5 Best Grind and Brew Coffee Makers for Richly Satisfying Drinks

Can we all agree that waking up a little early just to smell the refreshing coffee aroma fill the house is gratifying? But what happens when the dark concentrate dripping into your cup is undrinkable? Don’t you remember the time the office coffee grinder malfunctioned, and you drank something indescribably gruesome.

The truth is, the nerve-stimulating and mood-boosting aroma of fresh coffee is only possible if you invest in the best grind and brew coffee maker. And not mildly ground but fully ground coffee. For the best ground coffee that won’t take hours to prepare, we shall review some of the top grind and brew coffee makers.

5 Best Grind and Brew Coffee Maker for the Money (Our Editors’ Choices for 2019)

#1. Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew – Our Top Pick

To enjoy the convenience of freshly ground and brewed coffee, you might want to try our top pick – the Cuisinart DGB-900BC. It’s a 24-hour programmable coffee maker that comes with a double-walled insulated stainless steel thermal carafe. This carafe ensures that you have fresh and hot coffee for most of the day. It holds a maximum of 12 coffee cups, and it will work well for your family or even a small office.

The carafe has exquisite stainless steel giving your kitchen an elegant flair while its handle is ergonomically designed with a comfortable grip handles that prevent accidents like spills or burns. Thanks to the insulation, the carafe will retain the heat of your coffee while keeping your coffee as fresh as possible.

As a programmable coffee maker, you will enjoy the convenience that comes with its auto shutoff function as well as the brew-pause and the grind functions. Brew Pause lets you enjoy your coffee before the end of brewing while the grind functions (including grind off feature) allow control over intensity and volume.

Wondering how good the coffee is? Well, the incorporation of a built-in and an automatic burr grinder ensure that the coffee beans are ground evenly yielding high-quality and richly satisfying coffee. It also boasts an 8-ounce bean hopper which holds up to half a pound of coffee beans.

Using the strength selector (mild, medium, and strength) and the grind control features, you get to control the strength of your coffee by fine-tuning the intensity and the volume of the coffee brewed. So, even if the carafe holds 12 5-ounce cups of coffee, you can make 2 or more cups easily and to your strength preference. A 2-4 feature is integrated into the brewing unit.

To ensure that you only enjoy unadulterated flavors of coffee, Cuisinart DGB-900BC comes with a charcoal coffee filter and a permanent gold tone filter. It also comes with an instruction book and a measuring scoop.

You’ll also like the fact that the coffee maker is BPA-free.

Pros

Charcoal filter removes impurities from water as does the gold-tone commercial-style permanent filter
BPA-Free
Easy programming
12-cup (54-ounce) Thermal carafe that retains the quality of the coffee.
Easy to use
Strength and volume control
Detailed user manual
It comes with a grind-off feature
Affordable

Cons

Cleaning is a hassle
You cannot reheat the coffee with a carafe when it gets cold

#2. Breville BES870XL Barista Express

This is a barista-certified espresso machine. It’s a 15-bar Italian Pump machine with a 1600W thermal coil heating system which ensures that every shot of espresso served is the best there is.

Some of the unique features of this two-in-one coffee maker include the purge function which adjusts the water temperature automatically after steaming ensuring that the machine reaches the optimal espresso extraction temperature at all times.

The quality of coffee from the machine is high, and you can expect exceptional coffee greatness from the machine thanks to the high-performance stainless steel conical burr grinder. The grinder lets you grind exactly what you need into the portafilter. You’ll also like the fact that you can adjust the grind size, as well as the dose to match your preference. It has a 1/2lbs sealed bean hopper.

Besides the efficient grinder, this machine is fitted with a dose control feature in the form of a patented razor dosing tool which trims off the puck for consistency during extraction. Besides precise dosing, the machine boasts precise temperature thanks to the PID digital temperature control which delivers the exact water temperature during the extraction process.

You also get a feature for volumetric controls for presetting single or double shots, as per your preferred volume. The volume control is made possible by the low-pressure pre-infusion which will gradually increase pressure from the start to the end of the extraction process.

By grinding whole beans, you get to enjoy the full textures, aromas, and flavors of your coffee.

