Ready to learn why a combo coffee machine might just be one of the best coffee makers you've ever owned?

If you want a delicious cup of coffee made with freshly ground beans but don't want to buy a coffee maker and grinder separately, then ditch your old drip coffee maker and upgrade to one of these coffee makers with grinders included.

What is a grind-and-brew coffee maker?

There are tons of different names for coffee makers with built-in grinders:

• Coffee makers with grinders
• Grind and brew coffee makers
• Mill and brew coffee makers
• Whole bean coffee makers
• Bean-to-brew coffee makers (my personal favorite)

They all mean the same thing: a machine that combines two coffee appliances in one space-saving design:

1. Drip coffee maker
2. Coffee grinder

Instead of adding ground coffee to your coffee maker's filter basket and brewing, a grind-and-brew coffee machine has a built-in grinder that grinds whole coffee beans before each use.

You can choose the grind settings you want — including coarseness — and then brew the same way you normally would with a standard drip coffee maker.

It's the same technology you see in a super-automatic espresso machine, which also has a built-in grinder to grind fresh, whole coffee beans and extracts a shot of espresso with the push of a single button.

Why should I get a mill and brew coffee maker?

Whole bean coffee makers are insanely popular because they’re a great middle-ground for coffee lovers looking to brew a better cup without either (a) spending a ton of money or (b) making their coffee routine too complicated.

There are two great reasons to consider one of these coffee makers with grinder included:

1. Convenience
2. Freshly ground beans taste better — period

The first benefit is obvious — these are the best coffee makers for those who want quality coffee quickly — but why should you care about grinding your coffee before each brew? Why not just use the regular ground coffee you normally buy from the grocery store?

Freshly ground coffee tastes better—period

Babbie’s Rule of 15s states that once you grind whole coffee beans, you should brew within 15 minutes. Otherwise, your coffee won’t taste as fresh as possible.

This rule is more like a guideline–for example, you could grind coffee beans the day before and seal it in a jar without much air–but it’s pretty darn close.

Why do ground coffee beans spoil so quickly? The process of grinding creates a ton of surface area, and that leads to the oxidation of volatile organic acids that are responsible for coffee’s enticing flavor and aroma.

What is oxidation? Oxidation occurs when oxygen molecules rip electrons away from other compounds, turning them into a new chemical. We breathe oxygen to stay alive, but it’s a really destructive element (think: rust).

Compared to ground beans, whole coffee beans have very little surface area. This means those precious organic acids are protected inside the bean. When you grind your coffee beans and then brew them immediately, you ensure those acids are preserved in your final brew and not lost or degraded.

Captain Obvious Alert: If you’re determined to improve your coffee by grinding your coffee beans before each brew, then you’re going to need a grinder.

The best setup involves getting a dedicated burr grinder, such as the Baratza Encore (entry-level) or Baratza Vario-W (pricier), and a dedicated coffee maker—whichever style you prefer:

• Drip coffee maker
• French press
• Pour-over
• Espresso machine

Or any other coffee machine you prefer.

These standalone grinders are better. Most notably, they do a better job grinding uniformly, which is important for getting an evenly extracted and repeatable cup of coffee.

And put bluntly: The grinder in an all-in-one machine just isn't as good as a standalone burr grinder.

That said, getting a dedicated grinder and dedicated coffee maker might be prohibitively expensive for you. Or maybe you just can’t taste the difference between coffee made with a good grinder and a great grinder.

That’s totally fine! That’s why these coffee makers exist.

Can I still use pre-ground coffee?

Yes, even though a combo machine has a built-in coffee grinder, most models still allow you to use pre-ground beans by adding your coffee through the machine's bypass doser, which skips the burr grinder and goes straight into the filter basket. This is the same system you see on many super-automatic espresso machines.

12 Buying Factors You Should Consider

There are 12 key features you should consider when choosing between the best coffee makers:

1. Max brew volume
2. Min brew volume
3. Grinder type (burr vs blade and flat vs conical)
4. Adjustable grind sizes
5. Strength control
6. Display
7. Bean hopper volume
8. Carafe type
9. Programmability
10. Auto shut-off functionality
11. Filter type
12. Size

1. Max brew volume and 2. min brew volume

These have obvious importance: that’s how much coffee you’ll be making.

Min brew size shouldn’t be overlooked, though. Do you want a cup of coffee at 4:00 pm to power you through the end of your workday? You probably don’t need a whole pot.

