Description
Breville Grind Control Coffee Machine BDC650BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel
| Brand | Breville |
| Color | Silver |
| Product Dimensions | 8.5″D x 12.5″W x 16.3″H |
| Special Feature | Timer, Integrated Coffee Grinder, Jug, Programmable, Thermal |
| Coffee Maker Type | Drip Coffee Machine |
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Grinner –
A couple things to know about me that pertain to this review. I drink a lot of coffee, so between my wife and I we almost always make more than one pot per day. That means that ease of making a second pot is important. Second, I’m not a fan of very strong coffee. Starbucks is not for me. So making a good moderate strength cup is more important the making a Turkish coffee.There are some nice and interesting things about this coffee maker. I really like the reservoir and the fact that the amount of water is known via electric current (or something) and the pour location is excellent and easy to use. No awkward pouring water into a small, oddly placed space while trying to watch how much is going it. The carafe keeps the coffee hot for a long time. There are complaints that it’s difficult to impossible to get all the coffee out, and while true, it’s not as bad as the Cuisinart.There is one, kind of innovative, item with this coffee maker, and it is the main problem with it. The coffee basket is an all-in-one basket/water infuser/coffee chute. After adding the filter, there is a hinged top that you close. In the top there is a horizontal chute with a soft rubber gasket that connects to a vertical circular metal plate or disk. The disk rotates about 90 degrees to open or close the path from the grinder. When operating the grounds drop from the grinder and get to the basket via this chute. Water then comes into the enclosed basket from the top. There is a kind of ‘roof’ between the basket and the water entry point with a number of slots to allow the water to disperse over the grounds.This generally results in a decent cup of coffee though at the expense of using more than normal grounds. I’m using more coffee than ever before even though I have it set to the lowest strength. This is most likely because the not all the grounds from the chute make it to the basket so more coffee needs to be ground.Water in the basket will usually fill up past the water entry vents, getting wet grounds into the top part of the basket cover. Water also backs up into the chute or at least steam does, wetting and packing the grounds at the opening. When the metal disk rotates, wet grounds go with it. This makes a mess and can also cause the chute to jam. This is not always obvious and can cause grounds to not get to the basket. I’ve had times where I just made hot water due to this issue.In short, this is the messiest coffee maker I have ever had. Since the grounds end up everywhere, it’s almost impossible to rinse them all out of the basket. And with the section between the basket and the top, you can’t dry it out completely so making that second pot is very difficult. This coffee make has the capability of making single servings of various sizes which is cool, but the thought of making 2 of them? Everything you do with this causes grounds, wet or dry, to be scattered. And you are constantly having to clean out the drop from the grinder to the disk opening so keep grounds from jamming up. And that is very messy as well.
D. Smith –
Updated 7/3/16 – Changing from 2 stars to 1 StarI have officially stopped using this machine and now have a $299 paperweight. I have wasted so much time, energy and coffee on this product that I actually feel like Breville owes me money. I absolutely cannot get a normal pot of coffee, even when I check the grinder to make sure it isn’t jammed and clean the chute before making my coffee. I have no idea what is wrong with this machine, but based on other reviews it seems to be a common problem. Breville should be ashamed of themselves. I reached out to them asking for a refund given that I have a coffee maker that could never really make coffee and have not heard back. Just terrible. Please trust me on this – stay far far away!Original ReviewI have had many grind and brew coffee makers (Cuisinart, Melina, Black and Decker) and I have never been happy with any of them. First of all, they all seemed to have a shelf life of 2-3 years, and I only make coffee on weekends. So, when it was time for a new machine, given all my past disappointments, I decided to make a larger investment and go for a more expensive grind and brew model. Unfortunately that was a decision I now regret.I think it may be easier to open, start and operate a Starbucks than maintain this machine. There are many things you have to do to maintain this machine, and they have to be done regularly… as in all the time.You have to:1. Clean the chute – this requires you to unlock the top hopper, open the basket hatch, stick something in this tiny hole (I use chopsticks) to try and scoop out the built up grinds on a tray below the hole. You may have to stick your finger in there to really get everything out. You then have to clean out all the grinds that landed on little grind catcher below the hole. You then have to clean the utensil you used, your finger, and any other stray grinds on the machine/counter.2. Clean the grinder – Unlock the hopper and lift. Beans will likely fall from the bottom, so be careful. Then you have to scoop out individual beans from the top grinder. Unlock top grinder, remove, and then clear out the beans inside the grinder. Not an easy task given the limited space you have to work in. Once removed, brush out grinds and spin the grinder a bit to ensure it is free and clear of any beans that maybe lodged in. Truth be told, I find the only way to really clean this out is to actually vacuum it out. Replace the top and lock. Replace the hopper and lock.3. Descale (in all fairness, all machines must be descaled) – Basically brew vinegar and water several times. Takes about half an hour.4. Pre-Heat Carafe – You have to pre-heat the carafe every time you use this. This requires 5 minutes of getting super hot water, filling, letting it sit, and then dumping. This also makes the idea of scheduling a brew pretty pointless. Not sure how nobody thought of that.Now, if any one of these things are not done, and not done 100% perfectly, you will end up with brown water. This can happen EVEN if you just performed the 3 steps above. So, ANY batch could be either cold or brown water, even if the machine was cleaned before your last brew. Plus, even if you just cleaned it out, it may not be perfect. That is how sensitive this machine is. Ironically, you can brew a single cup with this machine. Ha! Imagine going through this nightmare spiral of maintenance hell for a single cup????This machine is big and heavy. If you have normal cabinets you will be lifting and pulling out this bulky machine every time you use it in order to fill the water from the top. The stainless steel is very quick to pick up oils from your hands, especially after handling the beans, so the machine requires constant wiping down and cleaning.Now, a few good things. When the machine does brew coffee properly, it is pretty good… although, so is a zero maintenance and reliable Keurig tastes pretty good as well. It looks nice and holds a good amount of beans. The no drip works flawlessly (first time I have experienced that) and the carafe can be placed on a countertop once brewed as there is no heating element.This machine is high maintenance and expensive. You will waste many beans with this machine as you try to balance the many settings and the awful maintenance until you get a decent cup. While some features are cleverly designed, the overall design of this machine is poor. For the price, it is absolutely not worth the time and energy to make a cup of coffee.
WhitWhit –
While I like the ability to freshly grind beans and choose the strength of the brew, I have a few beefs with this coffee maker. For the cost, I think this maker should have few flaws.1. You can’t see the amount of coffee in the carafe. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s proven to be inconvenient at times.2. It is difficult to completely empty the carafe. It pours a little awkward and you can never get all of the coffee out.3. It is not that hard to make a big mess. The basket has a spring outlet. If you try to fill a mug but forget to choose the mug option, it will overflow coffee out of the basket. The same will happen if you don’t have the carafe top on or get it situated just right.In summary, it’s a good coffee maker and makes good coffee. If I had to purchase again, I would keep looking.
M Broussard –
I plan to submit another review in six months. This is my first higher price coffee maker so I’m hoping for prolonged satisfaction.I love s good daily cup or two of coffee and i have been grinding my beans daily for years, making a decent cup with a $20, 5-cup Mr. Coffee So spending $300 plus on this Breville – i expect something great.The reviews for this machine really frustrated me. Difficult to clean, grounds getting stuck in the grinder chute, etc. What struck me about the bad reviews is that despite the negatives, they all raved about the great taste of the coffee, which was not the case for review of comparable coffee makers.I like the taste, and i have not yet had lime to try different beans. The grinder is loud but not quite as annoying as my separate cusinart grinder, which is very loud. I like the carafe, which pours well and can be carried to my home office or morning cofee deck, so i don’t have to run back and forth to the kitchen for refills.The one complaint i have so far is that although some reviews stated the coffee stays hot for hours in yhe carafe, I am not finding that accurate. I typically make 5 cups and drink it over several hours and regrettably, the coffee cools off, i had to microwave it yesterday. Oh no!! This might not occur if i made 12 cups, but i was shopping for a maker that offered the smaller quantity and retained the heat. The instructions indicate you can mitigate this issue by preheating the carafe, filling it with hot water for 20 minutes before brewing. That is asking a bit much and is not an option if you a want to use the timer.So thats my 3 day review, but i think this top of the line coffee grinder/brewer deserves a later review. I hope this was helpful.
Les –
High quality product and love having fresh ground coffee. Have had this about 4-6 weeks and have had issues with the grinder not grinding properly and not dispensing enough grounds. We clean this thing after every use, and we use it every day. When it operates properly it makes outstanding coffee, just not sure why the grinder binds up sometimes.
LG –
Convenient coffee maker, but nothing comes without any effort… you still need to clean out the grinder regularly. Some of the reviewers that say their grinder broke may be referring to the fact that this machine requires that you clean out the grinding shoot every once in awhile to keep things moving…. something you would be doing daily anyway, if you want fresh ground coffee with a non-integrated machine. I’ve had this machine for 2 yrs without breaking, and here are the pros and cons:Pros:- Super easy to get started and program- Carafe is insulated and works great. Coffee stays hot for at least 4 hours or more- Very customizable settings. Brew a whole pot or just a cup.- Easily change the strength settings- Grind basket is great quality and has outlasted my previous machines baskets- Easy to clean the grind shoot. Just twist a dial and brush it out. Grinds fall in a tray catch.- Good drip valve. If you remove the pot while brewing, no drips.Cons:- Even on strongest setting, coffee is fairly weak (I like espresso strength coffee)- If you set it to the finest grind setting, you need to clean the grind shoot at least once a week or it will clog- Its difficult to cancel/restart after you started to brew a pot. I found it brews a double batch if you cancel/restart. (haven’t figured out how to just cancel)- No auto stop mechanism if you don’t have the pot in place right. The pot lid needs to be on correctly in order to depress the drip valve. I’ve put it on wrong only to find coffee spilling on the floor since the brew basket overflowed (drip valve couldn’t open without it). Wish there was a safety/detection mechanism for this.In general, I like this coffee pot despite the cons. All coffee makers with integrated grinders need to be cleaned regularly. But I like fresh ground coffee and find having the integrated grinder is convenient and requires less frequent cleaning compared to using a separate grinder on a daily basis. I just wish Breville would figure out how to allow it to make stronger coffee (e.g. by allowing you to set a brew time and increase the infusing time).
jgjg –
After reading many, many reviews this coffee maker ended up the winner to replace my fairly cheap machine that was showing age with electrical problems, and the Breville toaster works so well we just had to get another one of their creations.First and foremost, I was not happy giving up cone filters for the basket type and it took a while for me to give in to that, but in the end it’s not that huge a deal. Aside from the horribly designed carafe that drips no matter how you pour it and has to be tipped upside down and shaken to try and get all the coffee or water out (when rinsing), my biggest issue is with the grind size. I have been using an old Braun coffee grinder for over 20 years and like my espresso roast coffee ground into a powder to use for my coffee (European style) and despite the adjustable grind control, this coffee maker just will not do a fine grind. My first attempt at using the default settings was pretty surprising as I couldn’t believe the amount of coffee it dumped in the basket for just half a pot. It was ridiculous. So I used the calibration feature which lets you weigh the amount of coffee ground in 10 seconds and input it into the settings (which disappear after each power fluctuation, just like the time) to reduce the amount it was grinding for each strength level. I also thought maybe there was a piece I could shim or adjust to get it finer, but cleaning the whole thing (it comes apart in many pieces for cleaning in a very clever manner) actually made it worse because I think I added more room for the larger grounds to fit through the teeth. Also, while cleaning out the grinder I noticed there were a lot of grounds that stay stuck in the chute each day so unless you disassemble everything and clean it every day, the first coffee that hits the basket is the stuff that was sitting there for around 24 hours getting stale.Getting ready to brew is quick and easy, but cleaning up is a little annoying. The point where the basket meets the grinder is up under the top of the coffee maker so unless you have really tall counters, you have to bend over (maybe get some artificial lighting too) and get a cloth of some sort in there to wipe up the wet grounds. There’s also a cute shelf below the rotating disk that seals the grinder from the basket to catch grounds, and that shelf can be pulled out for cleaning. Then after getting rid of the grounds and rinsing out the lid (I use a little dishwashing liquid as well to get rid of the oil from the grounds) then it all has to be dried before putting together for the next run. Therein lies another of the issues I have with this coffee maker. All my previous coffee pots I could just leave half open or partially disassembled to dry, but this one goes together one way and one way only. So you either have to lay the pieces all over the counter or dry everything off with a paper towel — every day. One additional topic on cleaning has to do with the water reservoir. There is no access to where the water is stored and no way to see or clean it.The convenience of this machine is great and like other Breville appliances it has great engineering and thought into the design, but for me a few key things keep it from being great. Bottom line, I expected more for a $300 coffee maker.Pros- No more ground coffee everywhere on the counter to clean up in the morning- Awesome user interface to control making coffee- Water tank can stay full and it only uses enough for the amount of coffee being made- Works excellent for individually brewing almost any size cup- Grinder disassembles nicely for cleaning- Basket seals cleverly to allow coffee and water to enter with little mess- Emits almost no steam during or after brewing (I’m not sure where it goes)Cons- Have to use a napkin or paper towel to clean up wet grounds off coffee maker and basket every morning- Can’t pour coffee without dripping on the counter or down the carafe- Custom settings disappear after each power fluctuation- Time disappears after each power fluctuation (auto start time was saved though)- No way to “open everything up” to dry- Grind chute holds a lot of coffee which ends up sitting there getting stale- Uses LOTS of coffee with default settings- Requires more cleanup than any other coffee making system I have ever owned- Takes up a lot of counter spacePictures show awesome display and controls, finest grind possible, things inside (behind filter basket) that need to be cleaned.Update:After using this machine for a number of months now, I can definitely say this is going to be the next appliance replaced in our house. And I am downgrading it to one star.Multiple times I have awoken with little to no coffee brewed in the morning for various reasons.- Since the beans in the grinder feed only from the front, sometimes they don’t feed at all (see picture) and there is about 1 cups worth of beans ground into a 10 cup carafe of “coffee” (this has happened with all sorts of roasted types, oily and dry).- Since the bean hopper is smoke colored its tough to see in there at night and occasionally it will just run out of beans (because it uses SO many beans) and I won’t find out until the next morning (when I’m running late of course and don’t have time to go through the whole cleaning process required to make another pot of coffee). So the result is I have to take the top off the hopper ALL THE TIME to see what is in there and to redistribute the beans to the front so they will grind properly, totally negating the reason for keeping beans out of the air for freshness (not that the lid is anywhere near airtight to keep beans fresh anyway).- Sometimes a bean will jam the grinder and it just doesn’t grind. Of course I don’t find this out until I try and figure out what the issue was THIS TIME and possibly end up wasting beans to try and make it grind something.I also noticed that the “grind control” knob (at least on mine) rattles like crazy while it is grinding and makes more noise than the grinder. If I put my finger on the knob while it is grinding, it’s amazing how much less noise it makes. I was actually going to put a piece of tape over it, but since you have to open the top of the hopper a couple times a day that would be even more annoying than the increased noise.I still can’t get over how little control over the grind size you have and how much coffee this thing goes through to make a decent cup of coffee (see picture of massive amount of grounds in filter). I’m about ready to get my 30 year old Braun grinder back out and deal with cleaning it up instead of all the cleaning required for this coffee maker (the whole reason I got this coffee maker was to reduce the need to cleanup bean dust flying everywhere). Speaking of the cleaning, I have never washed coffee grounds down the drain before in my life (on a regular basis), and I am very uncomfortable with how much coffee you have to wash down the drain to clean this thing out on a daily basis (be prepared for at least an extra 10 minutes a day). Every other coffee maker I’ve had I would just crack the filter basket open on and let it dry out during the day so it could get composted, but there’s no way to do that with this machine.Taking the hopper out and cleaning the grinder out is a mess. When it is all fresh and new it comes apart great and looks like it was really well thought out, but I don’t think any of the engineers actually use their own product. I went back and read through the instructions and started laughing when I realized they want you to use a vacuum cleaner and waste a handful of beans just to disassemble the grinder. I’ve been using a spoon to scoop out all the beans left under the hopper when it gets removed, and that takes quite a while, but coffee beans are like gold — you don’t just throw them away because its inconvenient to pick them up.Finally, the carafe not being able to pour without dripping all over the place is driving me nuts. I was actually going to make a video of all the different ways you can try to pour to keep it from dripping and how the carafe still spills coffee either on the counter, down the front of the carafe, or in the coffee maker. I’m pretty close to just heating up a nail and forming a real spout on it.This thing was certainly a waste of $300, maybe someone will be happy buying it at Goodwill.
Tok –
I wanted a good coffee maker for my office, but didn’t want the mess of having a separate grinder. After doing some research, I bought this Breville with the integrated grinder almost 2 years ago and have loved it ever since.My use case: Daily 1-2 pots that I share with co-workers, with an occasional post-lunch single 16 oz cup. I tend toward medium beans, and use cold, unfiltered, very hard water. Basically exactly what the manual tells you not to do.Pros:Amazing taste. I was using a Capresso Infinity grinder with a standard Mr. Coffee drip, and this was significantly better. I think there’s some lost aromatics in just the few minutes between grind and brew with a standard set up. Or it could be confirmation bias, as I haven’t done a double-blind study.Versatile. I also am amazed at the difference the grind and strength settings make. Sometimes I get a new bean and it’s a bit on the bitter side, so I increase the grind size and strength and it’s like a different coffee! I’ve never used the calibration, I just use trial and error.Easy to use. The interface is intuitive. The one thing I would recommend is to ditch the included gold filter and go with regular paper, it makes cleanup a lot easier, and I prefer the taste. It tells you when to descale, which in my case is about 1-2 times per year. Completely automated and takes ~40 minutes, then you’ll want to run another pot or 2 of clean water to remove residual vinegar.Vacuum carafe. Avoiding the burned taste from a heating element is incredible. After about 1 hour on my old Mr. Coffee, the coffee tasted bad. This does not. One caveat, if you want to keep it hot for more than about 3-4 hours, you should pre-heat the carafe with hot water before brewing. If you do that, it’s good for ~8 hours.Cost. Although the unit itself is expensive, I calculated a pot to cost me about $1 with locally roasted beans from Costco, at about $16 for 2 lbs. Compared to even cheap pods, this thing has already paid for itself.Cons.Cleaning. Really, it’s not too bad, but more than pods. Any grinder/brewer combo will have a chute that needs cleaning. Depending on the bean type, cleaning is about 1-2 times a week. Pop off the bean hopper, open the basket, and use the included brush to wipe out the chute. With really oily, dark roasts, this 30 second task becomes a necessary daily routine, but with my medium roasts it can be up to 2 weeks. Sometimes there’s some hard packed stuff around the edge I break off with my fingers. If you don’t keep up on this, it can get clogged, which is obvious by the sound of the grinder. About every two weeks, I use wet paper towel to clean the stainless valve disc and the tray under the carafe. About 1-2 times per year, I empty all of the beans, take out the top part of the burr grinder, and really go at it with the included brush. When I first got the thing, it got clogged so I thought I had to do that every time and was annoyed, but I’ve since learned that a quick chute cleaning is all that’s regularly needed. One quirk is that the valve only opens automatically if the unit is not in standby. If the LED backlight isn’t on, push one of the knobs to turn it on. Then when you take off the bean hopper and open the basket, the valve will open.Noise. I don’t think there’s any noise mitigation on the grinder, but it’s not any louder than my Capresso. Some of the super automatics are a lot quieter though.Cost. Upfront cost is high. It was worth it to me, though. When I’m on vacation, I miss it quite a bit.
TAD –
UPDATE: JULY 20, 2020Ok, so I got through most of the fiddly parts with my Breville Grind & Brew. It makes GREAT coffee. It requires regular maintenance. If you DON’T clean it/maintain it properly you will NOT get great coffee & you may not get any coffee at all!! I’m now very proficient at maintaining this machine. Of course, sometimes I push the envelope. Like, when I KNOW I should clean out the chute where grounds can solidify & stop pushing the coffee into the basket assembly. The next pot of coffee is usually just yellow liquid – no coffee.Here are important points about maintenance. I use a vacuum cleaner clean out the burr grinder & even the chute. Old coffee grounds will solidify over time & harden. I use a toothpick to loosen everything & then get it out with the vacuum. It’s very effective. I never ever put parts in the dishwasher. I’ve made the mistake a couple of times of putting the carafe in the dishwasher. Water gets into the thermal carafe & doesn’t come out. The other parts to this machine, while removeable, have rubber or metal blades on them. Over time, I believe, the dishwasher will weaken the rubber and corrode the metal. It’s very easy to use a good bottle brush & detergent to clean everything. DO NOT reassemble the machine with wet parts. The inner burr grinder will compact grounds over time and that’s enough of a problem. If you attach it damp or wet, the clumping will occur more frequently. Having had this machine for 5 years, & using it daily (sometimes twice per day), the burr grinder & chute must be disassembled and cleaned each time a FULL bean hopper is emptied from use. It just will make your life easier & coffee experience better. FOLLOW DESCALING procedure. When the machine tells you to descale with 8 cups of water & 4 cups of white vinegar, just do it. Once that’s done, run 12 cups of clean water through the machine once or twice.Ok, so as an “update”, I’ll add that my Breville, though not fully broken was becoming more and more temperamental. So, I just replaced it through Amazon. Even with hand washing everything, the rubber parts to this machine were starting to fail. It was becoming more difficult to release the hopper. The rubber on the basket assembly wasn’t that great and wasn’t perfectly aligning with the chute opening. There’s a rubber in the chute opening too. I noticed grounds sticking & hardening there more frequently.My decision to replace this Breville was easy. I truly love the coffee it makes. I figured I got 4.5 years out of my original machine & figuring how much coffee I make, it was worth the cost. The original machine likely would have performed for another year or so. I just noticed the rubber parts giving out & figured it was time. I’ll hold on to my original machine for a little while – just in case the new one is a total lemon.Review remains at 3 stars. You have to really really want a great cup of coffee every day to be willing to deal with the maintenance. I’m willing to do it but it’s not for everybody.UPDATE: DECEMBER 30 2019So, I figured out how to get that shiney metal disc to open. You have to have ALL the pieces in place (the plastic little grinds catcher & the basket assembly) with the door closed BEFORE taking apart the hopper. When you loosen the grinder assembly in the hopper, the silver disc will move to an open position. THEN you can get in there and clean the chute.And it really needs to be cleaned!!!! Maybe it’s because my machine is approaching 4 years old that it’s become more finicky. Lately, it seems, every other pot is just hot water because the chute is clogged. I’ve gotten into the habit of using a toothpick in the chute to loosen the packed grinds & then taking the hose of my vacuum to it. That gets everything out but it’s a pain in the ass to have to do every other day.In the past, I could go through 2 full bean hoppers before cleaning the machine. Now, it’s much more frequent.When I clean the chute, I also use a flashlight to inspect the inside to make sure none of the rubber is damaged. It’s not but I guess it’s a little older & worn now so the grounds jam within the machine more readily. Timed obsolescence??I’m contemplating replacing this machine with a new one just because it’s now temperamental.When it works, it makes great coffee though. Oh, bear in mind that if you’re making a full pot (12 cups) DON’T fill the machine beyond the first “beep” sound. The carafe will spill over. This is a flaw, I think, since the carafe should stop brewing at the correct amount of water. The coffee maker should not just empty its contents if you set the machine for 12 cups.I haven’t found a machine that makes a better cup of coffee. The comparable Cuisinart also has issues and complaints. It’s a little cheaper than Breville. For now, I’ll stick with what I know. Maybe I’ll just replace it with another since getting it fixed with all new interior parts may cost almost as much as the current price.Happy Coffee in 2020!!UPDATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2018Ok, it’s been just under 3 years that I’ve had this Breville. I really really liked it. I had no issue cleaning it. I liked the way it told me when to descale it – and I did that as soon as I got the “DESCALE” notice on the machine.Up until a few days ago, it would have gotten a stellar review. But now, for the first time, the disc that covers the grinding chute suddenly stopped functioning. For the past 3 days, I’ve only gotten a pot of hot water in the morning instead of my needed cup of coffee.I cleaned the entire machine. I emptied the hopper, pulled everything out, vacuumed it out completely. I pulled out the burr grinder & cleaned it with a toothpick (not that it was all that dirty.) I made sure that the lower grinder turned easily.I ran another pot and again, hot water. Then I noticed that when I unlocked the burr grinder, the mirrored disc doesn’t turn.I’m tempted to take out the screws holding the plastic cover that attaches the mirrored disc, but I’m a little afraid to do that. It seems to me that there must be some kind of jam at the lower part of the chute that I can’t reach without taking apart the entire housing.What a drag.So, the question is: Do I call Breville? Do I replace this machine with another one? Do I get the new Cuisinart or Capresso?I can’t seem to get any coffee maker to last more than 3 years. I so loved waking up to a hot freshly ground cup of coffee!!My machine had light daily use – about 2 full mugs of coffee per day (6 cups). It has been cleaned every day & descaled per instructions. I don’t know why this happened but I’m disappointed.Lowering my rating to 2 stars for 3 good years anyway.I intend to update this review as I continue with this Breville. Having owned TWO Cuisinart Grind & Brew machines, I know that time will tell whether this machine will hold up.I note the following:Hopper is significantly smaller than on the Cuisinart & holds fewer beans. That’s probably a good thing as it’s my policy to clean the grinder when the hopper is empty. With fewer beans, I’m brushing it out every few days as opposed to once per week or so with the Cuisinart.It uses A LOT of beans at one time. My only comparison here is by considering the amount of ground beans in the filter after making a pot. A 6 or 8-cup pot on the Breville at 3 strength used significantly more beans than my Cuisinart at Medium strength. I switched to 3-strength since level 4 almost filled the filter & was actually stronger than I’m used to.I’m very fastidious with my coffee machines & clean up after I have my first morning cup. I can see that over time the chute disc at the back of the machine may get funky if it’s not regularly wiped down. I also worry about that mechanism getting jammed or stuck over time. There’s no way to remove it to see if there’s any clog where the ground beans come out.The coffee basket has a hinged top. It seems a little flimsy to me and may give way over time. Also, the rubber opening to the basket may wear down over time – as it did on my Cuisinart. At the end of the life of the Cuisinart, I began to regularly apply a little vegetable oil to the rubbery parts so that they wouldn’t stick. I fear that that process may be needed on the soft rubbery parts of the Breville as well.The coffee pot keeps the coffee hot – for hours. Now, I don’t know if it reaches that optimum level that coffee affecionados desire, but it works for me. I was drinking Christmas brunch coffee at 9pm & didn’t have to heat up my cup in the microwave. That’s OK with me!However, I find that cleaning the pot is bothersome. I have small hands. Yet, my hand can’t reach into the pot to clean it it. I have to purchase one of those spongy dish cleaning things on a stick to get in there. That’s slightly annoying.Making a single cup is totally cool – except you have to go through the process of cleaning everything up again.Taking everything apart and brushing out that burr grinder regularly is essential!! I can see how bean residue will get clogged in there. So, you DO have to remove the hopper, release the upper burr grinder thingy & really brush everything out. It’s a little cumbersome to do & frankly, you don’t know if you’re getting everything out. You can’t remove the lower burr grinder. (The upper burr grinder is a round disc that screws into place directly above the lower grinder. The lower grinder sits in a well area & is not moveable.) So I don’t know whether you can ever tell if there’s a clog below the lower grinder. Time will tell whether such a build up (if any) poses a problem.Filling the tank is easy enough. However, I found it’s easiest to use a measuring cup with a pour spout to prevent drips outside the machine.Ultimately – and so far – I truly like this machine. I DO believe it requires regular maintenance for optimum results. Frankly, any machine with a burr grinder in it requires maintenance. It seems like it takes a few more steps to maintain as opposed to the Cuisinart Grind & Brew. But those extra steps really don’t take any more time.And, if I can have a great cup of coffee everyday without a machine leaking water all over my counter after 2 years of use, I’ll be happy. (That was my SECOND Cuisinart Grind & Brew. My first Cuisinart took nearly 3 years to break down. That’s why that machine is selling so cheaply now.)If the Breville holds up longer, I’ll be a happy coffee drinker. So far, So good.
