The grind and brew Coffee maker is a machine that was created to provide a single, simple luxury: convenience.
It’s aimed at people who love a good cup of coffee but may have precious little time. It can be a lifesaver!
Why?
Your cell phone alarm sings out at 6:00 am sharp.
It’s Monday and the morning routine of the average American is a well-traveled path with important timeframes to remember.
Breakfasts and lunches need to be made and showers need to be had, while clothes, school bags, shoes, and hair need to be done.
And that’s just the kids!
Time is really our most precious commodity.
In today’s fast-paced world we work, parent, commute, shop, and chore more than ever before.
Life can leave very little time for the small things we love.
So how much time do we really have to dedicate to our morning cup of coffee?
- Grinding to perfection.
- Preparing the heat source.
- Brewing.
- Waiting.
- And finally pouring.
Making coffee can become a time vortex.
One way to still enjoy your favorite cup of Joe while saving time is to get a grind and brew coffee maker.
The Grind and Brew Coffee Maker
This style of coffee maker is a triple threat that saves time, but also energy and money.
All-in-one utility has become more and more popular with today’s time-crunched lifestyle (think laptops that act like tablets and sandals with bottle openers in the sole, etc).
Why not coffee makers?
The grind and brew coffee maker allows you to simplify the morning cup of Joe to the point where a single interaction is all it takes.
Most units come with convenient features:
- Auto-shutoff
- Burr grinders
- Storage compartments
- All levels of fine-tuning your cup to your unique tastes
But as you shop for the best grind and brew coffee maker for you, also ask yourself these questions:
- Will it fit under the cabinet on your counter?
- How many cups can it make?
- What programmable features are there?
- Is there an auto-off feature?
- Are there grind settings?
- Are there coffee strength settings?
Let’s wade a bit deeper.
Advantages of Grind and Brew Coffee Makers
Purchasing a grind-and-brew coffee maker saves time, but also makes for a consistently fresh cup of coffee.
We all know that the best way to drink coffee is via freshly-ground beans, so if your machine comes equipped with storage for whole beans and a grinder, you’re always going to have a vibrant cup.
Further, owning an all-in-one machine allows the consumer to avoid spending money on multiple pieces of hardware.
It’s like having the whole coffeehouse in one unit while keeping the coffee fresh, allowing for easier upkeep, and there’s no management of multiple machines.
One button does it all!
There are a wide range of pricing options with grind and brew machines as well, making the market fairly open to all consumers.
Disadvantages of Grind and Brew Coffee Makers
The downsides to owning a grind and brew coffee makers are few, but depending on your needs, they should be of no surprise.
After all, when purchasing an item for convenience (and less expense), we must often sacrifice a bit of quality.
For instance, companies across the world sell standalone coffee grinders that handle the delicate process of grinding superbly, and some of them can cost as much as your car payment. But when you must put together a machine that does all things well, as opposed to each piece of hardware doing one thing perfectly, it is only natural to lose some quality.
Some would say that grind quality if of the utmost importance and that you need a dedicated grinder to achieve a consistent, high-quality grind. These people aren’t wrong. A grinder, like the Baratza Encore, will always give you better grind than the integrated grinder on a grind and brew coffee maker.
Some people also complain about the noise of the various moving parts, such as the grinder. But it feels unfair (and nit-picky) to ding even the best grind and brew coffee makers for the noise their grinders make. That’s literally the point of owning them.
In sum, combining the bad and the good, convenience is the name of the game here.
6 Best Grind and Brew Coffee Makers
And now, onto the reviews!
