How To Choose The Best Coffee Maker With Grinder: 5 Top Options – 2019 Reviews
To make the most delicious coffee at home, you need the best coffee maker with grinder included. Having a grinder to fresh grind your beans each morning will make your coffee more flavorful and aromatic, and who doesn’t want that?
There are a few key parts you need to focus on when getting the best coffee maker with grinder that gives you the value you need.
Product | Quality | Price | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Kenmore Elite Elite 12-Cup Coffee Grinder and Brewer, Stainless Steel | A+ | $$ | |
Cuisinart DGB-625BC Grind-and-Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker | A | $ | |
A | $$$ | ||
B | $ | ||
B- | $$ |
**Below, you'll find more detailed reriews, but you can click links above to see current prices and read customer's reviews on Amazon.
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Choosing The Best Coffee Maker
When you’re choosing the best coffee maker with grinder, you need to choose a machine that has great coffee making features in addition to a great grinder. Otherwise, you’ll end up with flat, burnt tasting coffee that won’t be enjoyable for anybody.
In particular, you’ll want to focus on the following features in choosing your coffee maker:
- Programmable
- Carafe Options
- Brewing Options
- Grinder Type
- Durability
If you consider which coffee maker has the best value for these features, you’ll end up with a great machine that you can love for years to come.
Let’s go through each of these features and what is so important about having them. Every machine will have different features, so knowing which ones to focus on will help you to make the decision about which machine is best for your home.
Go Programmable For Coffee Ease
Once you’ve used a programmable coffee maker, you’ll never go back to one that doesn’t auto-brew! There’s nothing like that kind of convenience.
Using a machine that is programmable is so wonderful. You can set it to brew right when you wake up so that coffee is ready, or you can set it to turn off at a specific time. Your coffee will be warm and delicious at the time you want it to be.
Depending on which machine you choose, different programmable features are available. At the bare minimum, you’ll want to be able to set the machine to auto-brew at a specific time every day, and you will want it to have auto-shutoff features as well.
Useful Bonus: Multiple Carafes
Another great thing to look for is a machine that can use multiple carafes. Most machines come with a standard glass carafe, and those are useful for brewing when you’ll be drinking the coffee right away.
When you will be leaving the coffee on the warmer for a couple of hours, however, you might want to use a steel or thermal carafe to keep the coffee warm. Both glass and thermal have different benefits and uses, so being able to use both is great:
No matter what machine you choose, you’ll want to consider what carafe options are available for it.
Many Brewing Options
It’s always nice when you get more options. With coffee makers, you want to be able to brew different pot sizes, strengths, and temperatures when possible. It’s even nicer when you can brew a single serve sized cup, but this is a rare feature when it comes to machines that have grinders.
Still, pay attention to what brewing options are offered by the machine. You want more than just a basic “brew” button so that you can make your perfect cup of coffee at home. Bonus points if you can save your settings for future cups!
If you’re not sure about what kind of strength of coffee you like, try reading through this guide to get an understanding of what strength you enjoy most. In the end, you’ll just have to play with your new machine to get the perfect cup!
Pay Attention To Grinder Type
This is key! Not every grinder is alike, and if you’re going to invest in a machine with a grinder, it should be a good one.
No matter what some at-home coffee makers will say, fresh grind matters. Coffee tastes different when made with a fresh grind as opposed to a pre-ground coffee, and this is something that lots of coffee lovers have noticed:
There are different grinder types. Burr grinders are the best type of grinder. Blade grinders will cut pieces up into different sizes, whereas burr grinders get a more equal blend. An even grind is important for great coffee.
If you have to choose between flat or conical grinders, you will want to choose a conical grinder because it will also help chop more evenly. From conical burrs to plastic burrs, they all do their job of grinding beans. The best burr type to get, however, is a conical burr grinder.
If you can find a machine with this kind of grinder in it, this is the machine you want!
Durability Is A Must
As with any investment, you want to make sure that your investment is worth the money. Choosing a machine that is not fully plastic will help make sure it will last longer. The more plastic used in your machine, the more likely it is to break.
If you can find a machine that has stainless steel parts instead of plastic parts, then you’ve found a machine that could be a solid investment.
You’ll also want to pay attention to which type of filter that the machine uses - paper may be easier to clean, but you’ll be creating more waste over time.
Let’s get into the heart of the reviews!
Product | Quality | Price | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Kenmore Elite Elite 12-Cup Coffee Grinder and Brewer, Stainless Steel | A+ | $$ | |
Cuisinart DGB-625BC Grind-and-Brew 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker | A | $ | |
A | $$$ | ||
B | $ | ||
B- | $$ |
1. Kenmore Elite Elite 12-Cup Coffee Grinder and Brewer
The Kenmore Elite Brewer and Grinder is a fantastic coffee maker that grinds your beans right before it brews! Not only does it have a sleek, stainless steel design, but it also shows off your beans which is a nice touch for every coffee lover. Additionally, it has many grinding and brewing options that will satisfy all coffee drinkers.
