Cuisinart Grind & Brew Automatic Coffee Maker Review

Cuisinart Grind & Brew Automatic Coffee Maker Review

One minute review

Cuisinart is perhaps a brand synonymous with food processors, and was in fact the device that launched the household name. However, since its beginnings in the 1970s, the brand has greatly expanded its range and now offers home appliances, cookware and gadgets, including some of the best coffee makers around (opens in a new tab).

In the United States, Cuisinart offers a wide range of coffee makers, but in other countries the selection is more limited. The Grind & Brew DGB-650BC automatic coffee maker is available in the US and UK, with its built-in bean grinder making it one of the most premium drip coffee makers available from the brand.

Its ability to grind whole coffee beans, along with a large 10-cup thermal carafe, means this coffee maker promises more than your average model. But it's not just for whole coffee beans; the grinder can be turned off if you prefer to use ground coffee. It's also fully programmable, so you can set it at bedtime to give you a fresh cup of coffee when you wake up.

During testing, we found it to be easy to use and set up, the thermal carafe keeps coffee warm, but the 10-cup capacity is enough to fill five decent-sized mugs. We had to play around with the amount of coffee to get the flavor we were going for, but overall, the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto makes a great cup of coffee with minimal effort. However, there will be some parts to clean at the end of the infusion.

This model is best suited for households that want coffee from freshly ground beans, without having to use a separate grinder. But if you usually drink the entire pitcher right after brewing it, you might be able to save some money and buy the model with the glass pitcher instead.

set up and assemble the Cuisinart Grind & Brew

(Image credit: future)

Cuisinart Grind and Brew Automatic Coffee Maker Price and Availability

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto DGB-650BC is available direct from Cuisinart or Amazon in the UK and US. The bean crush function and thermal carafe make it more expensive than more basic drip coffee makers. However, those who don't need the thermal carafe should consider the Grind & Brew DGB-625BC. In addition to the glass carafe, it offers the same features for a more affordable price of just €99.95 / €125.

Integrated

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto is about the size we'd expect for this style of brewer, measuring 15 x 8 x 8,1 inches/ 38 x 20,3 x 20,6 cm (H x W x D). It can be pushed to the back of your counter, but if you have wall-mounted kitchen cabinets, keep in mind that you'll need some room above to flip the lid over to access the water tank and grinder.

It's not the most attractive coffee maker we've seen. That said, the stainless steel exterior is harmless, but it's easily marked by fingerprints, which is frustrating. Setup was easy, however we were able to quickly figure out how to assemble and get the coffee maker up and running.

Cuisinart Grind & Brew exterior is stainless steel

(Image credit: future)

The Cuisinart comes with two carbon water filters to remove chlorine and off-flavors from tap water. A filter will stay with you for about 90 days and you can buy replacement parts cheaply online. The water reservoir is filled by folding down the top lid and there is a water level indicator with cup markers on the side of the brewer.

This model does not have a bean hopper, so you will need to fill the grinder with fresh beans before brewing. However, if you use pre-ground coffee, the 'grind' button will deactivate the grinder and you can add coffee directly into the filter, which opens at the front. All parts can be easily removed for cleaning by hand or in the dishwasher.

The easy-to-use control panel displays the time and allows you to program the coffeemaker to brew at any time within the next 24 hours. There is also a 1-4 cup button that must be selected if you are preparing such amounts; adjust the process for better extraction and flavor.

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew control panel is simple

(Image credit: future)

Performance

We found this coffee maker to be easy to use and set up and, unlike espresso machines, there are no hard skills to master. We brewed the full 10-cup capacity first, which took just over 10 minutes, including grinding. The manual recommends a tablespoon of beans per cup, but no more than 14 tablespoons, so we went with 12 to make sure it's strong enough. The flavor was fresh and full, not bitter or overpowering, but that will vary depending on what beans you use.

pour coffee from the provided carafe with Cuisinart Grind & Brew

(Image credit: future)

At 77 dB, the screeching was the loudest part of the process. Fortunately, it didn't last too long. The temperature of the freshly brewed coffee was 170oF/77oC, and we poured a few cups and left the rest in the carafe. Two hours later, his temperature had dropped to 151oF/66oC, which was still hot enough to drink. Five hours after making it, it had dropped to 129oF/54oC, which is hot enough, if you don't plan on adding milk. All in all, considering the coffee had been sitting in the carafe, and not on a hot plate, for five hours, that's a pretty good result.

The amount of coffee brewed depends on how much water is filled into the machine, so to brew four cups, which is equal to two cups, we fill the water up to the four cup line. The manual says that if you're brewing four cups or less, you should add 1½ tablespoons of coffee grounds per cup, so we've added six tablespoons. We also hit the 1-4 cup button for this brew; It's not essential that you do this, but Cuisinart says it will enhance the flavor of the resulting drink. It took seven and a half minutes to brew a four cup quantity and the resulting coffee came out at 167oF/75oC. Cusinart advises reheating the carafe with hot water if you want your coffee to be hotter. So the next time we make four cups, we'll first pour boiling water into the pitcher and let it steep for five minutes. After reheating the carafe, the brewed coffee measured a temperature slightly above 172oF/78oC.

pour just the right amount of coffee from the Cuisinart carafe

(Image credit: future)

Using ground coffee is easier than adding beans to the grinder - just add the ground coffee directly to the filter. You will need to remember to press the "grind" button or the grinder will keep spinning. Brewing with ground coffee is quieter, with Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto peaking at 50dB on our sound meter. A full 10-cup brew took just under 10 minutes, which is similar to the brew time with whole beans, while a four-cup brew took five minutes faster. We found that using pre-ground coffee resulted in a stronger drink, but also much more bitter, although again this will largely depend on the coffee you use.

While brewing, you can remove the carafe to pour in coffee without spilling, then brewing will continue when you replace the carafe. The support plate under the carafe was the only part of the pot that got hot during brewing; the rest remained cool to the touch. We also tested the scheduling feature, and found it easy to set the machine at night to automatically brew coffee in the morning, though we'd suggest a test run to make sure you've got it right to avoid having to do without your morning. caffeine solution.

Cleaning the coffee maker consisted of simply emptying the grounds out of the filter and then washing all the parts. The filter and carafe are dishwasher safe, but we found that a good rinse removed most of the coffee residue. It's a good idea to let all the parts dry completely before using them again, especially if you don't plan on using the coffeemaker for a few days.

Empty Cuisinart Grind & Brew Filter Beans

(Image credit: future)

Should I buy the Cuisinart Grind and Brew Auto?

Buy it if...

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First test: June 2022

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