Pros

Tamper control
High-quality coffee
Volume and strength control
Strength and temperature precision
Ease of use
Durable stainless steel construction
Anti-purge function for the best espresso

Cons

Expensive
You have to refill it often
A little loud

#3. Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control

The next best bean-to-cup coffee maker is this Breville BDC650BSS, a techy machine that boasts an industrial design as well as even and precision grinding.

Its 8 strength settings will let you choose one of the 8 strengths from mild to strong. You could also choose the pre-ground option for brewing coffee the way you like. It has a 1/2lb hopper capacity with a locking mechanism for easy removal, as well as storage and transfer.

It has a 12-cup brewing capacity for the thermal carafe though it also allows for single cup servings. And with its 7.5-inch height clearance, you can fit tall cups and even travel mugs especially if the carafe overflows. To prevent overflows, you should always start brewing when the carafe is empty.

For ease of use, the coffee maker has an LCD screen with real-time feedback on the machine’s water level, strength selection, brewing time, grinding time, and other selected settings. There is also a programmable auto-start feature which will automatically start grinding the beans then brew coffee at the selected time. What this means is that you can program this machine to brew your coffee even before you wake up. There’s also the pre-brew temperature control which delivers hot water at the ideal temperature from the cold start.

You can use any of the 6 distinct settings of the burr grinder to allow for optimal grinding of the beans.

Unlike other coffee makers, this machine boasts a steep and release technology.

Pros

Easy to use
Temperature and strength control
Fits travel mugs, tall cups, and carafes
Single and carafe servings
Auto-morning start

Cons

Malfunctions after some time
Cleaning is not easy
Also Read: Best SCAA Certified Coffee Makers – Top Brands Reviewed

#4. DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super-Automatic

This DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica is one of the exceptionally designed coffee makers on the market. It runs on a patented Cappuccino frother system which mixes steam with the milk to create a rich and creamy froth.

It has an easy-to-use design with a rotary-and-push button control panel with a programmable menu that increases the range of settings afforded by the coffee maker.

The coffee maker grinds beans instantly thanks to the patented, easy-to-clean and a direct-to-brew system. All you need is your favorite brand of coffee beans.

You might also like this machine because of its cleaning ease.

Note that the automatic brewing ensures consistency every time. The rapid cappuccino system will maintain brewing consistency at the optimal temperature, and you can customize your cappuccinos and lattes

Pros

Ideal for cappuccino, lattes, and espresso
Easy to use and clean
Instant reheating
Easy customization on the front panel
High quality and compact design for top-notch performance
Burr grinder for exceptional coffee
Automatic tamping
Durable

Cons

Expensive
Small water reservoir that requires constant refilling

#5. Cuisinart DGB-1 Single Cup Grind & Brew Coffeemaker

If you are looking for a single-serve grind and brew coffee maker, you might want to try this Cuisinart DGB-1. It has a brewing capacity of 16oz at a time. Unlike the four grind-and-brew coffee makers reviewed above, this coffee maker has a blade rather than a burr grinder which affects the quality of the brew, unfortunately.

Though the blade grinder will automatically grind whole beans and dispense the ground coffee into the filter basket, the flavor and aroma of your coffee will not be as strong as that of the burr grinders.

Other than that, it has simple control which will let you add the beans, add water, and then press the “Grind & Brew” button. It also boasts a grind off feature which will let you use the pre-ground feature.

The removable drip tray makes it easy to clean spills, and it also allows fitting of a travel mug or a tall cup.

Pros

It’s convenient
BPA-free
Easy to use
Affordable
You can use pre-ground coffee
It can make drip-style Americanos

Cons

The grinder releases excess vapor and moisture which clogs the coffee maker
The coffee is not as good or strong
Also Read: ​Best Nespresso Capsules – Top Picks & Ultimate Buying Guide

Understanding the Coffee Maker With Grinder

While you’d have to whip out your grinder then start grinding, measuring the ground coffee then watch the coffee maker like a hawk to ensure that nothing spills in the process, technological advancements have made possible the development of high-end coffee grinders with internal grinders to streamline the coffee preparation process.

All you need to do is to add coffee beans in the grinder, press a button to grind and brew your shot of caffeine. No more torn filters or worrying about incomplete grinding of beans as it was the case with your old coffee makers. Sounds amazing, right? Well, it is but, there’s one thing you have to do first – check the coffee maker’s inbuilt grinder before you order that highly-rated coffee maker.

