I have been a coffee lover for years, but coffee never felt like an essential part of my life until I had children. Now I have a hard time getting through my day without a cup. My husband, who rarely enjoyed a cup of coffee when we first started dating, now drinks more than I do! He’s even become an afternoon coffee guy. Kids will do that to you. Not sleeping as much as you should, and running after toddlers all day long will have that effect! But a little sleep is an easy sacrifice to make for my kids. Every minute I get to spend with them is so precious, and I never take one minute for granted. It requires some late hours working and housekeeping after they’ve gone to sleep, but it is worth it. I would much rather be up late finishing up my daily chores activities, if it means I can give my undivided attention to my children when I get home from work.
And now for the coffee. We have been Keurig users for a couple of years. The Husband leaves before me during the week and usually takes his morning coffee at work. I, however, work from home sometimes and these days one cup of coffee rarely cuts it! It feels wasteful to use K-cups when I plan on drinking more than one cup of coffee. Or on the weekends when we’re both home and drinking coffee in the morning, it would make more sense just to make a pot. We also keep our old coffee pot in the basement for use when company is over. Obviously that is easier, and more economical, for serving with company.
I was very excited when I received the opportunity to try this new coffee maker from Hamilton Beach. The best of both worlds in one machine! It is always nice to find a product that will eliminate another and free up some space on my counter. We used this maker in lieu of our other ones for two weeks. Below is my breakdown of the good and bad. Overall I thought it was a good product. It did leave a few things to be desired, but it’s a great option for those who use both types of coffee makers and only want one machine.
Image courtesy of Hamilton Beach.
PROS:
- one machine that can use both K-cups and brew a whole pot of coffee
- aesthetically pleasing design, color matches other appliances in my kitchen
- performance of brewer was adequate for our level of usage
- easy to use, once you get used to how it works, and reading the water level
- comes with reusable single serve filter
- competitively priced
- single serve side is high enough to fit most travel mugs right under the brewer
- programmable timer
CONS:
- both sides heat up when brewing
- no automatic water shutoff on the single serve side, so you can only pour what you need in the reservoir
- water reservoir has 2 compartments, so it is difficult to see the water level
- does not come with a reusable filter for the 12 cup carafe side
This Mother’s Day I’d love to say that a great gift from my husband would be for me to be able to sleep in. And even though a morning to sleep in would be amazing, (and probably much-needed) it’s not realistic. Besides, it would be more appropriate to spend the morning snuggling in bed with my little ones since one of them at least will be up early! This Mother’s Day I hope all of you moms out there are able to enjoy this special day with your children, big or small.
Maybe I’ll get to enjoy my morning coffee in bed at least… 🙂
Here are a few fun coffee recipes with a little kick that you can whip up for Mom at your Mother’s Day get-together on Sunday. Mom’s need liquor as much as they need caffeine sometimes.
Iced Coffee Cocktail from Jelly Toast
Dublin Iced Coffee from Bon Appetit
Keoke Coffee from POPSUGAR
*I received a Hamilton Beach 2-Way FlexBrew Coffeemaker free of charge. This is an honest review of the product. All opinions expressed here are my own.