1. Breville BCG820BSSXL The Smart Grinder Pro
- Volume: 12 cups (60 oz)
- Carafe: Stainless steel vacuum thermal
- Display: Illuminated LCD display
- Auto-Off: After brewing
- Grinder: Conical Burr Grinder
- Coffee Filter: Permanent, Gold Tone
- Water Filter: None
- Weight: 16 lbs
- Dimensions: 9.0″W x 14.0″D x 17.0″H
- User Manual: Click here
- 8 Strength Settings: Choose from 8 strength settings or choose Pre-Ground coffee option to brew coffee just the way you like it and bean hopper capacity is 1/2 pound of Coffee bean capacity with locking system for easy removal, storage and transfer
- Brewing Capacity: Single cup with variable size options or up to a 12-cup carafe. Dimensions:9"(W) X 14"(D) X 16 & ¼" (H). 1/2 lb. of Coffee bean capacity with locking system for easy removal, storage and transfer
- Removable drip tray for 7.5" height clearance to fit tall cups and travel mugs.if Carafe overflows:Always ensure the carafe is completely empty before brewing.
- LCD Screen: Provides real time feedback on water level, grind size, strength selection, grinding time, brewing time, and selected settings
- Programmable Auto-Start: Automatically starts grinding and then brewing coffee at your selected time; Pre-brew Temperature Control: Delivers water at the ideal temperature from cold start.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is versatile, pure performance, and very easy to use. It’s the best grind and brew coffee maker on this list.
It’s the first household coffee maker with an adjustable grinder and calibration function that allows you to grind before you brew, but you can also customize the grind size and coffee volume to suit your taste.
Most noteworthy to mention, this unit features 8 strength settings, or you are free to use the pre-ground coffee option.
With an 8 oz hopper capacity, every time you grind and brew, from a single cup to 12 cups, the coffee will be fresh and aromatic.
The LCD readout is a bit more useful than other models, offering feedback on a ton of settings:
- Water level
- Grind size
- Strength selection
- Grinding time
- Brewing time
- Selected settings for your cup or pot
This grind and brew coffee maker is very simple to clean, with only a brew basket and filter to worry about.
The hopper is effectively spaced apart from the steam created by the brewing process, so there is no worry of soggy beans.
It’s the most premium coffee maker listed, and I honestly don’t know if there’s a negative worth mentioning.
Pros
- Extremely customizable and versatile grind and brew functions
- Large bean storage capacity
- Permanent Filter
- Only two items to clean
- Auto-Shutoff feature
- Easy to use and useful LCD UI
Cons
- Higher price range but well worth the money
2. Cuisinart DGB-550BK 12-Cup Automatic Coffee Maker
- Volume: 12 cups
- Carafe: Glass
- Display: Illuminated LCD display
- Auto-Off: 0–4 hours, 1-to-4-cup feature
- Grinder: Blade Grinder
- Coffee filter: Permanent, Gold Tone
- Water filter: Charcoal
- Weight: 10.2 lbs
- Dimensions: 7.48″W x 11.20″D x 15.16″H
- User Manual: Click here
- 24-hour programmability with 12-Cup glass carafe featuring an ergonomic handle, dripless pour spout and knuckle guard
- Grinds whole beans right before brewing to produce fresh and flavorful coffee. Grind off feature for pre ground coffee
- Brew-pause feature, auto shutoff from 0 to 4 hours, and 1- to 4-Cup feature
- Please make sure the 1-4 setting button is pushed on. This setting does make a stronger cup of coffee due to the slower brewing process
- Product Built to North American Electrical Standards
Cuisinart’s DGB-550BK is a solid, all-around grind and brew coffee maker for a comparatively low price; consider it an introductory piece on the grind and brew spectrum that simply makes a great cup of coffee.
With both a “Turn Off Grinder” feature (for previously ground coffee) and an adjustable “Auto Shutoff” feature, this machine takes the guesswork out for you.
That Auto Shutoff feature makes it very unlikely to burn your house down, which is a big plus.
There are a couple notable drawbacks, though.
Other models allow you to pour in a handful of beans and select the amount of cups you’d like the machine to separate and then brew.
With the DGB-550BK, this is not possible.
The beans you put in the chamber – all of them – will be ground, so keep this in mind.
