Imagine this: You're half asleep on a Sunday morning craving a hot cup of joe, but too comfortable to get out of bed. Fortunately, you set your Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker the night before, so the only thing standing between you and a java jolt is the phrase, "Alexa, turn on my coffee maker." Seconds after uttering those words, the aroma of freshly brewing coffee starts to fill the air. And if talking is too much to muster first thing in the morning, you can start this 12-cup coffee maker from the Alexa app or create a Routine to have it automatically turn on at a certain time. Now, at $89.99, this smart kitchen appliance costs more than three times as much as a basic programmable model, which is a lot to pay for convenience. But if you're firmly entrenched in the Alexa ecosystem and willing to pay a premium for connectivity, it works as promised. 

A Coffee Maker for Alexa Aficionados

Measuring 13.9 by 8.0 by 12.9 inches (HWD), the Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker (model 49350) has a compact design that doesn't take up too much counter space. It features a front-fill basket and water reservoir, and a glass carafe that can hold up to 12 cups of coffee. It offers two brew strength options (regular or bold) and has a simple display panel with a clock and five buttons including Manual On/Off, Brew Strength, Wi-Fi, Time, and Ready to Brew. For safety, the machine has an auto shutoff feature that automatically powers it off after two hours. 

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Aside from Alexa integration, it works just like any other drip coffee maker with a filter basket. You grind your beans or buy them pre-ground, put them in a filter in the basket, fill the water reservoir, press the Manual On/Off button, and it will start brewing. 

With Alexa, you can turn the coffee maker on and off and set the brew strength with voice commands through a compatible smart speaker such as the Amazon Echo or from your phone via the Alexa app (available for Android and iOS). In the app, you can also set up Routines to program your coffee maker to automatically start brewing at a certain time each day. 

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The added convenience of Alexa comes with a significant markup. While the standard 12-cup Hamilton Beach programmable coffee maker costs just $24.99, the Alexa-enabled model we reviewed will set you back $89.99. It only works with Alexa, not Google Assistant, so you can't control it with "Hey Google" voice commands (the same goes for Apple's Siri).

If you prefer Google's voice assistant ecosystem, or want the flexibility to use both, it's worth checking out the Atomi Smart Coffee Maker. It costs the same as Hamilton Beach's smart model, and it supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The second-generation Smarter Coffee is another option; it costs a lot more at $249.99, but features a built-in grinder and works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.

Voice-Controlled Java

Setting up the Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker and connecting it with Alexa is simple. Just plug the machine into a power outlet, download the Alexa app if you don't already have it on your phone, select Devices in the lower right corner, tap the plus icon in the top right corner, then Add Device > Coffee Maker > Hamilton Beach, and follow the on-screen instructions. When the app asks for permission to access your camera, press OK, then use your phone to scan the code on the back of the coffee maker so the app can find it. From there, select your home Wi-Fi network and enter the password, tap Next, and you should be good to go. 

To keep your devices organized, Alexa gives you the option to add your coffee maker to a group; I added it to my Kitchen group. 

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To brew with voice commands or the Alexa app, you must first fill your machine with water and ground coffee, then press Ready to Brew. A green light next to the Ready to Brew button will illuminate, indicating the machine is ready to be controlled remotely. If you forget to press the Ready to Brew button, you won't be able to control the coffee maker by voice or through the Alexa app, which is frustrating. 

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When you're ready for coffee, just say, "Alexa, turn on my coffee maker," and a red brewing light on the machine will turn on. If you don't have an Alexa speaker in the room, or you don't feel like talking, you can navigate to your coffee maker in the Devices section of the Alexa app and press the power button. 

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You can also use your voice or the Alexa app to change your coffee maker's brew strength. Just say, "Alexa set my coffee maker to bold," or, "Alexa, set my coffee maker to regular." In the app, you can also check your machine's brew status, the time since your last brew, and whether the machine requires cleaning. When you're finished, just say, "Alexa, turn off my coffee maker," or press the power button in the app.

In testing, I had no problem controlling the machine by voice via a second-generation Echo speaker and through the Alexa app. It has always immediately responded to remote controls. 

I had a tougher time setting up an Alexa Routine to program the machine to automatically turn on in the morning. After some trial and error, I figured out how to successfully do it, so I'll outline the steps here. In the Alexa app, tap More > Routines, select the plus sign, and name your routine. You can then schedule the machine to turn on at sunrise, sunset, or at a specific time, and select which days of the week you want this to happen. Finally, tap Add action, scroll down to Custom, and manually type in "turn on my coffee maker."

Then, as long as you remember to tap the Ready to Brew button on your machine (so the green light illuminates), Alexa will automatically run your Routine at the specified time. 

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Is the Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker Worth the Money?

The $89.99 Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker is compact, easy to set up, and works as advertised, letting you use Alexa voice commands to turn it on and off, and set the brew strength to regular or bold. You can also use Alexa Routines so it automatically brews your coffee at a specific time each day. 

Whether the Alexa-enabled model is worth its $65 markup over Hamilton Beach's basic programmable coffee maker is debatable. Being able to control your coffee maker with your voice or through an app is certainly convenient, but you need to use Alexa as it doesn't support Google Assistant, and you need a compatible smart speaker for hands-free voice control. Moreover, you still need to go through the trouble of filling up your coffee maker each day and pressing the Ready to Brew button before you can control it remotely.

If you already own an Alexa-enabled speaker and use it to control other smart home devices with your voice, you might consider the convenience here worth the upcharge. If you don't already own an Alexa speaker or you're on a tight budget, it doesn't make sense to get this model. For just $24.99, you can snag a basic 12-cup Hamilton Beach coffee maker that doesn't support app or voice control, but can be programmed up to 24 hours in advance, so you can still set it at night and wake up to freshly brewed coffee.