I’m no expert but…

There are coffee ‘experts’ out there who take their java seriously. Like wine connoisseurs, there are those who, with a taste, can pinpoint specific flavors, nuances, and hints of this or that in different bean blends or roasts, as easily as you or I can tell the difference between a car and a baseball. Some people can even tell how the coffee was ground from a few sips. Personally, I am a huge coffee fan. But I must admit that those nuanced people are the uber-geeks of the coffee world, and I’m just barely qualified in the realm of wanna-be coffee ‘nerd’. There’s certainly no way that I’m of the experience or sophistication needed with my coffee to recognize from a sip, how my coffee was ground.…. or am I???

Which brings me to the burr grinder. It was suggested that if I liked coffee so much, I should try a burr grinder. I recently made the move to whole bean coffee from pre-ground after 11 years, and I found that there was a marked improvement in taste. We received a new coffee machine with an ‘impact’ type grinder built-in, and it really made a decent cup of drip coffee. Then, looking for more, I slowly began collecting information and equipment necessary to experiment with home roasting. There too, I was surprised to find how much of an improvement in freshness and taste home roasting provided. So it was only a matter of time before I took the next step, and bought a burr grinder. Thus making complete my at-home coffee triad: bean, burr, and brew. And I must say that here too with grinding, there is a noticeable and positive difference in taste. So noticeable in fact, that I now believe I might be able to tell the difference between impact or blade ground coffee versus burr ground at home. And I can do this thanks to my DBM-8.


The Buy

A few weeks ago I was out shopping with the wife, and I found this little Cuisinart DBM-8 burr grinder on sale. Doing something highly uncharacteristic for me, I bought it on the spot. The research I had done to that point about burr grinders told me about as much as I needed to know. Quality burr grinders aren’t cheap and are out of my price range. Impactor/blade grinders are very cheap and you get what you pay for. And this DBM-8 was right in the middle. So it met most of my expectations immediately. Plus, it’s from Cuisinart. Most of our kitchen appliances are Cuisinart, and we are very happy with the brand.


The Form

The DBM-8 is a decent looking machine. Its metal and black plastic come together nicely, and it has the appearance of durability in a small package. It’s not heavy, but it has just enough weight to fend off the ‘cheap’ idea that might cross your mind (knowing what you paid, and knowing what ‘real’ burr grinders cost).

However looks weren’t as important to me as size. While some people might want to proudly display their grinder as a badge of coffee honor, my wife strictly forbids coffee counter-culture paraphernalia to be visible on any exposed surfaces. My little espresso maker, my roasting tools, my canisters, filters, water etc. are all hidden cleverly from view when not in use. The only exception being our coffee maker, which gets regular use and is considered ‘normal’. My deviant coffee behavior thus remains relegated to the pantry, until one day when we can rise up and… -but I digress.

So I was pleased when my DBM-8 fit nicely behind the coffee maker on the countertop, almost out of view. Since the grinder gets as much use as the maker, not having to hide it away really saved a lot of arguing. Even the bean hopper doesn’t stick up too high and is barely noticeable.

The machine actually looks like a mini version of something that belongs in a coffee house which is great, but luckily for me you can’t see it in our kitchen unless you look closely.


The Function

The DBM-8 is a burr grinder, but it’s not necessarily the same as a high-end burr grinder. The high end grinders have a cylinder with concentric burrs, which are blade like, and they grind the beans to the desired size. The DBM-8 uses a rotating wheel on the bottom of the machine which contains pits and ridges that act as the ‘burrs’. This wheel rotates against a similar wheel above it that is fixed. The wheel above is actually part of the bean ‘hopper’, and the grind size is determined by the amount you screw the hopper into the unit, therefore changing the distance between the two wheels.


To grind, you do the following:

1) Load the beans into the hopper (more is better, 8oz max).
2) Rotate the entire hopper to the desired grind (18 settings) which is indicated on the hopper base.
3) Set the slider switch from 4 to 18 cups.
4) Make sure the grind chamber is in place, and push the ‘Start’ button.

