REASONS TO BUY
Easy cleaning
Simple design
Can also brew pods
REASONS TO AVOID
Small water tank opening
Coffee flavor is just okay
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Review
A versatile combination of features, brew size options, and affordability make this a solid budget option
This brewer is a great option for versatile single-cup and full-batch brewing, though we found the flavor to be a bit lacking.
Credit: Laura Casner
RELATED: Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2024
Our Verdict
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way is a versatile, easy-to-use, and easy-to-clean coffee maker that's simple and affordable, though it's a bit uninspiring when it comes to brew quality. This brewer allows you to make a single cup or an entire batch of coffee. And, if you are looking for the convenience of a pod brewer, the 2-Way has the option to brew pods on the single-cup brew side. Hamilton Beach provides all the accessories to brew right out of the box. Swap out the reusable filters for a paper filter to increase cup quality and make the clean-up even easier. See how it compares to the other models we tested in our best drip coffee maker review.
Editor's Note: We most recently updated this review on January 10, 2024, to include new test results, information, and comparisons from our new, more in-depth test plan.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way offers a convenient single-serve setting that brews coffee directly into your favorite cup. Use the other side of the brewer to make an entire 12-cup pot of coffee. This coffee maker comes with all the accessories you need, including reusable filters. The affordable 2-Way brewer gives an all-around average brewing performance.
Performance Comparison
We like how easy this brewer is to use, even though it doesn't quite measure up to some of the higher end models.
Credit: Laura Casner
Brew Quailty
The Hamilton Beach gave us a pretty “meh” cup of coffee. We did not notice much of a taste difference between the coffee made from the single-cup option and the traditional full-pot setting. The flavor profiles between these two cups were almost identical.
Unfortunately, the Hamilton Beach does not come with a pre-infusion setting, and it did pretty standard in terms of water distribution. After the 2-Way completed its brew cycle, we examined the spent grounds in the brew basket. The center of the brew bed was significantly lighter than the rest of the grounds, suggesting an uneven distribution of water from the spray head. This also suggests poor extraction quality.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
The brewing temperature for this machine also averaged quite a bit lower than the ideal 195°F-205°F, sitting low at 191.9°F. This means you aren't getting the full flavor extraction from your coffee with this brewer, adding to its overall mediocre coffee flavor.
The 2-Way lacks the powerful water distribution required for a balanced brew, and it doesn't brew at optimal temperatures for flavor extraction.
Credit: Laura Casner
Hamilton Beach offers a variety of brew features in the 2-Way coffee maker. More importantly, the 2-Way gives you the flexibility to brew a single cup or a full pot. Depending on brew strength preference on the single-cup brewing side, you can brew with one or two Senseo pods. There is also a Bold button brewing option, but we didn't really taste much of a difference using this feature.
The prominent toggle switches brew setting between single-serve and full pot.
Credit: Laura Casner
User Friendliness
The user manual for the 2-Way provides a helpful visual guide to brewing with this coffee maker. This coffee maker's interface is simple and easy to understand. The prominent toggle switch allows for simplicity in switching between brew methods.
This brewer is programmable, featuring single-serve brewing, sneak-a-cup, and automatic brewing. Waking up to a fresh pot of coffee is always a convenient feature. Thankfully, with an average brewing time of 7 minutes and 54 seconds, the sneak-a-cup setting allows you to pull a cup before the entire pot brews.
This brewer offers a variety of easy to use brew features, including a programmable function so you can wake up to your favorite pot of coffee first thing in the morning.
Credit: Laura Casner
The single-cup option allows for brewing up to 14 ounces. Adjustable trays are included for adjustability to your cup size. Single-serve brewing uses regular ground coffee or Senseo pods. Hamilton Beach provides reusable filters for both sides of this machine. The Kalita filter also fits perfectly on the single brew side if you prefer using paper filters. We did find the carafe poured a bit messily, which is not ideal.
The 2-Way comes with reusable filters, but they can be swapped out for a paper filter.
Credit: Laura Casner
The cup measurements on the outside of the tank are easy to read. However, the water reservoir is surprisingly difficult to fill because of a very small opening in the tank. We did appreciate the water tank has a separate lid to where your grounds go in. Both brewing options on the 2-Way pull from the same water reservoir.
The water reservoir is difficult to fill with such a small opening in the back of the machine.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Cleaning
Brewing with virtually no backsplash, the 2-Way is reasonably easy to clean and keep clean.
Understandably, the 2-Way comes with many components for its two ways of brewing. All the components are dishwasher safe; this includes the reusable filters, brew baskets, single-serve tray, and carafe. The carafe is also easy to clean by hand, with an opening big enough to get into and scrub. Switch to paper filters to make removing and disposing of old grounds even easier.
The 2-Way has a shorter descaling process, lasting about 30 minutes. Descaling is a long-term cleaning task performed every few months to reduce the build-up of mineral deposits that can collect in a coffee maker due to hard water. However, descaling in this model is done with vinegar, which we find takes many rinses to fully remove the flavor from plastic brewers like this one.
Stainless steel can sometimes be a trick to keep free of fingerprints.
Credit: Laura Casner
Consistency
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way was not very impressive in our consistency testing. We tested the differences in brewing temperature and the time it took for the 2-Way to brew. We made five pots of coffee back to back and measured each metric for each pot.
The results were quite skewed with the Hamilton Beach. The brewing temperature increased with each pot but never quite hit optimal brewing temperatures. With an average of 191.9°F, the Hamilton Beach didn't quite hit that ideal flavor-extracting temperature.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
The average brewing time was 7 minutes and 54 seconds, which is a little longer than average but isn't horrible. However, we found this brewer continued to drip for about two minutes after brewing, too much for us to be able to use.
The single-serve function lets you brew directly into a cup or even a tall travel mug.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Should You Buy the Hamilton Beach 2-Way?
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way is a great and convenient coffee maker. This brewer stands out with the flexibility to brew either a single cup or a full batch for a crowd. The 2-Way comes with two different size brew baskets and usable filters for the two sides of the machine. Hamilton Beach also includes an adapter for pod brewing for the single-cup brew side. If you have brewing needs that require brewing different amounts of coffee throughout the week, the 2-Way is one of the best candidates to provide this kind of flexibility at a great price.
What Other Drip Coffee Makers Should You Consider?
If you're looking for just a little better cup of coffee, the Braun Brewsense or the Cuisinart 14-Cup Programmable are comparable options for just a little higher cost than the Hamilton Beach. Of course, if you really want that great taste and don't have a fortune to spend, the Ninja 12-Cup is beyond compare, with a great-tasting brew and high functionality that won't break the bank, making it a great option for those looking for a better flavor.
The Hamilton Beach 2-Way can also brew single pods on the side with its included attachment.
Credit: Laura Casner
—Liz Nelson and Kendra Ridenour
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