You like regular coffee, but you also like coffee made from fresh, whole coffee beans, and you also ALSO like when a coffee maker makes your regular coffee. Naturally, because you like whole-bean coffee, you also like grinders or coffee makers that can grind the coffee for you. We’d like to tell you something more about the best of these grind-and-brew coffee makers and, hopefully, help you choose the best grind-and-brew coffee maker for you.
Before we start reviewing the best grind-and-brew coffee makers, though, we’d like to clarify that we will be reviewing coffee makers only. That said, if you’d like to learn more about some of the best espresso machines in the market, we suggest you to read some of our other articles, like, for example, the one about the best espresso machine under $500 or the best super-automatic espresso machine.
#1 Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS
The compact Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS is a popular grind-and-brew coffee maker among people who like to have a coffee maker with enough programmability to help them easily get through in every situation where coffee is included. Features like brew-pause, programmable grind and brew times, and settings for the grinder and the coffee strength make this coffee maker worth buying.
Key features:
- 10-cup glass carafe
- Conical burr grinder
- 6-ounce bean hopper
- 5 grinder settings
- Brew-pause feature
- Three coffee strength levels
- 2-10 cups
- Gold tone filter
- Programmable grind and brew times
Pros
The grind and brew time can be separately programmed so that the coffee maker is always ready to serve you the best way possible
There’s a vast choice between different cup sizes, all of them suitable in different situations
With five grinder settings and three coffee strength levels, you will be able to make coffee customized to your tastes and to the tastes of your family and friends
The coffee maker grinds the coffee with a conical burr grinder, and burr grinders have a reputation of being better than grinders with blades
Cons
The capacity of the bean hopper is a little bit small
#2 Breville BDC650BSS
With the Breville BDC650BSS grind-and-brew coffee maker, grinding and brewing are automatic, but they are also highly programmable. This coffee maker will let you make your coffee hotter or cooler, milder or stronger, and it will never stand in the way of your very tall cup and your favorite everyday beverage.
Key features:
- 8 coffee strength settings
- Works with whole-bean or pre-ground coffee
- Steel burr grinder
- 0.5-pound bean hopper
- 60-ounce water reservoir
- 12-cup thermal carafe
- Pre-brew temperature control
- Programmable auto on
- Removable drip tray
- Single cup option
- LCD screen
Pros
With eight coffee strengths, this coffee maker won’t fail to let you pinpoint the exact coffee strength that you love so much
Programmable coffee temperature will let you have your coffee as hot as you want it, not as hot as the coffee maker makes it
Brew up to 12 cups of coffee in the thermal carafe, but also use the single cup option when you want to make coffee only for yourself, even if your cup is 7.5 inches tall
The steel burr grinder will grind your coffee consistently, brew after brew
Cons
The carafe might make pouring the last cup of coffee in it a bit of a challenge
#3 Cuisinart DGB-900BC
The idea behind the Cuisinart DGB-900BC is that a coffee maker should be programmable, flexible, and energy-efficient. This well-thought-out grind-and-brew coffee maker is packed with many features necessary for a more efficient and personalized coffee experience for every user.
Key features:
- 12-cup thermal carafe
- Makes from 2 to 12 cups of coffee
- Three coffee strength levels
- Brew-pause
- Grind off
- 2-4 cup
- 8-ounce bean hopper
- Gold tone filter
- Charcoal water filter
- Automatic shutdown after brewing
Pros
With three coffee strength levels, you can fine-tune your coffee to your coffee preferences at any given moment
The 12-cup thermal carafe lets you make a lot of coffee, while the heating plate keeps the coffee hot for later
Brew from 2 to 12 cups of coffee and have the exact amount of coffee that you want
The grind off feature lets you use your favorite pre-ground coffee on the coffee maker
Cons
The 8-ounce bean hopper might be a bit small for you
#4 Cuisinart DGB-550BKP1
The Cuisinart DGB-550BKP1 is a generous grind-and-brew coffee maker that will never make you choose between whole-bean and pre-ground coffee because it works with both coffee types. There are some interesting features on this Cuisinart that will help you play with the coffee quantity and the brew time so that you can have a more flexible coffee experience.
Key features:
- 12-Cup glass carafe
- 1-4 cups
- Grind off
- Brew-pause
- Auto-off
- Gold tone filter
- Charcoal water filter
- Heating plate
- LED screen
Pros
With the user-friendly grind off feature, you can choose between using whole-bean or pre-ground coffee
Brewing a large 12-cup carafe is great for a family reunion, but in case you want less coffee, you can brew yourself from one to four cups
Brew-pause feature for the convenience of interrupting the brew to have some coffee before the brewing is over and refill your coffee batteries
The charcoal water filter filters the water to help you enjoy a good cup of coffee
Reasonably-easy cleaning, with integrated cleaning programs and drip tray emptying after 40 cups
Cons
Some people find that there are many parts to clean on this coffee maker
#5 BLACK+DECKER CM5000B
Elegant and efficient, the BLACK+DECKER CM5000B won’t let even a single cup of coffee happen without some nice adjustments first. With this grind-and-brew coffee maker, you’ll have everything you need to tweak cups and even carafes of coffee before you can finally enjoy them with your family.
