Grind and Brew CoffeemakerRetire your alarm clock and wake up instead to the rich aroma of freshly ground, just brewed coffee, with the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Automatic Coffeemaker. One of the Premier Series, this deluxe 12-cup model offers the best of Cuisinart’s expert coffeemaking technology to deliver unsurpassed ease of use and rich full-bodied coffee flavor. With streamlined European styling and a graceful carafe, it’s a beautiful addition to any kitchen.The Grind & Brew Coffeemaker features a separate grinding assembly and filter chamber to make beans easy to add and used grounds easy to remove. A convenient “grind off” control turns the grinder off when preground coffee is used. A nice addition to any modern kitchen, this 12-cup automatic coffeemaker automatically grinds whole beans right before brewing to produce a fresh and flavorful pot of coffee. The 24-hour fully programmable unit allows for “wake-up” coffee, plus its brew-pause function makes it simple to enjoy a cup of coffee before the end of the brewing cycle. The included 60-ounce glass carafe offers an ergonomic handle, knuckle guard, and dripless pour spout for graceful serving. Other highlights include adjustable auto shutoff for up to four hours, a grind-off option, a charcoal water filter to remove impurities, and a separate grinder chamber and filter area to ensure simple cleanup. Housed in elegant Italian styling, the coffeemaker measures approximately 12 by 10 by 17 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty. A charcoal water filter and a permanent commercial-style gold tone coffee filter allow only pure flavor to flow through, and the popular Brew Pause feature lets you sneak a cup before the cycle is finished. Dishwasher safe parts. Separate grind and filter chambers for easy cleanup. The freshest tasting coffee outside a coffee bar. What more could a coffee lover as for? Product Parts and BenefitsReservoir Cover Flips back for easy filling, Removable for easy cleaning. A safety Interlock System prevents operation of the unit if the Reservoir Cover is open. Showerhead Distributes water evenly over coffee, reducing temperature loss as water passes through grounds. Filter Basket Compartment Contains filter basket, filter basket cover, and Cuisinart gold tone commercial style filterBrew Pause Stops flow of coffee from basket when carafe is removed from heater plate so a cup can be poured in mid-brew, if desiredHeating Plate Scratch resistant with nonstick coatingCarafe The easy-pour, no-drip 12-cup carafe has an ergonomic handle and brewed coffee markings for two to twelve cupsMeasuring Scoop and Brush#4 Basket Paper FiltersGrinder Basket and Lid Use the recess on each side of the lid to remove lid for easy addition of beansCord StorageCharcoal Water Filter Charcoal water filter eliminates chlorine, bad tastes, and ordors from tap waterControl PanelOn/Off/Set Auto-Shutoff Switch with LED Indicator: Audible Tone which will sound 5 times when the coffee has completed brewing and Auto-Shutoff Tone which will sound twice at end of programmed auto-shutoff periodLow Cups Setting with LED Indicator: set to 1-4 cup to imporove extraction and flavor when making fewer than 5 cups of coffeeHours Set/Minutes Set: press and hold either hour or minute button for approximately 2 seconds to enter Time Set ModeClock DisplayGrind Off with LED Indicator: use to turn off the grinder when using pre-ground coffeeProgram Setting with LED Indicator: press to display program setting or to set programmed brewingProduct FeaturesElegant Italian StylingAutomatically grinds whole beans before brewing24 hour fully programmableBrew Pause™ feature lets you enjoy a cup of coffee before brewing has finishedAdjustable auto shutoff – 0-4 hoursGrind off feature1-4 cup feature12 (5 oz. each) cup carafe with ergonomic handle, dripless spout and knuckle guardGold tone commercial filterCharcoal water filter removes impuritiesSeparate grinder chamber and filter area make for easy cleanupLimited 3-year warrantyEasy OperationFully programmable, this is the ultimate user-friendly coffeemaker. Simply add beans and water, set the flavor control to 1-4 or 5+ cups, and program start time up to 24 hours in advance. An auto-shutoff feature even lets you set the unit to turn off up to 4 hours after the brew cycle ends. The Perfect Cup of CoffeeElement 1: Water Coffee is 98% water. The quality of that water is as important as the quality of your coffee. If water doesn’t taste good from the tap, it won’t taste good in your coffee. That’s why Cuisinart has added a water filter to the Grind & Brew Coffeemaker. The charcoal filter removes chlorine, bad tastes, and odors, for the purest coffee flavor, every time you brew. Element 2: Coffee While coffee is 98% water, all of the flavor comes from the beans. To achieve the same great taste you