DeltaGirl –
Really wanted an all in one appliance for counter space and easy cleanup. It handles both single cup and carafe. My only knock is that it relied on the stainless steel carafe to hold keep the coffee hot as the unit does not have a warmer.
TeeOhDblDeeTeeOhDblDee –
UPDATE: Year 8… RIP to my Breville Grind Control Coffee Brewer which lasted 7 years, 10 months. Honestly I’d have been happy had it lasted 2 years when I first bought it considering I was going through 3-4 brewers per year for a few years prior to buying the Grind Control. The machine technically still worked when I retired it due to a tank leakage I’d neglected to acknowledge that led to a rust build-up on the bottom of the unit. More rust than I wanted to deal with removing. Also, it was looking rather worn after producing so many cups of coffee over so many years. In the nearly 8 years of using the Grind Control I also started drinking and making different coffee brew methods such as French Press, Moka, Pour Over and Espresso. With all those options I afforded myself the time to research and read reviews on other automatic coffee brewers before buying another machine. Nothing seemed to compare to the Grind Control features wise though. So I read the reviews here as well. Not sure where all the hate directed towards this machine comes from. So. Some people overstate how difficult the cleanup is. Cleaning the Grind Control is similar to cleaning an espresso machine. If you want good coffee but feel like maintaining a machine is to complicated, it’s probably best to buy your coffee somewhere. You can start cleaning the Grind Control as soon as the grinder stops moving – just unlock it, remove the hopper and as many beans as needed to be able to remove the grinder, remove the rest ov the beans and clean this area with a brush during the brewing cycle. Use a pipe cleaner to clear the 3 holes in both the top and bottom grinder sections. Once your coffee is ready, take a sip or two then put it on a warming plate while you take a few minutes to brush the grinding chute clean and wipe the entire machine clean with a damp microfiber cloth and wash the filter basket and all removable parts. Pat dry the spout where the water flows into the basket, just above the grinding chute as well since this area can acquire a mineral build-up that can affect the taste of your brew. After a few months of research and having no coffee from a drip machine, I bought my second Breville Grind Control 8 years and 2 months after the first. I’ve been using it for a month now and I’ve certainly missed this coffee. I’m maintaining the new machine better after each use than I did – some of the steps I listed I didn’t do before. The only time I ever disassembled the grinder mechanism on the first machine was during the descaling process. I do use very dark beans though, and since I’ve grown accustomed to deep cleaning an espresso machine after regular use, I’ve noticed details about cleaning this machine I neglected before that when done regularly, produce a better brew. Also with this new machine, I only use the included basket instead of paper filters. This method delivers a brew consistency closer to a French Press, which is sort of what the Grind Control is – an electric French Press…… … … End of Year 8 Update… … ….UPDATE: FIVE (5) Years Later… I Still use this machine daily, usually for at least 2 single serve cups of various size, depending on the mug I’m using that day. Occasionally I’ll brew a pot, either when I have guests, or the day after I run the Decalcification cycle, which I just ran today. The machine has a censor that tells when to clean, but rather than waiting, I prefer to clean every 6 weeks. In addition to the brush provided, I use a bamboo picnic knife to scrape inside of the chute to remove more grinds. Compressed Air is useful as well when doing a deep clean of the machine which I do twice a year ((OUTSIDE)). With the hopper removed (and excess beans) I spray the compressed air through the chute and the grinder (top half removed). Vinegar-soaked paper towels help remove ground coffee built up around the grinder and in the chute. Allow to air-dry, and reassemble. …(End of 5 Year UPDATE)…The Breville Grind control is the best product with an electric cord I have ever purchased. I first saw it at the mall, and upon inspection it was clear it was designed for people who really enjoy coffee, by people who really enjoy coffee. The display model was the only one in stock, and the next store did not have it either. I logged onto Amazon when I got home, and 4 days later it arrived. The next morning, just over 2 weeks before my 42nd birthday, I tasted the coffee I always wanted but never was attainable.The ability to brew as few as one to as many as 12 cups is awesome. Before work I only have time for one cup, usually 350 ml. On days off I fill the entire carafe, and after more than 3 hours, the last mug is still a very drinkable and tasty temperature. For a single cup, which I enjoy black, I use strength setting 8 (strongest), and grind setting 1 (finest). For a carafe I use 3 on the grind setting.For after work, I found it quite easy to make an even stronger brew by starting the machine just long enough to grind beans for a 295 ml cup. Stop, open and close the brew basket door, adjust the grind for 235 ml cup, and within a few minutes I have a great base for whatever espresso type drink I have attempted to make. I purchased a separate milk frothing/steaming machine, so now when I visit the local Coffee House it is only to buy beans.Clean up is easy. Barely 2 minutes of rinsing and wiping. The longer it sits, the tougher it is to wipe the release disk, but I’ve not been so lazy yet that it has been bothersome. This past weekend I performed the descale process for the first time. It was simple and the machine is programmed to allow plenty of deep cleaning time. The previous brewer I owned was a single cup grind and brew system. It made a decent cup of coffee, but was no where near as hot or good. Clean up was tougher as the actual grinders had to be rinsed and dried after each cup. After a few months, the pressure point on the lid of the grinder popped off, cracking the lid. I made it work for a few weeks until I found the Breville Grind Control.Honestly, the coffee is so tasty I actually thank the machine as soon as the brew process is complete. The only downside? I work at a Diner and usually allow myself whatever coffee I can manage to sip until 10 a.m. I just can’t taste it anymore. It tastes vaguely like that sip of decaf I mistakenly had a couple years ago, and as such, leaves me asking, why? Why would anyone drink this? Well, I for one, am currently devising an iced coffee recipe for my Grind Control so I will no longer have to.I paid full price for my Breville Grind Control, and have neither requested nor received compensation for my honest review. It has had no performance issues so far and I am extremely satisfied with the purchase.The photos are of a latte macchiato, from start, to beginning of the end, made using the Grind Control and separate frothing machine. If you need a new coffee brewer and you really enjoy coffee, this is the machine you need.
ak –
Requires ridiculous cleaning procedures due to a design flaw in the grounds chute. Also resets the cup setting as you pour water into the reservoir.PROS- Very sturdy and high quality construction. The main body, the switches, dials, panels, the display, everything just feels a level above the other coffee makers I’ve used.- Consistent and uniform grind, all the way down to very fine size. This is a real quality burr grinder.- Automatically detects and measures out water, so a single refill can be good for up to 2-4 brews (when it doesn’t go nuts and reset your cup setting as you pour the water in).- Thermal carafe to keep the coffee warm and flavorful without burning it.CONS- The filter basket is a pain to clean. This is almost entirely due to the grinder chute being horizontal instead of vertical or tilted like in other grind-and-brews. Instead of letting gravity do the work of dropping the grounds neatly into the basket, Breville chose to push the grounds sideways through a wet horizontal chute. The result is a mess in the chute every time you brew, which spills out when you open the basket compartment if not careful, and can collect around the chute door and block it if not cleaned.- Carafe spout is improperly positioned for pouring. You have to almost turn the carafe over to pour the last drop, but not until it’s almost empty or it will spill from the lid.
Lulu and Phoebe –
Update again: April 2018I’m thinking a big fat no on recommending this coffee maker. The maintenance is nuts. I’m cleaning the grinder and chute weekly now. I actually bought a dust buster and a giant box of q-tips just for the coffee maker maintenance. I know. Nuts. I descale regularly and try to keep everything running smoothly, including recalibrating often. It loses the calibration for no reason at all. And now the water float is busted and I have to either guess and wait for the beep when filling or replace the filter and use the indicator on the LED screen which doesn’t always work. I’m ready to go back to a simple burr grinder and a simple coffee maker that doesn’t require so much care. Sorry, Breville.Main complaints? The beans have to pushed into the chute or it grinds away at air. The carafe leaves way too much coffee in the bottom and it has to be tipped on its head to get the coffee out when near the bottom and that means coffee goes everywhere, in the cup on the table. It’s a dumb carafe design. I cannot tell you how many times it fails to work if you don’t push the carafe directly into place correctly. 1mm off and the coffee pours all over the counter, into the drawers, and what a mess. The burr grinder only partially comes out so cleaning it is not exactly as thorough as the Breville burr grinder was so there’s always coffee ground goop stuck where you can’t clean and it matters. Coffee maker cannot go under a cupboard because you have to access the top to fill the hopper (small thing, but someone – not me- keeps shoving it back and it’s a pain to pull out once water is in there). I’m not naming it anything except PITA which is exactly as you can guess. I emailed Breville through their site to get some info on the dead float indicator and they have yet to respond. It hasn’t been long, but still. Not even a note to say they got the email. All I want is an easy to make decent pot of coffee in the morning. Something that tastes good and stays hot. Changing my rating to 3 stars cause expensive to buy this thing and give up on it before a year is up.UPDATE:It’s been a couple of months and we still highly recommend this coffee maker. By the next update, I am certain we will have a name for it because it requires a very close relationship. Go into this knowing it is high maintenance. You can’t just plug it in and go. But so far, it’s worth every minute of attention because it makes great coffee.Pros:-It does well with really dark oily beans, but you’ll have to clean out the chute more often.-Once you’ve gone through the Breville processes a few times you won’t need to read the manual for specific directions for ordinary tasks- It really keeps the coffee quiet hot and then very warm for a long time. I’ve gone to pour coffee from the carafe hours later for iced and find it’s too warm, still.- Routine is your best friend when caring for this machine. If you are a routine person, this is gonna be easy for you.- It makes a supremely hot cup of great coffee if all your settings are adjust to your liking- The morning timer can be a great alarm clock if grinding beans wakes you up- Coffee brews rather quicklyCONS-Always always put a filter in place before closing the filter holder because if it brews with nothing there, hot water and half as*&ed coffee will flood everywhere- Don’t try to descale by just running it through like an ordinary coffee pot. It has a programmed function for it (manual) and that’s the only way it knows it was descaled. I cleverly descaled a week before the machine gave me the descale message and I learned the stupid way that it is a “function” needing buttons pushed (manual!). I wasted some good descale stuff, but hey, smart machine, stupid owner.- I learned, also the hard way, to clean the grinder by using the brush and a vacuum machine to suck up the stuff that goes flying. First time I did it without vacuum I was cleaning tiny grounds for days from everywhere in the kitchen. It’s a bit annoying when you remove the hopper that whole beans rest on the top and you have to take those off before proceeding to remove the burr. Plus get some good coffee brushes because the one that comes with it is inadequate (I had those already). I use canned air plus vacuum to clean out residue. Works great but it is a ballet. (see – high maintenance but worth it).- Every time the machine gets unplugged it forgets your calibration for the grind (manual – learn that one if you hate wasting coffee beans).- The hopper is way too small. I get that it’s that way to fit under most cupboards on countertop but you have to move it to load in beans anyway so why not have the hopper style that’s on the bean grinder which holds a lot of coffee beans? I fill ours every evening.- You have to push the beans into the chute before loading in beans or it does that pretend “I need beans noise” and your coffee will suck. Push those beans down every time. Again, fix the hopper and chute, Breville.- We use oxygen bleached filters cause our coffee is too fine for the gold filter. Don’t ever forget to place some filter in there before brewing or the coffee muck will go everywhere except in the carafe.- Requires wiping down not only the inside top of the filter holder, but the stainless plate where the grounds come out and the little catcher at the bottom of the filter holder every time. See, high maintenance.-Do not get me started on the carafe. It is the dumbest thing Breville ever designed. It keeps the coffee hot (yay) but getting the coffee out is part art, part, luck and you will always have a bit left in there that cannot be poured anywhere. It has to turn completely upside down to get the last cup out and even then it sprinkles coffee drops everywhere. It only works marginally well when the carafe is totally full. Plus the lid to the carafe never dries out. I rinse it and shake it to death, turn it all kinds of directions to dry and it never, never dries.This Grind Control is pretty awesome. It makes a good cuppa, nice and hot and that’s all I want in the early morning. I learned a few things that made the process easier because all those buttons and menus make the coffee maker a little bit annoying. First, find the instruction manual online and read it a few times – only because Breville is detailed and if you own any Breville appliances you know they mean exactly what they specify. Like A before B or C never happens. Here’s an example. The grind chute is behind the basket. To clean it (which you should do a lot if you use dark oily beans) you unlock the bean hopper and the automagically stainless plate opening moves to the chute so you can access it to clean. Remember A before B? Yeah. That. I almost returned the machine because I couldn’t get that stainless plate to move to open the chute. Then I reread the instructions for the 80 gazillionth time and et voila! There it was. Hopper first, open basket second. Then you hear a whirring noise and the plate moves and there’s the chute. I’d been opening the basket thing, then removing the hopper and nothing. So read the instructions and don’t feel bad about reading them several times. Honest. It isn’t your reading skills. It’s Breville’s quirky way of doing things.Many folks (in the reviews) felt bad about the strength of the coffee and how much it chewed up a pound of beans in short order. It does. But it doesn’t have to be that chewy. Try the calibration function (again, instruction book). We ended up using far less beans to get to our best cup of coffee which is pretty strong. Calibration is your cost cutting friend. Beans are spendy. Also, pay attention to the instruction manual about Breville’s coffee cup size – it’s small. Not at all what we drink. But use their size as your measure for everything.If you’ve owned the Breville bean grinder this hopper will make you slightly sad. It says it holds a half-pound of coffee but not ours. It holds about a third pound and I fill it every other day which still bothers me because the other grinder held about a whole pound. Also, use something to gently send the beans toward the burr when filling it (not when it’s in operation) because sometimes it will grind air if the beans aren’t moving. Smooth the beans gently with a little pressure and that should do it. Over fill and the top won’t set on there properly. The grind setting from coarse to fine is up there, too. Use the setting they recommend. For regular 8 cups plus pots of coffee we use a coarser grind (calibrated) and that seems to work. A finer grind will be a perfect storm for overflowing the basket if you are making a large pot.The timer is great. I can set the thing before bed and it wakes us up in the morning which is preferable to an alarm because the smell of grinding coffee is pretty nice.The thermal carafe is keeping the coffee very hot for a long time. We made coffee, forgot we made it, went out and came back two hours later and the coffee was quite warm. Not hot, but a good warm. The only downside to the carafe is the way it pours. Others have mentioned it in the reviews and they are spot on. It dribbles out, even when full. The spout is on the rim but there is no indent on the pot rim to account for the pour so it really has to be tipped to get it to give you some coffee. And when the pot is low, well, it’s like the little teapot rhyme. Just tip it over and pour it out. It seems counterintuitive and almost silly (not to mention slightly dangerous if you are pouring it over a light colored carpet) but I have to tip it almost fully upside down to get the last cup out of it. Dripped out of it, actually. Breville can redesign that carafe any time.Last, no matter what they say about when to clean the chute, the burr and all the places where stuff collects, do it more often. I do it a couple times a week. Takes a minute or two and keeps the grinder from getting gummy from the oily beans. The basket not only should be rinsed each time you empty it but wipe down the inside top where the grinds drop in and you’ll come away with plenty of coffee gunk. We also ditched the gold filter and use oxygen bleached paper filters to catch the bitter oils and residue.Size? Giant. It’s like adding a refrigerator to your counter top and it needs breathing room for vents so it can’t get squished in a corner under the cupboard. You can’t get to the hopper easily if it’s under the cupboard. My solution was to let it sit on the countertop edge next to the real refrigerator so it has plenty of space to vent in the back. I’d say it takes up the same real estate as did the other grinder, water heater pot and french press so there really was no space saving in buying a single machine (for us). Though it is huge and makes my giant stand mixer look like a little sibling, I don’t mind giving it half the kitchen counter space. It’s worth it. The only improvement would be to make the feet be little wheels that lock in place so you can move it to fill up the hopper and water. (I can hear Breville laughing at me from here).I’m glad I waited to buy this model. It’s a keeper. Even without wheels. But, please fix that carafe design. It’s embarrassing.
Peter E –
I bought this as a replacement to a much older BHG grinder/brewer I’ve had for a while. My old machine was 10 cup, and had a grinder built in, but it was a blade. It made good coffee and I liked that I could control the taste by the volume of beans I put in it. However, I wanted a 12 cup brewer and a bur grinder so the Breville seemed like it had all the features I was looking for. I like that it has a bean hopper that I can just fill and use. I like that I can fill the water reservoir and use only the amount of water I need for each brew. I like that I can adjust the grind size, the number of cups in the carafe and the fact that I can change to a single cup brew. Previously I’d have to break out my French press if I wanted a single cup. All good features and it’s been working good so far. Con’s so far? it’s taken me a while to get things dialed in to my taste. I’m having trouble getting a strong enough cup of coffee for my liking. The nice bean hopper feature is also a drawback as I can’t adjust the amount of beans I grind to suite my taste. Even a strength setting of 8 I find too weak for my taste. But it’s getting better as I am adjusting and experimenting with grind size. At first I was a little disappointed with this unit, but as I’m learning it, the better it’s getting and the more I’m enjoying it. In my case, the benefits certainly outweigh the con’s and so far I recommend it. I’ve only had it since Christmas so I can’t comment to the longer term function of the unit, but based on other reviews, I’m definitely doing my part to keep the unit clean after each use.(Update) It’s been a couple months now of use and I am loving this machine! Yes, it does require upkeep, but that’s fine with me. I do a light cleaning about once a week and about every 2 weeks remove the hopper and do the deep cleaning. Other than that, nothing else and this thing works great. I don’t mind it cause I like to tinker anyway. Makes a good cup every time, especially now that I have the settings the way I like it. Works just as good using beans or pre-ground coffee. I love that I can make a single up on weekday mornings and brew a full pot on weekends. In both instances, the coffee comes out great. Really enjoying this machine and highly recommend it.1 Yr Update: It’s been almost a year so I thought I’d revisit this. After 11+ months of use, I have to say I love this machine. Well worth the price. For all those who complain about having to clean the machine, I say suck it up and stop complaining. How pissed would you be if you discovered your favorite coffee cafe wasn’t cleaning their machines on a daily basis! Once a week I spend 10 minutes doing a detailed cleaning and I’ve had zero issues with this unit. I believe weekly maintenance is important. If I can’t find 10 minutes a week, then I don’t deserve to complain when the machine doesn’t live up to my standards. I’ve also discovered the key to getting the perfect strength coffee. People, use the calibration routine! This is essential to dialing in the perfect taste. I had been struggling getting the coffee strong enough for my liking. By calibrating, and then lowering the weighed grams amount on the dial, I was able to fool the machine into grinding more beans per cup, resulting in the strength I’ve been looking for. If you’re going to spend $200-$300 on a coffee machine and aren’t prepared to put the effort into maintaining and calibration, then don’t complain when it doesn’t give you what you expect. Did I say I love this machine! I’ve raised my rating to 5 stars as this machine delivers in every way.(UPDATE) It was great while it lasted. The computer doesn’t allow me to brew anymore. I’ve taken everything apart and cleaned it, followed all the troubleshooting solutions, it just beeps at me and gives me a code 001. For the price I should have gotten more than a year and a half out of it. Changed my rating from 5 to 2 stars. It’s a 5 Star product, until it breaks!
C. Del –
This is my 2nd Breville. When my first one died after 5 years, I got a Capresso. Big mistake. Messy machine. Anyone who complains about cleaning the Breville didn’t own one of these. Yes. You have to clean it. But I never had to do the cleaning a lot of people complained about. Just keep an eye on the chute. The coffee pot spring on the Capresso broke. I could have got another pot. But it was a sign! Any excuse will do. Glad I got another Breville. Less mess, coffees so much better.
