Cuisinart Automatic Grind & Brew 12-Cup Coffeemaker

This review is for the 10-cup DGB-850 with Thermal Carafe (stainless steel). After using this coffee maker for over 10 weeks, we are quite happy with it overall (after learning a few lessons). Perhaps this is an updated version of the model, but we have not had any of the issues some reviews mention, like problems cleaning the grinder burrs. In fact, this version does not even have user-access to the grinder parts, based on the videos and descriptions from others with problems. This model advertises that the grinder assembly auto-rinses all the grinds from the grinder - there is no disassembly to get to the grinder itself, and it appears to work fine without access. All we do to clean it after each use is rinse out the permanent filter itself (or toss the paper filter), and wipe moisture from the holder and the housing above the coffee carafe platform. PROS: * Coffee tastes very good - grind/strength controls allows pretty good control over desired taste, by adjusting the amount of water used with each grind range (see my grind testing chart image, and table below). My wife likes coffee a bit weaker, so we use 7-8 cups of water with a 6-cup Grind, for instance, adjusting Strength as needed for the exact amount of water used. * With the thermal carafe, the heating plate below the carafe warms the stainless steel carafe as the coffee is brewed, so there is no need to pre-heat a cold carafe (which we had to do with our previous coffee maker). Works well - the heater is turned off automatically after the coffee is brewed, so it does not over-heat the coffee. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee pretty warm for an hour or two. * At least so far, we have not had any issues with cleaning the grinder burrs - easy clean-up. * We really like the ability to use either the permanent filter basket, or a paper filter. With a septic system, we cannot rinse grounds down the drain, and it is sometimes a pain to dump grounds outside in bad weather (so the paper filter is handy in heavy snow). We did not have this option with our old blade-grinder coffee maker. CONS (Lessons Learned): * Pouring water into the reservoir is a pain with the coffee maker under a cabinet. You need access to the back of the coffee maker to pour from a bit behind, since pouring from the front can let water spill out the overflow slots at the back of the reservoir. * As some reviews mention, pouring from the carafe can be a bit tricky with the lid on, if you are not careful. A full pot pours fine, but steeper angles of pour as the carafe gets emptier can make a mess. I remove the lid for pouring as the pot gets emptier. * To get just the right coffee strength for your personal tastes, it helps to understand exactly how the coffee maker adjusts the grind for the settings (Grind and Strength). I could not find this information in the manual or any on-line reference. See my "Strength Notes" below - between knowing what each combination does, and adjusting the amount of water for each setting, you can get pretty much just what you want, without wasting coffee. STRENGTH NOTES: At first, we found it a bit limiting to have fixed settings for only 4, 6, 8 & 10 cups of coffee. And I could not find any good description anywhere about exactly what the Grind control and the Strength control do - does one adjust the fineness of the grinding mechanism, and the other the amount of coffee beans ground (based on the amount of time the grinder runs)? If so, which controls which? All the manual really says is "The burr grinder will grind the correct amount of beans, and automatically adjust the coffee/water ratio for low cup settings." So, I started experimenting with different settings to see what each does, based on the weight of the ground coffee put into the filter. I weighed the grounds after brewing each pot at different setting combinations, letting them drain quite a while first (wet grounds, but well drained). The chart in the image attached to this review (also shown in the table below) shows my results - not every setting available, but enough to figure out what is happening, I believe. From visual comparisons, I could not see any apparent differences in the coarseness of the grounds themselves with any combination, so I assume that the grinder does not change the coarseness/fineness of the grind itself, only the amount of beans ground, for both the strength and grind (# of cups) settings. But with the information in the chart, and by adjusting the amount of water you put in the reservoir for each brew, you can get pretty close to the strength you want. Ground Coffee Weights, Cuisinart DGB-850 Coffeemaker GRIND STRENGTH GRAMS (avg.) ============================= 4 Cups Extra Bold 75 6 Cups Regular 91 6 Cups Bold 102 6 Cups Extra Bold 120 8 Cups Bold 122 8 Cups Extra Bold 140 So, for example, we brew a slightly weaker-than-recommended pot by setting the Grind (# of cups) to 6 cups, adding either 7 or 8 cups of water to the reservoir, and setting the Strength as a kind of fine-tuning adjustment to get just the strength we want for that batch (my wife likes it a bit weaker, I like it a bit stronger - we alternate!). Hopefully this will help you fine-tune your perfect cup of coffee. Happy brewing!

