Hamilton Beach Aroma Express 5 Cup Coffeemaker

As I wrote in this previous post  I am a huge coffee fan. Lately I have been making an effort to cut back on the java but sometimes, it's still gotta be the "real thing" to fit the craving.

As my previous coffeemaker had gone kaput quite some time ago and I had been drinking instant or coffee substitutes since then (more about a wonderful coffee substitute here) I recently decided to invest in a small coffeemaker to once again enjoy the full-brewed experience occasionally, at home.
                                
The Hamilton Beach Aroma Express is small, doesn't take up a lot of counter space and cost less than $20 at the local Save-On store. I have also purchased other Hamilton Beach products in the past that performed very well. Brands do count, don't they? I know it's always a consideration for me.

And best of all the results: a really full, rich-tasting and hot cup of coffee. This unit seems to brew coffee at a higher temperature than many of the other coffeemakers that I've tried in the past. Add to that spring water and freshly-ground organic coffee, viola bliss!!!  I really savored that first cup of brewed coffee, after a long hiatus at home. And let's face it, restaurant coffee isn't all that great usually, unless you are visiting the coffee bars and putting out the big bucks for a truly satisfying cup of brewed java.
                           
What I didn't like about this coffeemaker? Well, the Hamilton Beach Aroma Express is suppose to make 5 cups of coffee. It is called a 5 cup coffeemaker. So what does that actually mean? Last time I checked a cup was still an 8 ounce measure. This actually refers to 5- 5 oz. cups of coffee and not really even that as it has to be filled to the top of the carafe with water to make the full  5 "cups". And as we all know, filling a coffee carafe right to the top is NEVER a good idea, unless you like cleaning up a big mess afterwards with spilled coffee all over the counter.

I don't know why manufacturers of these products do this. Who actually drinks 5 oz. cups of coffee? For me, that's just a sampler. Most coffee mugs hold about 10-12 oz. now that's more like it. But to make it accurate and easy to understand, why not stick with a 1 cup measurement= 8 ounces. I think this is so misleading.

The picture on the box is also misleading, it looks like a fairly good-sized carafe. I didn't take the time to start undoing the box and packaging at the store. I always feel a bit weird opening boxes up to any real extent when I'm shopping and I was in a hurry at the time. So, the sorta surprise came when I unpacked the unit at home. Yes, I could have returned it at that point but for the price ($18. on sale) I thought, let's just give it a try.

It makes about 3 average-sized mugs of coffee when the carafe is ALMOST full of water. For the present, it will work out fine. And I do have a larger coffeemaker (with all the bells and whistles) in a storage unit right now so that's available when we get moved and back to having more room for all our appliances, in the near future.

For now, the Hamilton Beach Aroma Express (but not really 5 cup) coffeemaker makes a delish cup of coffee. Just not a lot at one time.

Overall rating for this product: Good. 3 out of 5.