Hamilton Beach is one of the leading home appliance brand names. They make blenders, mixers, toasters that are durable and top of the line. They also specialized in engineering coffee makers and espresso makers that are superior in both quality as well as durability.
Hamilton Beach Flexbrew coffee makers are very affordable, and make some of the best coffee on the market. This elevates Hamilton Beach to one of the prime competitors in the field of automatic coffee machines, and their FlexBrew technology has now become a household name in terms of innovation.
Hamilton Beach was founded in 1910 by innovator Frederick J Osius in Wisconsin, America. The company initially started off making smaller products like electric fans, but later started to make Osius’ own patented products, which included new and innovative blenders and coffeemakers that solidified the company’s name as one of the highest grossing competitors on the market.
With this fame, the company expanded and focused on innovation and quality. Their line of FlexBrew coffeemakers are their prestige, and have been honed over the years to satisfy their customers to the fullest.
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How do Hamilton Beach FlexBrew coffee makers work?
Hamilton Beach coffee makers are aimed at being flexible and versatile. They have time and again invented products that give the user maximum control, which is always appreciated.
Their coffeemakers come with various settings that let the user decide how the coffee is made. By doing this, Hamilton Beach lets you personalize your coffee and delivers consistency on the final product. This is the principle that Hamilton Beach is known for, and it reflects in their products.
The Hamilton FlexBrew coffee makers let the user adjust the coffee drinking experience on a number of parameters, including strength, quantity and temperature.
With their patented 2-way FlexBrew technology, you can brew a single cup or a full carafe pot. The machine also lets you fine tune the strength of your coffee, and lets you get an extra kick of caffeine if and when needed. The FlexBrew coffeemakers are programmable that ensures that you wake up to a hot cup of coffee every day.
They can also accommodate travel mugs, and can brew with pods as well as grinds. The machines also have the option to brew two single-serve cups at the same time, which saves a lot of time and a lot of cleaning.
The machines also let you dispense hot water in case you need to dilute your coffee. Given the amount of versatility on the machine in terms of brew sizes and styles, this range of machines is a must have for any coffee enthusiast.
The machine has two sides to hold your grounds or your grinds. This means that you can simultaneously brew a cup using pods as well as a cup using grinds. This is done through diversion of water through two channels.
The engineering is such that it is impossible for the two channels to ever meet, ensuring that the two sides remain clean and don’t mix. What’s more, you get all of this goodness for a really great price.
Keeping all of this in mind, let’s look at some of the most popular Hamilton Beach FlexBrew machines!
Top 5 Hamilton Beach Flexbrew Coffee machines
1. Hamilton Beach 49968 FlexBrew
One of the most interesting things about the FlexBrew 49968 is that it tracks your coffee consumption. The Dash Replenishment system in the machine reorders single serve coffee pods as well as filters when you run out! This eliminates the task of ordering the coffee pods when you run out, making this easily one of the most convenient features of this machine.
This Hamilton beach flexbrew coffee machine lets you select your preferred coffee pods, and orders them. If you want to change things up a bit, simply change the preferred coffee pod setting in, and the machine will order it for you. It has a large water tank and has a relatively quick brew time.
And as the name suggests, this machine comes with the FlexBrew technology, which lets you brew multiple cups of coffee at a time. The price of this machine is also quite modest, and gives you the bang for the buck.
Features
- Dash Replenishment: The Dash Replenishment technology lets you preset a preferred coffee pod brand and flavour. The machine keeps track of your consumption, and immediately orders new pods when you run out! It also replenishes your water filters in case you ever run out of them.
- Fast Brew: The brew time on this machine is insanely low, and can make a cup of coffee in under 3 minutes. It also saves energy, as the FlexBrew technology ensures that water is only heated when needed.
- Variable brew quantity: The machine also let you brew varying quantities, including 8, 10 & 14 ounces. The machine lets you use a variety of different cups to fill your coffee in.
- Strength Control: The machine offers ample control on the strength of the coffee, with two settings: Regular and Bold. This lets you brew a strong cup of coffee when needed.
- Choose between grounds or pods: The option to choose between pods and grinds opens up a whole new world of flavor. This adds a point to the versatility of the machine, adding a whole new dimension of controllability.
- Auto off: The auto off feature shuts the machine off immediately after brew, saving on the money as well as time.
- Dash replenishment system
- Quick brew time
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Large size
- Not programmable
This coffee machine is a great entry level FlexBrew machine, and gives a reasonable amount of control to the user. It is perfect for home, and makes a good, strong cup of coffee in a very short amount of time.
2. Hamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew
The Hamilton Beach 49976 builds and improves on the already successful 49968. This machine also has the two-way brew technology, but has removed the auto-replenishment system. Eliminating this is a step taken to remove redundancies in costing, and improve the overall features and quality of the machine.
This Hamilton Beach Flexbrew Coffee maker also has separate water reservoirs for each chamber, keeping both lines separate to ensure they don’t mix.
This machine comes with variable brew sizes, including a 12 cup Carafe option. This is an improvement from the previous model, letting you brew in larger quantities.
The machine is also programmable, which is a feature that is not available on the previous FlexBrew model. It also has strength as well as temperature control, and comes with a warming plate.in
Features
- Choose between grounds and pods: Just like the previous model, this machine comes with the option to brew with pods or grinds. Versatility is the name of the game when it comes to the FlexBrew line of machines.
- Dual reservoirs: Both the chambers have their own water reservoirs, to ensure that the water does not mix between the grinds and the pods. The reservoir is very easy to fill as well.
- Strength control: The machine gives you the option to control the strength of the coffee at two settings: Regular and Bold. This lets you get your preferred brew of coffee.
- Auto pause and serve: The auto pause and serve feature lets you pause the machine mid brew, and lets you sneak a cup of coffee for those especially hectic mornings.
- Auto off: The machine shuts off after 2 hours of brew, and keeps the carafe warm for a very long time.
- Programmable: The digital 24hr clock on the machine is very easy to use, and ca be programmed so that you wake up to a hot cup of coffee every morning.
- Programmable
- Easy to use
- Dual water reservoir
- Robust list of features
- Quick brew
- No auto-replenishment
- Smaller water reservoir
This flexbrew coffee machine improves on the previous model, and provides the user with a much needed carafe. The variable brewing option, as well as the dual brewing option are its primary selling points. It also brews coffee in less than 3 minutes, making this machine a great fit for both homes and offices due to its large brew capacity.
3. Hamilton Beach 49983 FlexBrew
This Hamilton Flexbrew Coffee maker is also a great improvement on the other models, and incorporates the best elements from these machines while improving on them.
This coffee machine is made up of stainless steel, and is far more attractive and ergonomic in design when compared to the other models. It is also much easier to use, and has a very intuitive interface, giving it an edge over the other machines. It is also extremely compact, with a small footprint.
Even though this is a 2-way coffeemaker, it is much smaller in size than a lot of 1-way coffeemakers. It can brew with grinds or pods, just like the other FlexBrew machines, and can brew 8oz, 12oz, 14oz and a full Carafe. It is also programmable and dishwasher safe, making it one of the best 2-way coffee machines on the market.
Features
- Programmable: The machine is programmable to fit your daily schedule, so that you get a great cup of coffee piping hot in the morning.
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- Strength Control: This machine also offers strength control, just like the other models on the FlexBrew line. There are two settings: Regular and Bold, which lets you alter and adjust the strength of your coffee to your preference.
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- Variable Brew quantity: the machine gets you brew upto 14oz cups, including travel mugs. It also lets you brew a full 12 cup Carafe for situations that require large brews.
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- Auto off: The auto off feature shuts off the machine 2 hours after brew, and also keeps the Carafe hot for a period of time.
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- Durable Stainless steel design: The stainless steel design looks attractive, and also makes the machine very durable. The durability combined with the portability of the machine makes this machine one of the bests on the market.
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- Dual water reservoir: this machine also has a dual water reservoir system with differing lines for the two brew chambers. This is done to ensure that there is no mixing of liquids between the two chambers.
- Programmable
- Easy to use
- Ergonomic design
- Stainless steel body
- Attractive
- Robust set of features
- Portable
- No auto-replenishment
- Harder to clean
- Slower
Overall, this Hamilton beach flexbrew machine is a great little coffee machine that makes some of the best and strongest coffee compared to its predecessors. It is small, and can brew large quantities of coffee, making it perfect for both home and office uses. This machine is a recommended buy for people willing to spend a little extra to have a decent coffee machine.
4. Hamilton Beach 49980 FlexBrew
The Hamilton Beach 49980 has all of the great features you may come to expect from the FlexBrew line of products. But its primary selling point is the low price. It has a stainless steel design, an ergonomic control panel, and is programmable. It also has strength control so you can adjust the flavour of your coffee.
This Hamilton Beach Flexbrew Coffee maker also has a warming plate that can heat up your carafe. It also has separate water reservoirs, which ensures that the liquid from the two chambers never mix.
