If you’re looking for a very affordable yet versatile coffee maker that can brew just one cup at a time or a carafe of up to 14 ounces, whether of premium brew or instant, then look no further than the Hamilton Beach 49980Z.
Made largely from stainless steel, it is both good looking and durable. You get a 14 ounce stainless steel travel mug with lid as well as the glass carafe (that has volume markings and pours without dripping) in a package that gives you great value for money.
The impressive looking backlit LCD readout displays the time and the program settings keyed in. A simple knob is used to switch from carafe to single serve and back.
Affordable and Low Maintenance
At just $79.00 ($49.00 at the time of writing with frustration-free packaging), this product is one of the cheapest coffee makers that are also reliable, yet has many features normally found only on more expensive coffee makers. These include a hot plate to keep the coffee in the carafe hot that has auto shut-off after two hours, and the capability to program up to 24 hours ahead.
And it really is low maintenance. For example, the filter pulls out easily for emptying and washing under the tap. And having the option of making a single cup or a carafe means that if you only brew for one then you don’t have a large coffee pot to clean afterwards.
Two Coffee Makers in One
Remarkably for such a low price, the Hamilton Beach 49980Z gives you two completely separate ways of brewing your coffee or other hot drink. The carafe makes up to 12 cups at a time – ideal for office use, entertaining guests or catering for a large family – and the single serve setting, with its multilevel cup rest, sill suits those of us who drink our coffee alone. And they each have their own reservoirs (holding 60 and 14 oz respectively).
The Regular/Bold setting gives you further control over the strength of your brew.
Features and Specifications:
- Programmable: Yes
- Thermal carafe/mug: No
- Small-batch setting: Yes
- Brew-strength control: Yes
- Dispenser-style: No
- Dimensions H x W x D (in.): 14 x 12 x 10
- Shipping Weight: 11 pounds
- Two ways to brew your coffee – single serve or full pot
- 12 cup glass carafe included or brew into a travel or regular sized mug using single serve function
- Uses ground coffee – unique scoop measures and filters ground coffee for the perfect cup every time
- Brew strength function for bold or regular coffee and fully programmable with auto shutoff
- Durable stainless steel construction
Customer Reviews and Scores
4.4 stars from 1,121 reviews is the impressive score of the Hamilton Beach 49980Z, with 950 of them being 5 or 4 star, at the time of writing.
What many people particularly like about this product is that it brews the Senseo pods, which are largely considered to be superior to the K-Cups in taste, as well as cheaper. Not only that, but it also accepts coffee grinds, making for even closer control over the exact taste of your brew.
The fact that you can choose the single brew option whenever you want, instead of potentially wasting coffee by brewing in the carafe, also goes down well.
Some reviewers have reported that this coffee maker produces weak coffee, though it’s unclear whether they took advantage of the Bold setting that strengthens the brew. If they were using their own coffee grinds then it may be that they weren’t putting enough in the filter. More enquiries need to be made on that aspect. Overall, though, this coffee maker is a hit with its users.
Conclusion
The Hamilton Beach 49980Z Two Way Brewer proves that you really can find a coffee maker at the lower end of the price spectrum that has features on a par with much more expensive products AND that has excellent reviews and a high overall score. To say nothing of its ability to serve up delicious coffee.