Overview
Jason reviews the Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffee Maker that he got for his birthday back in August.
Machine & Description
Cuisinart Grind and Brew
A very esthetically pleasing coffee maker that grinds and brews your coffee. It has simple functionality with timers and setting that make it easy to use. The only downside to this machine is that it cannot brew a 12 cup pot of coffee in one go. This is a major downside to me since it is a 12 cup pot. Overall the machine is just ok.
Overall Rating
2.5 out of 5
Functionality: 2
Esthetics : 4
Ease of Use: 3
Quality: 3
Price vs Above Ratings: 2
Question of the Day?
What type of machine do you have? Do you like it?
Related Posts Recent Coffee Tastings
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I use the AeroPress. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you use that before, but I haven’t seen a good video review of it. But, yeah, thats my only coffee “machine” until I get out of college and can afford a nice burr grinder and french press.
I would really like to know though, is there a head-to-head video-review comparison of a good French Press and the AeroPress out there? I’d really like to see that done and know the particular differences in brewing style and taste for a given coffee and given grind.
AeroPress website: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm
Great review. I like the “hardware” review as well as the coffee reviews, after all, if your going to have good coffee you not only need good beans, you need a good brewing method.
qotd? I do not have this coffee maker, but one of the guys I work with does, and he has the same concerns — especially the moisture gumming up the grinder. For “quick and easy” brewing I have a Bunn pour-over drip coffee maker. I like the Bunn because it does seem to heat the water closer to 200 degrees than do most drip coffee makers. My favorite is still the vac pot.
I have pretty much the same brewer except mine has a thermal (metal) carafe, and my family has the exact same problem. 6 or 8 cups isn’t enough to give us each a full mug of coffee. BUT that being said, for an auto-drip type brewer it produces pretty good coffee.
Also, Cuisinart does make another model that has a built in burr grinder with a much bigger hopper: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DGB-700BC-Automatic-Coffeemaker-Brushed/dp/B000T9SCZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264826179&sr=8-1
I would definitely be interested in seeing an AeroPress review because I have heard great things and have yet to see one in action.
Nice review Jason. I definitely enjoyed this episode. I think you should do more episodes that aren’t just coffee reviews. The coffee reviews are great, but it’s always nice to mix things up a little bit to keep things interesting. It’s nice to see episodes about anything related to coffee. Keep ‘em coming.
Personally, combo products tend to weird me out a little bit. I think you’re better off using a burr grinder and then brewing with a automatic drip. It gives you more control over every part of the brewing process to ensure a good cup. I have the Capresso Infinity burr grinder and then choose between a french press or using a standard auto-drip. My first grinder was a blade grinder and I had such a bad experience I promised myself I’d never go back…
Right away, I noticed the same drawbacks that you pointed out. However, it works for me. I like the feature a lot that it’s an all in one and that I don’t have to grind the beans separately, then pour them in. And since most of the time I’m only making six cups of coffee, it works for me.
.-= Mike from Daily Shot Of Coffee´s last blog ..Winner Of The Zojirushi Coffeemaker =-.
Jason –
Liked the review. As was mentioned by Neil and Chris it is good to see hardware reviews. The beans can only get you so far. After that the hardware plays a critical role in producing our favorite brew.
My at work coffee maker is a Bunn Pour over, for the weekends and evening I had been using a French Press which I still use for company, I then went to an Areopress which I really like. The last couple of weeks I have been using a stainless steel Moka Pot which I am very happy with.
Ooo… a Moka Pot! I admit thats a brew-method I know almost nothing about. A quick Wiki-look makes me want to know more about these stove-top espresso methods. It seems to me, there is more room for the barista artist to express themselves with those pots.
How would you compare it to the AeroPress?
.-= Mark@ATL´s last blog ..m4r: Drinking Ghirardelli: http://is.gd/7ossG and listening to Shpongle: http://is.gd/7osku before sleeping this evening. ☺ #Happy =-.
