Breville The Grind Control Review

We purchased the Breville The Grind Control coffee maker so our reviewer could test it out. Keep reading for our full product review.

When it comes to making quality coffee, some of the most important items to have included are a scale, a grinder, and fresh coffee beans, but buying all of these items individually can add up quickly. Fortunately, some coffee makers come equipped with the tools to help you save some money. One machine that offers such convenience is Breville's The Grind Control coffee maker. It has an integrated grinder that grinds your beans just before brewing your coffee. In using it for several weeks, I evaluated its ease of use, coffee quality, setup, cleanup, and price. Read on to see what I thought. 

Design: Tasteful, but takes up a lot of space

In terms of design, this coffee machine boasts of a brushed stainless steel exterior, giving it a high-quality look and feel—like all of Breville’s products. The Grind Control coffee maker looks like a typical coffee maker with the carafe located on the bottom of the machine and the control panel located above it. There is an LCD screen on the control panel with several clearly labeled buttons and dials. The brew basket and gold-tone filter live in the middle of the machine and can be accessed by pressing the “open” button found on the control panel. A door will swing out from the middle of the machine. The water tank can be accessed by pressing down on the water tank door located at the top of the machine. 

What sets this machine apart is the integrated burr grinder that is located at the top of the machine behind the water tank door. Whole coffee beans can be poured into the hopper, and the machine will proceed to grind the beans just before brewing up a carafe of coffee. The hopper holds up to a half-pound of coffee beans, which is a fairly good amount if you want to store your beans in there for future brews. 

One negative aspect of this machine is its size. It's both heavy and bulky, measuring 8.5 x 12.5 x 16.3 inches and weighing 16 pounds. I’m not a big fan of oversized machines because they're difficult to move around and take up way too much space on my already crowded counter, so this was a major downside. 

Setup Process: Nothing out of the ordinary 

The setup process for The Grind Control coffee maker was easy enough. It simply required washing and drying of all of the removable parts, including the carafe, carafe lid, grinder lid, grinder, brew basket, and the gold-tone filter. Next, I primed the machine by running a cycle of only water through it. Including the washing, this entire setup process took about 15 to 20 minutes. I found this to be very standard for a coffee machine setup. 

To use this machine, pour in the desired amount of whole coffee beans into the hopper and place the grinder lid on top. Next, adjust the grind size using the dial next to the grinder as well as any other desired customizations. Once everything has been set, press the “start” button, and the machine will proceed to grind the beans and brew the coffee immediately. The machine will beep when the brew cycle has finished. 

In addition to whole coffee beans, there is also a pre-ground option to place grounds in this machine instead of whole beans. In this case, the grounds would be placed directly into the gold-tone filter inside of the brew basket. 

Performance: Excellent, fresh coffee with several customizations

The coffee I brewed with The Grind Control coffee maker tasted fresh every time. Its ability to grind fresh beans right before brewing is a key component of its excellent brews. I definitely noticed a difference in taste and freshness compared to machines I’ve used without a grinder. Besides the coffee quality, I also enjoyed how I was able to customize my brew so precisely. 

The Grind Control coffee maker also allows users to choose their grind size preference, brew strength, when they want their coffee to be brewed, and their serving size. This coffee maker can brew up to 12 cups at a time, but it can brew just a single cup, too. With all of these customizations, I never felt like it was overly complicated. Everything was clearly labeled and easy to figure out without needing to do a lot of manual reading. It’s a very user-friendly coffee machine. 

Another nice feature of this machine is the timer that pops up on the LCD screen indicating how long it will take to finish the brew cycle. I really liked this feature because it gave me an idea of when my coffee would be ready, so I could take care of other things if needed. 

I also found that this machine’s carafe was incredibly powerful. It can keep coffee warm for up to five hours. I was thoroughly impressed with the carafe’s ability to maintain the coffee’s temperature for so long. One downside of the carafe is that the pouring spout is quite flawed. I wasn’t able to pour my coffee into my cup a single time without getting drippage all over my counter. 

Ease of Cleaning: Hand wash only 

To take care of The Grind Control coffee maker, all of the removable parts must be washed by hand after each use. This includes the carafe and lid, brew basket, gold-tone filter, grinds catcher, drip tray, grinder lid, and bean hopper. The hand washing was somewhat inconvenient, but in reality, it probably only took about 5 minutes extra. 

Additionally, every few weeks the grinder chute and burrs must be cleaned. A notification will appear on the LCD screen to indicate the coffee chute needs to be cleaned. There is an included cleaning brush to help with this process. 

Price: On the higher end, but fair

In terms of price, the Breville The Grind Control coffee maker retails for around $300. This is on the higher end for a coffee maker, however, considering that it offers an integrated burr grinder, customizable settings, and excellent coffee, it comes out to be a more than fair price. 

Breville The Grind Control vs. Cuisinart Grind & Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffee Maker

Cuisinart Grind & Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffee Maker: The Cuisinart 12-Cup Grind & Brew is similar to the Breville The Grind Control coffee maker in that it grinds whole beans just before brewing a batch of coffee. It retails for about a third of the price at around $99. This coffee machine can brew up to 12 cups of coffee at a time, as well, and it offers an auto-brewing option. However, with such a price difference, there is also a difference in quality. The Cuisinart offers a much lower hopper capacity and is very difficult to clean. There are also fewer customization capabilities with the Cuisinart. Ultimately, it comes down to what your price range is and what features you're looking for in a coffee maker with an integrated grinder.