How many like to start their morning with a cup of hot coffee? I see a good number of hands were raised, but how many dislike the fragile glass carafes and the potential for burnt coffee that these glass containers present? Okay, almost all of the same hands were raised and for those whose hands are still in the air, you may want to consider the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker, a means to hot coffee without the glass.

Coffee Maker Facts and Figures:

The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker is a countertop small appliance that brews without a carafe, storing the coffee in a reservoir where it is dispensed by pressing a bar with a cup. This coffee maker actually contains two reservoirs, giving it an unusual appearance. The back reservoir tank is used to pour the water when preparing to brew. The front reservoir is used to store and serve the coffee after the brewing cycle is complete.

Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker comes with a permanent filter with the ability to program to start at a specific time, as indicated by the small LCD display. The unit has an auto shutoff feature after two hours and can be used for any amount of coffee up to 10 cups. A small drip tray at the bottom collects the small drops that a cup might miss and the drip tray has a small cover than can be lifted out for cleaning. The coffee maker has a unique appearance and is mostly plastic in construction, with a few chrome accents to make it more attractive.

Final Thoughts:
 
The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker is a different breed of small appliance that brews and serves coffee without a glass carafe. The coffee stores itself in the front reservoir where it can be served easily without the need to lift out a glass carafe and risk the potential for spillage or breakage.

I drink most of my coffee on the job but I do drink some coffee at home as well and I have used dozens of coffee makers over the past twenty- plus years. I find most of them adequate and have only used a few that really stand out in the crowd as exceptional. This coffee maker, the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker, is not the standout I was hoping for, but it does have some good qualities that could make it a very good option for some.

First, let’s talk about the good points. Yes, it is very nice not to have to mess with a glass carafe and it does eliminate the worry over breakage. I have mishandled carafes and have broken them in the past- not while serving coffee, but while washing them by hand. It is very easy for them to slip out of your hands and most of them are very fragile, breaking on the slightest impact. There is no need to worry with the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker because it doesn’t contain glass or anything breakable. I also like the easy- serving mechanism that only requires pressing a bar with your cup, then releasing when your cup is full. This does make it easy to brew and serve a good cup of coffee trouble- free. And since there is no glass, there is no worry about burnt coffee and the cleanup it requires.

The hands- free serving and lack of glass may be enough to convince many consumers to buy this small appliance, but there are some negative points that you don’t realize until you actually use the machine. The first issue I noticed is that there are no water line markers in the rear reservoir. With standard coffee makers, the reservoir is clearly marked and even if it isn’t it is not an issue- you just grab the glass carafe, fill it to the desire cup marker level, and then pour the water. But there is no glass carafe here, so you have to use a measuring cup. From my experience, the cup markings on the front reservoir (which are clearly marked, after the coffee is brewed) correspond to about 5 ounces each. When I first used this coffee maker, I assumed 6 ounce cups but quickly learned this is not the case.

Another issue I have with the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker is the placement of the serving bar. I like that you do not have to pour the coffee by hand, but the bar is a little higher than it should be. Ideally, you would set your cup on the base, on top of the drip collector/container, and then press against the bar to fill your cup. But this will not work unless your cup is tall enough to reach. Those with shorter cups have to lift the cup up to reach the bar. This may seem like a minor point, but the problem is magnified once you notice that the appliance doesn’t hold in place very well, on the counter top. Since your cup is raised, you do not have any leverage to hold the coffee maker in place and t does tend to slide a little. So, you have to hold the coffee maker with one hand while holding your cup against the bar with the other hand. A tall cup can be placed on the drip area, held down, while also pressing the serving bar, making it a true hands- free experience.

The Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker has an auto shutoff, but it won’t shut off for a full two hours. This seems like a long time to me. I usually finish off a partial pot of coffee faster than this and I think it would be better for energy saving and other purposes if the auto shutoff kicked in after one hour, not two. Consumers also need to realize that the drip tray is very small and very shallow. A few too many drips and it will easily overflow, making a mess on the countertop. Then, there is cleaning- it is easier to clean this than some of the awkwardly shaped glass carafes, but it still takes some effort and it is difficult to eliminate the coffee smell from the plastic parts.

Coffee drinkers like anything that makes the brewing and serving of coffee easier, but the Hamilton Beach BrewStation 10 cup coffee maker is not quite the answer to your coffee making prayers. It has some nice points, but it also has several disadvantages, convincing me to rate this small appliance average overall. 

Recommended: Yes