Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 48131 Aroma Express 5-Cup Coffeemaker, White

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have owned this Hamilton Beach Aroma Express 5 Cup Coffee Maker for five years. I make at least one batch of Coffee every day. It has become part of my family. I will do a PROS & CONS type of review.

PROS:
Brews at a Higher temperature than most household coffee makers. 185 degrees F measured at the spray head.
Hotter initial serving temperature than most household units. Barely sip able when first brewed.
Fairly easy to clean up. Capacity of 25 ounces/5 cups at 5 ounces each is about 5 ounces more than most of it's competitors which are usually 20 ounces/4 cups. You can do the math, but it is about 2 and 1/2 10 ounce mugs.
Fairly fast brew time. About 9 minutes from the time I hit the start button until the time it stops dripping.
Takes regular size 8 to 12 cup paper filters or 4 to 6 cup paper filters if you can find them. I prefer the regular size unbleached/brown/natural paper filters. I think they impart less chemical or paper flavor than the bleached white filters. Since the coffee is brewed at a fairly high temperature I think that more flavor compounds are extracted from the grounds to produce more flavor than average/lower brewing temperature units. One of the first things I noticed when switching to this coffee maker from my 4 cup Mr. Coffee was the increase in the coffee aroma while brewing. I thought Aroma Express was just a name, but the Aroma Express actually produces more aroma and faster coffee than my 4 cup Mr. Coffee. The small size of this unit is ideal for a kitchen with very limited counter space or a dorm room. I see the prices are now up to at least $19 now which is still a good value. I purchased mine from Wal-Mart in 2004 for $14.95 plus tax.

CONS:
You need to pour the decanter/pot very slowly or the contents will leak out around the decanter lid and make a mess especially when the decanter is full. It is a good idea to flip open the lid when decanting weather pouring water while filling the reservoir or pouring brewed coffee into your mug. I try to pour it slow, but I find a paper towel comes in handy. Do not fill up to the max fill level indicated inside the reservoir. Fill it about 1/4 inch short of the max fill line. If you fill to the max fill line you will end up with water on your counter top. The filter basket is slightly cumbersome to remove and replace. Do not drop the fill basket. it will crack fairly easily. I dropped mine and it broke off the bottom hole that helps it to hinge on the unit. It makes it easier to remove and replaced the filter basket now, so I have mixed feelings about it braking. The spring activated stopper for the sneak a cup feature will still leak a few drops when the brew pot is removed. It will burn on the heating plate and create a unwanted burnt coffee aroma. It will also cause the brew pot to stick to the heating plate and continually remove portions of the non-stick coating on the heating plate. This can be reduced if you wipe off the heating plate before replacing the brew pot. I rotate the brew pot via the handle before removing the brew pot from the unit to brake the pot loose from the heating plate in case it sticks. My filter basket often tips forward slightly while brewing. I try to straighten it up to keep level and so the coffee grounds get an even exposure to the hot water, but it seems to sneak back out.

SUMMARY: If I wanted to spend less than $20 and or I only had a small space for a coffee maker, I would buy this Hamilton Beach Aroma Express 5 Cup Coffee Maker again. If money and space was not an object I would purchase a $245 Technivorm KBTS(32oz) or a $265 Technivorm KBT(40oz) coffee maker.

This coffee maker makes coffee, but it also makes a huge mess. It is practically impossible to pour the coffee into your cup without getting almost as much on the kitchen counter! I think it is the extra wide spout and the reason they give you 5 cups instead of 4 in the pot. This spillage also happens when pouring the water into the reservoir. Also, it you remove the carafe during brewing, it is not drip free. It will dribble and splash against the coffee maker. The coffee making is fairly quick and quiet. I prefer my old coffee maker that had a slide out basket and a pot that was easier to deal with.

Other reviewers have complained about spillage or dripping with this product. I didn't encounter these problems. This is a small coffeemaker! It only makes five, 5-oz cups of coffee. If you make a full 25-oz pot and then move it quickly, you'll spill some coffee. The same goes for filling the water chamber to make coffee. If, on the other hand, you realize you're dealing with a small, full pot and act accordingly, you won't have any problems. It does exactly what it's supposed to do. It makes small amounts of good coffee quickly and easily. For under $15, what more can you ask for.