PROS
- Conical burr grinder for perfect bean grind every day
- Pause-brew function allows you to pause brewing to get a quick cup while the coffee finishing brewing
- Customization settings allow you to choose exact amount and strength
- Can use whole bean or pre-ground coffee
- Built-in filter keeps grounds out of your coffee
- Can use washable filter or paper filters
- Built-in filter doesn’t need to be replaced daily
- Burner turns off after 2 hours automatically
- Holds enough beans for several days
- Programmable
CONS
- Must push “grind off” button if using pre-ground; can be easy to forget
- Takes 14 minutes from start of grind to finish to brew a full carafe
- Cannot brew directly into a single-serve cup, only into the carafe
- Fails with daily use in 1-2 years
- Will need to adjust grind for oily beans, might not be pulled down into the grinder otherwise
2. Cuisinart DGB-625BC Grind-And-Brew Automatic Coffeemaker
The next coffee maker on the list is the DGB-625BC from Cuisinart. This is one of their many grind-and-brew models. It’s not the newest model, but it’s better than the newer ones in many ways. It makes a huge carafe of coffee, grinds your beans fresh, and has simple buttons that are easy to understand while you program and make your coffee.
PROS
- Comes with glass carafe; thermal carafes available
- Fully programmable; can set auto-brew time
- Can have it stay on and warm for anywhere from 0 to 4 hours
- Can brew full carafe or smaller amounts
- Two filters make great filtered, tasty coffee
- Brew-pause function allows you to pause and grab a cup before brewing is finished
- Can brew with bean or pre-ground coffee
- Reusable filter; can put paper filter inside of it
- Grinder is durable
- Sturdy build overall
CONS
- Doesn’t brew as hot as some models
- Some parts need to be cleaned daily when using whole beans
- Uses a blade grinder
3. Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control
The next coffee maker is expensive, but it’s a beautiful machine that does so much for the at-home coffee lover’s daily coffee experience. With programmable options and many strength settings, there’s not much to dislike about this coffee maker with grinder.
PROS
- 8 different strength settings for the perfect cup
- Variable cup size options
- LCD screen gives real-time information
- Programmable auto-start, brew types, etc
- Pre-brew temperature control
- Can direct brew into a travel mug
- Burr grinder with 6 different settings
- Stainless steel grinder and parts are very durable
- Comes with stainless steel carafe
- Can brew with pre-ground or whole bean coffee
CONS
- Very expensive
- No warming plate, but insulated carafe keeps coffee warm
- Sometimes overflows
- Uses a lot of beans for the amount of coffee
- Many parts need to be cleaned
4. Cuisinart DGB-550BK 12 Cup Automatic Coffeemaker Grind
This is another coffee maker made by Cuisinart, which is a well-known coffee making brand. This machine will grind beans very well and brew in a variety of sizes and strengths. It can be programmed and has simple buttons that anyone can understand.
PROS
- Brew-pause feature allows an early cup of coffee
- Grinds beans or uses pre-ground coffee
- Comes with glass carafe
- Can adjust auto-shut off timing
- Can make smaller or larger batches of coffee
- Uses replaceable paper filters
- Has a heating plate
- Easy to program and use daily
CONS
- Paper filters are easier to clean up but create extra waste
- Need to troubleshoot some overflowing issues often
- Not very durable
- Should clean grinder every day
- Many parts need to be cleaned up
- Noisy
- Older model
5. Gourmia GCM4500 Coffee Maker with Built In Coffee Grinder
The final coffee maker with grinder to recommend to you today is by Gourmia, which is a brand you may not have heard of before, but they’re great. This coffee maker is programmable, takes both beans and pre-ground coffee, and comes with a great glass carafe. Super easy-to-use, and super affordable!
PROS
- Programmable for brew-on-time coffee everyday
- Removable parts make it easy to clean
- Stainless steel design is durable
- Comes with a basket filter that is washable and reusable
- Simplified programming and buttons make this coffee maker easy and intuitive to use
- Glass carafe holds 10 cups of coffee
- Can use pre-ground coffee instead of beans if desired
CONS
- Blade grinder, which is not as nice as a burr grinder
- Warming plate only stays on for 30 minutes unless you turn it on again
- Can not use paper filters, metal filter must be cleaned daily
- Makes 10 - 4oz cups, which is a smaller volume than some other coffee makers
- Does not have brew strength options
- No stainless steel carafe available
Best Value, Best Machine!
The best coffee maker with grinder included for us is the Kenmore Elite Elite 12-Cup Coffee Grinder and Brewer. When you consider both price and functionality, this machine just makes the most sense. It’s easy to use, has many options, and won’t break the bank. It also has a burr grinder, which is important if you’re going to be grinding beans every day.
Not only that, but it also is durable, has carafe options, and will let you wake up to an auto-brewed cup of coffee every morning. And who doesn’t want that?
The Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control is a close runner up because of its very programmable options, but it simply is too expensive to be the right machine for many people, so the Kenmore Elite wins.
Remember to let us know which grind-and-brew coffee maker with grinder included is your favorite, or ask any questions you might have. Share with friends so they can find the perfect coffee maker, too!