The machine winds up and grinds the desired number of cups automatically. It ‘spits’ the ground coffee into the chamber, and shuts off when finished. Then you pull out the chamber, pour the grinds, and you’re done. All in under a minute depending on how many cups you desire.

(Bonus feature: although the machine is labeled 4 to 18 cups, you can actually grind less and still use the automatic feature. There is space between the ‘Off’ and 4 position on the cup setting, and there are minute notches you can feel when moving the slider from Off to 4. At about 1/2 way to the 4, that’s two cups, and at about 1/4 way to the 4, that’s one cup. If you move it just ahead of the ‘Off’, you can almost do it on demand where you push the button and it starts and stops).


The Grind

The coffee that comes out of the machine is a very consistent and uniform texture. Even the course settings produce a grind that is finer than my blade grinder. The coffee has a tendency to ‘clump’ a bit in the chamber, and I believe this is due to the fineness of the grounds. One of the nice things about having a grinder such as this, is that you can make very fine grounds suitable for espresso as well, without having to buy separate espresso coffee.


Safety

Given this device is just a coffee grinder, it operates at high speed and could be dangerous if used improperly. I think it’s important to point out that the ‘burrs’ in this case, at least the ones attached to the top portion which you can take out and clean, are not sharp. I don’t think the bottom burrs are sharp either, but I can’t really tell as I haven’t actually stuck my fingers in there. I’ve only put in a damp paper towel (when the unit is unplugged of course).

Also, the grind chamber has a push button mechanism that prevents it from being turned on if the chamber is removed. I have no doubt based on the noise that this thing makes, that if you started it without the chamber, you’d be sweeping up grinds for a week.


Hear the wurrr, feel the burrrrn: some negatives

I do have a few issues with my DBM-8. First, it is VERY LOUD. Although the machine is much less versatile and smaller than my blender, it has about the same noise level or louder. You may find yourself pushing the button and standing back just for some ear protection.

Second, it’s hard to clean the lower grinding wheel and grinding compartment. You can remove the hopper and the grind chamber easily and clean those. However to get down in the crevices of the lower grinding wheel and that area is nearly impossible. Also, the grind exit ‘chute’ tends to get clogged up a bit with grinds, and the supplied brush/scoop is required to clean out the caked on particles. It’s best to do this over the sink because if not, it makes a mess.

I believe the difficulty to clean inside leads to my third issue: the machine gets hot and starts to smell. Now I’m not sure whether this is from old bean residue that’s rubbing on the spinning wheel, but after a while you may notice the distinct smell of wood or something burning. That burning is probably old coffee grounds. While I haven’t noticed any smoke yet, I would recommend that you clean your machine regularly. After every 3rd or 4th use. Of course the BIG worry about the smoky smell is whether or not it’s actually burning good coffee with friction before sending it into the chamber. (And you thought I would say catch on fire! Where are your priorities?) I haven’t noticed a burnt taste in the coffee which would be a BIG negative, but then again I’m not an expert. If you grind too fine, that may happen.

Finally, my fourth issue is that you can’t grind well with too few beans. To get a full, consistent grind with the right dispensed quantity, you need to keep the hopper at least 1/4 full. This becomes problematic when you have just enough for 4 cups, because that third and fourth cup may take a few attempts. The grinding wheels don’t pull the beans inward too well, and if only a few beans are in the grind area, they’ll jump and pop around the hopper until they happen to fly into the right spot. You may have to hit the button quite a few times. It’s only a smooth feed if you’ve got a full hopper.


Conclusion

Overall I think that my DBM-8 was a good purchase. While it is not the best machine out there, it is a nice introductory burr grinder that has elevated my coffee status beyond the mere spinning/smashing blade. I don’t think I would pay more than I did pay for it (about $45). But until I had this experience, there’s probably no way I would have shelled out the big money for a good one. Now perhaps one day I will. After I get tired of this one or it breaks (which it had better not!) For now, it’s serving me well. It makes a nice consistent ground, allows me to make espresso, and gives my coffee a less processed taste. And most of all, it has introduced me to the wonderful world of burr grinders.


Recommended: Yes