Our roundup of the best grind and brew coffee makers could be broken into 2 parts:
- Best grind and brew coffee makers with burr grinders
- Best grind and brew coffee makers with blade grinders
Burr grinders are far superior to blade grinders, so the Breville Grind Control easily tops all of those.
But even among the burr grinder models, the Breville Grind Control stands out.
- You can change grind size.
- It has a flat burr for a more uniform grind.
- You can brew single 5 oz cups.
Add in the high-quality thermal carafe and the Breville brand name, and we have a winner.
This is one of many Cuisinart grind and brew coffee makers.
The Cuisinart DGB-900 is their top grind and brew coffee maker, offering a 60 oz max brew size, a conical stainless steel burr, and a thermal carafe.
Unfortunately, it doesn't allow you to change grind size like some of the other best grind and brew coffee makers.
The Barsetto Grind & Brew is another model that allows you to change grind size with its stainless steel conical burr, and it actually boasts the widest array of grind options–up to 18 different sizes.
Though it only has a glass carafe and a smaller 50 oz volume–many on this list go up to 60 oz–that type of grinder flexibility is awesome. Remember, your grinder is your most important piece of coffee equipment.
The Cuisinart DGB-850 is nearly identical to the DGB-900.
They have all of the same buttons and options, they brew the same volume, the bean hoppers are the same size, and they both come with thermal carafes and conical stainless steel burrs.
The DGB-850 falls lower solely because it’s a more outdated model, but I’d still get this over the DGB-900 if you can get a better price.
The Krups Grind & Brew lets you manually adjust grind size, but it falls a little short of of other models with that ability because you only have 5 grind sizes to choose from.
Compare that with the Breville Grind Control's 6 settings, Klarstein Aromatica's 9 settings, and Barsetto Grind & Brew's 18 settings.
It also has a relatively small 5.3 oz bean hopper.
That said, having a small bean hopper isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Sure, you need to refill it more frequently, but it’s always better to store whole bean coffee in the dark and away from harmful UV rays.
The Klarstein Aromatica Grind & Brew is another model with a conical stainless steel burr and grind size adjustability, but it has a narrower range of brew sizes than the Breville Grind Control and fewer grind size settings than the Barsetto Grind & Brew.
The Klarstein also combines a Strength selector – Mild, Medium, Strong – with adjustable grind size to let you dial in your perfect cup.
Selecting “Strong” will grind more coffee. If you want a really robust cup, pair “Strong” with the finest grind size.
I really like one specific feature of the Capresso CoffeeTeam PRO Plus.
It has an “Oily Bean” selector that lets you tell the grinder you’re using a darker, oilier bean.
Oily beans tend to gum up the works. When the oily bean setting is on, the burr grinds more slowly to prevent any backups.
It's simple but it’s a really awesome feature.
- Comes with 6 oz bean hopper and conical burr grinder
- Drip stop included to pour off your first cup while it’s brewing
- Programmable 24-hour Auto-On
- Included conical burr grinder adds hefty cost
- Grinder can’t easily be cleaned or accessed
- Extraction could be better
In the intro I mentioned Capresso was the first to produce a programmable coffee maker featuring a conical burr grinder.
The CoffeeTeam TS is one of those models, and it's Grind & Brew functionality simplifies the brewing process through its all-in-one design.
This machine is incredibly easy to use:
- Make sure the coffee bean container has enough beans in it,
- Select your serving size from 2-10 cups,
- Select “GRIND/BREW” button from the front control panel,
- Sit back and relax,
It’s that simple to get a great cup of coffee from freshly ground beans.
And if your favorite coffee only comes pre-ground, don’t worry — you can use that too with the CoffeeTeam TS’s “BREW” button (instead of “GRIND/BREW”).
The 6 oz bean hopper holds enough beans for around 20 cups of coffee, or 2 full 10-cup brews.
The conical burr grinder is the major differentiating feature from Capresso's popular MT series.
Pretty much everything else — notably the included GoldTone permanent filter, charcoal water filter and thermal carafe — is the same as the MT600.
Let's note 2 other differences:
- Price: You can buy an effective, electric, conical burr grinder for around $50. The gap in price between these two models is much more than that (unless you find this one on sale).
- Ease of Cleaning: Dark, oily beans don’t work very well with built-in grinders. While you can check to make sure the feeder into the grinder isn’t clogged, actually cleaning the grinder requires disassembly.
OK, so here’s an interesting model.
I mean, it isn't every day you see a grind and brew coffee maker that doubles as a single-serve coffee maker.
Do you live alone, or are you the only coffee drinker in your home?
If so, the Cuisinart DGB-1FR may be for you. It’s a single-serve grind and brew coffee maker that brews up to 16 oz and accommodates travel mugs so you can brew and go.
- Compatible with both whole bean and pre-ground coffee
- Brew size setting optimizes brew process for smaller servings (1-4 cups)
- Convenient Brew Pause feature
- Programmable 24-hour start time and Auto-Off feature
- Attractive stainless steel exterior
- Grinder builds up coffee paste and requires frequent cleaning
- Everything has to be dry before making a pot
- Requires frequent cleaning to prevent clogging
- Smaller brew sizes using 1-4 cup setting may not get hot enough
- Grinder is very noisy
I almost exclusively drink whole bean coffee, and I love my Culinary Prestige Manual Grinder to get the perfect, customizable grind for my cup.
But if you’re looking to keep things simple with an all-in-one grind and brew coffee maker, then go with the Cuisinart DGB-550. Compatible with both whole bean and pre-ground coffee, this coffee maker keeps the brew process as simple as possible.
Like the DCC-3200, the DGB-550 features Cuisinart’s Brew Pause feature allow you to halt the brew process (advisable only up to 20 seconds) and siphon off a quick cup before the brew is complete. Also like the DCC-3200, you can use the 1-4 cup brew setting to optimize the brew for smaller portions.
Despite a smaller brew capacity than the DCC-3200, the DGB-550 is bigger and heavier due to the built-in grinder. The grinder is pre-set for a medium grind, which is the recommended grind size for this brewer’s speed and brew process.
Clean the grinder regularly. It’s advisable you do it after each use! It’s a simple process, though: rinse and use a bristle brush to lightly scrub. The grinder basket and grinder lid are both dishwasher safe.
However, while the cleaning process is simple, it’s not always easy.
Because the grinder is part of the coffee maker, it tends to get moist from the hot water and steam of the brewing process. This mixes with the finer, powdery parts of the medium grind to create a paste-like substance that adheres well to the grinder basket. To keep everything functioning properly, you’ll have to dedicate time to cleaning this paste. For that reason, I still prefer a separate grinder — either the Culinary Prestige manual grinder mentioned earlier or an electronic grinder.
Again, we’re looking at a budget-friendly grind and brew coffee maker with a blade grinder and a mediocre brand name.
There aren’t any standout features here.
I’d only consider getting a model like the BLACK+DECKER Mill & Brew if you’re an infrequent coffee drinker or if you just want something easy for your guests.
