Whoa… wait. Why would you even need the best grind and brew coffee maker in the first place? You can already buy your favorite coffee pre-ground and vacuum sealed. Talk about convenience!
Well, the answer is freshness.
The clock is ticking…
For up to two weeks after roasting, coffee beans de-gas and release carbon dioxide. During this time, coffee is protected from oxidizing and becoming stale. It’s like it’s very own little protective bubble!
After roasting, grinding causes coffee to de-gas within minutes, causing it to quickly lose its aroma and become stale.
Coffee manufacturers are smart enough to immediately seal your pre-ground coffee, but once you open the pack it’ll lose most of its flavor before the sun goes down. Bummer.
The best coffee maker with grinder will grind only as many coffee beans as you need, and start to brew your morning joe while it’s still fresh as a daisy!
So how do I choose the right one for me?
There are a few different things to consider when choosing the right machine for you.
The first…
Blade Mill or Burr Grinder?
A blade mill is cheaper, but it generates heat and friction which can change the taste of coffee beans. The size of the grounds will not be consistently sized either.
The size of the grounds are very important, since too fine a grind can lead to over-extraction and bitterness, and too coarse a grind can make a weak coffee. Ground consistency is equally important, since an inconsistent grind will be made up of too fine and too course grains.
A Burr grinder is slower and more thorough, giving you a more uniform grind. This will guarantee a better tasting coffee.
Glass Carafe or Thermal Carafe?
A glass carafe sits on your coffee maker’s hot plate, keeping it hot once made. As a safety mechanism, the hot plate will switch off after two hours.
Coffee makers with a thermal carafe have no hot plate. Instead, the insulated walls of the carafe keep the coffee hot for hours.
A thermal coffee maker is a great choice for people who don’t want their coffee burnt by a hot plate, or who dislike the idea of an unattended hot plate in their kitchen.
So basically, if temperature is most important to you in good coffee, choose a glass one. If flavor is most important to you, a thermal one’s the better choice.
So now that you know what to look for, here are the best grind and brew coffee maker reviews.
The Best Coffee Maker with Grinder Reviews
The Cuisinart DGB-625BC and DGB-550BK Grind-and-Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemakers
At a glance: Cheap, but high maintenance.
Both the Cuisinart DGB-625BC and DGB-550BK are great if you’re on a strict budget. (I am reviewing these coffee machines together because inside they are almost identical – they only differ in how they look.)
They both use a blade mill to grind the coffee beans – this is what keeps its price low. As a result the grind is a little uneven, making a weaker coffee. To give your coffee a little more kick, simply add more beans than you’re used to.
They both use permanent gold tone filters, meaning that you don’t need to use paper filters if you don’t want to.
The big downside to these coffee makers with grinders is their high maintenance.
During each use, steam rises up into the grinder making a ‘paste’ with the remaining coffee grounds, which you need to thoroughly clean and leave out to dry after each use. And unfortunately there are many nooks and crannies in the unit which you need to get to as well.
Altogether you’ll need to clean inside the unit, the grinder, and the grinder lid, in addition to what you’d need to clean with any other coffee machine (the carafe and filter). You’ll also need to fill the bean hopper each day with the amount of beans you’ll need.
But it’s not all doom and gloom – you will quickly get used to it and cleanup will become second nature!
On the plus side, it’s programmable so you can wake up to freshly brewed coffee (just remember to fill it with beans!), the coffee is hot, and it comes with a fantastic three year warranty.
This is the machine for you if price is the most important thing to you, and if you can live with its high maintenance.
PROS
- Cheap and cheerful
- Permanent gold tone filter
- Long 3 year warranty
CONS
- Fiddly to clean
- Beans need filling each day
- Blade mill grinder – coffee will be less delicious than from a burr grinder
So which should you buy – the DGB-550BK vs DGB-625BC? If you have no preference on looks, simply go with the cheapest. You can compare the prices below.
- Click herefor the best price on the Cuisinart 550BK, and here for the best price on the 625BC at Amazon.
Black & Decker CM5000B 12-Cup Mill and Brew Coffeemaker
In a line: Cheaper and easier to clean, but is it reliable?
The Black and Decker CM5000B has some great things in its favor.
It’s the cheapest coffee maker with grinder, and it’s also pretty easy to clean It doesn’t suffer from the same issue of steam entering the grinder as the Cuisinart machines above do. Plus the parts are easier to disassemble and clean.
Like the Cuisinart it also has a permanent bronze tone filter.
Its cheap price tag may come with a hidden cost though – possible problems with reliability. A fair number of users experience problems with water leaking out of the unit.
However it does come with a 2 year warranty, so if you are one of the unlucky ones to develop an early fault, you can get it replaced.
PROS
- The cheapest grind and brew coffee maker
- Easy to clean
- Permanent filter
CONS
- Blade mill grinder
- Possible issues with reliability
If you’re on the strictest budget, this could be the coffee maker for you.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder
At a glance: Compact, Burr grinder, great tasting coffee.
The Jura Capresso CoffeeTEAM GS 10 Cup Grind & Brew has a burr grinder and a glass carafe.
You’re able to fine tune it to produce a great cup of coffee with five grind and three strength settings. It also has room in the hopper for a good few days of beans.
It uses a burr grinder which precisely grinds your beans to a uniform size. This delivers a great tasting brew because the grind won’t contain ‘dust’ and ‘boulders’ – which cause bitter and weak coffee respectively.
The Burr grinder in this coffee machine is a conical burr grinder, which gives coffee a stronger aroma than a flat burr grinder.