My mother swore by Hamilton Beach appliances. This is one that I find myself swearing at! The carafe itself is very drippy - I cannot pour a cup of coffee without having to wipe down the counter afterwards. The paper filters constantly collapse in the brewing basket and then come out drippy and messy also.

I miss my old Mellita - This coffee maker needs alot of help.

Sorry Hamilton Beach - I'm calling it as I see it!

I love this coffee maker!! I have had mine for over 5 years now, use it every day, and it still works great. Matter of fact, I bought a spare when I saw it at an outlet store just in case something happened to the one I had and they happened to stop making them.

Advantages: brews more coffee than the regular small coffee makers, can use a regular-sized coffee filter, the swing-out filter holder is easy to remove to dispose of filter and grinds in garbage, the brewed coffee is hot when you pour it (not like other coffee makers where you need to warm your cup to ensure coffee stays hot).

Disadvantages: Spilling when pouring from the carafe (easy solution - lift up drip lid before you pour, solves problem), the nonstick coating on heat plate is starting to chip off, hard to clean all the nooks and crannies at the bottom of filter holder.

All in all, a great coffee maker, would buy again (oh wait, I already did!). Also, I too like my coffee strong so I'm not sure what another reviewer was talking about. One needs to put a sufficient amount of grounds in to get a proper cup of coffee (check out Alton Brown's comments on matter).

Just got this brand new for the holidays and I'm here on line ordering a replacement already.

Drips all over the place.

Filter basket is VERY tricky to reinsert after emptying and sometimes slips back out.

Coffee is just so-so.

This little guy has been brewing for ten years and has crossed the country several times. The only sign of age is the logo has worn away and the handle on the carafe is a bit loose. The loose handle is why I'm looking for another one and was surprised by the negative reviews. Yes, if you overfill it it will cause spills,the filter basket is a bit tricky to put back in the hinge but after a few times you'll be able to do it blindfolded. I only brew premium freshly ground coffe beans and this machine heats the brewing water the hottest of any drip coffee maker (I've tested several). This is the primary reason for the great coffee it puts out. Now if I can only find a replacement carafe that is not nearly the same price as the entire Aroma Express machine!

I bought this coffee pot for my husband before I read the other reviews. After I read them I thought I might have made a mistake... I was wrong. My husband said it was great and he loved how it poured. He said it was lots better than the last coffee pot he had!

I love this coffeemaker. The carafe does not have the little plastic lib that you put your thumb on to pop the top up which is the only major drawback. The coffee is wonderful though. I think it is brewed at a hotter temp than the other coffee makers I've had. Before this, I had the 5 cup Black and Decker where the carafe just fell apart after about 4 months. The bottom dropped off the handle. This is what set me looking for a new one. I never realized the inferiority of the coffee it produced until I tried the Hamilton Beach. I also had a 4 cup DeLonghi before the B&D which was okay, but not nearly as good as this one.

Update as of 11/23/11 - The no drip plug fell out a year after I had this and now the water reservoir is leaking so I get water all over the counter when I brew the coffee. Coffee still tastes great. I am very disappointed that this model didn't even last 2 years. Back to the drawing board.

The coffee maker was a replacement for a similar model by the same maker that I used satisfactorily for a number of years and that was bought in the UK. Unfortunately they are no longer available in the UK so I was delighted to be able to purcahse this from Amazon.com from America. Whilst I couldn't fault any of the purchase process which was excellent, when it arrived I realised that I couldn't use it because of the difference in the electrical requirements between the US and the UK. I had assumed that as it was being sold in the UK it would work in the UK and there was no information on the site to suggest anything different.

I could purchase a current converter, but the cost for this was excessive in relation to the cost of the item and it is therfore unusable.

The company again were exceptionable in dealing with the issue which led to a satisfactory conclusion from my perspective. I feel that a warning about this should be available against any product if there is going to be a problem. Many items are dual voltage and this isn't a worry so there is a helpful comment to be added when things are not dual voltage.