Hamilton Beach 46201 12 Cup Digital Coffeemaker, Stainless Steel

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I've tried many coffee makers over the years and this model #46201 by Hamilton Beach is by far the best I've ever owned. There are several very intuitive features that make this particular coffee maker stand apart from the rest. The description and pictures on this Amazon listing don't even begin to describe the features that make this coffee maker great, so I will describe them for you.



1. Removable water reservoir - The bottom of the coffee maker is equipped with little rollers. To fill the coffee maker with water, you simply turn the coffee maker around 90 degrees, grab the reservoir by the little handle and lift up to remove it. Take it over to the sink, fill it up, drop the reservoir back into place, and spin the coffee maker back around. This solves two problems that most other coffee makers have, in that I don't have to pull the machine out from underneath the kitchen cabinet in order to open the lid, and I also don't have to worry about trying to pour the water into a tiny little opening in the back of the machine. Great feature.



2. Front access to coffee ground basket - The coffee ground basket is located above the decanter, and it swings out to the front, giving me easy access to add my coffee and filter. Again, no more pulling the machine out in order to open the top lid like other coffee makers. There is a button on the right side of the machine, and when pushed the basket is released and it swings out to meet you. It takes regular sized flat bottom coffee filters, and the bottom of the coffee basket has the little spring loaded button that stops the flow of coffee if you decide to pull the decanter out while the coffee is still brewing.



3. Burner Temperature control - There is a button on the front that allows you to control the temperature of the burner under the decanter. It has three settings. I love this because after the coffee is done brewing, I can turn the burner temp down a bit and then my coffee can sit there in the pot for a while and not end up with a bitter burnt taste. With my old Cuisinart coffee maker, the coffee would taste completely burnt if it sat on the burner for more than half an hour. Burnt coffee no more!



4. Brew settings - There are 3 brew settings: Regular, 1-4 Cups, and Bold. The bold setting simply releases the water at a slower rate when brewing so the water has more time to extract the maximum flavor from the coffee grounds. If you like your coffee with a bold flavor, then this feature is for you.



5. The decanter does not dribble - This was a big selling point for me. The decanter for the Cuisinart coffee maker we just had (it's in the trash can now) dribbled like you wouldn't believe. We were finding ourselves keeping a towel next to the coffee maker because every time you poured a cup of coffee you had to clean up a mess of coffee that dribbled down the side of the decanter onto the counter top. This decanter spout has a nice deep groove to it, and it pours like a dream.



It also has the regular features that can be expected such as a clock, and the ability to set it for delayed brew. I would say the only thing that I don't like about this machine is the blue light on the display, but that is just me. This coffee maker does exactly what it is supposed to and has none of the annoying flaws that most other coffee makers suffer from. I would like to meet the engineer who designed this machine and shake their hand. My morning coffee is much more pleasurable now.



*UPDATE 12/4/2013

Well, I've had this coffee maker for a year and a half now. I use it every day, sometimes more than once a day, and have yet to experience any problems whatsoever. It just works, and I'm very pleased with this purchase. I'll probably buy another one to have on hand in case they stop making this model. By far the best coffee maker I've ever owned.