As with all the best grind and brew coffee makers on this page, it is programmable so you can start the day with fresh coffee waiting for you.
This machine is compact so it’s better for smaller kitchens, and has a very cool, classic design like a Cadillac. It’s also well designed – steam won’t get into the grinder, which means cleaning is easy.
The warranty is comparatively short, at only 1 year.
PROS
- Good tasting coffee
- Mid range price tag
- Compact design
- Conical burr grinder (enhanced aromatics)
CONS
- Shorter 1 year warranty
This is best for you if you have a smaller kitchen and want great tasting coffee.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
The Best Thermal Grind & Brew Reviews
Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker
At a glance: Reliable.
The Cuisinart DGB-900BC is well known for its reliability, and has a flat plate burr grinder and thermal carafe.
The burr grinder performs well, grinding the beans at a low speed to preserve its flavor, but it does have its limitations. The grounds come out on the coarse side, producing a weaker coffee. But you can adjust for this – simply set the machine to grind for more cups than you need.
For example, if you want 8 cups of coffee, fill it with water to the 8 cup line, but set it to grind for 10 cups of coffee. This way, 10 cups worth of beans are ground for 8 cups of coffee.
Although not as loud as a blade mill, this burr mill is still loud, so if your kitchen is very close to the bedroom, you may wake up light sleepers.
This machine uses a flat burr grinder, rather than the conical burr grinders of the machines above. To most people this won’t make much difference, but if you’re a connoisseur, you might notice it gives the taste a little more body.
(If you’re a connoisseur, the Breville YouBrew with thermal carafe right at the bottom of this page will probably be more up your alley.)
The general consensus is that conical burrs tend to enhance aromatics, while flat burrs tend to sort of even out and meld flavors in the cup. So, if you love acidity, consider going conical. If you love body, consider going flat.
Thankfully, the DGB-900BC doesn’t suffer from the same steam-related problems as the DGB-625BC – steam doesn’t get inside the unit and clog the grinder. Phew! You simply need to rinse the filter assembly and carafe with each use. And then every week, use the supplied brush to clean out the grind spout. Simple!
The bean hopper is a good size, and holds 1/2 lb of beans. This is convenient since you’ll need to refill it less often. It’s programmable, so you can wake up to fresh coffee, and you can specify the number of cups to be brewed.
The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours, without any risk of burnt coffee. It’s also reliable, and comes with a 3 year warranty for peace of mind.
PROS
- Good tasting coffee
- Flat plate burr grinder (enhanced body)
- Easy to clean
- Reliable
- 3 year warranty
CONS
- Grinds a little coarse (so needs more beans)
This is the best thermal grind and brew if reliability is most important to you.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Capresso 465 CoffeeTeam TS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder and Thermal Carafe
At a glance: Compact, great coffee.
The Capresso 465 is exactly the same machine as the Capresso 464.05, but with a thermal carafe.
It’s compact, stylish, and has many settings to produce exactly the right coffee for you. It also has the same 1 year warranty.
This is ideal for you if you need great coffee in a compact unit.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control
In a line: All singing, all dancing. The best tasting coffee, quality construction and completely customizable.
The Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control is a top of the range machine which ticks all the boxes:
- Build quality – Premium build and tough stainless steel burr grinders.
- The best tasting coffee – Precision engineered to brew at exactly the right temperature, even water distribution water, plus 6 grind and 8 strength settings.
- Ease of use – Once you’ve found the right settings for you, simply hit ‘Start’. However, getting to this point can take a little time because of all the settings and functions.
A lot of attention has been put into every part of the brewing process, going further than any other machine. This is the best coffee maker with grinder in all categories.
It isn’t without its negatives though. While the grinder isn’t the loudest, it isn’t the quietest either.
You might also find it a bit fiddly to clean at first. This is the trade-off for a piece of technology focused so intensely on flavor. The instructions are very clear though, and you will soon get used to it before you find yourself doing it on autopilot.
Comes with a 1 year warranty.
PROS
- The best tasting coffee
- Fully adjustable to get your coffee just the way you like it
CONS
- A little pricey
- Cleaning can be a chore at first
- Shorter 1 year warranty
This is the best grind and brew coffee maker 2021 with thermal carafe if you want the best coffee, made to your liking.
- Click here for the best price at Amazon.
Albert Webb says
Breville BDC600XL is the best coffee and brew maker because its a great performance. I was using this since 1 years. It has a great feature of and working tools for making best coffee which you want. Thanks for giving us a good review about this product.
Christine Cundy says
Not all found at Amazon.co.uk Need review on cheaper machines! These are too pricey for normal household !
SuLew says
The Breville makes good coffee. But its design is weak. Steam gets in and clogs the chute which much be cleaned regularly and is a real pain to get to.
Brad says
Had Breville for just over two years. Required frequent cleaning with vinegar. Often had trouble. Easy ring water level and there is no way to brew correctly without accurate water measurement. Last week heater element went out. Never had that happen to a coffee maker in 40+ years of brewing. Looking for a new brand. Has capresso coffeeteam improved their design at all from five years ago? Guess I’ll find out.
Paivi Puntila says
Have you taken a look at the following machines:
Philips HD7766/00 Grind & Brew
Russell Hobbs Buckingham Grind & Brew
Hiw would you rate them? Thanks in advance 🙂
Lita Watson says
Black and Decker Coffee Maker interests me a lot. It’s simple and easy to operate. Unfortunately, its water tank is not removable