Hamilton Beach 47665 BrewStation Plus 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffeemaker

Finally, no carafe
My bride and I have owned probably a half-dozen or so coffeemakers during out 15-year marriage. We both love coffee in the morning, and we like to have it piping hot and ready when we rise. We've had some very good coffeemakers and owned a variety of brands and models. But all but two had one major Achilles' heel - a glass carafe. However hard we might try, those glass carafes always got broken. And when they got broken, the unanimous refrain from stores and manufacturers was: "Sorry, we don't offer that version anymore." So, it was a new coffeemaker or nothing.

We also owned one of those fancy units with an insulated carafe. Well, at least for the unit we bought, that cuts two ways. Yes, the coffee inside is insulated from the frigid winds of our kitchen. It is also effectively insulated from a warmer (which the unit did not have or, obviously, need). Now I can tell you that, with the possible exception of the most secret research bowels of NASA, there is no insulated...

Loose Screws In Tank & 2 INCORRECT PICS For THIS MODEL!
After reading all of the bad news about the rampant tank leakage problems of the Hamilton Beach Brewstation the next grade down (models 47224, 47114, 47214, 47221, 47111, & the like) - I looked at one locally, & I agreed the housing & overall feel felt & looked on the junky side. So I went with this one, the Hamilton Beach Brewstation Plus, which seems a much more solidly built, sturdier model.

But there are some things I really needed to know about it first, & you may too.

When the Brewstation Plus arrived from Amazon, I tested the water tank. And yes, it steadily leaked water all over the counter top in great quantities. What a mess...right off the bat. So I studied the way it was made, & decided the water may be coming out around the metal heating plate screwed to the bottom of the tank - vs. the dispenser seal. And so I got out my Phillips head screwdriver, & I tightened down all of the screws in the bottom of the tank. Being careful not to strip out...

Loved it...at first, that is
I have been using the Hamilton Beach 47665 BrewStation Plus 12-Cup Automatic Drip Coffeemaker for about six months. I purchased it because a colleague was raving about how much she loved hers and my current coffee maker was on its last legs. I have to say that, in the beginning, it was a match made in heaven. I loved everything about it: there was no coffee pot, the coffee was piping hot, and it was just fun to use. Now I hate that water drips on my counter whenever I open the top, the first cup of coffee is tepid, and it takes forever to get the coffee because the flow is now reduced to a dribble (no matter how many times I clean it the recommended way). This morning, when I got no coffee at all, was the final straw --it was full and ready to go and just didn't brew. I cleaned out the tank really well and was amazed and sickened by the amount of black "gunk" that came pouring out (remember that I have...

Click to Editorial Reviews