Cuisinart Grind and Brew

Let me explain why this coffeemaker, or any automatic drip coffeemaker that uses paper filters, sucks out loud. First of all, this machine uses a blade grinder instead of a real burr grinder. A burr grinder grinds your coffee all the same size, and with rough edges. A blade grinder is just that; like a food processor, it chops the coffee into bits, creating different size coffee grounds from large hunks to fine dust. This means that the coffee will over-brew the dust and not brew the larger sized grounds. Overbrewing makes the coffee bitter, and underbrewing gives it a sour taste. Automatic coffeemakers also do not get the water hot enough. Most of these only go to about 155-60 degrees F. And, as any coffee aficionado will tell you, the water needs to be in the 180-200 degree range. Also, that paper filter you put in there? Do you know why it's all brown when you take it out? BECAUSE IT IS TRAPPING ALL THE OILS FROM THE COFFEE, THAT'S WHY! The oils are where the flavor from the co... Read more

A lot of my points have already been covered by other reviewers. My biggest issue is touched on here but I need to explain my issue further. I like a very strong cup of coffee, I am not from Seattle but I just like it strong, I never really realized this though until I got the Cuisinart grind and brew because I followed the directions and filled the beans only to the max fill mark on the grinder and I didn't even make the full 10 cups, I made just shy of 8 and I felt it was EXTREMELY weak. So I did my own "jerry-rigging" and was able to fit a little bit more beans in the grinder which made a better cup of coffee if I didn't go over 8 cups of water but here is the problem. Now the grinder gets stuck in the machine, like by over filling it it causes it to get jammed in the machine. Now I know all the jerks reading this will say "well don't fill it over the max fill" well first of all, since I already have, it now gets jammed every time even when I don't go to max fill and MOST IMPORTANTL... Read more

The filter door pops open during brewing and spews coffe everywhere. It leaks from the bottom and is impossible to clean. Ugh. Oh, and I forgot to mention how LOUD the grinder is.

This drip coffeemaker features an integral coffe grinder and a thermally insulated serving pot. The goal is to grind the beans right at the sime of brewing without taking the extra step of using an external grinder, and keep the coffee hot without burning it (there is no external heating of the coffee after it is brewed. It uses standard paper basket filters, or a permanent metal mesh one. It has a slower brew setting for brewing smaller batches of coffee, ostensibly to extract more flavor from the beans. Pretty straightforward, but has a few drawbacks, to wit: 1) The grinder is a bit loud. 2) The lid on the carafe (1/2 turn screw top) is a bit tight to remove. 3) To keep the java warm, the pour spout on the carafe is quite small; coff3e pours VERY slowly. 4)Large amounts of condensation collects in the upper grinder assembly; you must fastidiously wash it after EVERY use. 5) If you open the fill lid while brewing (not dangerous) the whole thing shuts down and an annoying warning ... Read more

I love my DGB-600BC, but have had the problem with the basket popping out and it leaking all over. I talked to product support at Cuisinart, and their suggestions were helpful. One suggestion was that I had the grinder too full of beans and was using too much water. Only fill the beans up to the line below the edge of the grinder, not up to, or over the top. It is possible to fill it over the rim, since the clear top keeps all the beans inside, and this is a temptation for those of us in Seattle who love our coffee strong. Also, using more water is a temptation when we want more coffee. Mine is marked for up to 10 cups inside the water cistern, and it is possible to use more. But if I put in 8 cups, less steam is generated, and the door is less likely to pop out. By the way, these are 5 ounce, not 8 ounce "cups". So 8 cups will give me about 40 ounces of coffee, or 1 quart plus 1 standard 8 ounce cup. The support person also suggested I clean the latch mechanism with a Q-tip., ... Read more

I am amazed at the bad reviews because I have had a machine for 6 months and it has worked very well, the coffee stays hot for the whole day if necessary without the burnt taste like my old machine. I CAN turn off the grinder so I can use ground coffee, I do not get coffee grounds all over the place, I do not use a filter and everything seems to magically end up in the basket. The only issue I have is the steam does get into the grinder package causing a couple of beans and some bean residue to stay in the package rather than dropping into the basket and requires washing every day, I joined this group looking for an answer to this issue. I am surprised at how may people are having issues with this unit so I guess I have come off lucky. If anybody has a solution to the steam entering the grinder unit I would be glad to hear from you.