Danielle Stevenson –
This is a four year review. It was almost $85 cheaper when I got it for my birthday is 2018, so I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’m ready for a new one. I love this coffee pot! I bought it because I love that it grinds and brews every morning and is ready when I walk in my kitchen. Fresh ground makes such a difference. I have read the reviews about maintenance and cleaning, but it’s really not an issue for me. Honestly I have neglected it. My husband fusses at me and ends up wiping the silver chute cover thing lol. I’ve only descaled it twice, I know that’s awful! Bless it’s heart. Actually the only issue I have is that the carafe is hard to clean because the opening is narrow and I barely fit my hand in, so I use a bottle brush. It also pours kinda funny so I use a small pitcher to pour water into the machine. Another thing that is really cool is we will use it just as a grinder when we need grounds for our french press, which is our favorite way to brew. But that’s only on afternoons and Saturday mornings when my husband gets up and makes coffee;) So if you can afford this machine, go for it!
Herb –
I didn’t give it 5 stars because of the “hassle factor” and complications of operating this marvelous piece of machinery.We had a Krups bean grinder mill type coffee maker that lasted 3 years. We liked the bean grinder integrated with the coffee maker and I wanted to get a thermal carafe style. This item has all that and more.As a word of caution, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! This machine is not plug and play like some cheaper coffee makers on the market. This unit requires extra cleaning and maintenance to make a decent cup of coffee, but once you get the routine down it’s not so bad. Also, results will vary based on beans and water quality.CONS: First, as it has a thermal carafe, you need to get used to doing 2 things. 1. Pre-heat it by rinsing it with hot water BEFORE you make a cup of coffee. Since there’s no burner plate, it will not keep your coffee at temperature as long. Pre-heating the carafe helps it last a bit longer. 2. It’s hard to get the last cup’s worth of coffee out without removing the lid and making a mess. This is just the nature of the beast when it comes to thermal carafes.Second, you need to clean the filter and filter housing after every brew. This is kind of a DUH thing. The filter system can be easily removed for cleaning, but again, the hassle of it is kind of annoying. You can’t get away with just cleaning out the filter basket after every pot. The entire system needs cleaned. It does come with a mesh filter which saves you money, but it does take paper filters as well which would be a little more convenient.Third, it takes time to hone your settings. There is a setting for grind coarseness, strength (amount of coffee ground), and amount you’re going to brew. It took a while for me to get the settings down on my old coffee maker, and I suspect the same will be true of this one.Fourth, the single cup setting is in metric (milliliters) while the full pot setting is in imperial (cups). Kind of annoying. Do your research ahead of time to determine the appropriate setting for your individual cups. The easiest thing to do is measure in ounces and convert to ml using google or your conversion chart of choice.PROS: 1. Brew a pot or brew a cup. It has settings to brew an entire pot (2-12 cups) or a single cup (235ml – 590ml). Again, since there’s no burner plate, you can make an individual cup without ruining the ceramic or metal exterior of the container. It’s very convenient for households on different schedules.2. The grinder is not as loud as my Krups. This is subjective and results may vary based on your own experience.3. Water reservoir beeps when you hit 12 cups and only uses what you tell it to use. When filling the reservoir (it’s recommended you use filtered water btw) it has a digital water level on it that tells you how much water is in the reservoir. It will beep once it gets to 12 so you don’t overfill it. If you program the machine to make a 6 cup pot of coffee, it will only use 6 cups of water. This is a change from the Krups I had – what you put in was what it used. This is a handy feature and I recommend keeping the reservoir topped off as it will only use what it needs.4. High quality construction. It’s definitely built to last. While it is complicated and can be a pain to use (see cons about cleaning and settings), it does have a simplicity factor about it. The buttons are clearly marked and light up. The screen gives you information on water level, brew amount, and can be programmed to turn on automatically. When you change the coarseness of the grind, a number will appear on the display from 1-8 indicated coarseness.5. The directions are helpful. There is a visual step by step quick start guide that comes with it and walks you through making your first pot of coffee. If you stick to the instructions for brewing and cleaning, it’s a relatively painless experience and it makes a decent cup of coffee.6. It has a countdown timer on it when you start brewing. If you can’t stand the anticipation of waiting for that cup of coffee, the timer will tell you (pretty accurately) how long it will take for your cup/pot to be finished. You can pause the brewing for a full pot if you remove the carafe, but not so much with a single cup. There is a “Cancel” feature as well that will cease all brewing once pressed.7. You can use pre-ground beans – just remember to tell it that. On the “strength” knob, turning it all the way down will set it to pre-ground beans and will not activate the internal grinder.8. Lots of customization. As mentioned in the cons, you have lots of choices when it comes to grind size, strength, and amount of coffee.Overall – If it weren’t for the hassle of cleaning and the awkwardness of the carafe when it gets empty, I’d give it 5 stars. It’s still a great machine and it will last for years if used correctly.
KEEPITREAL –
This product excels at the bottom line – does it make good coffee? You bet! It is also well-made, looks stylish, and is reasonably easy to use. I particularly like how the thermos-style pot keeps coffee warm for hours. You don’t have that old burnt coffee stained hot plate like you do with most coffee pots.However, there is some room for improvement.1) I feel like the unit uses more coffee than when I was grinding my own. I can’t really measure it, but it is a subjective impression. Of course, the coffee is good and I might be drinking more.2) The water volume indicator and the amount to brew indicator should register in ounces and milliliters as well as “cups”. It has that capability in the single serving setting, but not with the carafe. If you have to fill multiple travel mugs of different sizes, a “cups” denomination is kind of a pain. Also, the brew indicator should reflect the approximate volume to be delivered. It doesn’t appear to allow for the water volume lost in the filter and coffee grounds.3) There should be an overflow warning. We inadvertently put the pot under without it’s lid and the filter basket didn’t open to let the coffee flow out. It overflowed instead and made quite a mess.4) There should be a low bean warning. If the hopper runs out of beans during the grind, you really don’t have a good way to know how much coffee has been ground or what volume can be made.That being said, the unit looks great and makes fine coffee.Review update Feb 2018. While I still like this product, the frequency of required cleaning has become a real negative. Part of that is on me because my preferred coffee is dark and has a higher oil content when ground. The machine does not have a good system for moving the ground coffee from the grinder through a short passage to the brewing basket. It relies on gravity and pressure from vanes in the grinder. That would likely be adequate with a lighter, drier bean, but my coffee will clog that passage quickly and the machine must be cleaned after 3-4 pots. The cleaning process can easily take 15-20 min. so we wind up just throwing some Folger’s in the brewer instead. The design needs to include a piston or something to move all of the ground coffee through the passage and into the brewing basket.I would be better off having a separate grinder and brewer rather than this combination unit.
Zewski122 –
This coffee pot makes good coffee, however pouring the coffee is very strange. You have to hold the coffee pot almost vertically up to get all the coffee out and some coffee remains in the pot. The design needs an upgrade.
James M. –
this product is amazing, fresh grind with multi setting available (grind size, coffee strength etc). Love it, makes great coffee.
John A. Howard –
This is my 4th “grind and brew” coffee maker. While this Breville model makes good tasting coffee, there are a few shortcomings to be aware of when comparing to other models:- The carafe itself: most coffee makers you take the carafe to your faucet or a filtered fridge water supply to fill it up (using the carafe’s volume indicator to measure how much water you will need). Not possible with this Breville model for 2 reasons; the carafe does not have a volume indicator at all, and the caraf is just too thick to even fit in a refrigerator’s water supply inlet. This leaves me to have to grab a different large cup to workaround this shortcoming. Not the end of the world, just annoying I cannot just use the carafe itself to get an accurate water supply. Sure there is a digital indicator of how much water you are adding when you pour the water in, but it would be nice to know that when I’m standing at the fridge (not when it- Bean hoper: This model holds the average amount of coffee beans, but most times the beans do not properly distribute within the hopper after beans have been ground. This means that each morning before making the next pot of coffee I have to open the bean hopper lid & manually move the beans around so that the next pot of coffee has the right amount of beans dispensed. Before noticing this issue I had several pots of coffee with very little beans ground up because all the beans were in a pile on one side of the bean hopper and not properly disbursing down the hopper chute on their own.Temperature – coffee tastes good, but the fact that this unit doesn’t have a burner/warming plate under the carafe results in room temp coffee. The instructions indicate to manually warm your cup with hot water, but those are extra steps you don’t have to take with other coffee makers that do happen to have a warming plate. This workaround seem like a cop-out response to me.Suggestions to the product team;- Thinner carafe with volume lines, so that you can easily use the carafe to add the perfect volume of water (instead of a guessing game).- Warming plate under the carafe, so that 1-2 hrs later you still have warm coffee (just like every other model provides, not sure why Breville cannot accomplish this when much less expensive models do provide this).- Adjust the bean hopper so that beans naturally fall down the hopper chute without manual intervention.
Eduardo Suastegui –
After owning two (now moribund) Cuisinart DGB-900 series over the years, I am pleased with Breville’s model. I love the ability to brew single cups or mugs (rather than a carafe), and the controls over strength and grind size are far superior to the Cuisinart. Of course, the proof is in the drinking, and after doing the initial water-only clean-out brew, the first 4-ounce partial carafe brew — at the recommended settings — turned out great, delicious.On the negative side, and why I don’t give a full 5 stars, I do have some concerns, primarily with the cleaning of various parts (to be fair, a common concern with these grinder-brewer combos). The coffee basket is considerably more intricate, with harder-to-reach places than the Cuisinart. It will be quite a feat to get all left-over grounds out of it *and* to dry it, as the instructions recommend. Though I haven’t done it yet, from the looks of it the bean hopper and grinder will be harder to keep clean. I anticipate this will be the Achilles heel of this grinder-brewer.Finally, can anyone get all the coffee out of the carafe without making a mess? The Cuisinart had the same issue, but this one seems even more stingy on the pour, retaining even more liquid.
Adam –
I love coffee. I love making coffee. I love coffee gadgets. I have them all, large and small. I use a manual espresso maker from La Pavoni. I have baratza grinders. I use a bonavita digital gooseneck tea kettle. I use aeropresses, clever brewers, French presses, and cold brewers. But I am also a sleepy person. The idea of using a coffee machine as a morning alarm sounds like a brilliant way to ease the transition from bed. I also have a lazy girlfriend and, if I’m not around to make her coffee, she makes herself nescafe. I live in New York in 2016. I couldn’t stand by while atrocities were being committed in my kitchen. So I searched for an all in one that would make coffee like I make coffee — starting with fresh beans — but with the press of a button. On first glance, this Breville machine did just that. After living with the grind control for many months, I am left at best ambivalent about it and it’s usurpation of my morning ritual. I will reduce my thoughts to a brief pro-con list.Pros• All in one grind/brew features allows for one to streamline the brewing process.• It’s not too difficult to clean on a daily basis• The settings and operation are very intuitive• When one uses the single cup brewing cycle, the coffee is often (but not always) pretty good. Not aeropress good, but passable.• Goldtone filter is reasonably green.Cons• My model is wildly inconsistent in terms of the output. When I set the brewer to produce a 10oz cup, sometimes the cup is half full and sometimes it is overflowing. That means some cups are spot on in terms of the ratio of beans to water, while others produce weak or overly concentrated coffee.• Since the reservoir is non-removable, it is hard to clean frequently and I worry about what may be growing in there• The single cup brewing cycle uses prolonged contact (like a French press or clever dripper) to extract compounds from the beans. The multi-cup brew cycle uses a continuous drip extraction method. The single cup brew cycle produces a far better cup than the multi-cup cycle. When brewing multiple cups, the machine produces bitter and acidic coffee. I suspect the multi-cup cycle extracts suboptimal compounds because it takes too long. Or perhaps the machine has trouble maintaining a consistent water temperature over a longer brew cycle. Either way, I am rarely willing to drink the coffee brewed into the carafe. As such, I often have to run the machine twice in order to make a cup for me and my gal.• Since I rarely brew multiple cups into the carafe, all the machine’s programmability is rendered useless as I don’t want to brew into a cold, uninsulated cup when I am not going to drink my coffee immediately.• Again, since I rarely use the carafe and typically run the machine twice to make two cups of coffee (while heating mugs and cleaning the filter/basket after each cycle), it takes more time and effort to use this machine than it does to use my aeropress and baratza grinder. And I greatly prefer the coffee that I produce by hand.• When I am forced to use the carafe (e.g., when I have house guests), I find it a little annoying as one must invert it to pour coffee. In addition, there is often a significant build up of sediment at the bottom of the carafe that makes the last cup or two unpleasant.• There’s no gasket on the bean hopper so my beans go stale more quickly than they should. As such, I wind up dribbling in small quantities of beans every morning.SummaryThis machine is great in concept. If you aren’t a true quality obsessive, this might be the machine for you, however, if you really LOVE your morning coffee, this probably isn’t a great solution for you. Keep making coffee by hand while Breville works to perfect their technology. Or, if you need more automation now and are unwilling to sacrifice quality, get one of the many high quality SCAA aproved machines (check out the ones from bonavita, technovarm, behmor) that don’t have a built in grinder.
William McGreal –
I have higher-end espresso and pour-over coffee station things. Nerdy kind of attention to function. But my mom of sisters come over to play cards and they want coffee on demand and I simply go to the Grind Control convenience (true with almost EVERY Breville appliance!), push the button and serve freshly ground drip (pour over-ish) coffee. They know i have all of this coffee equipment and rave about how much better this is than their pod machines at home. I try to explain how comparably convenient and easy-to-use this coffee machine is but they haven’t crossed over…yet. Breville has designed this conventional home drip coffee machine with so many user-control preferences and expanded its range of coffee delivery to the point that I am not ashamed to display it among my sophisticated coffee station wares. I am very pleased with its function and flavors.
Stephen T. Chupack –
I will update this review over time.Full disclosure #1: I’m a little biased toward Breville due to what I see as a very real attempt to make superior products, even if they may not always get it right. Many products made by previously “high end” manufacturers like Cuisinart, KitchenAid and Krups are now of questionable quality/value and I believe Breville is trying to fill that void, albeit with products that are made in China like everyone else’s. I also recently had an amazing experience with Breville Customer Support where I put something I shouldn’t have into my food processor (uncooked rice), and they replaced both the bowl and blade free of charge, even though they were more or less only cosmetically damaged.Full disclosure #2: If you aren’t fortunate enough to have significant disposable income, you are insane to even be considering this coffee maker, and perhaps any grind ‘n brew coffee maker. $39 will get you a totally functional Mr. Coffee or similar and will free you from the daily $2-$5 you may now be throwing away at Dunkin or Starbucks.I purchased my Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control to replace my 10+ year old Capresso grind ‘n brew model 453. The Capresso never clogged, it never required cleaning, it just worked from day one until day 4000-something, and I’m pretty sure its death was my fault (spilled a ton of water on it). I purchased a later model Capresso for a friend and both the product and customer support were awful, so I decided to try something else next time around.It is impossible to ignore all the reviews reporting total (and multiple) failures of this coffee maker. I never purchase extended warranties, but I did for this item. Cheap insurance.That said, the Breville Grind Control coffee maker practically screams quality and good design.However, there are probably more electronics and fussy moving parts in this product than the Apollo Moon Lander Module.It’s like the Breville engineers examined the “issues” with my relatively cheaply made, vintage 2000s Capresso and decided to address them, whether they needed addressing or not. For example, there is a “steam vent channel/passage” that needs to be maintained and cleaned. My old Capresso just shot the steam out of any non-sealed area in and around the basket. 😉 The burr grinder is removable and cleanable, which is awesome, but the factory-sealed and un-serviceable grinder on my Capresso lasted 10+ years without ever needing cleaning or service, and I ran a LOT of super oily beans through it. Many reviewers on Amazon report total failure of the Breville grinder within 6 to 12 months.After using the Breville for a week, my impressions are:o An amazing array of features and “intelligence” (read the online manual)o Large hopper holds a lot of beanso The cleaning ritual really isn’t all that bad, although there’s definitely a WTF factor compared to my Capresso. The difference is the Capresso got filthy and didn’t care. My impression is the Breville does care, and needs to be cleaned daily. It’s really not a big deal, just a couple minutes of wipe-down. But any product with half a dozen parts printed with “clean me” makes me suspicious.o Cleaning the carafe is kinda BS. As other reviewers have stated, unless you have tiny hands, you can’t wash the carafe with your hand and a sponge. I use a bottle brush. Not a huge deal, but there’s still a WTF element to it..o The insulated carafe eliminates the need for a heating element, which is AWESOME. It’s safer and saves electricity. A pot of coffee brewed at 6am is still piping hot and fresh at 10am.o The ability to brew single cups and travel mugs is a great feature.o The basket style gold tone filter is a massive pain to clean. I’m used to a conical filter which sheds grounds more readily under the faucet. I’m switching to paper filters, not 100% due to the Breville, but more due to my plumber who told me that flushing even the post-trash-can remnants from a re-usable filter down the drain was like tossing a tablespoon of dirt/sand down your drain every day.o It makes a great cup of fresh coffee once you get the strength settings dialed in.So why am I giving it 4 stars rather than 2 or 3?As an engineer of sorts myself, it’s clear how much thought went into this product, and although it’s very expensive, I don’t think they are making a ton of money on it. It’s about 10x more complex than my Capresso, which sold for a similar price in adjusted dollars.I’m willing to put a little extra effort into regular maintenance in exchange for the features and capabilities of the device. The best analogy I can give here is why someone would buy a Volkswagen over a Toyota. The Volkswagen is clearly engineered better, yet the Toyota makes a lot fewer trips to the mechanic and doesn’t require its door handles to be greased regularly to prevent them from falling off. ;-)But if the Breville product fails/dies within 5 years with reasonable maintenance, despite my Fair Trade warranty, a couple stars are coming off this review and Breville is definitely going to hear from me.
TAD –
UPDATE: JULY 20, 2020Ok, so I got through most of the fiddly parts with my Breville Grind & Brew. It makes GREAT coffee. It requires regular maintenance. If you DON’T clean it/maintain it properly you will NOT get great coffee & you may not get any coffee at all!! I’m now very proficient at maintaining this machine. Of course, sometimes I push the envelope. Like, when I KNOW I should clean out the chute where grounds can solidify & stop pushing the coffee into the basket assembly. The next pot of coffee is usually just yellow liquid – no coffee.Here are important points about maintenance. I use a vacuum cleaner clean out the burr grinder & even the chute. Old coffee grounds will solidify over time & harden. I use a toothpick to loosen everything & then get it out with the vacuum. It’s very effective. I never ever put parts in the dishwasher. I’ve made the mistake a couple of times of putting the carafe in the dishwasher. Water gets into the thermal carafe & doesn’t come out. The other parts to this machine, while removeable, have rubber or metal blades on them. Over time, I believe, the dishwasher will weaken the rubber and corrode the metal. It’s very easy to use a good bottle brush & detergent to clean everything. DO NOT reassemble the machine with wet parts. The inner burr grinder will compact grounds over time and that’s enough of a problem. If you attach it damp or wet, the clumping will occur more frequently. Having had this machine for 5 years, & using it daily (sometimes twice per day), the burr grinder & chute must be disassembled and cleaned each time a FULL bean hopper is emptied from use. It just will make your life easier & coffee experience better. FOLLOW DESCALING procedure. When the machine tells you to descale with 8 cups of water & 4 cups of white vinegar, just do it. Once that’s done, run 12 cups of clean water through the machine once or twice.Ok, so as an “update”, I’ll add that my Breville, though not fully broken was becoming more and more temperamental. So, I just replaced it through Amazon. Even with hand washing everything, the rubber parts to this machine were starting to fail. It was becoming more difficult to release the hopper. The rubber on the basket assembly wasn’t that great and wasn’t perfectly aligning with the chute opening. There’s a rubber in the chute opening too. I noticed grounds sticking & hardening there more frequently.My decision to replace this Breville was easy. I truly love the coffee it makes. I figured I got 4.5 years out of my original machine & figuring how much coffee I make, it was worth the cost. The original machine likely would have performed for another year or so. I just noticed the rubber parts giving out & figured it was time. I’ll hold on to my original machine for a little while – just in case the new one is a total lemon.Review remains at 3 stars. You have to really really want a great cup of coffee every day to be willing to deal with the maintenance. I’m willing to do it but it’s not for everybody.UPDATE: DECEMBER 30 2019So, I figured out how to get that shiney metal disc to open. You have to have ALL the pieces in place (the plastic little grinds catcher & the basket assembly) with the door closed BEFORE taking apart the hopper. When you loosen the grinder assembly in the hopper, the silver disc will move to an open position. THEN you can get in there and clean the chute.And it really needs to be cleaned!!!! Maybe it’s because my machine is approaching 4 years old that it’s become more finicky. Lately, it seems, every other pot is just hot water because the chute is clogged. I’ve gotten into the habit of using a toothpick in the chute to loosen the packed grinds & then taking the hose of my vacuum to it. That gets everything out but it’s a pain in the ass to have to do every other day.In the past, I could go through 2 full bean hoppers before cleaning the machine. Now, it’s much more frequent.When I clean the chute, I also use a flashlight to inspect the inside to make sure none of the rubber is damaged. It’s not but I guess it’s a little older & worn now so the grounds jam within the machine more readily. Timed obsolescence??I’m contemplating replacing this machine with a new one just because it’s now temperamental.When it works, it makes great coffee though. Oh, bear in mind that if you’re making a full pot (12 cups) DON’T fill the machine beyond the first “beep” sound. The carafe will spill over. This is a flaw, I think, since the carafe should stop brewing at the correct amount of water. The coffee maker should not just empty its contents if you set the machine for 12 cups.I haven’t found a machine that makes a better cup of coffee. The comparable Cuisinart also has issues and complaints. It’s a little cheaper than Breville. For now, I’ll stick with what I know. Maybe I’ll just replace it with another since getting it fixed with all new interior parts may cost almost as much as the current price.Happy Coffee in 2020!!UPDATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2018Ok, it’s been just under 3 years that I’ve had this Breville. I really really liked it. I had no issue cleaning it. I liked the way it told me when to descale it – and I did that as soon as I got the “DESCALE” notice on the machine.Up until a few days ago, it would have gotten a stellar review. But now, for the first time, the disc that covers the grinding chute suddenly stopped functioning. For the past 3 days, I’ve only gotten a pot of hot water in the morning instead of my needed cup of coffee.I cleaned the entire machine. I emptied the hopper, pulled everything out, vacuumed it out completely. I pulled out the burr grinder & cleaned it with a toothpick (not that it was all that dirty.) I made sure that the lower grinder turned easily.I ran another pot and again, hot water. Then I noticed that when I unlocked the burr grinder, the mirrored disc doesn’t turn.I’m tempted to take out the screws holding the plastic cover that attaches the mirrored disc, but I’m a little afraid to do that. It seems to me that there must be some kind of jam at the lower part of the chute that I can’t reach without taking apart the entire housing.What a drag.So, the question is: Do I call Breville? Do I replace this machine with another one? Do I get the new Cuisinart or Capresso?I can’t seem to get any coffee maker to last more than 3 years. I so loved waking up to a hot freshly ground cup of coffee!!My machine had light daily use – about 2 full mugs of coffee per day (6 cups). It has been cleaned every day & descaled per instructions. I don’t know why this happened but I’m disappointed.Lowering my rating to 2 stars for 3 good years anyway.I intend to update this review as I continue with this Breville. Having owned TWO Cuisinart Grind & Brew machines, I know that time will tell whether this machine will hold up.I note the following:Hopper is significantly smaller than on the Cuisinart & holds fewer beans. That’s probably a good thing as it’s my policy to clean the grinder when the hopper is empty. With fewer beans, I’m brushing it out every few days as opposed to once per week or so with the Cuisinart.It uses A LOT of beans at one time. My only comparison here is by considering the amount of ground beans in the filter after making a pot. A 6 or 8-cup pot on the Breville at 3 strength used significantly more beans than my Cuisinart at Medium strength. I switched to 3-strength since level 4 almost filled the filter & was actually stronger than I’m used to.I’m very fastidious with my coffee machines & clean up after I have my first morning cup. I can see that over time the chute disc at the back of the machine may get funky if it’s not regularly wiped down. I also worry about that mechanism getting jammed or stuck over time. There’s no way to remove it to see if there’s any clog where the ground beans come out.The coffee basket has a hinged top. It seems a little flimsy to me and may give way over time. Also, the rubber opening to the basket may wear down over time – as it did on my Cuisinart. At the end of the life of the Cuisinart, I began to regularly apply a little vegetable oil to the rubbery parts so that they wouldn’t stick. I fear that that process may be needed on the soft rubbery parts of the Breville as well.The coffee pot keeps the coffee hot – for hours. Now, I don’t know if it reaches that optimum level that coffee affecionados desire, but it works for me. I was drinking Christmas brunch coffee at 9pm & didn’t have to heat up my cup in the microwave. That’s OK with me!However, I find that cleaning the pot is bothersome. I have small hands. Yet, my hand can’t reach into the pot to clean it it. I have to purchase one of those spongy dish cleaning things on a stick to get in there. That’s slightly annoying.Making a single cup is totally cool – except you have to go through the process of cleaning everything up again.Taking everything apart and brushing out that burr grinder regularly is essential!! I can see how bean residue will get clogged in there. So, you DO have to remove the hopper, release the upper burr grinder thingy & really brush everything out. It’s a little cumbersome to do & frankly, you don’t know if you’re getting everything out. You can’t remove the lower burr grinder. (The upper burr grinder is a round disc that screws into place directly above the lower grinder. The lower grinder sits in a well area & is not moveable.) So I don’t know whether you can ever tell if there’s a clog below the lower grinder. Time will tell whether such a build up (if any) poses a problem.Filling the tank is easy enough. However, I found it’s easiest to use a measuring cup with a pour spout to prevent drips outside the machine.Ultimately – and so far – I truly like this machine. I DO believe it requires regular maintenance for optimum results. Frankly, any machine with a burr grinder in it requires maintenance. It seems like it takes a few more steps to maintain as opposed to the Cuisinart Grind & Brew. But those extra steps really don’t take any more time.And, if I can have a great cup of coffee everyday without a machine leaking water all over my counter after 2 years of use, I’ll be happy. (That was my SECOND Cuisinart Grind & Brew. My first Cuisinart took nearly 3 years to break down. That’s why that machine is selling so cheaply now.)If the Breville holds up longer, I’ll be a happy coffee drinker. So far, So good.
