Almost Perfect

Author's Rating:

Pros: One-hand operation. Easy to set-up, use, and to clean. Makes a statement on the counter.

Cons: Only two hours of warmer time? You must be kidding!

The Bottom Line: 
It fits into my life. If you like the design, maybe it can fit into yours.

Author's Review
Arrival
I bought this coffee maker, very simply, because I needed a new coffee pot. I was looking forward to moving to a new home and would need a coffee pot when I got there. I found the Hamilton Beach BrewStation on display and was intrigued by what I saw. I dove right in to that display model until I felt fully capable of meeting its requirements. I felt confident with my purchase even though I had not done any specific pre-shopping research and had not been looking, that day, for a coffee pot. This coffee pot found me!

I was not due to move out of the place I was living for another month or so at this point. I was so excited about my new pot I put it to use as soon as I returned home. The current pot could stand some weeks of vacation time. I needed to conquer this pot and be sure I knew how well it worked before I had to rely upon it.

Design
Indeed, the BrewStation has an odd design. I was leaving behind an eight-cup percolator which had not disappointed me in any way. There was very little in common in comparison of the percolator and the BrewStation's setup and operation. Aside from the obvious distinction of one being a perk machine and the other being a drip coffee maker; the BrewStation had everything I expected a drip maker to have but it was all of a different shape and design.

All the parts have a non-uniform (no cylinders) interlocking design. The spout on the BrewStation is initially the oddest thing I've seen. (And one of its major selling points!) Better yet, the BrewStation's spout just worked.

re: leaks - It occurred to me that any valve under constant pressure might be likely to leak. I was careful to watch for leaks following the first brew cycle. New, out-of-the-box, there were no leaks. Furthermore, I have had no leaks occurring since that first brew. I'm willing to guess that those w/machines which did develop leaks may have been over or under cleaning the BrewStation's pot. I suspect that a loose coffee ground was allowed to remain caught under the valve's seal where it got stuck and gradually ground a hole in the seal. ...constant pressure may be likely to leak.

Clean the spout when rinsing the pot by opening the valve with your finger and allowing some clean water to wash "stuck grounds" away.

The dual measuring lines take a little getting used to but this is easily over come. The inside water line is a bit higher than the external coffee line. Use the inside line to measure clean water. This amount will exactly fill the reservoir to the point at which you start to think the reservoir will overflow ~ it won't.

Brew Cycle
With the pot now empty you need only set it down onto its nest molded into the base station. There is only one way to put it in and there is no reason to worry it might tip out once properly placed into the coffee maker's base. You will still have in possession the filter basket. (I don't have the permanent filter option. I like having coffee filters on hand for other filtering uses anyway!) Measure your ground coffee to your own satisfaction into the filter basket, Nest the filter basket in its place in the top of the coffee pot. Again, there will be only one way the basket will fit and once fitted there, it will stay there. Close the lid; push the button.

I have the auto-timer model. I've seen reference an on/off only model - I (almost!) like the timer. Anyway, push the button.

You'll hear the coffee maker making typical coffee maker sounds. You'll excitedly await the arrival of that first cup of fresh coffee. Although a watched pot never boils, you'll be drinking that fresh coffee in the time it takes to fetch the morning paper.

Return trip to the coffee spout; this time armed with an empty coffee cup! Unfortunately the dispense option does not comfortably accommodate any and every coffee cup presented to it. Avoid cups with a dark interior; you'll find it difficult to see the coffee filling he cup. Avoid (very) tall coffee cups; you will need to tip the bottom of such a cup out beyond the edge of the counter to make contact w/the dispenser button. Whatever cup you use, avoid pushing too hard on the button; it does not need that much of a push but too hard and you'll push the coffee maker so far away from the counter's edge that your tall-cup friends will have to readjust to get their coffee.

Remember, this is a different breed of animal and it requires an bit of personal re-alignment to become fully comfortable with its operation.

Eventually, you and your favorite coffee cup will find the BrewStation fully accommodating. By now all twelve cups have been served. Notice how that last cup neatly emptied the coffee pot. There is a brief wait for the final drop but once that final drop arrives there is no coffee left behind. Empty is empty, no tilting necessary. All that's left is to clean up and get ready for the next brew cycle.

Maintenance
First, there is that lid. Guess what -- there will be condensation collected on the inside top of the lid! Do not simply lift up the top without considering the existence of this condensation. Pick up the lid just a little way then let it drop back down onto the coffee maker. You'll hear a brief splash after which you may open the lid all the way. The condensation still remaining on the lid will drain off to the rear of the lid and flow back into the water reservoir through the back hinge. Good design I thought. If you're getting much spillage or puddles of water behind your BrewStation I suspect you are not using the drop-once-then-lift-the-lid method of opening the coffee maker.

With the lid open, take out and empty the filter basket. Grab the coffee pot/water bucket and head to the sink for a quick rinse and refill. Cold water rinse; non-abrasive scrub; (I find my hand generally works well enough.) Empty the rinse water and refill the pot to the desired level with new, fresh water.

Don't forget to rinse the spout-valve of any stray coffee grounds then, return to the beginning of this operational description.

Summary
First, a brief description of the mis-fit items found on the BrewStation. There are really only two such downers and neither is a killer defect. The timer must be a)longer; b)adjustable. Two hours of standing-warm time is simply not long enough [:-(].

The coffee spout access could, somehow, be more intuitive and more accommodating for a wider variety of coffee cups. Your friends should be able to grab any coffee cup you have and be able to pour themselves a cup of coffee once they have been told what the device is!

Second, a highlight of the BrewStation's unique and outstanding features. No separate coffee pot to pick up and to pour from. One hand dispensing. Quick, clean brew of coffee. Clear indication of amount of coffee remaining to dispense. The last drop is the last drop. Even the anti-symmetrical (intimating?) over-all design shape make an at-home statement I enjoy. "Would you like some coffee? Yep, that's the coffee pot over there."

Customer Service Update
Last night we suffered a big-large-colossal thunderstorm and, when I went to start my morning's coffee, I discovered my BrewStation out of commission, DOA, a lump on the counter. Damn. I poked at it, I even took it apart to see if I could find the burned out component. All to no avail.

I then went to Hamilton Beach's web site to discover anything new I could about the coffee maker. There I found a "Trouble Shooting" guide which explicitly mentioned my difficultly and suggested, "the clock needs to be reset."

Sounds good, except I was unsure how to reset the clock. There was an 800 number on the website so called to find out about this reset option.

The representative I spoke to was very pleasant and confirmed my expectation; unplug then re-plug in the power cord. "Been there, done that, no change." She went on to ask for the model and serial numbers from the bottom of the coffee maker. I supplied such and was then told some very happy news! For only $7.50 (s&h) I could have the maker replaced as long as I mailed in the plug end of the power cord with a check or MO for shipping & handling.

"The check's in the mail," as they say and all I need to do is wait patiently for snail-mail to satisfy my hopes! Sure hope it does not take too long.