Steer clear, I can't imagine a more poorly designed coffee maker. The product review states "When the aroma of freshly brewed coffee... wafts into your bedroom in the morning, you won't need your alarm clock." The truth? 1) The coffee is brewed into a thermal carafe, so there is NO satisfying coffee aroma and 2) you won't need an alarm clock because the grinder sounds and feels like a jet rocket - VAAAAAH-ROOOOOM! The machine is also very high maintenance. There are too many parts to clean and it's cumbersome to disassemble, reassemble, disassemble, reassemble, etc. Furthermore, these parts are messy - grounds scatter all about and frequently end up in the carafe itself. There is also no option to circumvent the hideous grinder by starting with your own grounds. The only nice thing I have to say about this product is the fact we got it as a gift (Thanks, Mom!) that said, I can't wait to replace it!

Yes, this is my first review. I'm jumping in because I couldn't really understand some of the negative reviews. I've had this coffee maker for over 3 years now, after some real problems with other grind and brew makers. It simply makes great coffee. When we have overnight guests, they rave about the coffee. I've used the timer, the 1-4 cup feature and even the "grind off" feature when I was out of whole beans. I was never disappointed. You CAN make weak coffee if you are so inclined, but you can also make a strong coffee. It depends on the quality of the beans and how much you use. Yes, you do have to follow the directions. Yes, if you forget to put in the coffee filter the basket will overflow and create a mess. Yes, you do have to clean out the grinder after each use (but that's no big deal - especially if you have a dishwasher). And, yes, the grinder is noisy, but so are separate grinders. To sum it up, it's the best of the coffee grind and brews that I've owned; it'... Read more

I'm a coffee snob, and like mine bold, rich and black. I used to have a Melitta grind & brew, which produced fantastic coffee that lasted for an hour before the heat pad shut off. Turning on the heat pad for a second hour really damaged the coffee's flavor. The Cuisinart takes care of that problem. In fact, I've found the coffee temperature is much hotter than that made by other units, and somehow stays hotter in your cup longer - which means no microwaving the coffee to keep it hot. That said, there are many parts to this coffee maker - a 2-piece grinder, a 3-piece filter, and a 2-piece carafe. That's a lot of parts to disassemble and wash, but they are all dishwasher safe. The carafe is well insulated, allowing me to enjoy morning-fresh coffee well into the afternoon.

Oh Cuisinart Grind 'n' Brew, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways: 1) This thing LEAKS out the bottom of the machine. My apartment has white laminate countertops, which are porous and the spot underneath the coffeemaker is stained a dingy brown gray, no matter how much I scrub it. No matter how careful I am, there is always a pool of brownish water under the machine after I run it. 2) The stylish brushed chrome will only stay that way for a short while - it shows every fingerprint and water spot and needs to be polished with stainless steel appliance spray to stay looking nice. I don't know about you, but 'polishing' kitchen appliances really isn't my bag. A quick wipedown with a sponge or papertowel is all I am willing to commit to. 3) Having the grinder and the water tank housed in the same compartment means you will invariably end up with beans & grounds in the water tank, which is very hard to clean. My water tank has a grimy brown film on the plastic. Blech. ... Read more

Although I purchased this a long time ago I thought I'd review it now. Don't waste your money. The coffee isn't hot, it's slow, it clogs. Mine broke in less than one year. When I called Cuisinart they more or less said tough. They offered to let me ship it at my expense. They would check it out and then charge me to repair it. Ridiculous considering the price of the maker. They should stand behind their products. I went out and bought another coffeemaker. I have the Mr. Coffee FT series and it's great. I recommend it. It's fast, the coffee is hot and actually gets hotter the longer it's in the carafe. I wouldn't take a Cuisinart product if they were giving it away.