enjoy at a coffee bar, you need to use the same quality of coffee. Buy the beans fresh and whole, only about two weeks’ supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades very quickly. That’s why the Grind & Brew grinds your coffee just prior to brewing. If it is not practical to buy small supplies, separate larger amounts of beans into one to two week portions immediately after purchase, and freeze them in airtight containers. The best way to maximize freshness is to minimize exposure to air, light, and moisture. So, once beans have been removed from the freezer, maintain them in a sealed container at room temperature, since damaging condensation occurs every time the beans are removed from the freezer or refrigerator. Note that some coffee experts advise against freezing dark-roast beans, because freezing can cause the oils to coagulate. Other experts disagree. We suggest you experiment and decide for yourself.Element 3: Grind The grind is critical for proper flavor extraction. If the grind is too fine, over-extraction and bitterness will result. Too fine a grind may also clog the filter. If grind is too coarse, the water will pass through too quickly and the maximum flavor will not be extracted. The Grind & Brew is preset for a medium grind, the optimal grind for this type of coffeemaker. Element 4: Proportion Coffee that is too strong or too weak is always a disappointment. Follow the recommended portions of ground coffee in the instructions included with every Grind & Brew, and later adjust the amount to suit your taste. The Grind & Brew makes up to twelve (12) 5-ounce cups of coffee
| Asin | B000VTP45Q |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7.48"D x 11.2"W x 15.16"H |
| Weight | 10.12 pounds |
| Manufacturer | Cuisinart |
10 reviews for Cuisinart DGB-550BKP1 Automatic Coffeemaker Grind & Brew, 12-Cup Glass, Black
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Beata Szygulski –
I don’t know what people are complaining about, really. This is an amazing machine. For the price, it is great! Ofcourse if money is no issue then buy yourself the $300 one where condensation of water in the grinder is no issue. However to me it is not an issue or a problem at all. You wash your coffe pot everyday right? At least if you like great tasting coffe like me, with no residue from a dirty pot, I reccomend you do. So this is just one more step to add to your routine, wash the grinder afterwards, just make sure it’s dry before you put coffe in there, which is not hard to do. Just like your coffe pot, after washing you leave it on the drying rack to dry right? you do the same with the grinder, really no rocket science. The condensation in the grinder happens DURING the coffe brewing, the coffe is being ground in a DRY grinder chamber and is already in the filter when it brews, so it DOES NOT affect the coffe making process at all. At least to me, I don’t see how it does. Then when you do dishes, or whatever your routine is, you take care of your coffemaker, it’s just part of your daily routine, at least it should be if you care about having a great tasty cup of coffe. You can’t just NOT take care of your coffe machine and expect results! any coffe machine. That is not
fair to CUSINART! or any brand, to critisize for your own mistakes/laziness ( I’m so sorry, no offense to anyone, but it really just ads a few minutes to your routine) So now that you understand that the comments critisizing the machine make no sense, BUY THE COFFE MAKER if you like it. It is so conveniant with the grinder, two in one, no more messing around with grinding coffe beforehand, and several machines, that’s awesome!!! Oh, I almost forgot, as far as the grinder noise, yes, it is not quiet, but the complaints about it being very noisy make no sense either. Show me a grinder which is super quiet! I just tried it today while my whole family was still asleep, and guess what?! no one woke up😆 I wouldn’t recommend using the grind option maybe if you have a sleeping baby in the house! lol, otherwise I think you’re good. My youngest is 5, and he slept through it just fine, and he is a tricky sleeper 😅
The only thing I would say, and this has nothing really to do with Cusineart or the Coffemaker, just personal preferance, I am a person who likes bold, stronger coffe, if you are too, you might just have to adjust the number of scoops to your taste. It says one scoop of bean coffe per cup, I double that lol, but again, that is just personal preferance, not something against Cusinart.
Great machine! I love Cusinart, and am speaking through experience. My third machine! Love it! so conveniant this one, and the taste of the coffe is lovely!
VALERIE THOMPSON –
TL;DR: Avoid. Grind feature is a pain. It adds too many more steps to making coffee, too many ways for it to go wrong, a pain to clean. Overall a headache at best.