Dani R –
if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. It does a great job fixing our coffee in the morning. Not noisy like other burr grinders, easy to clean and handle.
Reviewer –
Have owned this machine for 7 months now. Use it daily. Its been a journey. I bought this to get a machine that can grind and brew coffee thinking it would be easier and more efficient than separate devices. I was wrong. This machine is built so badly you work as much as you drink.-SO much maintenance. (Or else..)-If not bone dry there will be consequences in the basket that collects the grinds.-SO expensive-SO many things that can go wrong if you miss a checklist step.-TOO much work when the machine is supposed to be the one doing the work.-More work than a separate grinder/drip machine combo and more expensive than both combined.-You can select from single cup to 12 cups…but who wants to clean and prepare the machine again for just 1 cup of coffee?Parts are really hard to find if anything breaks. The tab on the filter basket is broken off mine now and Breville will offer this part via the Australia/Canada/etc sites but not the US. Do not sell this part here from their own site. There are about a dozen “fixitparts” websites that sell this but the price is looking like $40 for this basket when a single customer replaceable part broke off of it. They won’t sell the parts to fix it though.I have plenty of money to spend on this…I just don’t see the point. This coffee maker makes no sense at this price. Its no better at making a cup of coffee with fresh grind than a machine from Cuisinart that costs $150 and has replacement parts available all over the net.This is my last…and I mean this, last Breville purchase. All the stainless steel in the world cannot cover up the crap quality control and design you put in your current products. In the past this brand was stellar.
Galadriel –
I really wanted to love it. But I don’t. After much research and reading here on Amazon, and other reviews, etc., I decided I wanted to splurge for a great coffee maker. As a busy mom of 5, coffee is something I really like… need… actually think about in the morning when I wake up… so I figured this expensive unit would be worth it. Most of the comments, here and at the video tube, gave great reviews, “best cup of coffee ever” and so on and so on. Well, it is just an “average” cup of coffee. The end.I am returning it, after two weeks of trying to convince myself that this expensive machine must be good. I understand the importance of good coffee so I buy quality expensive/quality coffee beans. I have great water. I cleaned the machine regularly. Boy, did I clean. I have never put so much time into cleaning a coffee maker. Any time I would have otherwise saved, by having the beans in the hopper and pushing the fancy buttons to make my brew, was tripled in the clean up of the unit.Why? Well, the grinder sends the coffee into the chute that goes to a two-layered lid on the coffee filter basket. The top half of the basket lid cannot be cleaned inside and you have to let really hot water run through it for a few minutes to get out all of the grounds that get stuck in there, (after each and every use), and you can still see some coffee “oil” residue after doing that. That might account for what I found to be a more bitter taste a week after regular use.The carafe… oh that carafe…. You will need a bottle brush. You will hurt your fingers, when you try to wipe out the inside of the sharp top of the thing. And… you have to literally dump the carafe upside down to get out the last cup of coffee, and some still stays in there. The carafe has a lip around it that wont even let out all of the hot water that you put into it – to warm the thing up before brewing. Oh, yeah, you have to do that too, warm the thing up if you want a hot cup of coffee, and I have to have it hot. The whole premise of the carafe is so your coffee will not get bitter if is sits there on that heating element. It’s a good thing for this unit, because the coffee is not great enough to drink much of, so it will sit there.Now, the grinder… The grinder also must be thoroughly cleaned after each use. Breville thoughtfully put a little brush inside the hopper for you to use, so I did. And, I cleaned the grinder wheel underneath that gets pretty grimy, and that almost invisible little basket shelf -that says “clean me”, on it and you better do it. When the grinder started making halting noises during some of the grinds, that’s when I made the decision to send it back. So, another issue, the manual says don’t use oily beans. Okay, I have new expensive beans from the store, and they do look a bit shiny, but nothing out of the ordinary. So, I cleaned it again. I found myself cleaning this coffee machine and all of its gadgets more than I have ever cleaned any coffee maker. If I would have gotten that absolutely amazing, gee, its totally worth it cup of Joe, then maybe I would have kept it.As for the best cup of coffee I have ever had… that would be the coffee that my grandmother made for me in her old time percolator. It took time to make, and you had to stick around to make sure you did it right. But, it was “really” good. I do have one of those, but my schedule doesn’t allow me to use it as much as I would like. So, I am on a quest to find the best cup of coffee that I can find from a time saving machine. I will let you know how it goes…
BruceBruce –
Loaded with features, the only 5 star part about it. Just by the description it’s easy to see this coffee machine sounds great and it could be a nice machine BUT!!!!! and this is after owning another machine with a burr grinder.First impression I ask myself where is the grind off button?????? there isn’t, you have to turn the grind control down till the selection say ground. Big dead right,, wrong. Where’s the auto on button, has none. Example, I hear the machine run out of beans, I run over and stop it and open the filter basket to see how much coffee ground and by design, bad design it slings a big glob of wet grounds on the floor. OK, so it looks like it ground about half of what I needed so I dial in what I think I need and restart but now another flaw, after grinding the amount I set it for and brewing I pull the carafe out to poor and it’s not full. It turns out it stopped brewing before using all the water, about what I set it for when it ran out of beans and stopped. I then need to dial in the amount of water it let in the machine and turn the grind control down till is says ground and again have to open the filter basket to continue and, yep another blob of wet grounds end up on the floor. It finishes, now the next day I have to set it back up and set the grind amount again when it should be just a grind off button. Now we have the missing auto start, you have to hit the auto start 2 times, it first flashes the time it’s set for (stupid) and then it turns on the auto start on the second push and still displays the time. Cleaning, yup if you just want to brew your coffee, drink it and run out the door forget it. There is a stainless disc with a opening for the shoot that rotates after grinding and it requires cleaning every brew when it done brewing or it hardens and is tough to get it off latter. The filter basket lid is the same, having slits in the top it traps coffee and debris inside and only rinses out if you take time to clean it right away instead of setting down to drink your coffee. We bought this after the clock quit on our old one we had so no auto start but it had a grind off and had no cleaning to speak of. If I had a replacement picked out and it didn’t cost $350 I wound just take a 5lb hammer to it and smash it. I now have to alter my busy schedule to take time to clean this thing every morning when all I want is my coffee when I get out of bed.I have more but this review is long enough.Pro’s, lots of features to get the taste you want and grinder is quiet.Con’s, No grind off button, no just push a button for auto start, PITA having to clean right away, Setup menu’s have a lot to be desired, filter basket lid traps debris and just don’t push the button and let if open by itself or it will sling wet grounds out.I W A N T M Y O L D M A C H I N E B A C K we gave awayUpdate, This stupid thing just quit brewing with 3 cups of water in it, had to open and close the basket and set the amount to 3 cups to get it to finish.Above is pictures of having to clean, may as well get a vacuum cleaner out or you have do pick all those beans out to reassemble it. They give you a straight brush that should be more like a small tooth brush to clean out that shoot that doesn’t work. You can’t se up in there so you need a flashlight and it should have a downward slope to it and doesn’t. It is a short and when you open the basket and find coffee grounds packed in the inlet of the basket it’s time to clean it.Poor design, we had the grind and brew before and liked it much better. We will toss this peace of junk some day and get another grind and brew like we had before.Update, both me and my wife can’t wait for it to break, Shoot gets plugged and then you end up with a pot of hot water. You have to take time to pull the basket right away or the humidity hardens what’s in the shoot. The hooper doesn’t feed the grinder well, you can hear the grinder speed up like it’s out beans and then you find them off to one side not entering the grinder. WE HATE IT.
raestrada –
I’ve been using the Breville Coffee Machine for a while now, and I have to say, it’s exceeded all my expectations. Not only does it deliver excellent performance, but it’s also incredibly easy to use and calibrate.One of the standout features for me is the preheating of the water, which ensures that each cup of coffee is brewed at the perfect temperature for maximum flavor extraction. This attention to detail really makes a difference in the quality of the coffee produced.Another aspect that I love is the control over the grind size. Being able to adjust the grind size allows me to customize my coffee to my exact preferences, whether I’m in the mood for a bold espresso or a smooth drip brew. It’s like having a barista-quality coffee shop right in my own kitchen.The machine itself is well-built and feels sturdy, with intuitive controls that make navigating through the settings a breeze. Cleanup is also a cinch, thanks to the removable components that are dishwasher-safe.Overall, the Breville Coffee Machine has become an indispensable part of my morning routine. If you’re serious about your coffee and want a machine that delivers consistently delicious results, look no further. Highly recommended!
Jake Brown –
This is a really high quality machine that gives you a a great deal of control over your daily coffee setup. You can use preset features to control the amount of coffee dispersed, the strength of that coffee and of course when it starts brewing. The beans are ground fresh to serve for each pot, which enhances the flavor and the water temperature is set perfectly to ensure a excellent cup of coffee.However, in an effort to preserve that flavor, there is no option to keep you coffee warm after brewing and the carafe does not keep the contents warm for long. They encourage you to preheat your carafe with warm water ahead of brewing, but that isn’t helpful for those of us who use the auto-brew function and like to drink our coffee over the course of the morning, not to mention being a huge waste of water.Lastly, the carafe design is bizarre. In what I assume is an attempt to better insulate the carafe, there is a beveled ring around the top that makes it very difficult to pour coffee when brewing small amounts and also makes it difficult to clean and dry effectively.All-in-all this is a quality machine, but those are key setbacks to know before buying.
Ky Swantek –
I really wish I would have listened to all the reviews I read and avoided buying this machine. It’s truly the biggest pain of a coffee maker I’ve ever owned. I’ve had it for 4 months and it’s not working. The coffee isn’t grinding and I’ve completely disassembled the grinder and cleaned it thoroughly. In fact, I’ve done it twice in two days because it doesn’t work. It’s a really difficult machine to clean overall but I’m at a loss as to what to do. For the price, I’d expect this machine to work for years, not 4 months! Of course the return window has passed so now I’m going to have to work on going through the manufacturer. It does make a great cup of coffee when it actually works, but I would save yourself a lot of frustration and buy a different product.
Friendly NeighborsFriendly Neighbors –
First and foremost, we own several Breville products and find me gravitating towards them for their design athletics and purported quality and performance. I have developed a love/hate relationship with this coffee maker. When it works, there isn’t anything better that delivers the flavor of fresh ground beans. The carafe is on par with Yeti for keeping my coffee hot until near noon. Although it is a pain to dispense 100% off the coffee due to the nature of its design. The hate… approximately 1 out of 5 grinds, the chute from the grinder to the hopper clogs. To my knowledge the only way to position the stainless closure disc is to turn the machine on, then open the hopper door to access the chute before the disc closes. It is generally messy and a pain to clear the chute. Eventually the machine’s internal water valves must crack and allow water to leak internally. This unfortunately occurred with ours and has seemingly shorted out the circuit board. During the grind cycle, the grinder never stops, and it eventually comes to a halt creating the smell of a burning motor. The bottom the machine shows water damage, rust, and discoloration. What a shame! What do you want for nearly $380. Breville clearly has an issue with this design yet does little to stand by their products. The factory offered for me to send the unit it to be repaired (if possible) at my expense. Losing faith in the Breville Brand. Had an on/off switch fail on my Breville Burr Grinder a few years ago…that made it into the trash.
dieu nguyendieu nguyen –
I came from a kurieg.Got this 9 months ago and been using it every day since.Very happy with this especially if you are a all day coffee drinking dog. (I’m a three cups a day kind of dog)I have not have any problem with this and I used a pretty dark oily bean. Specifically Costco Kirkland house blend by Starbucks.As you can see the two pictures I uploaded is the two most concerned area of this machine. I did clean it weekly the first few months, but the past few months I’ve been really only cleaning these two parts once a month and the build up is not bad at all. The nut grinder picture is before I clean it so very little build up and most brush off pretty easily with the provided brush. The silver metal disc that dispense the grinds into the basket is cleaned already, all you have to do is wipe it down with a wet paper towel right after the brew, the build up is very very minimal as long as you do that. And maybe once a month or so you might want to unscrew that gray circle cap and take out that metal disc completely so you can clean the back side of it too. Oh and the “shoot” the rectangular hole that actually shoot out the coffee, I brush that maybe once a week also with very minimal built up.The single cup brew is significantly weaker than the pot brew. It can be I need to adjust grind size but strength option is to the max.The pot brew, the larger the pot brew the stronger the coffee. Seems like it grinds a lot more coffee when is a higher count in cups.The adjustment of grind size and coffee strength really is relative to the bean. Different bean require different adjustment. Which is sorta fun to figure out the first couple of batch everytime you get a new bag of beans.Cleaning. The minimum everyday use cleaning is emptying and cleaning the brew basket and the carafe. And there’s a metal plate between the machine and the brew basket that needs to be wipe off of coffee grind build up every use. Also the drip tray directly underneath that metal plate. I’d say about a 5 min job max.Weekly cleaning. That metal plate needs to be taken off completely to clean the build up that’s behind the plate**. And the bean hopper need to be taken out to get access to the burr grinder for a quick brushy brushy. This is about another 5 mins job. Weekly.Monthly cleaning. I guess once a month you want to pour vinegar water mixture into the reservoir and run it a couple of times then run clean water couple of time for maintenance. This is about an unsupervised 10 – 15 mins job.**to take that plate off. Put the machine back together. Open the bean hopper and turn the dial to unlock position, then push the open brew basket button, then you should see the metal circular plate do a quarter turn giving you access to the grind chute. That chute need to be brush clean also. Once you can see the chute, there’s a plastic circle in the middle of the plate that act as a screw, you can turn that loose. The metal plate should come off with it.Overall super happy and impress with this machine.
Anthony Quintana –
Five years ago I obtained a breville coffee maker with the hot plate and glass carafe. It was used and paid $40.00 . It lasted a year or so before started having control board problems. It made great coffee so I purchased the latest model with no hot plate, great machine .Four years now and it started acting up ,steaming out and not brewing efficiently. Carafe works great… I just ordered another today. Bottom line… you have to do the maintenance just like a Dodge product. If it lasts two years I’ll be happy to replace it again. Makes great coffee and it reduces my wife’s trips to Starbucks saving me a grip of money .that being said , it pays for itself over time. I love coffee so this grinding machine is my choice.I keep a mr. Coffee machine in the pantry in case of untimely failure. Four stars because of the maintenance… can’t recommend to The uninitiated folks who will neglect the necessary maintenance issues with this machine.
Steve M –
I think I finally have this figured out. I guess most people put in the beans, place the carafe, select the cups and strength and push start. That will work for a few days and then you’ll have problems. Eventually the chute will get clogged and the grinder will slow and you’ll get 2 cups of grounds for 8 cups of coffee. You’ll need to take a few minutes to clean out the chute and then repeat on a week or two Longer term, coffee grounds get stuck under a rotating disc that blocks and unblocks the chute allow grounds to go from the grinder to the filter. Then it can get stuck and cause problems when trying to descale (it rotates a lot during that process).I think I finally have it down. Not completely automatic but still easier than a separate grinder and the coffee tastes good so I deal with it.Fill the water and bean hopper, set the cups and strength, and press Start. After grinding finishes, press cancel. Open the filter and quickly wipe the grounds off the chrome disc and tap the filter and holder so the grounds for completely into the filter. Set the cups to the same amount and strength to preground and start the brew. When done, be sure to wipe the chrome disc of moisture and try to get a little under the disc and remove some grounds from the edge. Doing this, I’ve been cleaning the chute after 2 or 3 months (instead of one or two weeks). I’ve also noticed the grounds under the disc seem to have been reduced over time little by little. Worth a little extra effort every day to avoid bigger problems that always seem to happen when you’re running late.I figure I save $6 a day for two people because I make a little extra for an iced coffee in the afternoon assuming $2.50 a cup saved and $.50 a cup spent on beans). Add it up and I saved about $12k. I’ll buy an expensive coffee maker if that’s the return on investment.
Rotten Guatemalan –
Have owned several of these. They make seriously great coffee, much better than any others we’ve tried – and we’re minor coffee snobs. It’s easy to set up to go in the evening and wakes us up at the right time every day. It’s easy to use, easy to clean daily and monthly cleaning isn’t too bad. It does single cups pretty well and it’s easy to set up for pre-ground coffee. And it doesn’t seem to last more than a couple of years =/ . I figure spending 50 cents a day on a coffeemaker that makes really good is acceptable, though I’d REALLY rather not have to replace it so often.There are a bunch of knobs you can fiddle with – don’t be afeared, because the settings it comes with are just fine and make a really good cuppa. If you fool with them, you can make better coffee than you can get anywhere else short of out of a cappucino maker run by a real live barista.Or French press. Yeah, French press is better coffee, but does a French press wake you up in the morning and have your coffee ready to pour by the time you stumble out to the kitchen? NO! This grind-and-brew fella does that, though. You set the clock, set the on-time (easy PEASY), go to bed, and at whatever AM the grinder goes GRRRRRR, the dogs jump on you in the bed, you get up and feed the noisy varmints, and by the time they head out the door to pee, your coffee is DONE. Let’s see a French press do THAT.Setting it up night before is easy. You dump in some water, fill the bean hopper if you need to, dial in however many cups of brew you want tomorrow, push a button twice and there you go. It tells you it’s set to go off in the morning on the lighted display.Yeah, the thermal carafe doesn’t pour right. Seems to be a common flaw with everyone’s stainless jug. It does keep the coffee warm pretty well. We drink it before it cools (because it’s GOOD), so can’t tell you how long it will stay warm enough for you in the pot. btw, pulling the pot out mid-brew isn’t a problem. There’s an automatic valve in the bottom of the filter basket that shuts off flow. Don’t leave the carafe out for too long, because the basket will eventually overflow, but we’ve never had a problem with coffee dribbling all over the counter whilst we pour an impatient cup.It does single cups pretty well, but there are some tricks. You probably want to dial the grinder down to a smaller number, like a 2 or 3 as opposed to a 4 or 5 for a larger pot. (And you have to remember to reset it or your pot will be bitter in the morning!) You also may have to dial in a higher strength setting. You just have to figure it out based on your preferences, the coffee you use and what you and your significant other negotiate. And if you don’t do that, your single cup comes out a bit weak. Drinkable, not terrible.You can use preground coffee just fine. You press a button to turn the grinder off and put your best stuff into the filter. Everything else is the same. And it stays on preground until you change it. But use beans, all y’all! You paid for the privilege!Daily cleaning, after you get the hang of it, is a nice ritual, not hard at all. I dump the waste coffee into chipmunk holes and around snail-chomped hosta plants in my garden. I spend a minute scrubbing out the pot, lid, filter (I use the metal one that comes with the pot) and filter basket with a soft brush under running water. I wipe down the shiny metal disk on the coffeemaker to get the hardened coffee gunk off – otherwise, it dribbles after a few days.Then I get it ready for tomorrow. I stick the filter in the basket, hook the basket into the basket holder and close the basket holder firmly. I fill the water tank with filtered water from my fridge dispenser (don’t use distilled – makes horrible coffee!). I fill up the bean hopper if need be. I make sure the right number of cups is still set and press the wake-me button twice. When I’ve done that right, it beeps cheerily and flashes 5:00 AM (ugh). Done.Monthly cleaning is a little more involved. First, it’s best to use up all the water or you could make a mess (I’ve certainly never done that). I wash and replace the filter and basket and close the basket holder. The bean hopper comes off easily, and if you do it with the basket holder closed, it also spins the metal disk so you can see through the disk’s window into the grinder. I take the filter basket out.I unplug it next, because I do all this stuff outside – it’s a bit of a mess. I tip it on its side to get the few beans left in the grinder. There’s sort of a handle on the top grinding plate that you turn, and it comes off. I usually have to use a pliers to do that, but it isn’t hard. I use an old toothbrush to clean up the burrs and top grinding plate, then poke around through the disk window with the odd brush they give you to loosen up the caked-up grounds under the bottom grinding plate. Then I either use a canned-air spray you use to clean your keyboard or – I like this, but you HAVE to make sure!!!! there’s no!!!! water in the hopper!!!! – a vacuum set on minimum suck, like you’d use for curtains. Then I put it all together (you won’t need your pliers if you did it well) and go plug it in again.Next, I press the button for preground and dial cups to 12 (no coffee in there!). I pour Costco vinegar into the water tank up to the 4 cup mark, then fill it to 12 cups with filtered water. Don’t overfill – it just slops out the overfill drain onto your counter. Vinegar is bad for marble, btw. You push one of the knobs until you get a beep and the display says, “Infusing”. It cogitates and gurgles and steams, then starts filling the pot with hot vinegar water. Beep says it’s done and you dump it out and do it one more time. (I pour the hot vinegar water on the weeds in the road. Kills ’em satisfactorily without poison. We all win.)Last, you fill the tank with filtered water and run the preground cycle (no coffee!), dump out the water and do it at least one more time. Yeah, it’s a bit of work, but only once a month. I start in the morning and kind of do it all day, doing chores, raving on Facebook, and whatever while the pot is cycling. No prob. Well, a little prob, but the coffee is worth it.Now we come to the reliability thing. This is my fourth or fifth one of these over about ten years. The last one died because somehow we got water into the grinder. Trick is to catch it and get the water out as soon as you realize what happened, but this time … gremlins. Usually, it just gets clogged and mad and stops, but this time, a little water got into the motor. Long story, but my circuit breaker was bad and the motor burned up. Rats. Don’t get water in the grinder. No.The others – one suddenly wouldn’t grind without bogging down, one began starting whenever it pleased but never when we wanted it to, and one just completely went on strike. The lights were on, but no one was home. Shortest (barring water where it doesn’t belong) 14 months, just over the warranty period; longest more than three years. But not great.I bought another one. I’ll probably buy another one after this. Not happy about average of a bit more than two years per machine at $300 per plus tax. But I figure about 50 cents per pot is something I can do for excellent coffee and, other than reliability, pretty great design.Breville: I do quality design and process improvement for a living, and I’m retiring in a few months. Let me know if you want help (not for free, though, all y’all!). You have a blockbuster machine here – but.
