Hamilton Beach is well-known for its reliable products, something that is definitely a priority when it comes to looking for appliances. In fact, when it comes to looking for coffee machines, the most looked for qualities are reliability, long lifespan, and just good quality coffee.
In all regards, Hamilton Beach delivers. Their FlexBrew is, as one can imagine, a flexible brew station that replaces the use of two separate pots. This means you can choose how best to brew your coffee with either pods or grounds.
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Review
Hamilton Beach set out to create a brew station and coffee maker that offers a level of flexibility to customize how and what you brew. The way they go about this is by providing a two-way brewing option.
This allows you to choose between brewing coffee from single-use pods or by using coffee grounds. This means you can choose which coffee you want and use the additional options to further customize and tailor your drink to your tastes.
Who Is This Product For?
To any coffee lover out there, you’ll love the FlexBrew. The option to make a different coffee each time allows you to switch up your tastes.
This versatility is surprisingly delightful, as you can adjust wait times for the different types of coffee you can brew, for example. For any home or office kitchen, the FlexBrew is fantastic as a coffee machine.
What’s Included?
There are no additional externals or accessories, but with this purchase, you do get quite a sizable and hefty brewing station.
Overview of Features
What sets this coffee machine apart from others is the two-in-one build. The ability to choose between brewing a full pot of your favorite coffee grounds or a cup of your favorite pod is impressive. It is this versatility that makes this such a quality brewing station.
It comes with all the basics of what you can expect from a coffee machine. This brewer can hold and brew 12 cups of coffee on the carafe side, the side that brews using grounds. The pod side allows you to fill a standard cup or an 8-inch travel mug.
In ounces, you can brew up to 10 oz. with pods or 14 oz. with grounds. The dispensing mechanism has a standard showerhead method. It involves the water running through the coffee and filter and pouring directly into the pot or mug, rather than dripping.
On top of the option to choose between pods or grounds, you have options at your disposal to customize your coffee and the taste. You can do so with the brew strength options and with the programmable timer. That way, you will always have coffee available to fit your tight schedule.
This timer can also be programmed for automatic pausing in the middle of brewing, to shut off automatically, or to automatically pour your coffee based on your requirements. All of this is what makes this coffee maker an excellent option for the coffee lover on a time limit.
The cons of this coffee machine are surprisingly quite low. When it comes to larger machines such as these, you often find that there are significant downsides. However, this is not the case, with the only major issue lying with factory defaults, anomalies that are rare cases.
Many find that the single-brew side is the faulty one, with it working a few times before giving out or not working at all. There have also been reports of leaks.
In an extreme case, one user has reported that the top of pods inserted inside the single side pop off, blowing the coffee inside everywhere. However, as said before, these cases are quite rare.
How To Use It
You’ll find a video tutorial explaining how to use the FlexBrew here:
Pros
- Option to make a pot or single serving
- Ability to change brew strength
- Programmable timer to brew around a schedule
- Relatively quick dispensing method
Cons
- Takes up a large amount of space
- Some factory faults that many report about
Alternatives
Breville Precision Brew Station
Breville also makes another excellent coffee machine that offers a different kind of versatility. Instead of the option to choose between single and pot brewing, you can use their Breville Precision Brew Station to tailor your coffee to your needs and tastes. This customizability afforded by the Precision Brew Station is unmatched and enjoyed by many.
Conclusion
To summarize, the FlexBrew is an amazingly flexible design that allows you to change how much coffee you want to brew. You have the option to brew a single cup at a time to satisfy your hourly needs and give you a reason to stretch when you go fetch that cup.
On the other hand, you can brew a pot so that you can keep drinking at your desk while you work or game. All of this makes the Hamilton Beach Flexbrew an excellent choice for anyone looking for a good coffee machine.
