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The Hamilton Beach 43254 coffee maker is pretty much what you might expect from a coffee maker of this price, it isn’t perfect, but if you factor in the cost of this machine the resulting coffee that is produced is inevitable. We get a glass carafe with a “stay cool” handle. A “non-stick” hot plate with a 2 hour auto shut off, a timer and a pause and serve function so that you can stop the brew mid cycle and pour yourself a cup of coffee.
I want to start by talking about the features that I think sell this coffee maker. The fact that this machine “does” make HOT coffee time and time again is probably one the best reasons for anyone on a tight budget to pick this coffee maker out. Also anyone who might have had issues with more expensive coffee makers failing on them, might be tempted.
The glass carafe “doesn’t” drip, which is a bigger issue than you might imagine, I have had plenty of coffee makers in the past that dripped all over the counter top, every morning. The ease of use with this machine is also something that those with technophobia might be interested in. There is basically no setup required with this machine.
Then lastly there is the rock bottom price, and for 30 something dollars, you will have to go to Mr. Coffee himself to find a cheaper machine. Unfortunately I have found that with most coffee makers like this (and with more expensive ones too), that old adage proves true; you get what you pay for.
For my tastes the coffee from this machine is poor, the flavor has never been up to standard, and the strength barely makes the grade, also after heaping close to twice the amount of coffee into the thing, I was still unable to get the strength of the coffee up any. This is most likely due to the way that the water is dispersed over the coffee.
The opening for water on the reservoir while not being the smallest I have ever seen could definitely do with being a bit bigger, I failed to hit the hole on numerous occasions, and I’m usually quite good at it. (I’m well practiced anyway). The pause and serve function was faulty on the machine I was using as well. More than once I encountered some nasty coffee spillage (granted I only tested the function twice!).
I would say that unless you are really low on cash, saving a little and going for a Cuisinart DCC-1200, or if money is even less of an issue, getting yourself a single server like the Keurig B70 Platinum could well be the way forward.
Thanks for reading this Hamilton Beach 43254 Ensemble review.