Another common complaint of this model is the cleaning process.
For maximum cleanliness and longevity, this machine has 5 different components that are recommended to be cleaned after each use.
Call it a design flaw, call it intentional, but the steam from brewing does tend to leak into the grinder, causing soggy grinds to take up residence.
It might be a bit nit-picky, but the grinder is loud — definitely louder than standalone grinders and other models reviewed.
Pros
- Great tasting coffee
- Superbly easy to use
- Good capacity
- Durable with plastic parts and metal where it counts
- “Turn Off Grinder” feature and “Auto-Shutoff”
Cons
- A bit of a high maintenance cleaning process
- Steam sometimes leaks into grinder, yielding damp coffee
- Loud grinder
- Must measure out beans for each pot
- Some cheaper parts, but inexpensive to replace
3. Black+Decker Mill & Brew CM5000B Coffee Maker
- Volume: 12 cups (59 oz capacity)
- Carafe: Glass
- Display: Illuminated LCD display
- Auto-Off: After brewing
- Grinder: Blade Grinder
- Coffee Filter: Permanent, Bronze Tone
- Water Filter: None
- Weight: 16.0 lbs
- Dimensions: 15.0″W x 12.0″D x 10.0″H
- User Manual: Click here
- Integrated Grinder/Brew Filter - The innovative design combines the coffee grinder with the brew filter basket for fast, fresh brewing and simple cleanup
- Streamlined Grinding and Brewing - Fresh coffee, fast, the all-in-one design makes it easy to grind whole beans, giving you the full flavor and aroma of your favorite beans every time
- Whole Beans or Grounds - Brew you favorite cup, the grinder quickly prepares whole beans, and it can be turned off for normal brewing with pre-ground coffee
- Custom Brewing - Use the brew strength selector for coffee that fits your taste, options for regular, bold, and strong
- QuickTouch Programming - Easily program the 24-hour auto brew feature so you can wake up to a fresh pot of coffee, plus, the backlit display highlights the time and the program you choose
The Black+Decker Mill & Brew CM5000B Coffee Maker is a well-priced model with check marks in the right categories.
This machine is easy to use and programming is a snap once you learn the buttons.
The Mill & Brew offers a relatively quiet grinder as compared to some other models. Tt’s one thing to be woken up by the tantalizing smell of fresh brewed coffee, but no one wants to be woken up by the sound of a grinder.
As far as the coffee that is produced, post-grind-and-brew, this model makes a great cup.
This grind and brew coffee maker has various settings for both brew strength and time settings, and there’s an auto-brew setting so you can wake up to a freshly brewed pot.
Inside the machine, there are fewer parts to clean than some of the competition, which is a definite plus.
One of these parts is a Bronze Tone permanent filter, which cuts down on wasteful paper filters and is easy to clean.
Other than that, only the cup that holds the basket and pot need to be maintained regularly.
On the down side, there have been reports that the system may leak, causing the consumers to be forced to return the item. This may be due to filling the filter nearly to the top, as most people probably do.
There is also the issue of the lid being irremovable on the pot itself. Some people claim that it is more difficult to clean this way, but is certainly not a huge deal, in my opinion.
Pros
- Quieter grinder than other models
- Brew Strength and Auto-Shutoff features
- Permanent Filter
- Good capacity and easy to use
- Easy cleaning
Cons
- Some users reported leaking
- Irremovable lid on pot
- Lack of notification when brew cycle is done
- Glass carafe
4. Capresso 465 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker
- Volume: 10 cups (49 oz)
- Carafe: Stainless steel vacuum thermal
- Display: Illuminated LCD display
- Auto-Off: After brewing
- Grinder: Conical Burr Grinder
- Coffee Filter: Permanent, GoldTone
- Water Filter: Charcoal
- Weight: 9 lbs
- Dimensions:9.75″W x 9.5″D x 15.5″H
- User Manual: Click here