Acien One –
It has been a year (3/23/21) since I got this coffee maker. I decided to review it because I’ve had enough time to see how it performs over that time.Pros:First off, I love the design. It is simple and purposeful. It is relatively quiet in operation. It brews a great cup of coffee. It is relatively simple to clean. It has all the features you’d want out of grind-and-brew. You can adjust grind and strength. It holds plenty of coffee but not enough that the beans would go stale. It is easy to descale.Cons:It has many parts–some seem overly complicated individually (but make sense as the whole). The pour-spout needs some redesign– it does need you to tilt it further than you expect in order to get a clean pour. If not tilted enough it dribbles everywhere.Overall: I don’t get the complaints about it being too difficult to clean. It seems straightforward to me. You do have to be patient but that’s not an issue to complain about. The basket holder seems a little odd at first (the secondary lid should detach to make cleaning simpler but doesn’t-again a design thing), but once you get it, it does exactly what it needs to. Doing a thorough cleaning is a multi-step process but it is not hard. I love that you can take the burr apart to clean it. I had to do this thorough cleaning only a few times (maybe 4) since getting it. It tells you when you need to descale it and I’ve had to do that only twice.I am loving this machine.Before this I had a Cuisinart DBG 700? that lasted for over 10 years. Sadly that model has been replaced by one that doesn’t seem to be as good–two people I know had the new unit and didn’t last 6 months. Also couldn’t adjust the grind coarseness. So I had to look elsewhere and this is has proven to be far superior. I have had NO issues AT ALL.I love just having it programmed to go off in the morning while I am getting ready for work. It is simply a workhorse.I would gladly recommend this coffee grind and brew. But remember that it is not as simple as the lesser units out there. It gives lots more options. I would jus go to their site and download the user manual and read through it before you buy it–that way you can see if it’s something you can incorporate in your daily routine.
AJT –
I love this unit. Cleaning instructions infer you need a really small vacuum to clean this..lol. That said there are ways around it. It is so intuitive that it tells you when to descale it. And that is why they need to have it tell you when the bean hopper is empty. The hopper cover is opaque and unless you lift it you can not tell if there are beans in it. I have made several pots of water due to that. If you cant make a sensor then change the cover so you can see the beans – or lack of. Otherwise it is as advertised and worth the money
Jon Simon –
After using this every day for a couple months here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.The Good:- The grinder is really quite. It does not wake me up in the next room over if I set the timer. Much quieter than my previous grind and brew.- It is fairly easy to clean the filter and basket on a daily basis. As others have commented on you do need to wipe down the metal disk that touches the filter basket.- Its not too difficult to figure out what strength you like your coffee as long as you don’t like it extra dark. If you do, definitely use the mesh filter and not paper filters. Paper filters will require you to increase the strength.- This works good for making lose leaf tea. Because of the steeping feature tea will steep for about 2 minutes before dispensing into a cup or the carafe.- Single cup is about as quick any pod machine that needs time to warm up for it’s first cup. It takes about 4.5 minutes.- A 12 “cup” carafe takes about 10 minutes.- The carafe keeps coffee hot for 2 hours and warm for 4 without needing a burner to over heat your coffee.- A 16oz to go mug fits in it. Remove the “drain” and open the filter basket to make it easier to put the mug in. Open the basket again to take the mug out.The bad:- The carafe is poorly designed for pouring. It is really difficult to pour the last cup. You have to turn the pot upside down, usually with the lid off for the last cup to pour out.- It’s hard to get the correct grind size. It has 6 different settings, but there aren’t markings on the dial so you have to count the clicks and hope it didn’t click twice and you didn’t hear it.- The coffee beans don’t move into the grinder from all sides so you will have to move them around manually every other brew.- A 20 oz to go mug does not fit. They are not only half an inch too tall, but they are too wide to fit where the “drain” is.- Sometimes the machine will increase the amount you plan to brew if you add water beyond what you initially set it to. Ex: I want to brew a 9 “cup” carafe and have 5 “cups” of water so I have to add more. If I fill it to full, it will change my setting to brew a 12 “cup” carafe.The ugly:- This machine doesn’t stop brewing if the carafe isn’t in place. This means you will have a mess to clean up on your counter if you set the timer and forgot to put the carafe back. It won’t intentionally drain from the filter but the filter will over flow.
jgjg –
After reading many, many reviews this coffee maker ended up the winner to replace my fairly cheap machine that was showing age with electrical problems, and the Breville toaster works so well we just had to get another one of their creations.First and foremost, I was not happy giving up cone filters for the basket type and it took a while for me to give in to that, but in the end it’s not that huge a deal. Aside from the horribly designed carafe that drips no matter how you pour it and has to be tipped upside down and shaken to try and get all the coffee or water out (when rinsing), my biggest issue is with the grind size. I have been using an old Braun coffee grinder for over 20 years and like my espresso roast coffee ground into a powder to use for my coffee (European style) and despite the adjustable grind control, this coffee maker just will not do a fine grind. My first attempt at using the default settings was pretty surprising as I couldn’t believe the amount of coffee it dumped in the basket for just half a pot. It was ridiculous. So I used the calibration feature which lets you weigh the amount of coffee ground in 10 seconds and input it into the settings (which disappear after each power fluctuation, just like the time) to reduce the amount it was grinding for each strength level. I also thought maybe there was a piece I could shim or adjust to get it finer, but cleaning the whole thing (it comes apart in many pieces for cleaning in a very clever manner) actually made it worse because I think I added more room for the larger grounds to fit through the teeth. Also, while cleaning out the grinder I noticed there were a lot of grounds that stay stuck in the chute each day so unless you disassemble everything and clean it every day, the first coffee that hits the basket is the stuff that was sitting there for around 24 hours getting stale.Getting ready to brew is quick and easy, but cleaning up is a little annoying. The point where the basket meets the grinder is up under the top of the coffee maker so unless you have really tall counters, you have to bend over (maybe get some artificial lighting too) and get a cloth of some sort in there to wipe up the wet grounds. There’s also a cute shelf below the rotating disk that seals the grinder from the basket to catch grounds, and that shelf can be pulled out for cleaning. Then after getting rid of the grounds and rinsing out the lid (I use a little dishwashing liquid as well to get rid of the oil from the grounds) then it all has to be dried before putting together for the next run. Therein lies another of the issues I have with this coffee maker. All my previous coffee pots I could just leave half open or partially disassembled to dry, but this one goes together one way and one way only. So you either have to lay the pieces all over the counter or dry everything off with a paper towel — every day. One additional topic on cleaning has to do with the water reservoir. There is no access to where the water is stored and no way to see or clean it.The convenience of this machine is great and like other Breville appliances it has great engineering and thought into the design, but for me a few key things keep it from being great. Bottom line, I expected more for a $300 coffee maker.Pros- No more ground coffee everywhere on the counter to clean up in the morning- Awesome user interface to control making coffee- Water tank can stay full and it only uses enough for the amount of coffee being made- Works excellent for individually brewing almost any size cup- Grinder disassembles nicely for cleaning- Basket seals cleverly to allow coffee and water to enter with little mess- Emits almost no steam during or after brewing (I’m not sure where it goes)Cons- Have to use a napkin or paper towel to clean up wet grounds off coffee maker and basket every morning- Can’t pour coffee without dripping on the counter or down the carafe- Custom settings disappear after each power fluctuation- Time disappears after each power fluctuation (auto start time was saved though)- No way to “open everything up” to dry- Grind chute holds a lot of coffee which ends up sitting there getting stale- Uses LOTS of coffee with default settings- Requires more cleanup than any other coffee making system I have ever owned- Takes up a lot of counter spacePictures show awesome display and controls, finest grind possible, things inside (behind filter basket) that need to be cleaned.Update:After using this machine for a number of months now, I can definitely say this is going to be the next appliance replaced in our house. And I am downgrading it to one star.Multiple times I have awoken with little to no coffee brewed in the morning for various reasons.- Since the beans in the grinder feed only from the front, sometimes they don’t feed at all (see picture) and there is about 1 cups worth of beans ground into a 10 cup carafe of “coffee” (this has happened with all sorts of roasted types, oily and dry).- Since the bean hopper is smoke colored its tough to see in there at night and occasionally it will just run out of beans (because it uses SO many beans) and I won’t find out until the next morning (when I’m running late of course and don’t have time to go through the whole cleaning process required to make another pot of coffee). So the result is I have to take the top off the hopper ALL THE TIME to see what is in there and to redistribute the beans to the front so they will grind properly, totally negating the reason for keeping beans out of the air for freshness (not that the lid is anywhere near airtight to keep beans fresh anyway).- Sometimes a bean will jam the grinder and it just doesn’t grind. Of course I don’t find this out until I try and figure out what the issue was THIS TIME and possibly end up wasting beans to try and make it grind something.I also noticed that the “grind control” knob (at least on mine) rattles like crazy while it is grinding and makes more noise than the grinder. If I put my finger on the knob while it is grinding, it’s amazing how much less noise it makes. I was actually going to put a piece of tape over it, but since you have to open the top of the hopper a couple times a day that would be even more annoying than the increased noise.I still can’t get over how little control over the grind size you have and how much coffee this thing goes through to make a decent cup of coffee (see picture of massive amount of grounds in filter). I’m about ready to get my 30 year old Braun grinder back out and deal with cleaning it up instead of all the cleaning required for this coffee maker (the whole reason I got this coffee maker was to reduce the need to cleanup bean dust flying everywhere). Speaking of the cleaning, I have never washed coffee grounds down the drain before in my life (on a regular basis), and I am very uncomfortable with how much coffee you have to wash down the drain to clean this thing out on a daily basis (be prepared for at least an extra 10 minutes a day). Every other coffee maker I’ve had I would just crack the filter basket open on and let it dry out during the day so it could get composted, but there’s no way to do that with this machine.Taking the hopper out and cleaning the grinder out is a mess. When it is all fresh and new it comes apart great and looks like it was really well thought out, but I don’t think any of the engineers actually use their own product. I went back and read through the instructions and started laughing when I realized they want you to use a vacuum cleaner and waste a handful of beans just to disassemble the grinder. I’ve been using a spoon to scoop out all the beans left under the hopper when it gets removed, and that takes quite a while, but coffee beans are like gold — you don’t just throw them away because its inconvenient to pick them up.Finally, the carafe not being able to pour without dripping all over the place is driving me nuts. I was actually going to make a video of all the different ways you can try to pour to keep it from dripping and how the carafe still spills coffee either on the counter, down the front of the carafe, or in the coffee maker. I’m pretty close to just heating up a nail and forming a real spout on it.This thing was certainly a waste of $300, maybe someone will be happy buying it at Goodwill.
Ethan McGheeEthan McGhee –
*Pics attached showed product leaking while brewing – watch the paper towel below the machine get progressively more wet.*One year of greatness – brewed delicious coffee at the touch of a button. Could be a little tricky to clean but nothing too difficult. Then problems started piling up.After just over a year of use (now just barely out of warranty) the grinder started acting oddly. The grinder motor wouldn’t stop running during the brewing process (when it would previously only run for about 10 seconds at the start of a new brew), or even after the cup of coffee was ready. I assumed there may have been a bean stuck somewhere, so I gave the machine a full deep clean which seemed to solve the problem. Until I noticed water would now leak from the back of the machine during use, leaving large puddles of water on the countertop (see photos). Not great obviously, but theoretically something I could have lived with if it wasn’t a sign of key problems with the rest of the machine (hint: it was).About this time I get in touch with Breville support, who were a huge disappointment during this process. They ask me to take a video of the machine running so they could help determine the issue. Well, I ran the machine again, prepared with paper towels for the mess. However, not only did water start pooling underneath the machine, but I caught a whiff of a new, strange smell. I thought it might have been something burning, but it was tough to be sure over the coffee aroma. At that point I was not willing to run the machine again.Things break – it happens. But when you pay this kind of money for something this “high quality”, you assume that if/when something goes wrong that the company who made it would stand by their product and make it right. Breville had great reviews across their suite of products, so I was willing to take the leap on a fancy coffee machine with that false assumption. All told there were around 7-8 messages between myself and Breville support – the last three were me asking for any follow-ups, maybe troubleshooting tips, etc over the course of the last 2-3 weeks. I have yet to receive any more responses.No one paying this $ amount for a coffee machine is only hoping it lasts a year, so a 2-star rating feels right. Great first year, but ultimately feel very let down by the lack of longevity and poor customer support. I’ll be drinking instant coffee while I save up for a different brand.
Amazon Customer –
Nov-2019 update. no matter how you care or clean it this thing is almost worthless as a coffee maker. Sometimes anywhere from 1 out of 3 to 1 out of 5 times the grind coffee jams in the slue so you get very weak coffee. Ok so just grinder coffee with a grinder; but 1 time out f 4 to 6 the water knocks all the coffee to one side of the cup and you get weak coffee; just flaky as all not ready for consumer use. The only way to get ok coffee out of it is to use another grinder and use a diffuser over the grounds. Which if I wanted to do that I could of just got a 35 dollar coffee maker. I wanted fresh ground and brewed coffee when I wake up; I paid 284 bucks for this to do it and it FAILED me. Time to move on to something that works. Anyone want to buy mine?May-2018 Update: So coffee strength is never the same between any 2 pots; you have to clean it every single time or else the ground coffee jams in the chute and sometimes still jams even when you just cleaned it! Pretty much have given up using the grinder. Not a value for 284 bucks!Only on the second pot; haven’t even used the auto program function yet -so a very first impression review. I work as a mission controller, so shift work and so far 14 weeks in a row of over 60 hour weeks all Mid-shifts of 12 hours, My Ninja POS died after 14 months so needed a replacement ASAP and didn’t even have time to run to Target so bought The Breville 650BSS off Amazon. So PROs: Makes a great coffee, easy to use, grinds good brews, good looking on the counter so the wife is happy, as it grinds it’s self grinder off the counter less mess wife even more happy. At 10 cups my usual you can brew at strength 7 taste like 60% to an espresso; at 12 cups – the max- you can brew at strength 6 about 50% to an espresso using my tingle the scalp on first three sip scale. I use the lowest grind a course powder. Less cups you can brew stronger. CONs: maybe too loud to use the grinder for automatic early mornings might get a black eye from waking the wife up. I prefer a finer ground- you won’t. Could be easier to clean, Small opening to fill the water. Is it a value for the ($284.00!) money? Well we will see how long it last, yes if it last until 2027.Update:Almost PERFECT! Only a few misses and a wait for the next 10 to see if it was a value for the cost. One seems that there is no way to use the grinder by itself in advance so using the program function wakes the rest of the house up at 5-AM. Second it really is kind of hard to clean the burr and shoot. Third the craft has a huge 360 degree lip so it’s hard to pour out that last 2 OZ of coffee; but the lip helps trap grounds in the craft, Fourth; it almost always drops so grounds in the coffee. Fifth for me it doesn’t grind fine enough; you don’t get an powder type grind that I like. Sixth for the cost the wife is going kill me for waking her up at 5 AM with this thing esp. as a shift worker I work SAT and SUN AM too an it cost 300 dollars! -I Have owned 11 cars 3 of which cost less. Okay enough complaints; It works, the coffee taste great, the coffee is hot enough and so far after a month it still works great and looks great. If it last 10 years ($300/10 for $30 per year life cycle cost) I will up it to 5 stars; If the wife hasn’t kill me for waking her up with it before then,
Beth C. –
I like several of the features of this product, but there are several design flaws. First, you don’t have the ability to grind and brew later, which is important if you are waking up earlier then others in your house. Second, the pot design makes it difficult to fill and pour leading to a lot of dripping. Also, water leaks from the seal between the machine and filter basket. Every day we awake to water on the counter. Finally, there is a hole it the back of the machine that is close to the 12 cup mark, which means the pot leaks when you move it.
MITCH TOPAL –
The first one we received worked great – for a while. Then the start button became non-functional and the workaround was to use the self timer. I spoke to Breville tech support and the agent spent quite a bit of time with me trying to diagnose the problem. It turned out to be in the firmware. I exchanged it for a new one which works great so far.The upside is that it makes a fantastic cup of coffee! You have several grind options that include a strength control and a knob to set the grind coarser or finer. It’s fairly easy to clean, but they recommend not putting it in the dishwasher.If you’re a coffee snob, you won’t be disappointed.
Amazon Customer –
UPDATE: I have had my Breville coffee pot now for one week past a year. Cleaning the burr grinder is a bit of a pain, but I do it faithfully every 2 weeks. If I don’t clean it this often, the hole where the coffee beans are ground and deposited into the coffee filter basket gets clogged. When cleaning, if I touch the part of the burr grinder in the fixed position (but moves) just a tiny bit, even when I align the removable part inside the machine, when brewing the first cup/pot of coffee after cleaning, it “spits” coffee grounds all over, which are visible when you open the door holding the coffee basket. The burr grinder then realigns itself and not a problem until the next cleaning. This morning, the burr grinder must have slipped, because it spit coffee grounds all over the inside of the coffee basket compartment, and I did not just clean the machine. Not sure why this is happening, but I am seriously disappointed. I thought about purchasing a new burr grinder, if possible, but I am thinking I will just cut my losses and purchase a different brand of coffee maker. I expected this pot to last more than just one year.My previous coffee pot began leaking water from the back & the heating element was going, as the coffee was not very hot when just brewed. I ordered this beauty and (thank you Amazon, it arrived 2 days early). OH MY WORD this coffee is DELICIOUS!!! Whomever designed this coffee pot, THANK YOU & thank you Breville for manufacturing it. They didn’t leave out a thing. The options are truly great!!! You can brew a single cup at a time, which is what I was used to and love. You can brew an entire pot into the stainless carafe. It comes with a gold, permanent filter, or you can use paper filters. You can set the auto timer so your coffee is ready when you get up in the morning. You can brew from 2 to 12 cups in the carafe or 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 & 20 ounce cups of coffee, which I also LOVE because I have a special coffee mug that was my Mom’s that holds 16 ounces of coffee. You can brew directly into travel mugs (within the given measurements). They have a built in cleaning brush, so you won’t lose it in a kitchen drawer somewhere. Love the spring loaded, hinged door on the coffee filter compartment & the water tank. It beeps when your coffee is finished brewing. The bean grinder is quiet. I like my coffee pot to grind my beans, which this does, BUT you can also use pre-ground coffee if you choose. You can set the grind of your coffee beans and you can set the brewing strength. Additionally, you can clean this pot with a white vinegar & water solution, which is so much better than having to buy the expensive and toxic acids to clean many of the pots on the market today. Over the last 15 years, I have had 3 coffee pots (one $600, one $900 both on sale, & one $1800 coffee pot, a gift from my Mom) and this Breville pot brews as good or even better cup of coffee than any of these past 3 pots. I am done with the very expensive pots that don’t last very long, or you have to fix a lot. This pot is very reasonably priced for the features you get and the incredible cup of coffee it makes. Now, obviously, since I just received it yesterday, I have no idea about the longevity of this pot, but I have high hopes. I am seriously thrilled with my choice at this point.
Todd M. Carlin –
I really wanted to love this coffee maker. I’ve had 2 Capresso coffeeteam grind and brews before and found that the heating element failing after a year or two. Being an engineer and exUSAF electronics tech, I actually replaced one of those heating elements and got another year out of it. But when the last one failed before Thanksgiving I looked at reviews and asked around and thought that this one would be the best. Well after two months or so, this is what I feel. Is the coffee tasty – yes. Is it hot – not so much. Does the thermos carafe work – yes if you take the time to pre-heat it by boiling a pot of water, pouring it in and letting it sit. Is it easy to clean – not really. There is a plate in the back behind the filter that needs wiped off every time. At least the filter holder comes out and can be rinsed. If your power goes out and comes back on, the coffee maker runs a pot whether you have the carafe in place or not as I found out with a mess in the morning. The carafe holds onto about an ounce that won’t pour out unless you turn the thing upside down. And you’re not getting your hand in there to clean it. Lastly the three things I miss about my old maker is the flat front screen with the time displayed and the glass carafe where your can see how much coffee is remaining, and the heating plate which kept the coffee hot. Which I continued to restart thru the day to keep the pot hot and therefore burned out the heating element over time from overuse.
Adrian Escobedo –
punchline: Who ever designed the carafe has never actually poured liquid from one.I love the fact that you can dial the ground coarseness. I love the fact that you can dial the strength. I love the fact that there is no hot plate. if you want to “dial in” on how you like your coffee… this is the machine for you!HOWEVER, you HAVE TO clean the basket after EACH USE. So if you read the punchline, and you said, well why don’t you just make one big cup, and avoid the carafe. Yup, you can do that and it works great, but you have to still clean the basket out.Rinsing the basket is not a big deal… run it under some water and make sure the grounds cleaned out… let it dry, then pop it back in the unit. Its really not that terrible… tedious, but not terrible. Its the price you pay for a good cup of coffee, and I can deal with it.But the fact that the carafe is literally squared in the inside of the top, is terrible. You literally have to make an extra cup of coffee to actually get the amount you want.And since I am ranting, and you are still reading… the grinder only allows beans to fall in to be ground in the front of the bean storage. I am forced to make sure there are beans in the front, so they can then fall in to be ground the yield the strength of coffee I want. What this means, is that if all of your beans are in the back and not falling into the grinder, you won’t get enough beans to make the correct strength of coffee.IMO gravity was left out of a couple of design equations.Other than those two things… love this coffee machine, and I guess we will be a couple for a while.PS… the reviewer who stated that you have to turn the carafe upside down to get the last bit of coffee out, isn’t lying.
happyinwyoming –
I really looked forward to receiving this coffee maker. It is a really beautiful piece of equipment. But, unfortunately, the unit simply does not work correctly. The first several pots of coffee worked perfectly and I was quite happy. It takes some effort to clean the machine after each use, but that’s not a big deal. The big problem is with the liquid level sensor and the brew cycle. The pot has the ability to brew 12 cups of coffee. When you pour water into the unit, a series of numbers on the left of the display show the water level. When you reach the 12 cup level, the unit beeps, letting you know that it is full. At least . . . it did that for the first few days. After a few days, it would no longer beep and the fill level would never go past a reading of “11”. I actually overfilled the unit a couple of times, with water pouring out onto the kitchen counter. There is a red, mechanical float on the right side of the machine that does indicate when the unit is more or less full. This should have been a warning. If the level sensor worked properly . . . why is there a need for a mechanical float?The big problem with this machine is that it does not use all of the water that you put into it. I would fill the unit with water. I set the requested brew quantity to 12 cups. After starting the brew cycle, the timer indicates that it will be approximately 11 minutes to complete the cycle. As the brew cycle continues, the level indicator goes from 11 to 10 to 9 . . . down to 5. But, that’s where the level sensor stops . . . it does not show it decreasing to 4, 3, 2, 1, etc. It suddenly just shows a message that the water supply needs to be filled. This seems to happen when there is about 4 1/2 minutes of brew time left.When the cycle finishes . . . the pot is only about 2/3rds full.When starting a new cycle, the water level shows “Fill”, indicating that the reservoir is empty. But, if I only pour a small amount of water into the reservoir . . . the water level immediately displays “5”. I think this happens because the previous brew cycle did not complete all the way and water is left in the reservoir. I could understand this, if I had previously asked to brew less than 12 cups . . . but, that’s not the case.The net result is that the coffee is very strong (probably because not enough water is being used). This also means you end up wasting a ton of coffee beans.A final complaint is with the carafe itself. It is sealed so that you don’t need a warming plate. Initially, I loved this idea because it meant no wasted electricity to keep the coffee warm. And the carafe does keep the coffee warm for more than two hours. But, this comes at a price. The design of the carafe prevents you from easily emptying the coffee completely. There is a rim around the top of the carafe that makes emptying the carafe cumbersome. You have to tilt the carafe completely upside down to get the last of the coffee out. Good luck hitting your cup when you try this.In summary . . . this is an absolutely beautiful coffee maker . . . that doesn’t really work. I think this is the only thing I’ve ever returned to Amazon. If you don’t want to be disappointed . . . look elsewhere for your coffee maker.