3. Grinder type

The grinder is the primary selling point of these machines, so don't skimp here. The most important question to ask yourself: What kind of grinder does the coffee maker have? Burr or blades?

Burr grinders are far superior to blade grinders and produce a much better-tasting cup of coffee. First, burr grinders produce a more uniform grind, and that means more even extraction. Second, blade grinders generate a lot of heat, which can scorch your beans and pull out the undesirable off-flavors of the coffee bean.

Once you’ve settled on a burr grinder, the choice then becomes flat or conical? Neither is inherently better than the other, but flat burrs are a little better when brewing standard pots of coffee. That’s why our top-ranked model uses a flat burr, but a conical burr works well too.

4. Adjustable grind sizes

Before you pick one of these coffee makers with grinders, make sure it has the grind size options you're looking for. Personally, I want a machine with more flexibility. Some models let you adjust the grind from finer to more coarse, allowing you to control the brew strength and dial in your perfect cup of coffee.

For example, the top-ranked Breville Grind Control coffee maker has a conical burr grinder with 6 grind settings and a bypass doser for pre-ground beans. The price point is higher than the similarly-ranked Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew, but the DGB-900BC doesn't let you change the size. The Capresso CoffeeTeam does let you adjust the fineness with 5 grind settings.

5. Brew strength control

In addition to grind size options, some machines also brew strength settings that make an extra-strong pot of coffee.

6. Display

Do you want a machine with an LCD display to control all of that grinding and brewing? Or maybe you're fine with a traditional button-only interface. The Breville Grind Control coffee machine has a blue-backlit LCD display that looks great against its brushed steel exterior, and it makes the whole machine easy to use for the discerning coffee lover who wants a hot, better-tasting pot of coffee.

7. Bean hopper volume

How much whole bean coffee can the machine hold?

Larger machines that brew up to 12 cups of coffee should have at least 8 oz bean hoppers.

If you don't need a full pot of coffee and tend to go through your beans more slowly, a larger hopper isn't necessarily better, as light and air can cause your beans to spoil. If you want to store your beans in your machine, look for a model with a hopper made from UV-resistant plastic and plastic gaskets around the rim to seal out oxygen.

8. Carafe type

Thermal or glass?

Models that come with glass carafes tend to have hot plates for a hot cup of Joe. These aren’t my favorite–I always seem to burn myself. In my opinion, thermal carafes are the way to go. They don’t need heated plates and thus (a) draw less power and (b) are safer in homes with kids and/or pets.

9. Programmability

Do you like waking up to the smell of a freshly brewed (and freshly ground!) pot of coffee?

If so, look for a fully programmable machine with auto-start. They're easy to use and let you enjoy a fresh pot of brewed coffee without pushing a single button. All you have to do is make sure the water reservoir is full and you're locked and loaded with your favorite whole coffee beans. When you wake up, you'll hear your machine doing its work as the burr grinders chew through your favorite roast.

10. Auto shutoff functionality

Most fully-programmable machines have auto-shutoff functionality, and it's a must-have for coffee lovers with spotty memories (like me). This feature lets you set the brewer to turn off after a set period of time, usually a few hours. This mainly applies to the heating elements on machines with glass carafes so you don’t leave them on all day by accident.

11. Filter type

All of the machines on this list come with permanent filters, but they come in three different sizes: #2 (cone-shaped), #4 (semi-cone-shaped with a flat bottom), and cylindrical. This really only matters if you want to buy paper filters, as you’ll need a different type for each filter shape.

Note that you can still remove a permanent filter. The "permanent" part means it's made with a metal mesh that can be cleaned and reused. You can also buy a permanent filter even if your machine doesn't come with one (I recommend Gold Tone) but make sure the filter fits inside your machine's brew basket. Some have flat bottoms while others have semi-conical bottoms.

On the subject of filters, many machines use a charcoal water filter insider their water tank to filter out impurities that would affect the taste of your coffee. If your machine isn't compatible with a charcoal water filter, you may want to add filtered water to your water reservoir.

12. Size

By size, we mean two things:

1. Weight and dimensions: How much space does it takes up on your counter. If you’re planning on tucking your coffee maker under a cabinet, make sure you have enough clearance.
2. Cups of coffee: How much brewed coffee do you need? Make sure the water tank, carafe, and hopper volumes make enough for the whole family or office.

In general, it's better to have more machine than you need, but if you truly don't need more than one cup of Joe at a time, consider a single-serve machine with a built-in grinder like the Cuisinart DGB-1FR.