Breville BCG450XL Conical Burr Grinder
- Conical burr grinder with ultra-fine to coarse adjustable settings
- Variable timer with 10 to 30 seconds of grind time
- Removable bean hopper holds 1/2 pound of coffee beans
- Stainless-steel/polymer base offers start and stop control, plus on/off switch
- Measures 5-1/4 by 7 by 11-1/4 inches
The Breville conical burr grinder has anti-static technology. It’s has a stainless steel/polymer base with start and stop control, as well as a on/off switch. It has a removable bean hopper that hold 1/2 pounds of coffee beans. Ultra fine to coarse adjustable settings. Beautifully designed.
List Price: $ 149.99
Price: $ 119.99
Krups KM7000 10-Cup Grind and Brew Coffee Maker with Conical Burr Grinder, Black and Stainless Steel Accents
- 1000-watt programmable coffeemaker brews up to 10 cups of coffee
- Automatic conical burr grinder; 5 grind levels; 3 coffee-strength settings
- 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, or 10-cup digital settings; brew-pause; water filtration
- 2- to 4-cup aroma function for brewing smaller amounts; auto shut-off
- Measures 11-1/2 by 11-1/8 by 15-1/2 inches; 2-year worldwide limited warranty
Krups has mastered the key components to the perfect cup of coffee: the grind, the coffee-to-water ration, the brew temperature and contact time. Conical burr grinders are recognized by coffee connoisseurs as the very best method of preparing whole beans
List Price: $ 216.00
Price: $ 150.99
A Great Looking Quality Grinder,
I have used three grinders in the past 5 years, one blade and two wheel burr grinders, all broke or were dusty and noisy. This is the first conical wheel grinder I have owned and I cannot compare it to its comparable competitor, the Capresso, and I have only used it a dozen times or so, However, I am impressed by its quality, it is beautifully made and the huge reduction in noise was most welcome. The big plus…I set the timer, press start and walk away, no holding lids down, no coffee flying around etc. Just for the reduction in noise, its quality and the fire and forget operation makes it a 5. It grinds coffee very consistently and the grind is adjusted easily. Is it perfect? No. Two items I noticed. It has a 30 second timer…I need more time so I set it for 20 seconds and do two grinds…not an issue but for me, but wanted to tell you. Second, the ground coffee compartment is shaped in a manner that has insets so its not as easy to clean out and I have to empty the coffee carefully. Still I recommend this and am impressed. It is quality!I will provide a six month review to see if this maintains its operation.
After six months my initial views remain the same, a very fine grinder!
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|Best deal going,
PROS: good even grind, little static cling, low noise, good price, aesthetics, fairly easy to clean – with some minuses.
CONS: oily beans can clog in bottom of hopper (all grinders seem to have oily bean issues), funky on/off switch location seems to get knocked to off all the time, timer can’t be bypassed and seems to get turned down or up by incidental contact – if you are “dosing” be careful.
We’ve had the Icon for about three months now and are really very pleased with it. It replaced the horrible blade grinder in our dead Cuisinart Grind & Brew. Whatever you do I’d never buy anything but a separate conical burr grinder and coffee maker. The Cuisinart was terrible! Only a couple of minor flaws keep me from giving it five stars. But then the competitors start at $150 to $200, so I’m not complaining. Breville is an up and coming company in an exclusive field and they are giving Jura/Capresso fits at trendy stores. The unit is attractive and fits snugly under the cabinets in our small kitchen. It’s designed to blend with the modern “professional”stainless kitchen look without going overboard so it gets good marks on looks.
The unit is easy to clean, except that I’d like to have a way to remove the lower section of the Conical Burr for weekly cleaning. If you use oily dark roast beans as we do you’ll definitely want to clean regularly as oil builds up in the bottom of the hopper making beans stick. Gently rocking the grinder while it runs will dislodge any recalcitrant beans. This is not really a big problem and from the reviews I’ve read this is an issue with all grinders.
The instructions don’t mention cleaning the removable section of the Burr Grinder but it will build up an almost greasy deposit on the inside and a small streak of dark deposit on the outside and bottom of the removable section. After taking out the bean hopper just lift the top of the burr by it’s plastic holder and clean with a tooth brush. When reassembling be sure to line up the burr housing the same way it came out or you will not be able to reinstall the hopper. This is easier to do than to type, it’s just part of the weekly cleaning, but it should have been covered in the manual.
