Hamilton Beach 2-Way Programmable Best Overall
- Dimensions
- 12.2"W x 13.9"H x 11.1"D
- Coffee Input
- Ground coffee only
- Carafe Capacity
- 12 cups
- Single-serve Size
- Up to 14 oz
Cheapest is rarely the reason to buy a coffee maker, but here the price lands on the design with the fewest things to go wrong. One 12.2-inch-wide body holds two brewers: a 12-cup glass carafe on one side and a single-serve basket on the other that takes a scoop of grounds and brews up to 14 ounces straight into a mug. We recommend it first because it does both jobs with the least machinery — one water path, one filter style, and no pod holder to rinse out.
What we noticed in daily use is how little there is to think about. The included scoop measures straight into the single-serve basket, the basket lifts out and rinses in seconds, and the rest is a short row of buttons: regular or bold, pot or cup, and a programmable timer for the carafe. AutoPause lets you pull a cup mid-brew without a drip landing on the warming plate. Setting up a pot the night before and still filling a travel mug in the morning is the whole appeal, and it works without a menu tree.
Two limits are worth knowing up front. The single-serve side takes ground coffee only — no K-Cups, no capsules — which is exactly why this is the least expensive way into dual brewing. And at 13.9 inches tall it wants a stretch of counter with clear space above for the lid. Neither changes our recommendation. It's the machine we point to when someone wants a pot for the house and a cup for the road without paying for a pod habit.
What We Like
- Brews a 12-cup pot or a 14-ounce single cup
- Grounds only, so there's nothing to reorder
- Programmable with regular and bold settings
Worth Noting
- No K-Cup or capsule option
- No iced setting or frother
We recommend it as the default for most households: a 12-cup pot or a 14-ounce cup from the same bag of grounds, with the simplest plumbing in the group.
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