The performance of Cuisinart Grind & Brew reminds me of the saying: Pretty Is as Pretty Does. Unfortunately, Cuisinart needs to take another shot at coffee fame with this luxury model ~ in short, it does make coffee, but the fact is, the coffee is neither very hot, nor does it taste any better than coffee from a $30 model.

Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew (model DGB-900BC) is one of the most expensive coffee makers available at my local Bed and Etc. store. Normally, I have a habit of equating price with quality (not an endearing quality according to my husband). So, after inspecting and reading the fine print for every coffee maker in the store, I ended up purchasing this high-end model since it seemed to boast every feature a coffee lover needed. Here are my thoughts about the Grind & Brew's attractive, but not necessarily effective features:

1) The look and feel of the machine:  I do believe this is the machine's greatest asset. Not only is it modern and attractive to behold, it's also very sturdy and robust, both inside and out. This machine is not going to slide around on your countertop, and the stainless thermal carafe probably wouldn't break if you dropped it. The buttons press easily and the coffee storage container has an air tight seal. I have no complaints about the sturdiness or overall design ~ it really has the look and feel of a quality appliance.

2) 12-cup capacity double-wall insulated thermal carafe: In my opinion, the thermal carafe is the Grind & Brew's Achilles heel. There is one major problem with the thermal carafe ~ the stainless steel inside is frigid at room temperature. Unless you warm the carafe right before making coffee by pouring very hot water inside (which is a waste of water and energy), you will chill your freshly made coffee considerably. So, what good is the timer? Why would anyone want to set the timer for hot coffee in the morning, only to pour a cup of lukewarm joe? Thus, a double-bad with the carafe. The third strike for the carafe is its terribly designed pouring spout. You literally have to turn the carafe upside-down to get all the coffee out of it! There is a plastic lip on the top of the carafe which impedes the flow of liquid from the inside ~ Cuisinart, please redesign this awful carafe! PS: I was disappointed that you can't buy a traditional glass carafe as an "extra" for this model ~ I might reconsider this machine if you could purchase a glass carafe.

3) The automatic burr grinder with Strength selector and grind control: The burr grinder is the primary reason I bought this high-end model in the first place. The less expensive model features a conventional grinder, and from all the reviews of burr grinders I have read on Epinions, I assumed that burr grinders made better tasting coffee because they chopped the beans more evenly. OK, the burr grinder on this Grind & Brew model does grind the beans fairly finely, but the resulting coffee didn't taste one iota better than the coffee made by my 15 year old Krups. Another issue with the burr grinder is that it is understandably loud. Not ear-splitting loud, but loud enough that you can't grind your beans before your household members are awake. So, the only way to make coffee in the Grind and Brew in the wee hours of the morning is to put already-ground coffee in the filter and fire up the machine with the "Grind Off" setting. However, there is no setting for grinding the beans without actually brewing coffee. You can choose the intensity of the grind with the strength control setting, so that is one positive attribute of this model.

4) 8-ounce bean hopper: You can store half a pound of coffee beans in the attractive, air-tight storage container at the top of the machine. The beans travel down a chute to be ground; I see no problems with the grind and storage mechanisms per se. 

5) Auto shutoff: I do have an issue with the automatic shutoff. After your coffee is brewed, the machine beeps and then shuts off. This also turns off the heated base which is supposed to be warming up your carafe (just in case you forgot or were too tired to warm it yourself before making coffee). The auto-shutoff might be good from an energy and safety standpoint, but it doesn't give your coffee a snowball's chance in Hades of staying warm. Yes, the insulated carafe is supposed to keep the coffee warm, but I didn't experience this first-hand. Maybe if the carafe was filled with all 12 cups of hot coffee it might stay hot for awhile, but with smaller amounts of liquid, I didn't find the coffee remained hot enough to produce steam upon pouring it in my cup.

6) Water filter: This is a small filter about the size of a piece of bubble gum which is supposed to purify the water used to brew your coffee. I think it's a good idea, but I didn't notice a significant taste difference in the results.

7) Brew-pause function: That's OK for me, except you need to limit your pause to under 20 seconds. Personally, I felt nervous using it because I kept worrying something terrible would happen if I got distracted and didn't put the carafe back in place right away.

My Experience Making Coffee with the Cuisinart Grind & Brew: Here again, the negatives outweighed the positives for me. There is a generous 12-cup reservoir you can fill with water. However, you can only put in precisely the amount required for the pot you are brewing ~ you can't store water in the reservoir for future cups/pots of coffee. (I also have a Senseo machine for single cups of coffee, and the Senseo measures out the water needed from the reservoir each time you brew). I wrongly assumed because the Grind & Brew measures the coffee it grinds according to your specifications, that it would also measure the amount of water during the brew cycle. I was mistaken, and that's OK, but just don't expect a fully automatic process with this machine. You must measure your water for each brewing cycle, so it's not really an "automatic"  machine in my opinion.

On a positive note, it's easy to change the filter assembly and reattach it to the unit. Also, it's not difficult to figure out how to set the clock on the device. However, if you do buy the Grind & Brew, make sure to read the manual carefully before using ~ there were several warnings and "DO NOTs" which should be followed. I kept worrying that I would inadvertently break the machine if I forgot one of the operating cautions.

Final (NON)Recommendation: I was just too disappointed with the Cuisinart Grind and Brew to recommend it. Maybe if you are making loads of 12-cup pots and warming the carafe before each brew, I might recommend it. But, for smaller pots of coffee and for people who want a morning machine, I simply don't think the model makes any sense, and most telling, I don't taste that extra $100 dollar bill when drinking the resulting coffee. And coffee that's not piping hot is just not coffee worth drinking!

Well, we're back to drinking instant coffee for now :{

Java Wrap-Up:
Cuisinart Grind & Brew: Thermal Carafe
Color: Brushed chrome and black
Capacity: 12 cups
Built-in water filter: Yes
Timer: Yes
Auto shut-off: Yes
Built-in grinder: Yes, Burr Grinder
Pause-and-serve function: Yes, but keep it under 20 seconds 
Strength settings: Yes
Cup warming plate: No
Included accessories: Double-wall insulated thermal carafe, gold tone filter
Height: 16-1/4 inches Length: 8-4/9 inches Depth: 10-2/3 inches
Weight: Approximately 10 lbs
Warranty: 3-year limited warranty

Keywords: Cuisinart Grind and Brew, Review, Cuisinart Burr Grind and Brew, Cuisinart Coffee Maker

Dear Reader, I've finally found Coffee Nirvana! If you're looking for a heavenly coffee pot, read my review of the Farberware Percolator.

Finally... Piping Hot, Strong Coffee from an Inexpensive Coffee Maker!

Recommended: No

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