We love Cuisinart appliances–we have their stand mixer, toaster, ice cream maker and food processor–so I thought this coffee pot would be a new addition. It has been the most frustrating appliance we’ve ever had, and beyond the worst coffee pot. We thought this would make coffee routine easier. It has instead added too many extra steps and a host of new frustrations.
Coffee setup is clunky. Sure you have to clean the filter and add water. You also have to fill the grinder with a precise amount of beans each time–too many and the coffee backs up into the grinder and makes weak coffee and a mess in the machine. Moisture builds up in the grinder so you have to clean the grinder out and dry it before between each use, which wouldn’t be hard if the grounds were dry but when they’re wet it cakes into the tiny corners. If you don’t do this the grinds get sticky and back up. If the filter basket shield is wet, coffee grounds back up and can flood the basket leaving grounds in your coffee and coffee on your counter. The stop brewing function doesn’t actually work consistently, so if you pull the pot out you might get coffee pouring full-stream directly into the heating plate and into the counter.
The grinder basket and the filter basket are in different parts of the machine. Because the process requires you to fill the grinder basket, it’s easy to forget to open the filter basket door as well and clean the basket or put in a new filter. Do this, and your grinder basket backs up at best you get weak coffee and at worst coffee floods your counter. We have many times woken up to weak coffee or coffee all over the kitchen, and have wasted so many beans having to start the process over.
I’m sure if you use this coffee pot with pre-grounds it will make a fine cup of coffee. But it’s way too big and expensive for a standard coffee maker. It’s too much of a headache for us to keep up with, so we’ll probably just pull down our grinder and get another cheap coffee pot and toss this out.
Rolando Del Vale –
I ordered this particular coffee machine and model since my older model gave up after 16 years of service. By now I have been using the coffee maker for no less than 4 months.
Cuisinart Coffeemaker has it pro including 12 cups capacity, fast brewing, easy to clean and easy to use. However the latest model is evidently build cutting costs which ended making it flimsy. The door to access the grain compartment continues to have a controlled opening (nice), but it is so weak that feels like it will break. Also the coffee grounds basket doesn’t firmly attaches to the machine and is preferable just to push it close assuming it attached and that it will stay together. The glass carafe looks the same as the older one but thinner glass and the cap does not firmly seals ending leaking coffee while poring. Ended up using the old carafe. Overall it continues to be a good coffee maker, but is definitely not an improved version.
J. Mancini –
I’ve had this coffee maker for a couple of years now and there are pluses and minuses. I’m comparing this product to the Cappresso machine with a built in grinder that I had for over 12 years and just loved. When it died, I knew i wanted another coffee maker with a built in grinder. I read several reviews indicating that the later model Cappressos weren’t as good as they used to be. Plus this Cuisinart was rated very highly, so I thought I’d try it.
First, the pluses.
1. It makes excellent tasting coffee.
2. It seems to be well made and very durable.
Now, the minuses.
1. The grinder is LOUD. It’s basically obnoxious. And it goes for a full 30 seconds, which can feel like an eternity. Don’t plan on getting up before the rest of your household and starting a pot of coffee unnoticed. It will wake up even the heaviest of sleepers. Plus it’s a blade grinder, which is not as good as the burr grinder in the Cappressos.
2. The cleaning process is a nightmare. There are 5 different pieces that MUST be cleaned each time. The steam from the brewing process gets into the grinder, which becomes caked with soggy coffee grounds. You can’t brew another pot until you’ cleaned the entire grinder and basket from the last batch.
3. There’s an odd feature that if, during the process of wiping it down, you accidentally hit the start button and you have the grinder and filter pieces out of the machine, it starts beeping at you and nothing will get it to stop until you put all five pieces back in. You can’t turn it off or reset it. It will temporarily stop beeping if you unplug it, but starts again the second you plug it back in. So irritating.
4. You have to measure out the beans for each pot. I know it seems like a tiny nit to pick, but the Cappresso allows you to dump the beans into a holding container and then automatically measures out the correct amount of beans for the number of cups you indicate, and you can probably brew 2-4 pots before you need to refill. And you don’t need to take apart and clean the grinder after each use.
5. You have to make sure the basket handle faces the front of the machine or you will end up with leaking and overflowing problems.
6. It seems very well made and durable, which is a shame for me, because I can’t wait until this one dies so I can go back to a Cappresso.