When shopping, you should be aware of the two main types of grinders: the burr grinder and the blade grinders.

What is the Difference Between the Two?

The burr grinders have two disks with teeth (burrs) which spin at high speeds grinding the coffee beans evenly. These grinders give heavenly coffee. When buying a bean-to-cup coffee maker, make sure that the burrs are conical. The conical burrs are more compact although others are flat. The blade grinders, on the other hand, work by spinning a blade which cuts and splices the coffee beans before extraction.

Unfortunately, they are not the best. Unless your budget is extremely constricting, you should avoid the blade grinders. This is because of the low-quality output of ground coffee resulting from an uneven extraction of the coffee goodness. The uneven extraction also imparts the taste of coffee.

Between these two types of grinders, you should choose the coffee maker with burr grinders rather than blade grinders if you’d like uniformity in ground coffee particles, as well as great tasting coffee. The blade and burr grinders are the difference between sporadic and even extraction.

Before we look at the other factors or features you should consider before buying a two-in-one coffee maker, here is a look at the advantages of these coffee makers.

For most of us, manual preparation of coffee is the ultimate definition of great coffee and instant, or rather all-in-one appliances are not as appealing. But because we have little time to do a lot, it makes sense to go for an instant or all-in-one solution. But, that doesn’t mean compromising on the quality of the brewed coffee hence the need for the best coffee maker with grinder.

Besides convenience and efficiency, these dual coffee makers offer the following advantages:

Freshly Ground Coffee on the Go
Freshly Ground Coffee
These coffee makers allow you to grind your beans just before brewing coffee, ensuring that you have a fresh cup all the time.

You should know that leaving your ground coffee to sit for long results in the loss of aroma and flavor. Therefore, if you want to enjoy full flavors from your coffee, you should grind the beans immediately before you brew.

Convenience

You’ll have one coffee machine to brew one cup or even an entire carafe with a single push of the button, and the best bit is that you don’t have to run late or buy coffee on your way to work because you couldn’t wait.

Ease of Use

The coffee makers come with customizable settings that allow control of the grind as well as the brewing time and the amount brewed.

With the amount of time the machine saves you, ease of use, and satisfying quality of coffee (if you buy the one with butt grinders), we highly recommend grinder to brewer coffee makers. Don’t forget that brewing coffee at home saves you a lot of money!

Things to Consider Before Buying a Grind and Brew Coffee Maker
Budget

The best bean-to-cup coffee maker will cost you. So, you have to determine what you can afford then determine whether you should buy it there and then or save up more. The higher the quality, the higher it costs. You can pay anything from $100 to $1500 for that dual coffee maker.

Type of grinder

As mentioned above, a burr grinder is preferable to a blade grinder because of its extraction capabilities with burr grinder yielding even and well-ground coffee and the blade grinder producing uneven or sporadic and even distasteful coffee. The catch: you will pay more for the coffee maker with a burr grinder.

Carafe

Should you use a glass or a thermal carafe? While the choice lies in the kind of coffee drinker you are, you need to be careful about the carafe you choose. The glass carafe will remain on the coffee maker’s hotplate after brewing, and it keeps your coffee hot until for up to two hours at a time.

The only issue is that by sitting on the hot plate for all that time the quality, taste, and freshness of your coffee are destroyed, and you are left with stale coffee.

The thermal carafe, on the other hand, has no hotplate but uses its insulation to keep your coffee warm for hours. Since the carafe doesn’t reheat the coffee every few hours, the flavors of coffee are hardly compromised.

Flexibility

Does the coffee maker come with extra grind settings and does it allow brewing of different styles of coffee drinks?

Other features to consider include:

How much coffee the machine can brew at a go?
The size of the machine and the amount of space it takes up
Type of water filter used
Brewing time
Whether it is loud when grinding and brewing coffee
Whether it has an automatic shutoff feature or not
Number of programmable features
Settings for adjusting the strength of coffee

Summary

The five coffee makers reviewed above have exceptional features which make them suitable for different persons depending on what you are looking for. You should, however, note that an excellent coffee maker has a great grinder that leaves you with refined coffee, it should be easy to use, and it should have a few nifty programming features.