The other thing the manual doesn’t cover on cleaning is that I have to invert the unit and gently tap it to dislodge the slight buildup of old grinds from the bottom burr section before reinstalling the top half of the burr. I then tap the unit with it held upright to make any remaining grounds fall from the shoot. Doing this over the sink saves any cleanup hassles. If not careful one could drop or damage the unit doing this. I should point out that I’ve never seen any significant buildup of grounds in the shoot – nothing to affect the great tasting coffee this unit grinds.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really not much trouble. I clean the unit this way once a week and it take about 15 min. to do. Bear in mind that this machine grinds two pots a day of French roast and Tanzanian peaberry. Those are both very oily beans and from what I’ve read most grinders have major issues with the dark roasts.
To gain a fifth star I’d like to see Breville make the conical burr completely removable and include some sort of brush to clean the shoot and burrs. I’d also like the hopper made so beans can’t lodge themselves in the bottom of the hopper requiring rocking while grinding.
In closing I’ll say that if you don’t use Dark Roasts I doubt you will see any of these problems. And if you do I assure you this grinder will work well for you with minor adjustment.
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|Still happy after three months,
I bought this grinder as a replacement for a previous burr grinder that was dying a slow, painful death. I now wish that I had put the poor old grinder out of its misery much earlier! This Breville unit is a vast improvement over every grinder I’ve used before.
For starters, it generates less than 50% of the noise I’ve heard from competing grinders. I have no idea why that should be, I just accept it and move on! The grounds are dispensed very neatly. There is no need to wipe up the surrounding countertop once the cycle is complete – all of the grounds arrive neatly in the little plastic receptacle.
When I first started researching burr grinders, I was intrigued by the concept of ‘static reducing’ technology. Given that grounds clinging to both the machine parts and the receptical can create a real mess, I was wondering if this magical technology was really effective. To my surprise, at least with this machine, the answer is ‘yes’. I can flip the lid on the grounds receptical and tip the coffee into my machine with almost nothing left behind as a result of static cling – even if the grinder has just finished its work (which is when the static tends to be most bothersome).
The quality of the grind is fantastic. The output is uniform and the coarseness can be adjusted within a range that is probably far wider than I will ever explore. The finest setting produces grounds that are perfect, in my book, for even the fussiest espresso drinker.
The stylish-looking machine seems to be well-built, with high grade materials used throughout. I don’t quite agree with some of the previous reviewers who feel the plastic is a bit flimsy. After over 3 months in service, I have not had any problems or concerns with the plastic.
The only downside I see is the small size of the hopper. Perhaps I am just accustomed to a large capacity hopper, but this device doesn’t seem to me to hold the promised half-pound of coffee. I have to refill it twice a week. My last grinder required servicing less often than once a week. Still, I suppose filling it more often keeps the beans even fresher!
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|Finally….. A Grind and Brew that WORKS well!,
After my fifth Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffee maker (3 different models) stopped functioning I decided on choosing a different brand. There were no reviews so I crossed my fingers and hoped that Krups worked out the kinks with this new model. I had to wait 2 months for the coffee maker as it was ordered before it was released and I am so happy to say that the 2 month wait was MORE THEN worth it!!
Pros:
Quality Construction:
This unit is sturdy and heavier then the other grind and brews that I have owned. It appears to be well constructed. The hinges on the water canister are plastic but I don’t see them breaking off anytime in the future. The basket handle also feels light, but only time will tell with that part. Also the plastic top on the carafe feels “heavy duty” (all 5 of the lids on my previous coffee makers’ carafes lost their connector pegs within a few months and I had to purchase replacements that did the same thing). The levers all appear sturdy and are easy to move. The levers all catch and hold on the first attempt as well.
Ease of Use:
Super easy to set up and program! I love the fact that there are not multiple pieces that need to be cleaned and then replaced before and after brewing. The aroma setting really does make a difference when making small batches (2-4 cups) of coffee!
Noise:
I was surprised how quite this machine is compared to the other grind and brews. The loud grinder of the coffee pot would wake me up before my alarm would go off on my previous pots and I slept right through this one!
Appearance:
The coffee maker looks like a quality piece of kitchen equipment. It is a bit bigger then I thought it would be, but its size gives it a presence on the counter. The LCD displays a ton of information and adds to it’s “high tech” appearance.
Function:
Everything is contained! The way the machine is made allows for the grinds to go directly into the basket without them falling into the water reservoir! The other review mentions that they had grinds on the counter, but we did not experience this as we only had a few grains that were easily wiped off (ours is set to one dot before the biggest grind). We have not experience any jamming of the automatic lid – it closes by itself and functions properly.
Taste:
One of the best cups of coffee I have had in a long time! I love that you can program the strength of the coffee and after brewing a few test pots – we could easily see that this function really works and is not a gimmick! The coffee was the perfect temperature! The automatic shut off will shut the idle pot off after two hours, but I think you can just hit the “On” button to start the warmer plate up again (Not sure about this yet).