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.

Bought in April,2024 I had to replace my older grind and brew so I went with this one. With the old one, it was pretty easy to fill the hopper on top with beans from time to time and forget about it.A frequent brushing out to keep the pathway clear for the ground coffee and you were all set. This new one is not a burr grinder but a blade chopper. It requires disassembly, cleaning and drying after each use. To brew a pot of coffee you have to measure the beans into the grinder assembly each time being careful not to overload it. The steam from the hot water rises up into the grinder during brewing and makes a slushy coffee powder paste inside that needs to be cleaned to make another pot. This model also has a kcup section that lets you brew individual cups using pods or you can buy the filter assembly so you can use ground coffee to make your own “pods”. I’ve had it for a few months now and it brews a fine pot of coffee automatically for us every morning with no issues. It would be nice to have a water level window in the tank for the kcups.you have to constantly look inside with a light to see if there is water and so you don’t over fill…it’s kind of an idiot design. That being said I feel we do use a bit less coffee measuring out the beans by hand instead of letting the grinder decide when to stop…and the coffee is great. The labor intensive process would make me not buy this again tho, as I was spoiled by the original burr grind and brew. It would be much easier just getting a bean grinder and using my old stove top percolator. Oh and the 12oz setting on the pod machine is a bit more than 16ozs when measured in a measuring cup so proceed accordingly. It gets 3 stars because it makes a good pot of coffee ( 3 1/2 stars if I could) but I dropped 2 stars for the labor intensive process involved and an assembly that spins that fast to grind the beans has got to wear, so I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and have to buy replacement parts…I will keep you posted… December 3,2024.. About 7 months later and it still makes a great cup of coffee. It still auto brews at 8 am everyday and it’s still a pain in the butt to clean and dry the grinder each time I brew. And as I suspected the grinder parts are showing signs of wear so I’m shopping for spare parts and researching after market as opposed to trying to get it from the manufacturer direct…they’re a little pricey from them. But over all it’s still working well. I reached out to Cusinart with pictures of the wear on the grinder parts after only 7 months and they did respond with replacement parts..they’re under warranty UPDATE! This just burnt up on my counter as the coffee violently boiled in the carafe…I had to un plug it…it’s crap …I bought this on April 15th and it burned up on Super Bowl Sunday morning…Glad we were home This morning I Spent all morning on the phone.You get no credit from Cuisinart if you buy your stuff on Amazon.Theyll just offer a replacement.But it’s a fire hazard.So the rep shopped around to see what they have with a thermal carafe and no heat plate.Long story short,it cost me another$29! To get the only thing they had that my wife would even let in th house! Hope they make good use of that $29 as it is the last money they ever see from me.On the up side ,customer service was helpful and they can’t help it if the company they work for sucks. Don’t buy this crap ,it’s not safe and they don’t seem to care… Spend the extra money and get a Breville grind and brew…Holy Smokes what a difference YET ANOTHER UPDATE The replacement DGB- 850 grind and brew maker that I had to pay an extra$29 for it as a replacement makes the weakest, crappiest coffee of any coffee maker I’ve ever owned. I’ve tried different beans and the only way I can get a decent pot of coffee is to set it for 10 cups on the grinder control and use only 8 cups of water…this thing sucks badly…In the future I certainly wouldn’t buy Cuisinart anything…terrible stuff