Catgirl –
I wanted a grind and brew because I love the taste of fresh, strong coffee – not watered down from a K-cup. This was the least expensive one I found, and the coffee is good. But it is a pain to use. Each time you make coffee, you have to basically take it all apart to rinse/clean it. If you don’t mind that work, it makes a great cup of coffee.
Ethan Wells –
So I purchased this to replace my Cuisinart CHW-12 Coffee Plus 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Hot Water System, Black/Stainless. I was very pleased with the *coffeemaker* component of this latter (its hot water system being another matter), and was looking for a similar coffeemaker that also had a grind and brew function. I have had it now for just shy of a year, and am almost entirely pleased with it. Let me address the pros and cons, both as I see them and as they have been discussed in other reviews:
Pros:
(1) This coffeemaker is able to produce an excellent cup of coffee in very little time.
(2) The grind function allows you to control precisely how much coffee you want ground. Other models – such as the Krups KM7005 Grind and Brew coffeemaker – essentially have a reservoir for beans that are ground according to your selection of coffee-strength. Effectively, this means it uses a timer to determine how much coffee to grind. In my experience, this resulted in an imperfect and – more importantly – inconsistent cup of coffee. This Cuisinart coffeemaker, by contrast, will grind precisely how much coffee you put in the grinder. I have been surprised to find no residue, or almost no residue, in the grinder after each use. This allows you to control the strength of your coffee, and produce a consistent cup.
(3) You can easily turn the grinder off. I keep a stash of ground coffee at the ready for those days when I’m running behind and want to save a step. It doesn’t save a lot of time – but it’s a nice feature.
Cons
(1) A number of people have noted in their reviews that this coffeemaker is a lot of work to clean. While I don’t find this in fact to be the case, it does require you to wash, in addition to the components common to any coffeemaker, the grinder after each use. The only systems with which I am familiar that do not require this are those with a coffee reservoir; the drawback of these systems, as I note above, is that it is difficult to get a consistently good cup of coffee out of them. So I think this is a have your cake or eat it predicament: if you want a consistently good cup of coffee from a grind and brew coffeemaker, you’re probably going to need to buy one requiring additional cleaning.
(2) I was surprised to find how much I missed the carafe temperature control function of my old Cuisinart CHW-12 coffeemaker. I find this grind and brew coffeemaker produces coffee that is slightly too hot for my taste. That said, it is a minor drawback, easily corrected by waiting a few minutes after pouring a cup before drinking it.
(3) Unlike the CHW-12, there is no transparent window that allows you to see how much water is in the reservoir from the side of the coffeemaker. Instead, you have to look down into the water reservoir, at a series of steps marking 2, 4, 6, 8 and so forth. This makes it difficult to fill the reservoir to, say, 3 cups or 5 cups or 7 cups etc. Why? Because when you are looking down, you lose the perspective necessary to determine when the water is halfway between, say, 4 and 6. This is a minor inconvenience that can be worked around by trial and error.
(4) I agree with those reviewers who say the grinder is not large enough to make an entire pot of strong coffee. This doesn’t make the least difference for me since I only make half a pot per day. To make half a pot of coffee at my desired strength, however, I do need to fill the coffee grinder well more than 1/2 full. Upshot: a 12 cup pot of coffee is likely to be weaker than I would want it. So: if you want 12 cups every morning of strong coffee, this grind and brew coffee maker is likely to fall short of your expectations. If, on the other hand, you only occasionally make a full pot of coffee, I’d recommend that, on those occasions, you turn the grinder off and use the appropriate amount of pre-ground coffee instead.
Overall, I would deduct a 1/2 star for cons (2) and (3). That not being an option, however, I have given this coffeemaker a 5 star rating since 4 stars would certainly not do credit to its many fine features.
**UPDATE 05/12/2020**
I have had this unit for just over a year. I stand by my original assessment. It is far and away the best coffee maker I have ever purchased, at least for my purposes.
Jeanie D –
This is actually our third coffeemaker of this model; each has lasted through daily use at least three or more years. It is excellent at grinding and brewing beans as well as using ground coffee. We are also pleased with the copper basket inside as it allows the flavor to come through. It is a credit to the manufacturer, and I hope they continue with this model in the future.
