I started using grind and brew drip coffee machines when I was in my twenties. My parents are coffee enthusiasts, which sounds like a cliché, but they travel with a miniature coffee machine so as not to risk bad coffee at the hotel. Coffee is crucial to them—and to me. We’ve all been using grind and brew coffee machines since they came on the market, and we’ve developed many preferences. I have owned many machines, including several on our list of the best coffee makers with grinders. Ultimately Breville Grind Control by Breville this is the only machine I have owned for many years and would buy again. I had to buy it again as I was considering other options.
I went through a period where I was very particular about having a separate burr grinder (due to their superiority) and using an electric pourer machine. But I came back to grind and brew coffee in espresso machines for sheer convenience, because life gets busy. After returning to grinding and brewing machines, I bought and tested five models at home – life as a mother requires significant amounts of caffeine. However, the model I left with was the Breville, which consistently outperforms all others, even after years of exploit. If you take coffee seriously and want something more than an anemic cup of morning drip coffee, this grinder and brewer is for you.
Dimensions: 9″ x 14″ x 17″ H | Capacity: 60 fluid ounces | Grinder type: Splatter
Grind Control in a nutshell
Pros: The Breville brews a powerful cup of coffee, has an proficient burr grinder and an easy-to-fill water tank, and an insulated carafe that keeps you toasty for hours.
Cons: It requires a little calibration at first and should be descaled regularly to maintain the best coffee brewing results.
How I exploit grind control
I make coffee every morning and sometimes (always) a smaller pot in the afternoon to aid me with homework and cooking dinner. My husband often prepares coffee and performs maintenance. Our two children aid spotless the kitchen for a living, so ease of exploit is an critical factor in any kitchen appliance. I bought the state-of-the-art model in November 2022 and since then I have been using it every morning, often twice a day. I prefer stronger coffee, so the type of flower beans favored by some craft coffee lovers is not for me – I like full lead coffee Sumatra Beans. I even used it Illy Casa subscription In the past, I stocked up on coffee in cans and bags because running in the morning is a real pain. We exploit about two bags of coffee a week (cans if using Illy beans), sometimes more if we’re entertaining or I make a lot of afternoon cups. Grind Control has been heavily used since we set it up.
What I like about Grind Control
This tool exceeds all my expectations. In our home, a burr grinder is a must-have for making powerful coffee that I can control the strength of, and the Breville grinder works as efficiently as any standalone grinder I’ve tried. The insulated carafe keeps the coffee toasty for a relatively long time after brewing. I also liked how basic it was to fill with water and not the awkwardness of pouring control that other models have.
Reservations
Controlling your Breville grind requires reading the instructions and following the setup carefully. If you’re looking for a great cup of coffee, you’ll have to call in to get exactly what you want. You can plug and play this model, but it works better if you follow a few steps that won’t take more than 10 minutes. Calibration of the device is very critical because it will affect the efficiency of the device’s exploit of beans and the flavor profile of the results obtained. Periodic maintenance, such as descaling and cleaning above-ground shoots, is also necessary. We do this about once a month. This is muddy but keeps the machine in good condition. I can confirm its importance because we follow all the instructions on the device. It makes coffee taste the best. Once I knew how much I liked my coffee, I could almost taste it as it began to fade.
Tips and tricks
- If you want to save yourself trouble in the future, you must follow the setup instructions.
- This coffee maker is best for people who want to get more out of their precious beans, so take advantage of all the customization options available.
- The owner’s manual recommends leaving at least 4 inches of clearance around the side panels, and with the supplied filter basket, no paper filters are needed.
- It is very critical to thoroughly spotless and descale your machine at least once a month to ensure that the taste of your coffee remains fresh and good.
- The coffee machine brews relatively balmy coffee compared to the competition, but thermal carafes are notorious for cooling due to the ambient temperature. So if your kitchen is cool and you like balmy coffee, heat the thermal coffee shop with balmy water and pour it out before brewing.
Other coffee machines with a grinder I tested
Overall, we favor the Breville Grind Control coffee maker, but there are close competitors offering ground coffee and drip brewing for under $300.
Cuisinart 12-Cup Grind-and-Brew Coffee Maker ($200 per culinary art) has a burr grinder and makes a lot of coffee – 12 cups worth. You can adjust the grind to a greater extent than with other models, but fine-tuning is required to find the right strength. A thermal carafe can cause your coffee to chilly down faster, and cleaning the machine can sometimes be arduous. It also brews weaker coffee and doesn’t allow for a second grind if you like your coffee like jet fuel.
Gevi filter coffee machine for 10 cups ($200 per Amazon) is a close competitor and priced accordingly. I liked that it had a burr grinder and was relatively basic to spotless. It also had an oversized tank, so I only refilled the unit from time to time. I also appreciated that it had a glass carafe and a heating element. Filling the water tank was arduous due to the flap being at the back. No matter what I did, I had water everywhere and every time. I also didn’t like the fact that I had to double grind to get a powerful coffee and only had to brew once in the Breville.
Verdict
I love Breville Grind Control and I actually repurchased it after trying several units that didn’t add any mustard to my morning coffee. This is the right coffee machine if you like the taste of freshly ground beans and a powerful cup of coffee. Although it takes some effort, the resulting infusion is absolutely worth the result. After using this machine for over a year
Shipping/warranty information
I bought a coffee machine from the company On the tablewhich was shipped quickly with free shipping. It is also available on Amazon AND Williams Sonomaand the device is covered by a constrained one-year warranty.