I actually own an older version of this coffee pot and just purchased another one here on Amazon. I read many of the reviews and after owning the pot for the last 7+ years - it has stood the test of time. I noted many people had trouble with the "overflow", filter door popping open etc. If all the parts are not positioned correctly and the door for the filter is not latched securely it will pop open. The last thing I do before setting the program time is make sure everything is secured and in place. It needs washed and a good cleaning EVERY day. It needs a good wipe down all over- especially up in the compartment where the grinder is seated and all of the parts. I think the cleaning is key to help maintain the pot. If the grinder doesn't get washed up good every day then it will start clogging and grounds will blow and it is a big mess if not maintained. It is loud when the coffee pot grinder is grinding but once you are used to it -it's no big deal at all. The grinder on my original pot started to "stick" and was difficult to pull out but I researched online to see if others were having the same problem and some were- one of the suggestions was to spray Pam cooking spray where you place the grinder and also spray a little bit on the bottom of the grinder as well inside where the grinder will be seated. Voila, it worked. So I am actually still using my old machine- 7 years+ and we make coffee every day. There is nothing like fresh brewed coffee from fresh ground beans. Of course over time the parts wear out. I may have made it sound like there's alot of cleaning and alot of work, but seriously it only takes 5 minutes to remove everything and wash it up. I bought my original pot for $69.00 + tax. I have not seen the pot again in numerous stores I looked at so searched Amazon and found this one- it is a refurbished pot from Amazon Wharehouse Deals- I used it this morning and it works perfectly. I couldn't find a 10 cup machine but found this particular 12 cup machine. The only reason I am giving a 4 star review is because the machine comes with a 12 cup pot, but the grinder will only hold the same amount of beans as my 10 cup pot. Some people were complaining the coffee was weak- and I think it would be if you made the 12 cup full pot. So that is disappointing- it doesn't really make sense to have a bigger pot and not a bigger grinder. I also bought the machine now because it was such a good price. With shipping etc. it was just shy of $75.00. I have seen many pots that grind and brew and the prices were much higher than what I paid for my 10 cup pot and now this machine. So for the price, I feel I received a good product and I am willing to wash it up everyday. Some people may find that annoying and a big pain so if you do- this pot probably isn't for you. My husband and I love the fresh brewed coffee so it doesn't feel like work at all for us to maintain it. We also are the only 2 people in the house so it serves us just fine. I will continue to use my original 10 cup pot until it gives out- but used the new one today to make sure it worked ok. By the reviews I read some people were only getting 2 years or less on this machine so I feel really fortunate to have had mine for 7+ years and still working. I will continue to spray Pam until it doesn't work anymore. I hope I get as much use out of my new pot as I did my 10 cup machine!! Hope this review helps anyone else that might be looking to buy this pot.

This is a solid coffee maker. We purchased this in 2023 and are still loving it. We appreciate that it will grind the beans fresh before brewing a pot of coffee, which provides really great tasting coffee. We also love that we can just brew a K-cup of coffee if we don't want to brew a whole pot. Overall, it brews a very easy to drink pot of coffee, not too weak or too strong. You can definitely hear the grinder when the carafe side brews, but I don't feel like it is "too loud"; it's comparable with a standard grinder that would work separately. Be aware that you will have to clean out the grinder with every use. I don't find that it is cumbersome to clean, but it is just part of the routine. There are two water reservoirs, one for the carafe side that holds the amount for a full pot of coffee, and then the "pod" side holds up to 40 oz. of water but has to have a minimum amount (8 ounces I think) for that side to be able to brew. I will also add that we had an issue with the way ours works and I really appreciated that the customer service team was very helpful in addressing this concern. That in and of itself makes me want to continue to work with this company.

Best coffee maker I have ever had! I get fresh coffee beans it grinds them and gives me fresh brewed coffee each and every day. My daughter has one of these and I was totally sold once I drink her coffee! I totally recommend the Cuisinart grind and brew coffee maker!

