The Hamilton Beach 3-in-One Hot Beverage Center 42116 is a compact appliance that offers versatility and convenience. This personal beverage center is perfect for keeping by your desk at work in a college dorm room or at home in the kitchen. It's ready to go at a moment's notice.

This unit consists of a 12-inch tower with a smooth, rounded top. A rollback lid reveals the removable mesh filter basket, which can be used with coffee grounds, pods, tea bags or loose tea leaves. The basket holds only a few tablespoons -- or enough to make two standard mugs or one travel-size mug of your favorite beverage.

The concept is simple. There's no bulky carafe or water tank. Instead, there is a slide-out drawer, which goes right to the sink for easy filling. The 5x5x2-inch. drawer has a translucent recessed top, with fill hole and measurement markings given for 8, 10, 12 or 14 ounces of water.

At the base of the unit is another slide-out drawer, which acts as a platform for standard coffee cups, mugs or soup bowls. The platform provides a 3-inch lift to the mug so it sits just beneath the drip spout to avoid splatters. The platform is not needed for taller travel-size mugs and can be pushed into the unit for handy storage.

We liked the versatility of this unit and felt it offers a great way to enjoy different beverages. A household with both coffee and tea drinkers, for example, would appreciate the ability to make their beverage of choice using a single machine. For those who prefer cocoa or instant soup, the 3-in-One Hot Beverage Center can be used to deliver steaming water in minutes.

One thing we noticed was that the unit dispensed the coffee (or tea) in a slow, steady stream. We believe the slow-drip process is what enables the unit to achieve decent flavor with such a small quantity of grounds. The quantity is determined by the amount of water you put in the drawer. So, if you fill the drawer to capacity, be prepared with a tall mug or be ready to swap a second mug in place halfway through brewing. A one-touch "on" button starts the brew cycle, which takes approximately 5 minutes to dispense a full 14 ounces. The coffee was piping hot (around 170 degrees Fahrenheit) and very flavorful. We also noticed some residual grounds at the bottom of the mug -- this is a common occurrence when using mesh filters but does not impact the flavors of the coffee.


Pros: Cup-at-time dispensing directly into any size cup or mug, makes instant beverages
Cons: Slow-drip process, some residual grounds in bottom of cup

Warranty
1 year