Clean Up:
If you have owned one of the multiple piece grind and brew machines you will love the ease of clean up on this one!!! Basically, you clean out the removable filter holder. The clear plastic that shoots the grounds into the filter basket is removable for cleaning, but it does not have to be removed and cleaned after each use! How cool is that!
Extras:
The water filter in the bottom of the coffee pot is a nice touch and I love that you can program the coffee maker to tell you when it is time to change it. The smile face on the the LCD display is just too cute!
I wish…..
I wish it stored more coffee then it does as I was hoping to avoid purchasing another coffee canister. You will still need to purchase or use an airtight canister. NOT a big deal at all!
I wish the clock was able to be programed in regular time (it is in military time). There may be a way to change this, but I have yet to figure it out.
So for now, it is a 5 Star Coffee Maker for me! We have made 5 pots of coffee so far and all were consistent. I will come back and edit the review as time goes on if things change. Obviously after using the Cuisinart Grind and Brews for years the tiny flaws of this machine are easy to overlook! Right now I highly recommend this machine because of its appearance, ease of use, construction and wonderful tasting coffee!!!
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UPDATE: After three months of perfect use the grinder stopped working. One morning it just wouldn’t go on. I tried everything. I called Krups and they told me to ship it to one of their work centers and I should get a new one in two weeks…. it has been a month and I still do not have a coffee maker. I am so sad because this machine worked really REALLY well. Maybe my problem was a fluke. I hope anyway. I am very disappointed.
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|Great Coffee . . . IF YOU READ THE MANUAL!!!!,
When our old Cuisinart Grind and Brew bit the dust (the unit would go dead many times during a brewing cycle and need a restart), I researched the options. Conical burr grinder, many options for brew strengths and quality, etc., convinced me to buy one despite some of the negative reviews.
Product arrived promptly, in perfect condition. My wife (the non-technical one among us) set it up after reading the manual. Everything worked perfectly! Best cup of coffee in years!
When I read the manual, it became obvious that every one of the complaints about the machine were the cause of not reading the manual completely. The failure of the cover to close for brewing is because the basket is not set in properly using the handle according to the manual. Generic mesh filters will also present proper motion. Grounds dispersal is caused by not latching the cover, per the manual, all the way back. There is a description of the two brewing settings for manual and for automatic. It is all in the manual!
So, read the manual before that great cup of coffee . . . that way you will get the great cup of coffee.
And I don’t even have to mention: the relative quiet of the machine compared to a blade grinder; the ease of daily cleanup compared with the Cuisinart (about 1000% easier); use of less coffee to produce the proper strength cup (saving money); the proper brewing and serving temperatures; and more.
[OK - it is now mid-May, 2008, and my love for this machine has only grown. The ease of cleaning (as compared to my previous Cuisinart Grind and Brew) is worth the price!!!! BUT, actually this machine will pay for itself in less than a year! How? To get a satisfactory, actually a near-perfect cup of coffee, this machine uses about half the quantity of beans as compared with other brewing machine. I figure at about 10 months the amount I will have saved on coffee beans will have paid for this purchase.]
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|Great coffeemaker, excellent customer service,
I have had a number of grind and brew coffeemakers, Cusinarts (awful), Melittas (nice), and this one.
The KM7000 is, by far, the easiest to clean, which solves the biggest problem with this type of appliance. Just remove the filter basket, throw out the filter, rinse, and you’re ready to go again. My wife loves it as well.
Unfortunately, after 2 weeks I was cleaning the filter basket and the spring loaded valve popped off the bottom (I was holding it by the valve; dumb). It was held on by a small gasket that popped off and that I could not find.
I called Krups customer service. As this is a new product, I was told that they do not yet have replacement parts, and that I had to pack and ship the whole coffee maker back to them. I responded that they shouldn’t be selling a product that they couldn’t service. After putting me on hold (and here is what differentiates great customer service from the typical “I don’t care” brand that we have become used to), the rep told me that he talked to their supervisor and that they agreed with me! Therefore, they would send me a shipping label at their expense. Enclosed would be a part from another coffee maker that they thought would fit. If it didn’t, ship it directly to them and call them with the tracking number and they would immediately send me a brand new unit.
As it turns out, the gasket was standard on a number of their models and it did fix the issue. But I thought that it was wonderful how they took ownership of the issue and did their best to make it right.
Great coffeemaker with very flexible grind and brewing controls to fit all tastes, very easy to clean, and great individualized customer service if you have any problems.
What more could you ask for?
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