Hamilton Beach 49980Z 2-Way Brewer, 12-Cup

After researching to death to get a really good coffee pot and wanting the abiility to make a pot or single cup, thinking we would have to choose or have two machines on counter we bought a Capresso burr grinder/brewer for $$$$. After 9 days of troubleshooting and adjusting our coffee taste to suit the pot I sent it back and ordered this Hamilton Beach 2 Way fearing I might have to do the same. But alas! this is the perfect pot for this household. We both like dark bold coffee but one of us drinks to mugs early in morning while the other drinks one early and second a few hours later. Also I like occasional flavored coffee but don't want to buy a whole can of preground beans and have them go stale so we can order either the Meliita or Senseo pods for this purpose. The machine was very easy to set up and figure out. Had one minor problem which was mine not making sure the program button was on green when I set it up but that was simple.I really appreciate the design of the carafe lip which makes drip free pouring a cinch. The single cup option of either tall thermos/cup or short one is very clever. The machine is super easy to clean and you can adjust the brew and coffee strength to your taste instead of adjusting to the machine's ability like on the Capresso which was more than twice the price. All in all this is a marvelous machine with great versatility as single or pot brew, type of brew and type of coffee (any type of grind or pods if you prefer. The large carafe can use either paper filters or standard size gold tone resusable filters ( the latter can be purchased for $3 in any market and most people who want one have one. We had three) The single serve comes with its own but can use pods if desired. A second single side resuable filter can be purchased from the Hamilton Beach site but one should be sufficient for at least now.Finally, I am writing this review while having my first mug of coffee in morning and the coffee is GREAT! I would suggest to those who had some problems with the machine like programming or leaking send it back to Amazon for replacement. They are not all like that and you will be happy to have this great coffee machine.Hamilton Beach 49980Z Two Way Brewer Single Serve and 12-cup Coffee Maker, Stainless Steel

I purchased this to use in a group setting where 60 people met once a week. There was another coffee maker already there of foreign make and similar cost.By 6 months, everyone in the group stopped using the other machine and preferred this Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker for ease of use.If you are going to use this in a group setting, this machine has a very nifty feature. You can remove the pot during the brew cycle and it won't drip or make a mess. Some people just cannot wait for the machine to finish brewing and they yank the pot out half way through the brew cycle to pour their cup. That works just fine with this machine, it has a spring that keeps the brewing coffee from leaking out if the pot is removed. The other competing machine did not have this feature and we often have a mess to clean up when someone tries to do the same thing with that machine.I think it makes better tasting coffee than my old, cheap Mr Coffee that I use at home. I attribute most of that to the fact that this coffee maker seems to get hotter and probably gets more out of the beans.You could not ask for an easier design to program and brew. It is very straight forward and easy to use. The only thing that will cause confusion is the switch that switches the brewing mode from pitcher to single cup. But it is a physical switch that you have to throw one way or the other, so as long as no one messes with it, it will automatically work like a normal coffee maker and brew the pitcher side.I have used the travel thermos for 6 months and it has held up well. I even wash it in the dishwasher. The only fault with this whole set up is that the coffee mug lid does not screw on, it just sits on top, not very secure. But it works, I just have to be more careful with this cup, not to tip it over.I love being able to use the Single Brew side when I am at home, and there is only one coffee drinker! It keeps from having to wash a pot! Since it brews right in my cup.YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE THE TRAVEL MUG SUPPLIED WITH THE MACHINE.Finally, not shown in the photo for the machine is the fact that it comes with stacking cups that allow you to brew a 8 oz cup in a glass mug or any size cup really. Simply stack the cups up under the single brew side and sit your coffee cup on top of the stacking cups. This raises your small glass mug to the correct height for brewing.When I purchase this, I thought the whole reason they were supplying you with a "special" travel mug was because you had to use the "special" mug on the single brew system. Turns out, you can use anything. I am not sure why they even give you the travel mug, it isn't needed.Also, I love the metal brew basket on the single serve side. It helps the brewer to be able to brew tea, loose coffee grounds or a senso pod. Love the options there!