Stacie Bell –
UPDATE: 3/17/15 I purchased this item Dec 2013 and Today Mar 2015 the Grinder Stopped Working. For the 1 yr 3 mo I’ve had the coffeemaker, It HAS worked great! After Contacting Cuisinart they charge $10 for a replacement + you pay to ship back the defective device $25-30 usps. So instead of paying $35-40 I am going to upgrade to the next Cuisinart DGB-625BC for eight one dollars. It looks to be highly rated & If I get about the same amount of use, I’ll be pleased. **Remember how much Starbucks costs? $5+ a day that totals $1825 and that does not include eats or tips. When I total my coffee beans $13/lb/week + creamer 4/ea/week + the coffee maker I am under $970 a year! And I LOVE the way my coffee taste EVERY Day, to the last drop! Making amazing coffee at home is a no-brainer!
If you leave with nothing more, I want you to know THIS IS MY FAVORITE Coffeemaker of all time!! If you are on the fence about buying this (Cuisinart Grind & Brew DGB-550) GET OFF THE FENCE & BUY IT NOW! I was totally on the fence for months myself after running across several negative & neutral reviews for this product. The #1 complaint I kept reading about was how the steam seeps up and then having to clean the device, and this sounded like such a hassle that I almost didn’t purchase a grind & brew. Well thankfully it went on sale into my budget range and I have tested it out extensively and I am here to tell you that- IT’S NOT REALLY AN ISSUE and I’ll Tell You Why!
If you love fresh coffee- surely you already own a coffee grinder and coffee maker. If you don’t already own a grinder, this grind & brew will be awesome for you! So for those of you that do already have a grinder and coffeemaker, There is nothing more to clean on this, than that would have. Cleaning your grinder and coffee machine- that’s all you clean on this too- Nothing MORE. Actually this product makes it SUPER EASY & it Takes No Time at all! Yes the steam seeps up into the grinder because the grinder is attached to the basket so it can put the grounds in there. Yes the inside of the grinder gets wet and has grounds in it- What do people expect? Yet, My separate grinder had the same issue- it would have residue from fresh beans and some grounds that would need to be cleaned everyday- this is no different. On your regular coffee maker you would empty/rinse your filter basket, and rinse your carafe- same with this! That’s All you do!
This Product works Perfect!, It Looks Fantastic! It’s High Quality and has Excellent Function options! Did I mention that it has a 3-year manufacturer warranty! Be Sure to register your new Grind & Brew with Cuisinart! I’m kinda a freak about registering EVERYTHING with the manufacture, I’m not a rep or anything!
Bottom Line: This is a 5 Star machine & I LOVE my new Grind & Brew! If you are a Coffee Snob Like Me, Your Going to love it too! Its going to be an incredibly flavorful 2014- CHEERS! klink kling klink (cups of coffee clinking)
Mx200394 –
My girlfriend (now ex) at the time always complained her coffee wasn’t as good as the coffee I make at my home so I did some research and decided on this maker.
When I set up in her home for her it was real easy to use and really comprehensive to understand the instructions. I personally like to grind my own beans and the fact this does that for you and puts it in the removable/reusable filter. That was great.
It brews fast, and smells great when I used my beans. I enjoyed the taste of the coffee very much. Once you go from paper filters to reusable filters you realize you can’t go back. Paper filters always have a paper taste to your coffee.
I can’t say much about the cleaning other than doing the basic which is run a pot of water through the machine before first use. But judging how my ex kept her old coffee maker clean… I doubt she will keep it clean herself. But I am not stranger to cleaning these things.
If you feel your coffee maker is slowly getting worse and worse. Remove the filter in the water tank, add descaler to the the water per what the descaler instructions say. Brew a pot, dump. Clean the pot out, add clean cool water, brew a second pot of water. Dump that out. Then brew a third pot of water and dump that out like step two.
To clean the reusable filter, please don’t put it in a dishwasher. This can damage it. Take a small pot of water and bring it to a boil. then lower the heat to a simmer. In your sink while waiting for your pot of water to come to temperature use cool water and a soft brush or tooth brush to make sure you remove all the stuck on grinds. Once it is, add the basket to the simmering warm water and turn off the heat. Let it soak till it cools down. Remove the basket and rinse with water brushing with a tooth brush again. This will remove the micro particles from the brewing process. Let it air dry in an open space. Then once dry you can use it again. I suggest for serious coffee makers do this after every use. But for the average coffee user once a week is fine.