C –
This made the best coffee I’ve had in years, once calibrated through the menu to my liking. Love the design, enabling it to be used for single serve or 12 cups at a time. Since I bought it wanting to mostly use the single serve function, I love it. There are huge drawbacks if you are buying this for the traditional coffee maker functionality: the carafe is horrible. You have to pretty much tip it upside down to pour and it drips all over. When calibrated, if you are brewing 12 cups, the machine WILL over flow and make a mess. I would not buy this at the full price point. I purchased through Amazon warehouse – used – acceptable and received a brand new unit, still in plastic and never used.
M1Rate –
First, the quality of the coffee is very good, and the temperature is higher than most home-use coffee makers. The conical burr grinder is effective and not overly loud in operation.The coffee hopper works best when full. If not full, you may need to distribute the beans so that they are toward the front of the machine, where it pulls them in by design. Not sure why Breville made the chute this way, but they did.The carafe is good and convenient to use, except that it inevitably makes getting the last 1/4 cup of coffee out very awkward and difficult. Which is odd but no big deal.The automatic functions work exactly as designed, and reliably — IF you do some very light daily maintenance after every use. First, you must take a moist paper towel (or with windex) and wipe off the disk behind the coffee filter holder, removing all grounds and residue. This takes less than one minute. Second, you must thoroughly rinse the coffee basket and (MOST IMPORTANT PART HERE) dry it *thoroughly” — especially the silicon inlet and entry chute on the side where the ground coffee shoots into the basket. If you do not dry that intake thoroughly, you will have coffee buildup and problems.Third, you should periodically (I did it every day) clear the small removable tray below the coffee shoot. It says “Clean Me” in case you forget.Does that sound like a lot of maintenance? To me, it does not. But then, this coffee maker is standing in for a more complicated coffee system that is being repaired.One bad thing did happen that was user error: The highly flexible, silicon grommet where the coffee chute blows coffee into the basket was out of shape when the coffee maker was reassembled. This blew coffee all over the place and was a pain to clean. But that was totally my fault for not paying attention.I guess, in sum, this coffee maker is NOT for people who prefer only to fill a machine with water, flip a switch, and throw out a used coffee filter afterwards. But this coffee maker IS for people who appreciate the fresh and good quality it produces; who do not mind very light daily maintenance; and who are able to pay even modest attention to ensuring it is assembled correctly so that it will operate as designed.The cups measurement: Six cups designated on the machine equal just a little over 2.5 standard coffee mugs full. So a full pot will give 5 people a mug of coffee. It is cool that you can brew right into a tall travel mug, and even a single cup. I personally find the cleaning overhead for producing a single cup a little silly and wasteful, so always brew at least a 1/2 pot.Not the easiest coffee maker to use, I suppose, but one that produces a good, quality product with what I think is a very light-duty cleaning regimen. In short: Not for lazy coffee drinkers.
M1Rate –
First, the quality of the coffee is very good, and the temperature is higher than most home-use coffee makers. The conical burr grinder is effective and not overly loud in operation.The coffee hopper works best when full. If not full, you may need to distribute the beans so that they are toward the front of the machine, where it pulls them in by design. Not sure why Breville made the chute this way, but they did.The carafe is good and convenient to use, except that it inevitably makes getting the last 1/4 cup of coffee out very awkward and difficult. Which is odd but no big deal.The automatic functions work exactly as designed, and reliably — IF you do some very light daily maintenance after every use. First, you must take a moist paper towel (or with windex) and wipe off the disk behind the coffee filter holder, removing all grounds and residue. This takes less than one minute. Second, you must thoroughly rinse the coffee basket and (MOST IMPORTANT PART HERE) dry it *thoroughly” — especially the silicon inlet and entry chute on the side where the ground coffee shoots into the basket. If you do not dry that intake thoroughly, you will have coffee buildup and problems.Third, you should periodically (I did it every day) clear the small removable tray below the coffee shoot. It says “Clean Me” in case you forget.Does that sound like a lot of maintenance? To me, it does not. But then, this coffee maker is standing in for a more complicated coffee system that is being repaired.One bad thing did happen that was user error: The highly flexible, silicon grommet where the coffee chute blows coffee into the basket was out of shape when the coffee maker was reassembled. This blew coffee all over the place and was a pain to clean. But that was totally my fault for not paying attention.I guess, in sum, this coffee maker is NOT for people who prefer only to fill a machine with water, flip a switch, and throw out a used coffee filter afterwards. But this coffee maker IS for people who appreciate the fresh and good quality it produces; who do not mind very light daily maintenance; and who are able to pay even modest attention to ensuring it is assembled correctly so that it will operate as designed.The cups measurement: Six cups designated on the machine equal just a little over 2.5 standard coffee mugs full. So a full pot will give 5 people a mug of coffee. It is cool that you can brew right into a tall travel mug, and even a single cup. I personally find the cleaning overhead for producing a single cup a little silly and wasteful, so always brew at least a 1/2 pot.Not the easiest coffee maker to use, I suppose, but one that produces a good, quality product with what I think is a very light-duty cleaning regimen. In short: Not for lazy coffee drinkers.
Luisa Escobar –
We’re on our third of this same coffee maker. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve found for our needs. These have lasted us 3-4 years each, and we make coffee daily. That’s a cost of about $0.25/day.Pros:1. The timer starts grinding/brewing coffee 10 min before our alarm goes off. When we wake up, freshly ground coffee is waiting for us. I sleepwalk to the coffee maker, pour a cup, and take it in the shower with me where I wake up.2. Coffee never tastes burned because it has no heating element.3. Fresh ground beans improve the flavor, and the internal grinder makes it simple.Cons:1. Internal components (water tank, water heater, water hoses) are hidden away, and some are inaccessible without a big headache.2. Scaling can build up over time and kill the machine, but it takes 3+ years.3. Coffee begins to cool after 30 min and needs a quick zap in the microwave to be steaming hot. On the other hand, the flavor is great because it never gets scalded due to the continual heating that some coffee makers have.4. The coffee shoot (grinder to basket) must be cleaned weekly to prevent blockage. It’s not too hard.5. We must use filtered bottled water because the minerals in our mineral-rich well water will quickly clog the lines.6. The pot can drip a few drops unexpectedly during/after pouring.How to address the cons: As long as you use filtered water, clean out the shoot that the grounds travel down with a chopstick every week, and de-scale when it says you should, you might like this coffee maker. Could we attain a better cup of coffee if we woke up 15 minutes earlier, ground the beans ourselves, and poured hot water over a paper filter? Yes, but we’re not that committed.Bottom line: It’s not a perfect coffee maker, but we want great coffee without a big daily ritual. This is the best compromise we could find for our priorities.
commonsensecommonsense –
I’ve had this machine for 2 1/2 years now and it has started going South. It is not dispersing the correct amount of water. I’ve tried the troubleshooting solutions offered in the manual to no avail. This morning I attempted to make a 14 oz cup of coffee as I do every morning and when the buzzer went off I went to fetch my coffee. I had a teaspoon of coffee in my cup. That was the last straw. Honestly, this machine has always had some kind of issue. Mostly with the amount of coffee it would grind. I’ve had to calibrate it several times but it eventually seemed to work itself out. I bought a warranty for this product based on the reviews and I’m glad I did. I have submitted a claim and will be purchasing another coffee machine but it will not be this one. It had one job to do and it never really did it consistently. It was a nice concept but it does not work and apparently Breville does not care because they have not addressed the complaints/issues so I’m back to the drawing board. I think I’ll buy a separate coffee grinder and coffee maker. Neither will be a Breville.I read all the reviews, good and bad, and weighed my options. The winning feature that sold me on this machine was that I could fill the water tank to capacity and it would disperse water according to the number of cups/ounces I wanted. Setup was stupid easy. Wash all the parts. Put it back together. Run a couple of tanks of water through it to clean out any nasties that may be lurking and walla! You are ready to go. I did get a little surprise when I plugged it up. The measurements showed up in milliliters. Oh no! You mean I have to convert? Have no fear. Just grab your trusty manual and it will tell you how to toggle to ounces. You do have to customize it to your liking which could take at least a week. For instance, you have to get the grind size right for your beans and tweak the strength according to your taste. Making single adjustments at a time will eventually get you there. I also tossed the included gold toned filter to the side and opted for paper filters. I don’t like the muddiness you get from those mesh filter baskets. I have never made a pot of coffee so I’ve never used the carafe. I only make one cup a day so I only use the single serving mode which is freaking awesome. By the way, a cup of coffee to Breville is a paltry 5 oz. My cup is 12 to 14 oz depending on the vessel I’m using that day. With the single serving mode, the water infuses with the coffee for a period of time depending on your strength before it is released into the cup. This is quite important because when making small amounts of coffee, the water would not be in contact with the coffee long enough to extract its goodness and would produce a weak cup of joe which is the basis of a lot of complaints concerning grind and brew coffee makers. This infusion feature is the cure for that.Now I’ve seen a few complaints/comments about the daily cleaning routine for this machine. I’m not sure why. Like setup, daily cleanup is a breeze. A few damp coffee grounds are left on the silver plate that opens to let the coffee drop into the basket and a few dry grinds fall into the catch tray underneath. You simply wipe the grounds off the plate, dump the tray and rinse the coffee basket. Takes less than 30 seconds. I’ve added a few photos that show the machine after a brew cycle, after I’ve wiped the plate down and even the grinder when dissembled. The grinder is a little fuzzy but there is nothing but dust in there. A couple more things. I don’t like the brush that came with the machine. I will be purchasing another small stiff bristled brush to brush away the grounds. And since some people complained of the machine giving up the ghost way to soon, I brought a 4-year warranty from Square Trade for $30 bucks. If it does break I’m covered.
Blessed MomBlessed Mom –
Reviewing Breville BDC650BSS. Previously I used Capresso 455 CoffeeTEAM with thermal carafe for 8 years…finally gave up the ghost. First, my bias…I love fresh coffee and a grind-and-brew is the only kind of maker I considered. It will cost you more, but I feel it’s worth it in the coffee quality. Started looking a year ago and nothing seemed to come close to the Capresso, which required minimal upkeep and cleaning. Finally the Breville did. I love it, and but for two minor issues, it would get 5 stars.I LOVE:1) I can make in the carafe (a full 12 cups) or an individual cup (different quantity settings, in mL);2) Individual strength and grind settings;3) comparatively large hopper…comparatively;4) carafe option5) cup keyhole beneath the removable drain allows for positioning a taller cup or maybe a short tumbler if using the make-a-cup option6) relatively low maintenance and upkeep7) not nearly as loud as the Capresso 455…at most, half as loudI DISLIKE:1) Pot issues…but not like Colorado and Washington :)Pot does not pour as smoothly as I’d like. Once half the pot is poured out, the flow starts to break up and splatter about slightly. Additionally, the pot retains ~1/8 cup nearly-unusable coffee, even when fully poured. To get most of it, you have to remove the lid and invert. Finally, my old Capresso carafe had a float that sealed the receptacle if the pot was tipped too far with coffee in it…great for taking the pot to work with me in the car. This carafe pours when you tip it regardless, and the brew receptacle on the top just catches and diverts to the inside. Neither portion of the lid seals. While this doesn’t seem to significantly impact keeping the coffee hot, it does not really keep it hot very well past a couple hours.All minor issues, but it seems like they missed slightly on an otherwise easily-engineered pot.2) The cleanup, while superior to most grind-and-brews, requires more attention and effort than my old Capresso 455. It has a basket with a connected top portion that has two layers, but no way to break it down. Save for using a swab or other thin brush, I can only run water thru the very top layer to rinse. Second, you have to wipe down the metal disk that separates the ground coffee stream from the basket (see pics). Not a big deal, just a bit more effort than my old maker.Overall, I love it. I would probably give it 5 stars, but for the two mentioned items above. It takes a bit of care to set up properly with the correct functions and selections; but once you get the hang of it, it’s a relatively quick setup.
LitPick Book ReviewsLitPick Book Reviews –
We had a BDC600XL for many years. It worked fairly well until one day it began leaking from a corroded connection in the machine. I tried to contact Breville on two occasions, sending pictures and emails, but no response. After over three weeks of patiently waiting, I went and bought another coffee maker. This morning, I finally got an email from Breville apologizing for the delay in their response. They no longer support our machine but offered us 25% off a new machine. Too late though since I already bought a machine after not hearing back for them for over three weeks. Therefore, if you are contemplating buying a Breville, be warned that their support and customer service are terrible. I read this assessment of their very poor support and customer service elsewhere and now concur from our experience.
Hallowell Morgan –
Best coffee maker I have ever used. Couldn’t be happier.
Flamethrower –
I purchased this product and have used it for over a week with all different settings and have to say, it make a great cup of coffee. My old grind and drip coffee maker was a 10 cup Cuisinart that had a blade grinder, and I would say the coffee from this machine is superior in every way and cleaning, compared to the old one is a breeze. I am perplexed by the one and two star ratings and it did cause me concern when buying, but went ahead and purchased anyways, glad I did. As stated my experience is only a week old, but I can address the issues I have read in the one star reviews, and talk about my experience:- Plastic taste to coffee – when I set it up I ran three 12 cup passes with straight water (no vinegar) and the very first cup (16 oz. single) was perfect, nice robust coffee taste, no plastic- Inconsistent coffee strength – I’ve used it about a dozen times different size pots, different size single cups, have been amazed at the consistency. I like a stronger coffee, my wife not so much. We have settled on a 4 grind and a 4 coffee strength, it satisfies both. I have only used breakfast blend beans from a local roaster (half french roast, half Sumatra) with disposable paper filters and as I said the taste is great, superior to the old machine. I guess time will tell.- Cleaning is a pain – As with anything, keep it clean, it will run well. I dispose of the beans, rinse the inside of the filter housing paying particular attention to any remaining residue grounds on the lid where the grounds come in, then I let it air dry for next use. I usually wipe the stainless disk in the back if there is any grounds on it after every brew. I pulled it apart to make sure the ground shoot was clear when I refilled the beans, was a pretty quick and simple job. Maybe it was my experience with my older maker where you had to thoroughly wash and dry the grinding mechanism after each use (steam from the pot made any remaining beans a caked-on mess) that influences my take, but its not a big deal at all.- Controls are confusing – Don’t even know where to start with this one. There’s a lot of flexibility built in, with flexibility comes options, but the options are simple.As I said, I have settled on a strength, now the only thing I have to decide is cup or carafe, and how much…simple.- Temperature – measured it once with my laser thermometer, 183 degrees for a 12 cup brew without preheating the the carafe, plenty hot for me.As I stated up front, my experience is rather short with this product, but baring any major malfunctions of failures, I anticipate it to continue making great coffee.
J. Nolt –
We bought this unit for convenience, switching over from making our coffee in the morning with a standalone burr-grinder and a couple of Clever drippers. The coffee we made with that system was really delicious, but it took a bit of time every morning and we felt like the convenience and welcoming smell of coffee already brewed when we got downstairs was a good tradeoff.After a bit of research we bought the Breville Grind Control, and we’ve had it for probably a year now I’d say. This morning, having made one of the common (for our house) mistakes this brewer makes really easy to do, I feel prompted to review it.1. If you forget to insert the filter, the machine makes a giant mess all over your counter. Hot semi-brewed coffee everywhere, grounds everywhere. Do not forget the filter. I did this morning and spent 15 infuriating minutes cleaning up and then I had to re-brew. ARGH. It feels like at least the leaking mess part could have been engineered out of this doohickey.2. Don’t forget to dry the grounds chute on the filter cup. If you rinse it and leave it wet just before you make coffee, the grounds will clog in that little chute and you won’t have enough in the filter and the grinder will make sad noises as it struggles to shove powder into a stopped up hole. I guess like how Charlie Sheen must’ve sounded at points in the 80’s.3. There is quite a bit of cleaning that goes along with this brewer. Several small plastic trays and covers need cleaning, there’s a metal plate that collects hardened coffee that needs cleaning, the filter cup, the catcher under the carafe, and the carafe itself– all need cleaning, and not just once in a moon. Some of these things you have to clean every day.4. Speaking of the carafe, it’s weird. The design makes it so in order to pour the coffee you almost have to turn the thing upside down. It’s a kind of strange experience.5. The machine will say “4 cups” but it thinks 4oz is a cup. You can’t adjust this, so I’m just letting you know. Who drinks drip coffee 4oz at a time? WTF Breville?6. The coffee is a little bit weak. Especially coming from a pour-over style method, we were underwhelmed by the strength and richness of the coffee that the Breville makes. We got used to it, but it’s now more of a treat to get coffee at a shop than it used to be when we could make awesome coffee at home. (Due to space constraints we got rid of our other apparatus for making coffee.) We tried various methods for increasing the strength– the Breville itself only goes up to a strength level of “8” and then it brews what it brews. And if you make like, 7 cups, it basically fills the filter with grounds. So it’s not like you can add a ton more to boost the strength– even if you did want to waste your nice coffee beans to compensate for your brewer.So anyway, yeah. Three stars.
Z,J,D&andD, a Family Co. –
The only redeeming feature of this machine is that it produces a good cup of coffee… which is important. But it better for the headache it causes.The machine needs constant cleaning. Roughly every tenth time I use the machine, it clogs. This requires that you take the machine apart, open up the burr grinder, and clean it carefully and THEN run white rice through the grinder to soak up the bean oils (as I have been informed by the customer service rep). I was informed not to put the beans in the refrigerator, not to use starbucks beans (as they are particularly oily [I am not a starbucks buyer but it seemed relevant for the post]), and that it is expected of customers to clean the machine regularly. I bought the joint grinder/maker in order to enjoy fewer steps in making coffee, not more.Additionally, when the machine is working, it spits out grinds all over the place making a mess.Finally, the carafe needs to be turned nearly completely upside down in order to pour the coffee out. This may seem like a “who cares” problem, until a guest attempts to pour their own cup of coffee and, assuming the carafe to work like every other carafe they have ever used or seen or heard about, cannot get the bean juice to flow into their cup as they are accustomed to. You will tell them that they need to turn it more than they think and, doing so, hot coffee pours all over their hand and shoes. It’s a great experience.The good news is, the customer service is difficult to reach and rude, so in addition to spending a lot of money on a machine that doesn’t work unless you service it regularly, you get to test your patience with someone who insists that buying a coffee machine is much like buying a car and that you should anticipate spending something like $130 every few months to send it in for scheduled maintenance. This is truly a bad purchase. Don’t buy it. … but it does make decent coffee
Lulu and Phoebe –
Update again: April 2018I’m thinking a big fat no on recommending this coffee maker. The maintenance is nuts. I’m cleaning the grinder and chute weekly now. I actually bought a dust buster and a giant box of q-tips just for the coffee maker maintenance. I know. Nuts. I descale regularly and try to keep everything running smoothly, including recalibrating often. It loses the calibration for no reason at all. And now the water float is busted and I have to either guess and wait for the beep when filling or replace the filter and use the indicator on the LED screen which doesn’t always work. I’m ready to go back to a simple burr grinder and a simple coffee maker that doesn’t require so much care. Sorry, Breville.Main complaints? The beans have to pushed into the chute or it grinds away at air. The carafe leaves way too much coffee in the bottom and it has to be tipped on its head to get the coffee out when near the bottom and that means coffee goes everywhere, in the cup on the table. It’s a dumb carafe design. I cannot tell you how many times it fails to work if you don’t push the carafe directly into place correctly. 1mm off and the coffee pours all over the counter, into the drawers, and what a mess. The burr grinder only partially comes out so cleaning it is not exactly as thorough as the Breville burr grinder was so there’s always coffee ground goop stuck where you can’t clean and it matters. Coffee maker cannot go under a cupboard because you have to access the top to fill the hopper (small thing, but someone – not me- keeps shoving it back and it’s a pain to pull out once water is in there). I’m not naming it anything except PITA which is exactly as you can guess. I emailed Breville through their site to get some info on the dead float indicator and they have yet to respond. It hasn’t been long, but still. Not even a note to say they got the email. All I want is an easy to make decent pot of coffee in the morning. Something that tastes good and stays hot. Changing my rating to 3 stars cause expensive to buy this thing and give up on it before a year is up.UPDATE:It’s been a couple of months and we still highly recommend this coffee maker. By the next update, I am certain we will have a name for it because it requires a very close relationship. Go into this knowing it is high maintenance. You can’t just plug it in and go. But so far, it’s worth every minute of attention because it makes great coffee.Pros:-It does well with really dark oily beans, but you’ll have to clean out the chute more often.-Once you’ve gone through the Breville processes a few times you won’t need to read the manual for specific directions for ordinary tasks- It really keeps the coffee quiet hot and then very warm for a long time. I’ve gone to pour coffee from the carafe hours later for iced and find it’s too warm, still.- Routine is your best friend when caring for this machine. If you are a routine person, this is gonna be easy for you.- It makes a supremely hot cup of great coffee if all your settings are adjust to your liking- The morning timer can be a great alarm clock if grinding beans wakes you up- Coffee brews rather quicklyCONS-Always always put a filter in place before closing the filter holder because if it brews with nothing there, hot water and half as*&ed coffee will flood everywhere- Don’t try to descale by just running it through like an ordinary coffee pot. It has a programmed function for it (manual) and that’s the only way it knows it was descaled. I cleverly descaled a week before the machine gave me the descale message and I learned the stupid way that it is a “function” needing buttons pushed (manual!). I wasted some good descale stuff, but hey, smart machine, stupid owner.- I learned, also the hard way, to clean the grinder by using the brush and a vacuum machine to suck up the stuff that goes flying. First time I did it without vacuum I was cleaning tiny grounds for days from everywhere in the kitchen. It’s a bit annoying when you remove the hopper that whole beans rest on the top and you have to take those off before proceeding to remove the burr. Plus get some good coffee brushes because the one that comes with it is inadequate (I had those already). I use canned air plus vacuum to clean out residue. Works great but it is a ballet. (see – high maintenance but worth it).- Every time the machine gets unplugged it forgets your calibration for the grind (manual – learn that one if you hate wasting coffee beans).- The hopper is way too small. I get that it’s that way to fit under most cupboards on countertop but you have to move it to load in beans anyway so why not have the hopper style that’s on the bean grinder which holds a lot of coffee beans? I fill ours every evening.- You have to push the beans into the chute before loading in beans or it does that pretend “I need beans noise” and your coffee will suck. Push those beans down every time. Again, fix the hopper and chute, Breville.- We use oxygen bleached filters cause our coffee is too fine for the gold filter. Don’t ever forget to place some filter in there before brewing or the coffee muck will go everywhere except in the carafe.- Requires wiping down not only the inside top of the filter holder, but the stainless plate where the grounds come out and the little catcher at the bottom of the filter holder every time. See, high maintenance.-Do not get me started on the carafe. It is the dumbest thing Breville ever designed. It keeps the coffee hot (yay) but getting the coffee out is part art, part, luck and you will always have a bit left in there that cannot be poured anywhere. It has to turn completely upside down to get the last cup out and even then it sprinkles coffee drops everywhere. It only works marginally well when the carafe is totally full. Plus the lid to the carafe never dries out. I rinse it and shake it to death, turn it all kinds of directions to dry and it never, never dries.This Grind Control is pretty awesome. It makes a good cuppa, nice and hot and that’s all I want in the early morning. I learned a few things that made the process easier because all those buttons and menus make the coffee maker a little bit annoying. First, find the instruction manual online and read it a few times – only because Breville is detailed and if you own any Breville appliances you know they mean exactly what they specify. Like A before B or C never happens. Here’s an example. The grind chute is behind the basket. To clean it (which you should do a lot if you use dark oily beans) you unlock the bean hopper and the automagically stainless plate opening moves to the chute so you can access it to clean. Remember A before B? Yeah. That. I almost returned the machine because I couldn’t get that stainless plate to move to open the chute. Then I reread the instructions for the 80 gazillionth time and et voila! There it was. Hopper first, open basket second. Then you hear a whirring noise and the plate moves and there’s the chute. I’d been opening the basket thing, then removing the hopper and nothing. So read the instructions and don’t feel bad about reading them several times. Honest. It isn’t your reading skills. It’s Breville’s quirky way of doing things.Many folks (in the reviews) felt bad about the strength of the coffee and how much it chewed up a pound of beans in short order. It does. But it doesn’t have to be that chewy. Try the calibration function (again, instruction book). We ended up using far less beans to get to our best cup of coffee which is pretty strong. Calibration is your cost cutting friend. Beans are spendy. Also, pay attention to the instruction manual about Breville’s coffee cup size – it’s small. Not at all what we drink. But use their size as your measure for everything.If you’ve owned the Breville bean grinder this hopper will make you slightly sad. It says it holds a half-pound of coffee but not ours. It holds about a third pound and I fill it every other day which still bothers me because the other grinder held about a whole pound. Also, use something to gently send the beans toward the burr when filling it (not when it’s in operation) because sometimes it will grind air if the beans aren’t moving. Smooth the beans gently with a little pressure and that should do it. Over fill and the top won’t set on there properly. The grind setting from coarse to fine is up there, too. Use the setting they recommend. For regular 8 cups plus pots of coffee we use a coarser grind (calibrated) and that seems to work. A finer grind will be a perfect storm for overflowing the basket if you are making a large pot.The timer is great. I can set the thing before bed and it wakes us up in the morning which is preferable to an alarm because the smell of grinding coffee is pretty nice.The thermal carafe is keeping the coffee very hot for a long time. We made coffee, forgot we made it, went out and came back two hours later and the coffee was quite warm. Not hot, but a good warm. The only downside to the carafe is the way it pours. Others have mentioned it in the reviews and they are spot on. It dribbles out, even when full. The spout is on the rim but there is no indent on the pot rim to account for the pour so it really has to be tipped to get it to give you some coffee. And when the pot is low, well, it’s like the little teapot rhyme. Just tip it over and pour it out. It seems counterintuitive and almost silly (not to mention slightly dangerous if you are pouring it over a light colored carpet) but I have to tip it almost fully upside down to get the last cup out of it. Dripped out of it, actually. Breville can redesign that carafe any time.Last, no matter what they say about when to clean the chute, the burr and all the places where stuff collects, do it more often. I do it a couple times a week. Takes a minute or two and keeps the grinder from getting gummy from the oily beans. The basket not only should be rinsed each time you empty it but wipe down the inside top where the grinds drop in and you’ll come away with plenty of coffee gunk. We also ditched the gold filter and use oxygen bleached paper filters to catch the bitter oils and residue.Size? Giant. It’s like adding a refrigerator to your counter top and it needs breathing room for vents so it can’t get squished in a corner under the cupboard. You can’t get to the hopper easily if it’s under the cupboard. My solution was to let it sit on the countertop edge next to the real refrigerator so it has plenty of space to vent in the back. I’d say it takes up the same real estate as did the other grinder, water heater pot and french press so there really was no space saving in buying a single machine (for us). Though it is huge and makes my giant stand mixer look like a little sibling, I don’t mind giving it half the kitchen counter space. It’s worth it. The only improvement would be to make the feet be little wheels that lock in place so you can move it to fill up the hopper and water. (I can hear Breville laughing at me from here).I’m glad I waited to buy this model. It’s a keeper. Even without wheels. But, please fix that carafe design. It’s embarrassing.