Mark@ATL,
Maybe a little room for expression but not a lot. To get the best cup of coffee I have found you should use it to it’s capacity. The one thing I have found is it does make a great cup of coffee with other roasts of coffee of just espresso. I have actually been brewing my Sumatra Gayo and Sumatra Mandheling Peaberry in it. It turns out a fantastic cup of coffee. As far as the comparison between the aeropress and the Moka Pot I think you get a fuller taste, more body from the Moka Pot. The draw back is it is no where as quick as the aeropress. I have been using the Moka Pot for over two weeks and I think I am going to stick with it. At least until my vac pot arrives. lol Hope that helped.
I heart my Cusinart Coffee maker. Don’t have the fancy schmancy one, but it it’s stainless steel, has auto brew, 2-4 cup brew, cleaning button, and a few other dudads. The cool thing about Cuisinart is they really stand behind their product. This is our second machine. Have had it for 2 years. Got it for free after the first one, which lasted 2 years, conked out. But only cuz , I overlooked the cleaning cycle! They didn’t care and sent me a new one! Gotta love that customer service. Love the taste of the coffee in this machine!
.-= teachingwithsoul´s last blog ..Inspiring High School Photo Teacher~Amber Fox =-.
That is really good to know. maybe I will give them a call.
Hi Jason.
great review. I have what i thought was the same machine, got it as a wedding present almost 5 years ago. Ours makes a decent 10 cups of coffee, but i always pack the grind chamber pretty good. My grind chamber doesn’t fit anywhere near as tightly as yours does, I think they may have improved the fit because every once in a while if the chamber wasn’t seated correctly the grounds would spill on the inside of the machine.
I love my machine dearly, even though its pretty much relegated to a party coffee machine now. I think the biggest detractor from the version that I have is the cleaning aspect, when you open the basket using the button on the side.
Glad to see someone else’s views on the machine.
.-= paul´s last blog ..Smart Gun cool tech =-.
ya cleaning these machines is not a picnic.
I would really like a new auto coffee pot for when I have people to brew for. More than likely I’d brew all 12-cups. So, this was great to have a video review of a machine to really see what it’s like before I go and waste my money. This pot wouldn’t work for me but I’m sure it could be perfect for others. Thanks for helping me narrow down my choices, Jason.
.-= Jennifer from Daily Demitasse´s last blog ..Coffee, Haiti’s Hope Bean =-.
no problem Jennifer. I will be reviewing more machines in the near future, so hopefully we can narrow down even more in the days to come.
I use a Bunn home brewer. It is definitely with a review. It has a stainless steel reservoir to heat the water to 200 deg F and no extra buttons to mess things up. There is no timer, but who needs one when it brews a whole pot in 2 minutes. Plus, the filter basket is huge so you can actually brew the full 10 cups.
Hi Jason… Good Review.. Glad to know that you still enjoy the machine. Sounds like it works good for morning coffee, just not for large groups. QOTD.. I finally did get a new coffee maker as my Bunn developed problems after 10 + years. I got a MR. Coffee with automatic timer. It was a birthday present!! I really like the fact that it has an automatic timer.
ya, it is great at making my morning coffee! thanks again.
Nice review Jason,
I’m still a little shy of Cuisinart machines, as I’ve never owned one personally.
I think it’s easy to just review a coffee maker, and give it a bad wrap, when in reality – pretty much any machine takes a few weeks of use to warm up. What I mean is, as you get more familiar with each machines quirks and characteristics, you can tweak thing accordingly and get a decent cup.
Having said that, I’m very excited about the new Cuisinart/Keurig joint venture. Looks pretty awesome!
For my part, Bunn, Zojirushi and La Pavoni…
Thanks for the review and was thinking about purchasing one.
.-= JBs Cookinglady´s last blog ..Philly Cheese Steak Not Just For The Super Bowl! =-.
All the Cuisinart machines are great. They make the best Coffee makers ever