I've owned 3 grind and brews now, the Cuisinart DGB-625, DGB-800, and a Krups. All of these machines are useful tools for combined grinding and brewing, but grind and brews are a mechanical challenge to design. If you come into this expecting a magical machine that is just going to work how you want it with no effort, you are going to be disappointed. If you come into this expecting it to be a tool you experiment with and learn how to use to accomplish what you're after, you may find what you're looking for. The DGB-625 was great. It was half the price of the others, easy to use, and made a decent cup of coffee. I don't think the burr grinder is any better than the blade grinder, unless you care about the noise and want something quieter. The grinds from all of these are very coarse, far too coarse for my taste, but I make it work by using more coffee. Both of these machines got the grounds perfectly distributed in the filter basket for me with water hitting all the grounds. The same can't be said for the Krups, which was an absolute failure. The Krups had half the grounds get stuck in the chute and predominantly put the grounds on only one side of the filter. It was unusable and went back quickly. The big benefit of the DGB-800 over the 650 for me is that the 800 is so much easier to clean. I quickly got tired of the steam filling the grinding compartment and needing daily cleaning. If that didn't bother me, I would have stuck with the 650. The 800 lets you adjust strength and number of cups. What you have to understand is these are really just controls for how many beans you want it to use. I might only use 4 cups of water but set it for 8 cups to get more grounds so I can have stronger coffee. Using these machines to get what you want is a learning process, and you may have to tweak what you do over time. I've also seen lots of reviews where they say that the carafes spill when pouring. I have not had this problem. The carafes seem very poor at pouring (carafe, you had 1 job!), but I am able to pour coffee from it without spilling. The Krups actually had a nice carafe that poured the heavily diluted coffee water it brewed perfectly. Overall, the Cuisinarts are good machines. The controls are very easy to understand. If you like coarsely ground coffee beans they are wonderful machines. I really wish they had the option for finely ground coffee, but I believe that would make the already complicated grind and brew machine even less reliable than it already is. Update: the grind on the DGB-800 actually seems a bit more coarse than it was on the 650. I use twice as much coffee as recommended and a very dark roast and it's still very watery and diluted. I'm a fan of very fine almost espresso grinds to get the most flavor. I'm going back to the 650 because it seems to grind it just a little finer. Otherwise, the 800 was better in almost every way. Update: Amazon is hassling me about returning this. This product is really not great and Amazon does not like you returning it. I would buy something else.

I love this coffee maker! It delivers freshly ground coffee, perfectly brewed, exactly when you want it. It is simple to operate but you will have to use it a few times before you get it. It's not intuitive but neither is a food processor the first time you use it. You will need to read the instructions and carefully follow the steps to set up the clock (remember to set AM or PM) and the timer. Using it is easy: pour water, install a disposable unbleached paper water filter in brew basket, measure coffee, and push SET. Nothing to adjust. Start with filtered or bottled water. My experience: I fill the water reservoir level to 10 cups and add 6 TBS coffee beans to the grinder basket. This makes 4 large mugs of robust-but-not-spoon-dissolving coffee. Beans: I use dark roast like Peet’s Major Dickason's or Starbucks Cafe Verona or medium roast Lavazza Espresso. They all make a robust cup that stands up to warm milk or froth. Let experience will be your guide. Care: I put the removable parts in the dishwasher every day. This may be counter to the manufacturer's instructions, but it's what I do. I'm not telling you to try this at home... but, after 18 months, it's fine. Once a month, I clean the coffee maker, per the manufacturer's instructions, and replace the little water filter in the reservoir. That's it. One quick caveat: the grinder is loud. You will think Krakatoa is erupting the first time you hear it, but you get used to it because the coffee is so good. I don't hear it go off any more; I awaken to the aroma of the freshly ground brewed coffee, not the noise. There are other fancier, more complicated auto grind coffee makers, but for a delicious, reliable, simple to use and clean coffee maker, at a reasonable price, the Cuisinart 12-cup Grind & Brew is the best!