The JF6 –
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This would have received 5 stars had it not been for the design of the carafe and top of the carafe lid breaking.The carafe functions well keeping the coffee hot however, it needs a redesign. The top plastic portion folds over on the inside of the carafe capturing coffee. You must pour at a hard angle and shake it upside down to get the last of the coffee out. This also makes it difficult to clean. It drives my husband crazy. We are actively seeking a compatible replacement carafe.The interior top of the lid broke after 5-6 uses. We paid for a replacement.Aside from that, it is easy to use. We like the grinding mechanism and programming options which include single cup brewing. We haven’t had one clogging issue, but we follow all cleaning and maintenance instructions listed in the manual. If you don’t clean it properly, you will have clogging issues.
steven –
I never write reviews, but this thing gets a bad rep in so many reviews I had to put this out there.Ive had this coffee maker over 4 years. It took me a few years to figure out what it does great and what it does alright. I’ll come out and say it right off the bat, I do really love this coffee pot. I can come downstairs and have freshly ground and ready to drink coffee the minute I get up in the morning. The coffee will stay hot in the Carafe for an hour+ and pleasantly warm for 2-3 hours depending on how much you make. The ability to change the grind size for different types of beans and coffee amounts are great at this price point. Also have to shout out the user interface being easy to understand, program, and use on a day to day basis. the burrs have held up extremely well and ive never really done anything to clean them out other than an occasional wipe down when doing a full cleaning on.It has some quirks, for example, you have to basically turn it upside down to get that last cup of coffee out of the pot. You also have to calibrate the grinder before use, which will require a kitchen scale to weigh the output from the grinder. I didn’t know this for the first 2 years and always thought the brew came out weak, so the strength was always set to the max.NOW….The downsides to this machine are the cleaning and the maintenance. If you run super dark roasts or cheap coffee (Looking at you bulk bag Costco Coffee) through this thing its A PAIN IN THE ASS. The dark roasts or beans with lots of oils will jam this thing up so bad. You’ll be taking it apart after ever every other pot to clean out the chute and get it working properly. Once I had more money to throw at getting roastery true light and medium roasts I only have to clean it out like every 10 pots or so, its crazy how much of a difference it makes. It also really struggles to very small or very large amounts of coffee. Due to needing to calibrate the machine it will make more or less coffee then it does stock. When I first got it and didnt calibrate, it would make super weak small 2 cup runs. Once calibrated though, it grinded through more coffee than the basket would hold and grinds would flow over into my brewed coffee. A little annoying to say the least.If 4.5 stars was an option thats what I would give it. It really shines when your making 4-8 cups of coffee with decent beans, but it doesn’t do everything it advertises.
Amazon Customer –
The grinder stopped working after 6 months and the warranty is 30 days. Google it first.The brewer has a number of useful options for settings and the coffee brews fine.It also uses a lot of coffee and I had to set on a low volume to prevent overflow of grinds. My normal 1 bag a week volume was 2.5 x so it add$ up.
drgl –
I was determined to buy this machine after my coffee grinder went kaput, but hesitated after all the negative reviews. I have mad respect for those who had bad experiences and gained valuable insight from them. Thank you. I took the plunge and also bought the extended warranty for $40 for four years, just in case. I’ve waited two months to write a review after using the machine daily. So far I’m very happy. I’ve been able to customize the grind and the brew to our liking. Took a few pots. I use dark beans often. It stands to reason that moisture, oil, and ground coffee could present a major problem with clogging in the chute. My solution has been to make sure that the filter basket is absolutely dry before I put it back in the machine. I take it out, rinse it, using a paper towel to clean all the grounds out, especially the part that connects to the chute, and let it dry completely overnight, outside of the machine. Don’t know for sure if this is what makes the difference in my experience, and this won’t be helpful if you make multiple pots a day. Getting the last drop out of the carafe has not been a problem for us. Yes, it’s a bit awkward, but we got used to it and rarely drink the last drop anyway. The carafe does not keep the coffee perfectly hot, say 8 hours later, but I am satisfied that it will stay hot and tasty for a couple of hours or more without cooking on a warmer. I have cleaned the grinder/chute completely about 3 times, spacing it out a little more each time (haven’t seen a reminder yet). It’s a bit overwhelming the first time, but once you see how it all goes, it’s no big deal. I got in the habit of doing all the prep the night before: cleaning the filter basket, refilling the water reservoir and the bean hopper, emptying and rinsing the carafe, so in the morning, we just have to push a couple of buttons and we have the best coffee in minutes. (I don’t use the auto timer.) You do all that stuff anyway. All in all, it’s the best coffee we’ve ever made at home.
steven –
I never write reviews, but this thing gets a bad rep in so many reviews I had to put this out there.Ive had this coffee maker over 4 years. It took me a few years to figure out what it does great and what it does alright. I’ll come out and say it right off the bat, I do really love this coffee pot. I can come downstairs and have freshly ground and ready to drink coffee the minute I get up in the morning. The coffee will stay hot in the Carafe for an hour+ and pleasantly warm for 2-3 hours depending on how much you make. The ability to change the grind size for different types of beans and coffee amounts are great at this price point. Also have to shout out the user interface being easy to understand, program, and use on a day to day basis. the burrs have held up extremely well and ive never really done anything to clean them out other than an occasional wipe down when doing a full cleaning on.It has some quirks, for example, you have to basically turn it upside down to get that last cup of coffee out of the pot. You also have to calibrate the grinder before use, which will require a kitchen scale to weigh the output from the grinder. I didn’t know this for the first 2 years and always thought the brew came out weak, so the strength was always set to the max.NOW….The downsides to this machine are the cleaning and the maintenance. If you run super dark roasts or cheap coffee (Looking at you bulk bag Costco Coffee) through this thing its A PAIN IN THE ASS. The dark roasts or beans with lots of oils will jam this thing up so bad. You’ll be taking it apart after ever every other pot to clean out the chute and get it working properly. Once I had more money to throw at getting roastery true light and medium roasts I only have to clean it out like every 10 pots or so, its crazy how much of a difference it makes. It also really struggles to very small or very large amounts of coffee. Due to needing to calibrate the machine it will make more or less coffee then it does stock. When I first got it and didnt calibrate, it would make super weak small 2 cup runs. Once calibrated though, it grinded through more coffee than the basket would hold and grinds would flow over into my brewed coffee. A little annoying to say the least.If 4.5 stars was an option thats what I would give it. It really shines when your making 4-8 cups of coffee with decent beans, but it doesn’t do everything it advertises.
Rotten Guatemalan –
Have owned several of these. They make seriously great coffee, much better than any others we’ve tried – and we’re minor coffee snobs. It’s easy to set up to go in the evening and wakes us up at the right time every day. It’s easy to use, easy to clean daily and monthly cleaning isn’t too bad. It does single cups pretty well and it’s easy to set up for pre-ground coffee. And it doesn’t seem to last more than a couple of years =/ . I figure spending 50 cents a day on a coffeemaker that makes really good is acceptable, though I’d REALLY rather not have to replace it so often.There are a bunch of knobs you can fiddle with – don’t be afeared, because the settings it comes with are just fine and make a really good cuppa. If you fool with them, you can make better coffee than you can get anywhere else short of out of a cappucino maker run by a real live barista.Or French press. Yeah, French press is better coffee, but does a French press wake you up in the morning and have your coffee ready to pour by the time you stumble out to the kitchen? NO! This grind-and-brew fella does that, though. You set the clock, set the on-time (easy PEASY), go to bed, and at whatever AM the grinder goes GRRRRRR, the dogs jump on you in the bed, you get up and feed the noisy varmints, and by the time they head out the door to pee, your coffee is DONE. Let’s see a French press do THAT.Setting it up night before is easy. You dump in some water, fill the bean hopper if you need to, dial in however many cups of brew you want tomorrow, push a button twice and there you go. It tells you it’s set to go off in the morning on the lighted display.Yeah, the thermal carafe doesn’t pour right. Seems to be a common flaw with everyone’s stainless jug. It does keep the coffee warm pretty well. We drink it before it cools (because it’s GOOD), so can’t tell you how long it will stay warm enough for you in the pot. btw, pulling the pot out mid-brew isn’t a problem. There’s an automatic valve in the bottom of the filter basket that shuts off flow. Don’t leave the carafe out for too long, because the basket will eventually overflow, but we’ve never had a problem with coffee dribbling all over the counter whilst we pour an impatient cup.It does single cups pretty well, but there are some tricks. You probably want to dial the grinder down to a smaller number, like a 2 or 3 as opposed to a 4 or 5 for a larger pot. (And you have to remember to reset it or your pot will be bitter in the morning!) You also may have to dial in a higher strength setting. You just have to figure it out based on your preferences, the coffee you use and what you and your significant other negotiate. And if you don’t do that, your single cup comes out a bit weak. Drinkable, not terrible.You can use preground coffee just fine. You press a button to turn the grinder off and put your best stuff into the filter. Everything else is the same. And it stays on preground until you change it. But use beans, all y’all! You paid for the privilege!Daily cleaning, after you get the hang of it, is a nice ritual, not hard at all. I dump the waste coffee into chipmunk holes and around snail-chomped hosta plants in my garden. I spend a minute scrubbing out the pot, lid, filter (I use the metal one that comes with the pot) and filter basket with a soft brush under running water. I wipe down the shiny metal disk on the coffeemaker to get the hardened coffee gunk off – otherwise, it dribbles after a few days.Then I get it ready for tomorrow. I stick the filter in the basket, hook the basket into the basket holder and close the basket holder firmly. I fill the water tank with filtered water from my fridge dispenser (don’t use distilled – makes horrible coffee!). I fill up the bean hopper if need be. I make sure the right number of cups is still set and press the wake-me button twice. When I’ve done that right, it beeps cheerily and flashes 5:00 AM (ugh). Done.Monthly cleaning is a little more involved. First, it’s best to use up all the water or you could make a mess (I’ve certainly never done that). I wash and replace the filter and basket and close the basket holder. The bean hopper comes off easily, and if you do it with the basket holder closed, it also spins the metal disk so you can see through the disk’s window into the grinder. I take the filter basket out.I unplug it next, because I do all this stuff outside – it’s a bit of a mess. I tip it on its side to get the few beans left in the grinder. There’s sort of a handle on the top grinding plate that you turn, and it comes off. I usually have to use a pliers to do that, but it isn’t hard. I use an old toothbrush to clean up the burrs and top grinding plate, then poke around through the disk window with the odd brush they give you to loosen up the caked-up grounds under the bottom grinding plate. Then I either use a canned-air spray you use to clean your keyboard or – I like this, but you HAVE to make sure!!!! there’s no!!!! water in the hopper!!!! – a vacuum set on minimum suck, like you’d use for curtains. Then I put it all together (you won’t need your pliers if you did it well) and go plug it in again.Next, I press the button for preground and dial cups to 12 (no coffee in there!). I pour Costco vinegar into the water tank up to the 4 cup mark, then fill it to 12 cups with filtered water. Don’t overfill – it just slops out the overfill drain onto your counter. Vinegar is bad for marble, btw. You push one of the knobs until you get a beep and the display says, “Infusing”. It cogitates and gurgles and steams, then starts filling the pot with hot vinegar water. Beep says it’s done and you dump it out and do it one more time. (I pour the hot vinegar water on the weeds in the road. Kills ’em satisfactorily without poison. We all win.)Last, you fill the tank with filtered water and run the preground cycle (no coffee!), dump out the water and do it at least one more time. Yeah, it’s a bit of work, but only once a month. I start in the morning and kind of do it all day, doing chores, raving on Facebook, and whatever while the pot is cycling. No prob. Well, a little prob, but the coffee is worth it.Now we come to the reliability thing. This is my fourth or fifth one of these over about ten years. The last one died because somehow we got water into the grinder. Trick is to catch it and get the water out as soon as you realize what happened, but this time … gremlins. Usually, it just gets clogged and mad and stops, but this time, a little water got into the motor. Long story, but my circuit breaker was bad and the motor burned up. Rats. Don’t get water in the grinder. No.The others – one suddenly wouldn’t grind without bogging down, one began starting whenever it pleased but never when we wanted it to, and one just completely went on strike. The lights were on, but no one was home. Shortest (barring water where it doesn’t belong) 14 months, just over the warranty period; longest more than three years. But not great.I bought another one. I’ll probably buy another one after this. Not happy about average of a bit more than two years per machine at $300 per plus tax. But I figure about 50 cents per pot is something I can do for excellent coffee and, other than reliability, pretty great design.Breville: I do quality design and process improvement for a living, and I’m retiring in a few months. Let me know if you want help (not for free, though, all y’all!). You have a blockbuster machine here – but.
MLL –
The manual tries to steer you away from oily coffee beans. Prior to this, we were using a burr grinder and a high quality drip coffee maker, but the automation of this machine and good reviews convinced me to try it. The first machine broke on day 2. Breville promptly replaced it but it also made me glad I purchased a 3 year warranty via Amazon. We like strong, full bodied coffee but NOT dark roasts that taste burned. Over 3 months we tried numerous non-oily beans from local roasters that we hoped would satisfy our palette, but could do no better than a ‘decent’ cup of coffee. And all during this time, I cleaned the unit once a week (more on that later). We finally broke down and tried something more in line with what we had previously been drinking, a locally roasted blend of Sumatra and Ethiopian. The coffee was great but there was a penalty. The oily nature of the beans means you probably need to clean the machine every few days. We learned this the hard way when the chute that delivers the grounds to the basket totally jammed up. What is involved in cleaning? This is what I do. I unlock and remove the hopper. There can still be beans in it when you do this. Then I vacuum out the remaining beans and grounds under the hopper. Then I remove the grinder head. Use a toothpick to remove the packed grounds around the circumference, and vacuum out that area. I open the basket door and the disk that acts as the grounds chute door, rotates, giving you access to the chute. They provide you with a brush to clean the chute. I find the brush to be worthless. Instead, I wrap a paper towel around my finger and swipe around inside the chute. Finally, I take a wet sponge, dampen the disk until the dried on grounds come lose, and the wipe the disk clean. All of this takes 10 minutes. So, if you like to use oily beans like us, and don’t mind spending 10 minutes every few days cleaning the unit, you can get some very nice, freshly ground/brew coffee. One last thing I should mention. Breville recommends beans that have been roasted at least 5 day prior to using but no more than 21 days. That eliminates pretty much any coffee beans other than a local roasting company.
LukeStar –
My two favorite coffee maker brands are Breville and Capresso. They both are excellent at what they do but both of them wear out within a couple of years of daily use. Therefore, be sure to buy the extended warranty. I’ve done this and after a few years, they always break. It’s the cheapest way to replace a good coffee maker. For this particular model, I would like to see a better carafe. It has a large lip and is difficult to pour when getting low. Also, the chute which delivers the coffee grinds could use a better design. Last, but not least, I would like to see an additional 2 cups in size to accommodate a family of coffee drinkers on a single brew.
bernice tobiason –
I don’t normally write reviews but felt this time was important. Own 2 Breville coffee grinder/makers. One is 6 years old and the other 4 years. Started having problems with the older machine so I called support yesterday and the agent recommended to descale. Apparently had a short since it would not run the water through on a brew cycle nor run the descale program. Called support back today and the man I spoke with said he thought it was an electrical short in the system. Pleased to find out I could return for repair. The cost is a flat fee which includes shipping and handling by UPS store. will take about 10-14 days and comes back with a 6 month warranty for the work completed. Cost of repair is about 1/3 of cost of new machine. The customer rep sent a mailing label and instructions for the shipper. I have already sent it back. Very easy process. Both customer agents were very pleasant and easy speak with. Both gave me tip on descaling to use a powder or premix commercial descale product even though manual recommends using white vinegar which was what I was doing. Only criticism is the time for the first return call was about 4 hours and second return call was much quicker–within an hour. Also yesterday I send an email with questions about noon but never received a reply which is why I called again today. Overall very satisfied with how the agents for Breville addressed my concerns and will be pleased to receive the repaired machine and hopefully have many more years of fresh bold tasting coffee.
Grinner –
A couple things to know about me that pertain to this review. I drink a lot of coffee, so between my wife and I we almost always make more than one pot per day. That means that ease of making a second pot is important. Second, I’m not a fan of very strong coffee. Starbucks is not for me. So making a good moderate strength cup is more important the making a Turkish coffee.There are some nice and interesting things about this coffee maker. I really like the reservoir and the fact that the amount of water is known via electric current (or something) and the pour location is excellent and easy to use. No awkward pouring water into a small, oddly placed space while trying to watch how much is going it. The carafe keeps the coffee hot for a long time. There are complaints that it’s difficult to impossible to get all the coffee out, and while true, it’s not as bad as the Cuisinart.There is one, kind of innovative, item with this coffee maker, and it is the main problem with it. The coffee basket is an all-in-one basket/water infuser/coffee chute. After adding the filter, there is a hinged top that you close. In the top there is a horizontal chute with a soft rubber gasket that connects to a vertical circular metal plate or disk. The disk rotates about 90 degrees to open or close the path from the grinder. When operating the grounds drop from the grinder and get to the basket via this chute. Water then comes into the enclosed basket from the top. There is a kind of ‘roof’ between the basket and the water entry point with a number of slots to allow the water to disperse over the grounds.This generally results in a decent cup of coffee though at the expense of using more than normal grounds. I’m using more coffee than ever before even though I have it set to the lowest strength. This is most likely because the not all the grounds from the chute make it to the basket so more coffee needs to be ground.Water in the basket will usually fill up past the water entry vents, getting wet grounds into the top part of the basket cover. Water also backs up into the chute or at least steam does, wetting and packing the grounds at the opening. When the metal disk rotates, wet grounds go with it. This makes a mess and can also cause the chute to jam. This is not always obvious and can cause grounds to not get to the basket. I’ve had times where I just made hot water due to this issue.In short, this is the messiest coffee maker I have ever had. Since the grounds end up everywhere, it’s almost impossible to rinse them all out of the basket. And with the section between the basket and the top, you can’t dry it out completely so making that second pot is very difficult. This coffee make has the capability of making single servings of various sizes which is cool, but the thought of making 2 of them? Everything you do with this causes grounds, wet or dry, to be scattered. And you are constantly having to clean out the drop from the grinder to the disk opening so keep grounds from jamming up. And that is very messy as well.
Luisa Escobar –
We’re on our third of this same coffee maker. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve found for our needs. These have lasted us 3-4 years each, and we make coffee daily. That’s a cost of about $0.25/day.Pros:1. The timer starts grinding/brewing coffee 10 min before our alarm goes off. When we wake up, freshly ground coffee is waiting for us. I sleepwalk to the coffee maker, pour a cup, and take it in the shower with me where I wake up.2. Coffee never tastes burned because it has no heating element.3. Fresh ground beans improve the flavor, and the internal grinder makes it simple.Cons:1. Internal components (water tank, water heater, water hoses) are hidden away, and some are inaccessible without a big headache.2. Scaling can build up over time and kill the machine, but it takes 3+ years.3. Coffee begins to cool after 30 min and needs a quick zap in the microwave to be steaming hot. On the other hand, the flavor is great because it never gets scalded due to the continual heating that some coffee makers have.4. The coffee shoot (grinder to basket) must be cleaned weekly to prevent blockage. It’s not too hard.5. We must use filtered bottled water because the minerals in our mineral-rich well water will quickly clog the lines.6. The pot can drip a few drops unexpectedly during/after pouring.How to address the cons: As long as you use filtered water, clean out the shoot that the grounds travel down with a chopstick every week, and de-scale when it says you should, you might like this coffee maker. Could we attain a better cup of coffee if we woke up 15 minutes earlier, ground the beans ourselves, and poured hot water over a paper filter? Yes, but we’re not that committed.Bottom line: It’s not a perfect coffee maker, but we want great coffee without a big daily ritual. This is the best compromise we could find for our priorities.
