I was on the fence about purchasing this coffee maker based on the reviews and price. I had excellent luck with my previous coffee maker (Cuisinart) but was looking for something with a built-in grinder that also offered single-serving options. I read countless reviews on 鶹, the Breville website, and many others. I also have an espresso machine (just happens to be a Breville as well), along with a Keurig single-serve (that barely gets used since my purchase of the Breville Grind Control). Here is my honest opinion...
The good - It makes an excellent cup of coffee. I really look forward to getting up in the morning and having freshly ground beans without having to take the time to grind them myself. You can skip the grinding and use a pre-ground if you don't have whole beans on hand (a nice option as backup, or if you don't want to wake anyone else in your house up with the grinder in the morning). This coffee maker also gives you the option of making several different sizes of single-serving coffee (eg: regular mug to travel size). Being able to pre-load the bean hopper and water tank allows the unit to be self-sufficient for several uses before a reload (water, as the beans tend to last a while). The coffee maker gives you plenty of options with respect to strength etc, you can really hone the cup of coffee to your desired taste. I have yet to explore the calibration feature for different types of whole beans.
Cleaning - clean-up is less than a minute. You simply need to empty and rinse the gold filter basket, along with the carriage the basket sits in. The outlet of the bean hopper needs a quick wipe. Not sure why so many people complain about the "excessive clean up" etc, its pretty damn simple. The coffee maker does not leak or make a mess everywhere, as some reviews stated. For best results yes you do need to let the filter basket and carriage dry prior to its next use. Yes a soak and light scrub of the carriage is required every so often.
The so-so - many reviews have had an issue with the carafe design (pouring the coffee). This is completely justified. Yes it is somewhat annoying that you can never get the last few drops of coffee out of the carafe (~10mL), but overall that's not a dealbreaker for me. In the future maybe Breville will re-think the carafe to allow for easier pouring.
Warmth - many reviews complain about the warmth of the coffee. A freshly made cup is plenty hot enough. After leaving the carafe sitting for ~30 minutes the temperature does cool down, but at the most your second cup of coffee needs a 15 second zap in the microwave. Again, not a deal breaker for me. People complaining about the temperature not being hot enough must enjoy regularly burning their tongues on extremely hot coffee.
Grinder noise - yes the grinder is somewhat loud, but I have yet to come across a quiet coffee grinder.
Overall - it is worth spending the money on. I really enjoy coffee, and part of what gets me out of bed in the morning is knowing this coffee maker is going to deliver a great cup of java. For me the quality of the coffee outweighs the small inconveniences of carafe design and temperature maintenance.
Hope this helps other coffee lovers out there make an informed decision on purchasing the Grind Control.
| Brand | Breville |
|---|---|
| Model Number | BDC650BSS |
| Colour | Stainless Steel |
| Product Dimensions | 21.59 x 31.75 x 41.4 cm; 7.3 kg |
| Capacity | 1.7 kg |
| Power/Wattage | 1100 watts |
| Voltage | 120 |
| Material | Steel |
| Special Features | Timer, Integrated Coffee Grinder, Jug, Programmable, Thermal |
| Item Weight | 7.3 kg |
