One minute review
Cuisinart may be a brand synonymous with food processors, and indeed, that’s the appliance that launched the well-known name. However, since its debut in the 1970s, the brand has expanded its range significantly and now offers kitchen appliances, cookware and gadgets, including some of the best coffee makers. (opens in new tab)†
In the US, Cuisinart offers a huge range of coffee makers, but in other countries the range is smaller. The Grind & Brew Auto Coffee Maker DGB-650BC is available in both the US and UK, with its built-in bean grinder making it one of the brand’s more premium filter coffee makers.
The ability to grind whole coffee beans, coupled with a thermal carafe with a generous 10-cup capacity, means this coffee maker promises more than your average model. But it’s not just for whole coffee beans; the grinder can be turned off if you prefer to use ground coffee. It’s also fully programmable, so you can set it up at bedtime to deliver a fresh cup of coffee for when you wake up.
During testing we found it easy to use and set up, the thermal carafe keeps the coffee warm, but the 10 cup capacity is only enough to fill five decent mugs. We had to play around with the amount of coffee to get the flavor we were looking for, but overall the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto brews a decent cup of coffee for minimal effort. However, at the end of brewing, there are a few parts that need to be cleaned.
This model is best suited for households that want coffee from freshly ground beans, without the hassle of using a separate grinder. But if you usually drink the whole carafe right after brewing, you can save some money and get the model with the glass carafe instead.
Cuisinart Grind and Brew Auto Coffee Maker price and availability
- List Price: $129.95 / £160
The Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto DGB-650BC is available directly from Cuisinart or Amazon in both the UK and US. The bean grind feature and thermal carafe make it more expensive than the most basic filter coffee makers out there. However, those who don’t need the thermal carafe should consider the Grind & Brew DGB-625BC. Aside from the glass carafe, it offers the same features for a more wallet-friendly price of just $99.95 / £125.
Design
- Simple control panel
- Filter is easy to remove
- Beeps at the end of brewing
The Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto is approximately the size we would expect for this type of coffee maker, namely 38 x 20.3 x 20.6 cm (HxWxD). It can slide to the back of your counter, but if you have wall-mounted kitchen cabinets, keep in mind that you’ll need some space above them to flip the lid up and access the water tank and grinder.
This isn’t the most attractive coffee maker we’ve seen. That said, the stainless steel exterior is harmless but easily marks with fingerprints, which is frustrating. However, the installation was easy as we quickly learned how to assemble and start up the coffee maker.
The Cuisinart comes with two charcoal water filters to remove chlorine and unpleasant flavors from tap water. A filter will last you for about 90 days and you can buy replacements cheaply online. The water tank is filled by flipping up the top cover and there is a water level indicator with cup markings on the side of the coffee maker.
This model does not have a bean container, so you must fill the grinder with fresh beans before brewing. However, if you use pre-ground coffee, the “grind off” button turns the grinder off and you can pour the coffee directly into the filter, which hinges open at the front. All parts are easily removable for cleaning by hand or in the dishwasher.
The uncomplicated control panel displays the time and allows you to program the coffee maker to brew coffee anytime in the next 24 hours. There is also a 1-4 cup button to be selected when brewing such amounts; it modifies the process for better extraction and flavor.
Performance
- Carafe pours neatly
- Easy to program
- 10 minutes to brew at full capacity
We found this coffee maker easy to use and set up, and unlike espresso machines, there are no tricky skills to master. First we brewed the full maximum capacity of 10 cups, which took just over 10 minutes, including grinding. The manual recommends about one scoop of beans per cup, but no more than 14 scoops, so we chose 12 scoops to make sure it would be strong enough. The taste was fresh and well rounded – not bitter or too strong – but it depends on the beans you use.
At 77 dB, grinding was the noisiest part of the process. Fortunately it didn’t take too long. The temperature of the freshly brewed coffee was 170oF/ 77oC, and we poured out a few mugs and left the rest in the carafe. Two hours later the temperature had dropped to 66oC, which was still hot enough to drink. Five hours after brewing it had dropped to 54oC, which is just about hot enough – if you don’t plan on adding milk. All in all, when you consider that the coffee has already been in the carafe for five hours and not on a hot plate, that’s a pretty good result.
The amount of coffee brewed is determined by the amount of water that is filled into the machine, so to brew four cups – which is the equivalent of two mugs – we filled the water to the four-cup line. The manual advises that if you’re brewing four cups or less, you should add 1½ scoops of coffee beans per cup, so we’ve added six scoops. We also pressed the 1-4 cups button for this brew; it’s not essential that you do this, but Cuisinart says it will enhance the flavor of the resulting drink. It took seven and a half minutes to brew the four cups, and the resulting coffee came out at 167oF/75oC. Cusinart recommends heating the carafe with hot water if you want your coffee hotter. Therefore, the next time we brew four cups, we first poured boiling water into the carafe and let it sit for five minutes. After heating the carafe, the brewed coffee measured a slightly warmer 172oF/78oC.
Using ground coffee is easier than adding beans to the grinder – you just add the ground coffee directly to the filter. You must remember to press the “grind off” button, otherwise the grinder will continue to run. Brewing with ground coffee is quieter, with the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Auto hitting a maximum of 50dB on our sound meter. A full 10-cup brew took just under 10 minutes, which is comparable to the whole bean brew, while a four-cup brew took five minutes faster. We found that using pre-ground coffee resulted in a stronger drink, but it was also much more bitter – although this again depends a lot on the coffee you’re using.
While brewing, you can pull out the carafe to pour your coffee without spilling, and the brewing continues when you replace the carafe. The rest plate under the carafe was the only part of the coffee maker that got hot from brewing; the rest remained cool to the touch. We also tried the programming feature and found it easy to set the machine at night to automatically brew coffee in the morning – although we recommend a test run to make sure you’re doing it right to avoid running out of your morning coffee. hit need to go .
Cleaning the coffee maker was simply a matter of removing the grind from the filter and then washing all the parts. The filter and carafe are dishwasher safe, but we found that a good rinse removed most of the coffee grounds. It is a good idea to allow all parts to dry thoroughly before using them again, especially if you do not plan to use the coffee maker for a few days.
Should I buy the Cuisinart Grind and Brew Auto?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
First test: June 2022