The 49980 can brew variable cups, from 8oz all the way up to the carafe. It can also accommodate a travel mug. Since it is part of the FlexBrew line, it comes with the standard 2-way brew option which lets you brew grinds as well as pods. It also has a convenient single serve option, that lets you take a few lose grounds to get a quick cup!
Features
- Programmable: The machine is programmable and offers you full control on setting a schedule for the brew. The machine has a 24 hr clock which is extremely easy to configure.
- 2-way brew: the 2-way brew function lets you brew in two different ways, giving you ample control on the way you want to brew your coffee.
- Strength control: The machine lets you choose two settings: Regular and Bold, and gives you control over the strength of the coffee.
- Programmable: The 49980 FlexBrew can be set up to a schedule with the built-in 24hr clock so that you wake up to hot and fresh coffee every day.
- Single Serve: The machine has a single serve option which lets you make a perfectly measured cup of coffee with just a few loose grinds. Also, the machine can brew upto a whole carafe.
- Stainless steel body: The machine has a stainless steel body and has a great, ergonomic design which makes it durable.
- Water Reservoir: the dual water reservoirs ensure that there is no mixing of fluids. This is seen in all machines from the FlexBrew line of coffeemakers.
Overall, this Hamilton beach flexbrew machine is a great little coffee machine that makes some of the best and strongest coffee compared to its predecessors. It is small, and can brew large quantities of coffee, making it perfect for both home and office uses. This machine is a recommended buy for people willing to spend a little extra to have a decent coffee machine.
- Affordable
- Great features
- Stainless steel body
- Great design body
- Programmable
- Takes longer to brew
This coffee machine has some of the best features of the FlexBrew machine line, and comes in at a very affordable price. There are very few downsides to this machine, and the coffeemaker lives upto its name. It can be used in homes as well as offices. The only drawback is that the coffee may take a little longer to brew.
5. Hamilton Beach Flexbrew 49974
The Hamilton Beach 49974 is one of the most compact, affordable and easy-to-use machines on this list. It has a lot of features that rival the more expensive machines, and delivers the same consistent flavor through and through.
This coffee machine is one of the best sellers on amazon, and delivers a great entry-level experience in coffee-making. The FlexBrew technology lets you brew coffee with pods or grinds, and lets you brew single serve coffees as well.
This Hamilton Beach Coffee maker has a very attractive design and a small footprint. It has adjustable brew strength and a removable drip tray, making it very easy to clean. It is also dishwasher safe, needing only a quick rinse to clean. You can brew upto 10oz, and can also accommodate a 14oz travel mug.
The machine makes coffee relatively quickly, in under 3 minutes. Given the price point, this machine is a great machine for a personalized coffee drinking experience.
Features
- Brew grinds or pods: The dual functionality of the coffeemaker gives you ample control on how your coffee tastes. The choice between pods and grinds lets you tweak the coffee exactly to your liking.
- Strength control: The coffee machine offers a lot of strength control as well. You can chose between regular and bold strength options to maximize control over the style of coffee that you prefer.
- Ease of usage: The machine requires you to simply take your pods or grinds, place them in the container close the lid and hit brew. This no-nonsense approach to brewing coffee is great for everyday use and saves a lot of time.
- Storage area: The cup rest has a storage area for your pods or even the brew basket, making it one of the most ergonomic design features on the machine.
- Great set of features for the price
- Affordable
- Compact
- Ergonomic and attractive design
- Lacks a large water reservoir
All in all, this Hamilton Flexbrew Coffee Maker is fantastic for people who want to brew a good cup of coffee and have a decent amount of control over it without bogging down into complicated control panels.
The design is simple and intuitive, and offers a variety. It is also extremely easy to clean and has a removable drip tray. This machine is great for personal use and homes, but not so much for office spaces given the lack of a carafe.
Conclusion
The FlexBrew line of machines offers some of the most diverse and varied controls to the user. You no longer have to make a choice between grinds or pods, and can enjoy them both.
The FlexBrew machines are great for personal as well as office uses, and have been curated to fit a particular demographic. For instance, the 49974 is a great machine to use at homes. Whereas the 49984 offers the choice between brewing large quantities and single serve cups. This variety and control is something that Hamilton Beach specialized in.
This line of machines is definitely worth considering for purchase, since they start at an extremely affordable price of about $39. One thing to keep in mind is to not press too hard while filing the grinds container as the water may sometimes overflow.
This problem is one of the commonly reported issues in hamilton coffee makers. The simplest way to overcome this is to simply not press too hard or not fill the whole container with the grinds. Leaving some amount of space will let you fix this issue.