JC –
I have never understood why anyone would spend more than $50 for a drip coffee maker, I would buy Dunkin’ pre-ground and run it though my Mr. Coffee with the glass carafe, brew 8 cups and hit it with a microwave instead of leaving the pot on to simmer the coffee into a disgusting concentrated goo. Mr. Coffee finally and mercifully broke. I got to go shopping.I own a breville espresso machine. It has been great. I still use it but I get burned out on Americano. My father has a Wolf, which his appliance salesperson threw in when he spent $15 grand on a frigging fridge. The wolf is very fancy, and it makes good coffee for a $500 coffee maker. I bought the $200 bunn drip machine, but it was DOA, so I returned it. Thank AmazonThe breville arrived, the instructions were simple, and after fiddling around with it, I am able to consistently brew my desired coffee from good beans… morning after morning. I love the controls, simple and intuitive. The insulated stainless steel carafe keeps the coffee at the perfect temperature for hours without having to microwave the brew late morningMake no mistake this machine is pricey. I have been VERY pleased with it. You get what you pay for with breville. They make high quality products
William M. Archer –
This is a great coffee maker. I was hesitant to purchase after reading some of the other reviews but am ultimately glad I decided to buy it. It was the only one on the market that had all the features I wanted: auto start, grinder, single cup size, full carafe size, and a thermal carafe. Clean-up is not hard at all, just empty the filter, rinse the basket, wipe the disk, and use the brush to clean the chute. It only takes a few minutes. My previous coffee maker was also a grinding model (reservoir leaked after 12+ years of service) and clean-up time is equivalent. I guess if you’re switching from a non-grinding model clean-up seems like a lot. The manual recommends cleaning the grinder every 2-3 weeks. I did this once. It is a little more involved because you have to pick a few coffee beans out, but overall it was not very hard or time consuming.But how does it taste? It consistently produces a very good cup of coffee. I like my coffee strong and black. I set the strength to 6 for the first use and I could tell by looking at the brew that it would be too weak (it was). My next cup was set to strength 8 and it was decent. For the third cup, I kept strength 8 and adjusted the grind to 2 (very fine). The result was YUM! I could go a little stronger, but this a darn good cup of coffee. I brew 470 ml into a ceramic mug and transfer it to a thermal travel mug which is too tall to fit under the brewer. I have warm coffee for over 4 hours! I only used the thermal carafe once. It kept the coffee warm for several hours. Pouring was not that difficult and I was able to get every last drop out and into the desired cup (a read a lot of complaints on this). It seemed to pour on par with my previous model thermal carafe. The thick lip is necessary to keep the coffee warm.I have been using the Breville for approximately 3 weeks, so I can’t comment on reliability. Plenty of other reviewers seemed to have issues with things breaking or clogging. I did purchase an extended warranty just in case. I’ll post an update if something goes awry. I also have not fiddled with the calibration setting yet. It’s such a good brew, I’m hesitant to mess with it. Overall I’m happy with this purchase.
LRS –
We had an older, previous model from Breville, also grinding. This is such a superior product. From the way the coffee enters the basket and has an easy to clean rotating cover. The basket distributes the water much better than most coffee makers over the coffee grinds. The basket comes off easy for easy cleaning, and reattaches easily. The basket also feels very sturdy in comparison to other coffee makers.I love how the machine can hold 12 cups of water, even though I program it to only brew 3 cups at a time. (A warning, overfilling it will cause the water to spill out the back of the machine, don’t go beyond the 12 cup red indicator, along with the audible beep). Also, the strength dial works great, especially when making a small portion.. the pot is insulated, and glides in very smoothly. It does have an auto run feature, but I haven’t found a reason to use it given how fast it brews the coffee, when I am ready for it.Overall, it makes a good cup of coffee, very easily, and cleans up easily. And it’s built to last from a well reputable company.
David McCallum –
Too much mess to clean up with all the parts that get grounds inside the basket and the pour spout. Uses lots of coffee too. With only two of us, this is just too much hassle. I’m going back to Keurig and donating this unit to a local community center that may be able to make use of it.
Cat Chief –
Grinds well and makes a good cup of coffee but the machinery is finicky. Grind chute keeps getting clogged and/or won’t open or close; the unit needs constant cleaning and descaling. Do not recommend, unfortunately.
PenguinClassicsPenguinClassics –
The Breville Grind Control is an EXCELLENT coffee machine first and foremost. The controls, grind capabilities, and construction of the machine ooze quality. If fresh ground coffee in noticeably varying degrees of strength is what you’re after, this thing delivers.Thoughtful touches like an included cleaning brush and a space for extra tall containers (like travel mugs) elevate the design further.However, while the machine is super easy to clean – it requires a tooooon of water to do so as you have to clean both the reusable (which is a huge plus – thank you Breville) filter basket and the brewing assembly it sits in. I definitely feel bad every time I clean the thing out but this might just be the unavoidable side effect of a machine like this.The big miss with this product comes not with the machine itself but with its included carafe. While just as premium feeling and effective at keeping your coffee hot as the machine is – getting your coffee OUT of the carafe is a different story. Because of how the insulated metal part of the carafe is shaped, you have to turn the thing basically upside down to get anything out of it (see included image – there’s 5 cups in there) even when its pretty full.This leads to leakages and a torrent of really hot coffee potentially overwhelming the cup you’re trying to get it in.The carafe and water usage during regular cleaning aside however, this is far and away the best coffee we’ve had out of a (mercifully small) machine and we’re confident it will last many many years of daily use.
Tony –
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Happy with my purchase. Certainly a step up from the previous model, which I used for close to 10 years (had 2 each lasted about 5 years).Certainly not the perfect coffee maker, but I think it’s the best grind a brew you can purchase for under THOUSANDS of dollars.As for cleaning. You just need to do it every time you use it. Takes about 90 seconds to do it right. One tip, clean it about 30-45 mins after use. The grounds are still warm and wet. Easier cleanup. Don’t cleanup to soon, you’ll burn yourself emptying the basket.Tip 2. Remove the basket handle. Just gets in the way.Update.After 6 weeks it broke & Amazon customer support is worthless.The spring loaded door for the water lid broke. No idea what’s wrong, since it’s a part I can’t see. Will contact Breville directly. Amazon support was a complete waste of time.Update.I’ve been able to fix this unit a couple of times on my own.Most recently I was almost hoping I couldn’t resolve the 001 error so I could try a Moccimaster and a higher end burr grinder to see if I could recreate the same flavor I get when I buy a cup from a quality coffee shop. I think it’s either this machine’s burr grinder heats the beans or the water just doesn’t hit that magic temp.But onto the error 001 error.After every pot I always wipe down the disk. After a pot about a week ago I got the 001 error and noticed the position of the disk opening wasn’t right. I went through the plug in/out & reset a couple of times and it finally inched to 12 o’clock position with the hopper removed.This morning the error came back without even brewing a pot. After looking online for a awhile I was sure I was doomed. I did call Breville to see what they would do. (I’m out of warranty).They did a video chat with me and after 25 mins of unplugging & plugging in – resets, we again got the disk to rotate. But it still wouldn’t brew.They asked me to try and unscrew plastic piece in the middle of the disk. I was unable to get it to budge.After several more try’s I got the machine to run a pot I of hot water in pre ground mode.With help of some quality rubber tipped gloves & the heat from running the hot water, I was able to get the cap to turn “counter clockwise”.Then the disk was easily removed and the back side was caked with grounds.I soaked the parts in hot water and everything cleaned up. Even the plastic nut with some help of a toothpick cleaned up well. It does appear this piece will separate to expose a brass nut, but I didn’t need to do anything else to it after it was throughly cleaned and dried. I used compressed air as a precaution to make sure the threads were dry.I also took this time to thoroughly clean everything. Probably spent an hour on the grinder area alone.Now it’s all back together and I can hear a noticeable difference when the disk rotates. Clearly it’s been struggling for awhile.Ran 5 test runs & I think I’m good as new.
Tok –
I wanted a good coffee maker for my office, but didn’t want the mess of having a separate grinder. After doing some research, I bought this Breville with the integrated grinder almost 2 years ago and have loved it ever since.My use case: Daily 1-2 pots that I share with co-workers, with an occasional post-lunch single 16 oz cup. I tend toward medium beans, and use cold, unfiltered, very hard water. Basically exactly what the manual tells you not to do.Pros:Amazing taste. I was using a Capresso Infinity grinder with a standard Mr. Coffee drip, and this was significantly better. I think there’s some lost aromatics in just the few minutes between grind and brew with a standard set up. Or it could be confirmation bias, as I haven’t done a double-blind study.Versatile. I also am amazed at the difference the grind and strength settings make. Sometimes I get a new bean and it’s a bit on the bitter side, so I increase the grind size and strength and it’s like a different coffee! I’ve never used the calibration, I just use trial and error.Easy to use. The interface is intuitive. The one thing I would recommend is to ditch the included gold filter and go with regular paper, it makes cleanup a lot easier, and I prefer the taste. It tells you when to descale, which in my case is about 1-2 times per year. Completely automated and takes ~40 minutes, then you’ll want to run another pot or 2 of clean water to remove residual vinegar.Vacuum carafe. Avoiding the burned taste from a heating element is incredible. After about 1 hour on my old Mr. Coffee, the coffee tasted bad. This does not. One caveat, if you want to keep it hot for more than about 3-4 hours, you should pre-heat the carafe with hot water before brewing. If you do that, it’s good for ~8 hours.Cost. Although the unit itself is expensive, I calculated a pot to cost me about $1 with locally roasted beans from Costco, at about $16 for 2 lbs. Compared to even cheap pods, this thing has already paid for itself.Cons.Cleaning. Really, it’s not too bad, but more than pods. Any grinder/brewer combo will have a chute that needs cleaning. Depending on the bean type, cleaning is about 1-2 times a week. Pop off the bean hopper, open the basket, and use the included brush to wipe out the chute. With really oily, dark roasts, this 30 second task becomes a necessary daily routine, but with my medium roasts it can be up to 2 weeks. Sometimes there’s some hard packed stuff around the edge I break off with my fingers. If you don’t keep up on this, it can get clogged, which is obvious by the sound of the grinder. About every two weeks, I use wet paper towel to clean the stainless valve disc and the tray under the carafe. About 1-2 times per year, I empty all of the beans, take out the top part of the burr grinder, and really go at it with the included brush. When I first got the thing, it got clogged so I thought I had to do that every time and was annoyed, but I’ve since learned that a quick chute cleaning is all that’s regularly needed. One quirk is that the valve only opens automatically if the unit is not in standby. If the LED backlight isn’t on, push one of the knobs to turn it on. Then when you take off the bean hopper and open the basket, the valve will open.Noise. I don’t think there’s any noise mitigation on the grinder, but it’s not any louder than my Capresso. Some of the super automatics are a lot quieter though.Cost. Upfront cost is high. It was worth it to me, though. When I’m on vacation, I miss it quite a bit.
Sara Hanson –
This coffee maker makes hands down the best tasting coffee. I actually prefer it to the drip coffee at most coffee shops. However, the longevity of the machine is questionable. My first one leaked terribly out of the reservoir from the get go. Breville sent me a new one as it was still under the 1 year warranty. The new machine lasted 3 years before the same problem recurred. Now out of warranty, I had to pay for repairs or fork over $350 for a new one. After doing a bit of research, I found there really isn’t a comparable product out there so I purchased a new unit and opted for the extended warranty.
Quito –
Update:I started out using a paper filter inside of the reusable filter that comes with the coffee maker but coffee grounds would overflow getting into the pot so I stopped using the paper filters. For a while things were great. Now the coffee grounds ALWAYS overflow, getting into the coffee. It gets very frustrating having to throw out the last couple of cups or having to let the grounds settle before taking a drink, letting them settle after taking a drink, letting them settle… Does anyone have any idea what to do about this issue?I didn’t really want to spend this much on a coffee maker but I feel it is well worth it.I’d read the reviews before buying it, saw the good and the bad. The bad: it overflows, a pain to clean, and the way it pours. When mine overflowed, it was my fault. I always make sure that there isn’t any extra water in the carafe when I make coffee. I’ve gotten used to the way it pours, not so hard to pour; take the lid off to tip it up and pour. Yes, it’s basically upside-down but it’s the end of the coffee. No big deal. It’s really not such a big deal cleaning. Do it as soon as the coffee is brewed and it’s easy plus it’s ready to brew when you need/want to brew another pot.Good: the coffee tastes great! When my husband commented on how good the coffee tasted, I knew it’s a winner. I like that I don’t have to get the coffee beans out every time I make coffee. I didn’t pay attention to how many pots of coffee the bean holder holds but it was quite a lot. I was sort of hesitant to get this coffee maker because of there not being a hotplate but we’re impressed with how long it stays hot. It’s been at least 7 hrs! It’s still warm the next day but I do heat my cup of coffee because it’s not hot.I highly recommend this!
Christopher –
I was wanting a coffee maker with a built in grinder, and after Much research, I landed on the Breville Grind Control. I did experience some of the negatives that many people complain about, and I will go through them one at a time. I will start off with the pros and cons for me.PROSLooks greatMakes great coffee (if you clean it)Well builtThermal Carafe keeps coffee hotStrength control actually worksDecent size hopperCONSWater level indicator can’t keep up with a normal pour from a gallon jugPour from the carafe isn’t very smooth. It gets sloppy the more upside down you get.Control knobs are too slick, they need some texture to themIt was too tall to fit under our cabinets in the kitchen so we had to set up a coffee station in the dining room.It’s a pain to clean, but the good coffee makes up for it.IF YOU USE GALLON JUGS OF WATER, POUR SLOW!!After a week of constant use, I decided that It would be more convenient to use gallons of spring water rather than tap water due to the fact that you have to hold the pot upside down plus some just to get all of the water out. This leads to an unpredictable water stream and usually water spilling. The user manual does suggest gallon spring water if you live in an area with hard water.This ended up being a mistake because the water level indicator can’t keep up with a normal pour from a gallon jug. The unit is supposed to beep when it reaches maximum water level(12 cups), but it was showing 9 cups and I had water pouring out of the back of the machine. Then it would not read less than 4 cups. In other words I could only make between 4 and 9 cups because the water level indicator was not working properly. I ordered a replacement and it done the same thing right out of the box. Ended up figuring out that I was pouring water in too fast so I stopped using Gallon jugs and went back to filling from the carafe. I have not had any issues since. If this happens To you, you have to turn the machine over and empty all of the water out to reset the water level indicator.CLEAN IT AFTER EVERY USEIf you are lazy, this is not the machine for you. You have to clean it after each use for everything to jive just right. If the grinder shoot gets clogged, then the proper amount of coffee won’t get dispensed into the filter basket. This will lead to weak coffee. Just clean it like it suggests and you will get consistent results.I did experience the filter hatch door thingy popping open, but I will say that if you barely close it, it will click indicating that it’s closed, but you can press harder and hear another click. If you don’t close it good it will come open even though it did click. Just press firmly to close the filter door and it won’t come open.Overall I am very satisfied with the machine although I had some hiccups with it at first. Once I learned it’s quirks and how to avoid them, it has been perfect.
BR –
This has been my go to Grind & Brew for 6 years — replacing the Capresso 465 — my Amazon history shows I have purchased 5 of these, one every year since 2016 (not counting ones I bought elsewhere).Its a workhorse, we use it at least once a day at home (full pot) and probably 2-3 times a day in the office (full pot). It makes great coffee, it stays hot for hours, and is simple to clean up. I have yet to find a superior grind & brew with a thermos carafe.Issues: I much preferred the controls of the older version, the BDC600XL, which had more granular/specific controls, with 7 dedicated buttons instead of two. The 650 uses an over-simplified 2 button set up for multiple functions — its less intuitive, and the older control panel was far superior. But the 650 grinds and brews at least as well. The change in controls is why this is a 4 star, and not a 5 star review, the older set up was vastly superior.One last thing: If you brew a pot of coffee every day, expect to replace this after 2 years. Eventually, the grinder will slow and then stop working. It hits a point where the burr grinders get filled with detritus. The mechanical motor driving the grinders that eventually wears to the point where it cannot overcome the build up of beans in the Burr grinder. Once you clean out the grinder, it works for a while: the first time that happens, it will buy you another 3-6 months of usage; The 2nd time, another 1-3 months, and by the 3rd cleaning, well, you are on borrowed time. Order a new one.But thats the nature of these machines. Back in the 1980s, the legendary Toshiba My Cafe Grind & Brew was the only game in town, and local repair people did bang up business keeping them running. Its just the nature of a mechanical device like this one.If you buy one of these, assume you have will get 2 -3 years of great coffee, and then plan on buying a new one.
br –
I have been using this nearly every day for the past year and have been extremely happy with it.I read through many of the positive reviews and most of the negative reviews prior to purchasing. A few reviewers reported their machine started smoking. From what I remember, the reviewers whose machines started smoking said they were using the timer function on the machine. I don’t leave my small appliances plugged in when they are not being used and have not had any issues with machine smoking.I also recall a review that indicated the water overflowed from the pot. I had one time that I almost had this issue. I thought I would be proactive and refill the water tank while the current pot was brewing. When it finished brewing the 12 cups that I selected to be brewed, it kept going. I no longer try to refill the tank until after it is finished.Another reviewer mentioned they were disappointed they couldn’t get all the coffee out of the pot, but I have found that I am able to get everything except maybe a teaspoon or two. I do need to tilt the pot pretty far forward to get the last 1/4 cup or so.My usual process is to empty the filter and rinse all the pieces (filter, filter holder, pot) the next morning before I brew my next cup because the coffee grinds are still too hot when I leave and I take half the coffee in a travel mug and leave the other half for my husband who is usually up after I am out of the house, so the pot is not empty until later in the morning.Coffee stays hot for a few hours, and is still warm 7 hours after it is brewed.To make it easier to empty the filter, I use a canning funnel set inside a canister. The funnel and canister are set up right next to the brewer. The filter, when turned upside down fits perfectly within the funnel and I am able to empty the grinds into something cleaner than the trash can. I would prefer to use the grinds in the garden, but we don’t currently have a garden.It takes 2-3 minutes to rinse everything and prepare it for the next pot of coffee.I should probably deep clean it more frequently, but it tends to be deep cleaned (take bean hopper out, clean out grinding element, brush out chute, etc) every 1-2 months. The brush it comes with works ok, but to clean out the chute I use a brush that is similar to a bottle brush but smaller and softer.A few times a week I use a soft brush and mild dish soap to clean the filter, filter holder, and pot. I descale the brewer ~every 2 months.Overall this has been a great purchase, great value for the $, and I believe has saved time and money. Prior to this purchase we used our pod brewer (not sure I can mention other brands in reviews) every day, going through 2-3 pods a day. We still have the pod brewer and it’s used maybe once a week now.
Jashue –
If I were to name this machine, that name would be “heartbreak”.When my burr grinder died a little over a year ago, I decided to splurge on this really cool all-in-one grinder/maker. The thought of making my requisite three cups of coffee every morning by simply hitting a button seemed almost too good to be true. I fact— it seemed like a dream. Those feelings, however, soon gave way to a sobering slap in the face from reality.I have particular taste in coffee. I like it strong, and I typically favor dark roasted Indonesian beans. To get my coffee brewed in this style, I need to set the grind to its finest setting— and to get three cups I need to set the amount to five (not three). This alone will get me what I need. It’s been said elsewhere in these reviews that this machine uses more coffee than what is expected. Well here are some numbers to quantify that: In 2000 I sent $254.75 on retail coffee. With this new machine, first put to use in January of 2001 I spent $363.43 on coffee. My coffee drinking habits were unchanged between those two years. (I have an app where which I log all expenses— and I buy my coffee at the same place— that’s how I am able to provide those numbers). The difference in cost, while certainly not negligible, isn’t the main reason for my unhappiness with regard to this machine though….The REAL issue with this coffee maker is the fact that it clogs— CONSTANTLY. It has been said elsewhere in the body of reviews that dark roasted finely ground coffee is part of a recipe for trouble with this machine. That’s what I drink though, and that’s what a lot of people like. Every morning was a drama… Will it clog today, or will today things go smoothly? It got to the point where to circumvent the anger associated with a wasted pot (due to a clog) I needed to use a flashlight and an oyster shucker tool to painstakingly remove the grounds in the chute between the grinder and the basket. I had to do this every day. Every. Single. Day. How’s THAT for the convenience of an all-in-one?I don’t like to waste things. I spent around $300 on this machine and technically, it still works. For those reasons, I’ve been suffering though this for many months. It occurred to me this week that every time I look at this thing sitting on my counter my blood pressure goes up. Finally— today— I caved and bought a new burr grinder. Life is too short. Not sure what to do with this Breville.Edit: I also have a Breville Barista Express for espresso and latte duties. Love it.I have a Breville Juice Fountain Elite too– and I love that.The point of mentioning this is that I think pretty highly of the manufacturer. This item, however, was a pretty bad misfire.
Amazon Customer –
I bought this to replace my Cuisinart Grind & Brew (a chopper grinder) that was getting temperamental. I splurged on the price because the single-cup feature was very attractive.Unfortunately, the coffee had what I can only describe as a sour, greenish taste that I couldn’t tolerate. I tried changing all the settings (grind, strength, etc.) to no avail; I just couldn’t get the smooth, rich flavor I was used to. I wound up sending it back.At first, I thought that my elevation (8700 feet) was messing up the brew temperature, but when I tried hand-brewing a similar grind at about 150 degrees, I just got weak coffee; no sour taste. I finally concluded that the very toxic, model airplane glue smell from the water tank was permeating the brew process. Maybe if I waited a month or two for that to dissipate it would get better, but I didn’t want to risk not being able to return it if that didn’t help.Other thoughts: What people say about not being able to get all the coffee out is true: Both the pot and the basket each retained about 1 tbsp (about 1 ounce total) of coffee. Otherwise, it’s very easy to use, and a bit easier to clean than the Cuisinart, and relatively fast.Note: If you contact the company and they talk you into swapping it for a replacement to try, they won’t refund your purchase price if you aren’t satisfied; it’s a store credit only.
Bryan –
Before our son was born, I used to love breaking out my french press, grinding some freshly roasted beans, and getting the temperature and brew time just right to share a perfect cup of coffee with my wife. After our son was born, I quickly realized we needed a programmable coffee machine so we would have a fresh pot waiting for us when we made it downstairs.After much research, I narrowed it down to the programmable Bonavita 1900 or the Breville Grind Control. I decided to go with the Breville because I wouldn’t have to grind the beans the night before, and I’m glad I did. It gives plenty of control over grind size and strength, so you can dial it in just right for the beans. There’s no temperature control, but whatever it’s doing works. The coffee tastes great. If the room temperature is really cold, unfortunately with the cold stainless carafe it will chill the coffee down a little too much. But as long as you keep the heat on in the kitchen at a comfortable room temperature, it comes out perfect. Even if I hit the snooze button and make it downstairs 15-20 minutes after the brew cycle has finished, it’s still plenty hot.I’ve seen some negative reviews complaining about the way the carafe pours. I was a little concerned before I bought it, but now I don’t think it matters at all, and I’m glad I didn’t let those complaints affect my decision. I agree the pouring is not perfect to get every last bit out of the carafe, but I just brew a little more than I want and dump the bit that’s too hard to pour down the sink. I figure it makes the kitchen smell better so I’m not wasting it.A few minor gripes… First, Cleaning is kind of annoying. I guess that would be the case for any coffee machine, but I feel like they could have made it easier if they tried. Second, if you forget to put the carafe in place and have the automatic timer set, it makes a HUGE mess. (Don’t ask me how I know.) The coffee goes everywhere, into crevices in the machine that probably should not have coffee in them and are really hard to clean, and then it pours out onto the counter (and then the floor). There should be something that prevents this from happening. Third, I kind of wish there was a temperature control to play with, although it does seem pretty well dialed-in as is. Fourth, some days I wish there was a heater on the carafe (preferably with a switch so I could decide whether I wanted it active).All of those things are more significant to me than the carafe pouring issue, to put that in perspective. Overall, I would make the same decision if I had to do it again because I haven’t found anything out there at any price that is better for having a hot pot waiting for me in the morning.