts for long. The carafe can be cleaned with mild soap and water or by running it through the dishwasher.

Consider neutralizing your coffee maker occasionally by running a solution of water and white vinegar through it if you use it frequently. Simply wipe off the dirt with a damp cloth to clean the exterior.