Key features:
- The grinder is combined with the filter basket
- Works with whole-bean and pre-ground coffee
- Three coffee strength settings
- STRONG option
- Brew-pause
- Auto-brew
- Backlit display
- 12-cup glass carafe
- Auto shutoff
Pros
Very flexible, with the brew-pause and auto-brew functions at your disposal when you need them
A one-touch STRONG option for no complicated adjustments and a quick strong coffee for every strong coffee lover
Cleaning the grinder and the filter basket is easy because they are combined
Highly affordable, and yet with an extraordinary design
Cons
The coffee maker uses a blade grinder which might not give you the same consistency that a burr grinder can give you
#6 Cuisinart DGB-700BC
The Cuisinart DGB-700BC is a grind-and-brew coffee maker that brings fresh coffee to your home in the simplest way ever. There are no long and complicated menus and no learning curves – all you have to do is do the easy setup and you’ll have coffee made for you.
Key features:
- Adjustable coffee strength
- 8-ounce bean hopper
- Brew-pause
- Delay Brew time
- Stainless steel burr grinder
- Glass carafe
- Carafe warmer
- LED screen
Pros
Brings a bit of personalization with the adjustable coffee strength
The brew-pause function doesn’t leave you craving for your coffee until the brewing is finished
With a Delay Brew function, you can easily have your favorite coffee exactly when you want it
The glass carafe and the warmer keep the coffee hot for you if you’re planning to serve it a little bit later
Cons
Unfortunately, the LCD screen is not backlit, which makes it a bit difficult to use in darker rooms
FAQ
Why would I need to have grind settings on my grind-and-brew coffee maker if it can only make regular coffee?
Different grind settings will help your coffee maker grind the coffee coarser or finer. The extraction of the coffee will vary depending on how coarse or fine your coffee is ground. That said, coarser coffee will usually give you a drink that is not that strong, while coffee that is ground finer will give you a stronger drink. When paired with features like adjustable coffee strength and programmable brew temperature, the different grind settings will make the coffee a little bit more customized to your needs.
How long can I keep freshly-brewed coffee inside the glass carafe before I drink it?
We recommend that you don’t keep the coffee in the carafe for too long because it will start to taste stale and harsh. It is okay if you keep the coffee in the carafe for about 20 minutes, but anything longer than that will, like we said, affect its taste. If you want your coffee to stay hot for longer, consider getting a thermal carafe because thermal carafes are designed exactly for that purpose.
Things to consider when buying a grind-and-brew coffee maker
Serving size
When you’re buying a grind-and-brew coffee maker, make sure to get the one that has the serving size flexibility that best meets your needs and the needs of the other people who are going to use it. Some coffee makers brew a 10-cup carafe, while others brew a carafe of 12 cups.
Also, different coffee makers will let you make different serving size choices. Some coffee makers will let you brew two, three, or four cups of coffee and so on, while other makers might just stick to brewing a full carafe.
Keep in mind that certain coffee makers have a single-serve option, but remember that this is not an option on every coffee maker out there.
Adjustable settings
One of the reasons why we picked the grind-and-brew coffee makers on our list as the best ones in their class was because of their adjustable settings. The adjustments mostly have to do with the coffee strength, the temperature of the brew water, and the settings of the grinder. Coffee makers that allow adjustments to these settings usually make the coffee taste better for the customers.
Features
A grind-and-brew coffee maker with some nice features won’t hurt. Options like brew-pause, auto-off, auto-on, programmable brew time, and compatibility with pre-ground coffee can make the experience with your coffee maker more personalized.
Blades or burrs
In general, burrs are a more popular choice than blades because burrs provide greater coffee consistency. That said, between the blade and the burr, the burr is always a nicer choice.
How easy the coffee maker is to clean
Grind-and-brew coffee makers with more parts will usually have more parts that will need to be cleaned. Cleaning these coffee makers shouldn’t be too much of a struggle, even though, when it comes to cleaning, some are more challenging than others. Keep these two pieces of information in mind and you will pick the best grind-and-brew coffee maker for you.
Durability of the coffee maker
When buying a coffee maker, buy them from trustworthy manufacturers and from trustworthy sellers as well. This is a safer way to get a more durable product.
Conclusion
We hope that the affordable, featuresque, and overall nice grind-and-brew coffee makers on our list strike you as interesting or convenient. The way we see these coffee makers is that they are not that much about the looks, but about making at least one coffee break in the day more effortless for you. In fact, we really think that grind-and-brew coffee makers have honest and simplistic designs. They won’t fool anyone with a beautiful housing, but they will make you nice coffee.
The Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS is, for us, the coffee maker with the combination of features strong enough to be eligible to sit on the throne of this list. We do admit, however, that all the coffee makers that we reviewed have many similarities, so, in case you disagree with us and would like to skip the Capresso 464.05, the other coffee makers on our list are ready for you to check them out.
If you changed your mind and wand a good separate grinder for your coffee, we encourage you to check out the Capresso Infinity and the Baratza Encore.